The Offering

Chapter 2

Fifth period meant two things:

1. Mr King's painfully boring History class.
2. I sat next to Ryan Taylor.

On the surface the two could not be in further juxtaposition from each other. However, they were both in fact formidable tests of grit and determination.

The first to stay awake and engage in any sort of opportunity to learn something from a man who personified the word 'dull'. From his mustard coloured bargain store tweed suit to his embarrassing attempt to hide his sorry case of baldness with an outdated comb over. Mr King was about as interesting as dishwater and taught most of his lessons via PowerPoint presentation. He made no attempt to disguise the fact he was as passionless about teaching as the majority of his students were about learning.

However, this still didn't compare to the daunting challenge of having to stop myself from turning an alarming shade of crimson and yelping like a puppy dog every time Ryan looked remotely in my direction.

I'd had a crush on Ryan Taylor for the past two years. In that time he'd had four girlfriends, all of which were annoyingly gorgeous. I on the other hand had failed to even kiss a boy, I had never even come close. No doubt as a result of my being such a socially awkward idiot. Yes, a dingy one bedroom apartment and six million cats were what lay ahead in my romantic future.

Ryan's type was very obviously not me. He always dated 'mega bitches', a comforting fact that I (and Clara) had reminded myself of often. Ryan and I would never be 'Ryan and I'. I was not his type and that should have been enough to stop my little crush in it's tracks two years earlier. Instead it had served only to fuel my adoration of him.

He was every bit a cliche with his deep blue eyes, his sandy brown hair that fell adorably across his forehead and his athletic physique which I had admired often. But cliches are such for a reason.

I had on multiple occasions during his 'legendary' contributions to school sports attended such events. Simply to feed my obsession, to dote from afar. Pathetic I know. So much so that Clara had forced me to go cold turkey and give up Ryan when he began dating Carly Reynolds in the Summer.

Just last week Ryan had broken up with Carly Reynolds, the Queen of all mega bitches. She had been devastated for all of about two seconds before sticking her tongue down his best friends throat. Ryan was officially no longer taken. He was available.

Not that I was ever going to do anything about that. It was simply an observation I had made.

"Do you have a pen I could use?"

Startled from my own thoughts I realised who had spoken to me. I felt the familiar rush of heat to my cheeks and dipped my head, attempting to hide my face with my hair. I reached forward for my pencil case with such urgency I sent it flying off the table.

KILL ME NOW!!!

My mind screamed. As I slid off my seat to reach for the case I bumped into Ryan who had also (like a gentleman) gone to help. That single second of contact between us sent a further rush of heat throughout my body that sent my stomach into tail spins.

"I''m sorry," I stuttered, barely recognising the pathetic whimper of my own voice.

"It's okay," he was kind enough to reply as he helped collect the stationary back into the case until all that remained was a single pen.

Instead if allowing him to take it I took it in my hand and gave it to him, as I did I felt an unfamiliar rush of daring. Looking up, I forced myself to make eye contact with Ryan Taylor and smile.

"Thanks," he said, smiling back with his perfect set of white teeth.

"Keep it," I stated, a sudden strength and calm in my voice that I didn't recognise.