Kidnapping Love

              Chapter 1

 - Ryan-

I walked to school that morning unnerved by the new year. New freshmen, new classes, new friends. Well, new friends in the sense that I would be introduced to a new class. Junior year had come by incredibly quick. I waved to old friends as I walked around campus exploring my fresh start. My phone buzzed in my back pocket. Reaching for it, I then read a message, ‘Meet me by the quad,’ it was Anna. My bestie since 5th grade. We had been to hell and back together. Every new school year we’d meet up and compare our classes together. Almost like a tradition. Sure we could just text the classes we had to eachother the night before, but what’s the fun in that?

I walked over to the quad where a smiling red headed Anna waited for me, less than patient. I was pleased to see her change in clothing style. A nice sun dress, purple and perfect. She always had an amazing style.

“Let me see!” she yelled before I could get into spitting distance from her. I laughed and pulled out my schedule. “Perfect,” she snatched it. Examining the paper with her, I read.

“Second period and sixth,” I told her a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be seeing each other as much as usually.

“It’s ok,” her gleaming smile was contagious. She hugged me and we walked around. “Sooooo…?” she questioned me, curiosity filling her voice “The date? How did it go!?”

“It was alright. He picked me up around 7 and we went to the movies,” I smiled at the ground.

“Girl, he’s gorgeous! Why do you seem so dull about it?” she nudged my arm a little.

“I don’t know. He’s not my type. Too clingy too fast I guess,” Michael was a sweet guy but I barely knew him. He had wanted to go on a date for a while now, but I always just shrugged him off. There was nothing to really do over the summer, so I figured, why not, and threw him a bone to keep him from bugging during the school year.

Walking to first period was always difficult. Even though I knew the campus well, it was still difficult to get off of your old schedule from the previous school year. I found it. Math. Down the hall from my old math class. The door was unlocked so I let myself in, holding the door open for a few other students to enter. We sat wherever we wanted so, naturally, I chose a desk in the front of class.

Finding second period was a breeze. Anna and I were assigned seats right across from each other. Big mistake on the teacher’s part. Spanish 3 with Anna was going to be fun. I had never been very good at picking up the language though.

Third period. Chemistry. With Michael. I wanted to rip my eyelashes out one by one. Anything to avoid the awkward confrontation when he would ask me to be his lab partner for an experiment in class. I stayed busy and avoided eye contact. And after class, walked away as fast as possible, even though I could hear his pathetic cries in the distance for my name, “Ry! Wait up!” in what right mind did he have the right to call me ‘Ry.’ Even Anna had enough respect to not call me that. My one major pet peeve and Michael had discovered it. My eye roll was obvious and I walked faster to my fourth period, art.

In that class I met a new friend, Kevin. He was sarcastic and we argued right away. But the friendship was there. We sat across from each other and I could tell he was hesitant to talk to me at first. I was already frustrated with how my last class had gone and I was 100% sure he could read it on my face.

Fifth period, English. Another class with the wonderful, amazing, fantastic, Michael. I cringed when I walked in and saw him in the front seat in the class. Another eye roll and I strolled to the back of the classroom. He looked back at me as soon as I sat down and smiled at me. I sarcastically smiled back, then straight back to my annoyed look when he turned back around. Again, he tried to follow me after class. I escaped to my sixth period, history, with Anna.

After class, we walked home together. Our usual route. Waiting by the wall outside of school, Michael. “You never called me back Ry,” he smiled. I wanted to smack him in the face and tell him to back off. Realistically, I just smiled back.

“Yeah, sorry Michael. I’ve been really busy with Anna all summer,” I nudged her, she looked up from her phone, caught off guard “Right Anna?”

“Oh, um, yeah. Totally. Busy, busy, busy,” she smiled at him and then returning to her phone.

“Well, call me,” he insisted.

“Will do,” I continued walking, Anna shadowing behind me.

“Ryan?” she put her phone away “He’s so sweet. Give the guy a chance why don’t you.”

“I don’t know, Anna,” I didn’t even want to think of that possibility. I always thought long term. You’re either going to marry that person one day or break up, and I definitely didn’t want to marry Michael.