Unpredictable

Chapter 4: Jock Boy

As it turned out, I had my first (well, if you didn't count the first period that I missed) class with Ricky. It was an AP class, but I didn't mind. I usually never really paid much attention to the social scene anyway.

I sat down next to Dylan in the back, and Ricky sat down next to me, raising an eyebrow at Dylan. He mouthed the words he's cute to me when Dylan wasn't looking. I rolled my eyes, and Dylan threw a ball of paper my way.

Where were you first period?

Maybe I just didn't have first period with you, I threw the piece of paper back.

Mrs. Ronan called your name. Where the hell were you? Crap, I forgot about roll call. Of course Dylan would be paying attention to when my name would be called. Why did these people seem to care so much about me?

None of your business. It's literally the worst reply ever, but I threw the ball of paper back.

Why are you sitting with Jonas, anyway? Dylan's words literally oozed jealousy, and I can't help but wonder why. He's got Tanya and probably every other girl in this school (and maybe even some of the guys) after him.

He wouldn't leave me alone. You guys have a lot in common.

"Smith, Sophie!" called the teacher, and I raised my hand, glad she saved me from Dylan's interrogation.

And thus English began. I wasn't really paying attention, but I was pretty sure they were talking about Hamlet, which I'd already done at a different high school. Either way, I slouched in my seat and tried not to draw anybody's attention.

After class, Dylan grabbed me by the wrist, and my first reflex was to flinch. It's small, but Dylan still noticed, and he released me at once. Great. Now he probably thought I was more damaged than he already thought I was.

"What the hell do you want, Dylan?" I snapped at him, frustrated by basically this day in general.

"Jeez, a conversation maybe? How'd you get to be besties with Ricky Jonas? He's like the most popular guy here." Dylan frowned at me. "You don't have to be so stand-offish all the time, you know."

"It's a long story." I really just wanted to get to Algebra. I was so done with people today.

"I've got time."

"Neat. I've got Algebra," I retorted, and started walking away.

"Hey, smartass!" yelled Dylan.

"What?" I knew he was talking to me.

"Algebra's that way." Dylan jabbed his thumb in the opposite direction as he smirked at me. I groaned, and do a 180, walking past Dylan again.

"Yo, Soph," Evie asked during Algebra, "Dylan said you went, like, totally AWOL during first period? Where were you?"

"Doesn't matter," I said wearily.

"We were worried about you," chimed in Ethan. "Oh, by the way, I'm super sorry Soph, but you have to stay and watch practice with us."

"Okay," I said, already planning to do most of my homework on the bleachers. I've been in far worse situations than this.

"Tanya's car can't fit us all, and Dylan and I have to stay, so..." Ethan explained, like this happened all the time.

"You don't have to explain," I said, frowning. "It's your car. It's none of my business what you do with it."

"But aren't you unhappy you can't go home?" Ethan frowned at me.

"I'll be fine," I brushed it off.

********

Football practice, predictably, is on the football field. So is cheerleading practice. I said hello to Ricky, who's lingering near Maxton, who is the water boy, and then walked up to take a seat on the bleachers. Numerous cheerleaders glared at me, before beginning to do ridiculous stretches in super-short skirts and tube tops. Some of the guys, including Ethan (I was slightly disgusted to be his foster sister, not gonna lie) hooted and hollered, but others, like Ricky, didn't even give them a glance. To my enormous surprise, this included Dylan, but I figured after Aurora's mother, Dylan must not be fazed by girls very often.

I focused on my homework, and by the end of practice, I had it all done. Dylan jogged over to me, grinning. "Want to come over to my house, help me with homework?"

I immediately shuffled through my bag and handed him my homework. "It's all done, sure to get you at least a B+," I informed him. "You don't have to give it back, if you don't want to."

Ricky jogged over. "Hey, Sophie, what's up? Hey, Dylan." Jeez, if looks could kill Maxton's glare would've killed Dylan a hundred times over.

"I don't want your homework," Dylan said, shoving it back at me. That's a first; most of my foster siblings are happy to have somebody who will do their homework for them. Most of my foster parents don't give two shits about who actually does the homework.

"Sophie's homework? What the hell - why do you have Sophie's homework, Dyl?" frowned Ethan, who had evidently jogged over too. "You said you'd stop paying people to do your homework, Dylan." He sounded disappointed.

"She fucking gave it to me, okay?" Dylan sounded angry now. "I just asked if she wanted to come over and do homework, and she gave me hers!"

"Oh," Ethan said. "I'm sorry, man." Dylan sighed.

"It's fine."

"So you don't want my homework?" I asked slowly, confused.

"No, Soph. Did - did your other foster siblings have you do that? Is that why you're asking us?" I bit my lip and nodded my head.

"You don't have to do that with us, Soph. How about you still go over to Dylan's, okay? Make sure he remembers to eat while he's doing his homework and feeding Aurora," said Ethan playfully. I felt slightly rejected, but I don't let it show.

That's what my foster family apparently wanted, for me to be at Dylan's house, so I nodded. Apparently satisfied, the boys jogged into the locker room to shower and change, and yeah, I guess Dylan's dark brown hair is kind of sexy when it's wet, but I'm a foster kid. Nobody would ever want to date me. And I wasn't looking to date anybody, anyway.