It all started with a game

Chapter 11

The marks humans leave are too often scars.
~John Green

A/N
I think i have had that song above on repeat for the last five or six hours, I love it. Also any guesses on who's the Gemini?

Chapter 11
Ryder's POV
"How's the game going?" Mateo questioned as we made our way to school. There were days when the two of us figured it nicer to just walk to school since Mateo lives so close.

I shrugged. "I'd say pretty good, we have officially driven Tanaka insane. She tried to slam my fingers in a locker."

Mateo laughed. "What?"

"Oh yeah, she's finally resorted to violence. I said hi to Beatrice and before I had time to react she was slamming the locker door on my finger. Beatrice barely managed to stop it before it broke my fingers, which I think made Tanaka even more angry." I grinned at the thought of Tanaka cursing my name to the wind. She's probably got a voodoo doll with my name on it.

"I think we've accomplished our goal then."

I nodded, quite pleased with myself. I didn't think it would actually work. "I'd say so."

Mateo shoved his hands in his pockets. "So does this mean you're ending the game with Beatrice?"

I paused, the rhythm of my steps slowly fading into complete amorphousness. I hadn't thought about that yet. I mean it would make the most logical sense. I'd gotten what I wanted: I'd made Tanaka angry. There was no point in putting Beatrice through anything else. I might as well let her off the hook now. But at the same time... "I don't know man, I think I may actually have a shot at winning."

Mateo chuckled. "Tell that to Marx Jacobson."

I raised my brow. "Who?"

"Marx Jacobson," Mateo repeated, like the name had any meaning to me. "He's a freshman, just transferred here last week and it seems his first order of business is Beatrice."

What does he want with Beatrice? "What makes you say that?"

"He won't shut up about her. I sit next to him in forensics and it's all he talks about: how sweet she is, how pretty she is, how adorable it is that she takes a book with her everywhere, how good she smells. Apparently she smells like orange juice, which is weird."

I laughed at the thought. She doesn't smell like orange juice. Not even close. He's clearly an idiot if he can't recognize that she smells like citrus and honey.

"I don't think we've had a conversation in which he hasn't brought up Beatrice. It's sickening, the mans whipped." Mateo paused. "I don't sound like that when I talk about Maria, right?"

I progressively got more irritated the more Mateo continued the topic.

'How adorable it is that she takes a book with her everywhere'? Who does this guy think he is? He's a bloody freshman. He can't possibly think he has a shot with her? Can he? "You do sound like that. It's nauseating," I answered bluntly. "Is she interested in him?"

Mateo shrugged. "According to him, she most definitely is. They talk all the time apparently."

My jaw clenched. What is she doing talking to a guy like that?

Mateo didn't let me get another sentence out, moving topics. "Anyway, that's not the point. So are you ending it with Beatrice or not?"

Marx Jacobson? She's really talking to a freshie? I bet he's short and ugly. "Yeah, whatever," I spat. "I'll end it with her tonight."

Let her run off to Marx Jacobson for all I care. Don't let me hold her back from fraternizing with the freshman.

"Good. You have to be nice about it though, okay?"