Trusting to Love

Chapter 4: Brayden

Four hours of agonizing torture in class and finally, it is time for lunch. My stomach has been growling since five minutes after breakfast, and today the school is serving food that is actually edible: tacos. I'm so excited when I get in the lunch line, that I almost don't realize that the pretty girl from Monday, Rebecca, is right in front of me.

Should I talk to her? It has been four days since our first conversation... Will she even remember me? What if she doesn't and I make a complete fool of myself? Then she will never like me...

Before I can finish my thoughts, my mouth moves without my brain's permission. "Hi Rebecca!" Was that too enthusiastic?

"Hey! Brandon, right?" she replies. Well at least she remembers my name, sort of...

"Brayden, actually," I say with a chuckle that hopefully covers my disappointment.

"Right! I'm so sorry, I am horrible with names. I swear if it weren't for having to write my name on homework, I would forget my own..."

"Don't worry about it, my mind gets jumbled on taco day, too," I laugh, proud of my reply.

"What? You mean this disgusting slop they call meat and the stale tortilla chips they call a shell? You've gotta be kidding, you actually eat this stuff?" she replies disgusted, but with a slight laugh in her voice.

"Hey," I say, "this disgusting slop happens to be my favorite lunch here." She crinkles her nose in disgust and it is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. "If you think it is so gross then why are you in line to get it?"

"Well I wouldn't be eating it if I hadn't forgotten my lunch."

"Aww, poor Rebecca," I say in a mocking tone. She playfully punches my arm.

"Shut up," she says as we get closer to the end of the line. "Dang it, I forgot my pin number," she mutters under her breath.

"Well the office has all the pin numbers, so we will hold your food until you come back," the lunch lady retorts rather sassily.

"Hang on now," I interject, "I've got this covered."

"No, Brayden, it's fine! I can run to the office, it's not a big deal," Rebecca says with a slight blush.

"I'm sure you could but you're not going to because I have already paid for it," I laugh as the lunch lady presses some buttons on her computer. Rebecca looks down, seemingly embarrassed.

"Rebecca, seriously, that wasn't a problem." I tell her as we walk through the crowded cafeteria.

"Well thanks," she replies, "I really appreciate it, I'll pay you back tomorrow," she tells me as she walks in the direction of a table with a boy at it.

"Wait!" I yell after her, "Um... Wanna sit at my table?"

"Who else sits there?" she asks nervously.

"Just a couple guys from the spring baseball team, some actors, cheerleaders, basically every kind of person, Devin is kind of involved in everything." She looks down as I say Devin's name, I assume it's because she is trying to remember who it is.

"Ummm sure, I guess, but is it okay if I bring my brother?" Thank God. The boy at the table is her brother.

"Of course," I say, following her to her brother's table.

"Hey Ev, this is Brayden, Brayden, this is my brother, Everett," She introduces us and we exchange hellos. "Brayden has asked us to sit with him," she says to Everett. He gives her a look, but gets up and follows us to my almost full table.

"Hey guys," I say to everyone, "This is Rebecca and her brother Everett, Rebecca and Everett, this is Andrew, Emma, Clara, Mike, Jake, and Devin." We all sit down as they say a few hellos.

"Hey Rebecca!" Devin exclaims, giving her a hug, "I didn't know Everett was your brother! He's in my chem class." Devin says over-excitedly. What is happening? Why is she so excited? Before Rebecca can reply, Andrew holds out a hand to her.

"It's nice to meet you," he says with a wink. Andrew has always been a huge flirt and it's rare that he's at the table without a whiny blonde wearing next to no clothing who is glued to his arm. I try not to worry too much, though, I mean there's no way Rebecca will fall for his act, right?

"You, too." She giggles. I guess I was wrong... "I haven't seen you around much," she says to him.

"Well you must not have been looking in the right places," he flirts back.

"I guess not," she says, finally pulling her hand away from the lingering handshake to tuck her hair behind her ear. I spend most of the rest of lunch listening to Devin and Everett talk while I try to ignore Andrew's obnoxious flirting with Rebecca. When it is finally time to go to class, Devin pulls me aside. "What the hell is wrong with you??" she asks harshly, hitting my arm.

"Ow!" I yell, "what was that for?"

"For sitting there and letting Andrew shamelessly hit on Rebecca!" She exclaims, punching me again.

"Ow! You know, for such a petite girl, you pack a strong punch!"damn straight haha

"Don't change the subject," she warns me.

"Well what about you and Everett?" I retort.

"What about me and Everett?" She asks, pretending to be completely clueless.

"Like you don't know," I say slyly, "and by the way, what makes you so sure I have feelings for Rebecca?"

"Listen," she says. At this point I know I am going to get a big speech. "If you can tell when there's a new guy that I'm interested in, than you should know that I can tell when there's a new girl on your radar. I haven't seen you look at a girl the way you look at Rebecca. Ever. Not once. And we have been friends for more than a decade. I saw you in the lunch line, you were talking and laughing and showing her the true gentleman that you really are. Brayden. I know you. If you are interested, then go for it. She'd be lucky to have a guy like you." And with that, she walks away. God, she's dramatic, but I can't help actually considering what she said... But how exactly does one "go for it?"

Author's Note #4: Jade and Bethany

Hey guys! Thank you sooo much for reading! We get so excited every time there is a new read and we are so excited to share Brayden's point of view in this chapter! Don't forget to VOTE and comment! We would still love any edits, critiques, or any other feedback you want to give us. Thanks!! Xoxo, Bethany and Jade