The Relationship Writer

The Relationship Writer - Chapter 21

So sorry for not uploading in a while! But we are nearing the end, people! and I don't mean the end of the world.

This story's probably gonna end around chapter 25 (it's a rough estimate), just like pretty much all of my other stories. I just wanna thank everyone for reading and sticking with this story, and dealing with those long spans of time that I didn't upload, either because of vacations, homework, or just pure laziness. :P

I love you all! :D Enjoy!

<><><>

Chapter 21

I did not want to go back to school.

I knew I wasn't going to drop out. Why would I spend so much time in school just to drop out now? All I knew was that I didn't feel like going back today, tomorrow, or for the rest of the time Aaron Ross would be there.

But of course, my lovely parents still forced me to go. I was so pissed, especially at my mother. I told my mom, of all people, about my situation, and she still urged me to go to school. Even more than my dad. What did I do? Nothing. Being such a good girl, I just gritted my teeth, clenched my fists, and walked to school.

I didn't want to wait for Aaron. I didn't care what my mother would say if she found out. The possibility of me getting attacked on the way to school was very low. It was disheartening that my mother couldn't understand that.

"Hey!"

I almost stumbled. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I just kept walking forwards. I picked up my pace a bit to let him know that I was still upset.

"Riley!" Aaron yelled again. I bit my tongue on purpose, trying to keep a string of angry curse words from escaping my lips. This douchebag really won't give up. My feet moved a bit quicker. Aaron sighed behind me. By the sound of it, he was getting closer.

"You asked for it," he grumbled. I gasped, glancing around warily, doing a 360.

"Don't touch me!" I shrieked. But it was too late. Aaron already had me slung over his shoulder, and I was already pounding menacingly on his back. "Put me down, you bastard!"

"Ouch," Aaron said, "that hurt."

It only made me more enraged, and my fists balled up even tigheter, hitting even harder. If that was even possible.

"Shit, Riley! Can you stop that?!" Aaron said. I kept punching him stubbornly, but all he did was let go of me and drop me off his shoulder. Wrapping my arms around my face, I braced for impact. I guess faceplanting on the sidewalk was much better than faceplanting into Aaron's back.

But of course, I just couldn't have anything I wanted. The entire world was against me.

Instead of hitting the ground, I had actually slipped into Aaron's arms--princess style. I froze, my legs dangling in mid-air. My mouth was hanging open slightly as I gaped at Aaron's face. His dark blue eyes bore into mine, half-amused. I could barely tell what the other half was, but I didn't really want to find out.

So naturally, I attacked.

I started flailing. My arms and legs were aiming for anything, but it would've been a big plus if I had landed a few hits on Aaron. An ear-splitting scream escaped my throat. I only felt Aaron's arms around me tighten.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted.

"Will you stop for a second?!" Aaron yelled back. I groaned loudly, trying to roll out of his arms.

"Just let me go and leave!" I wailed.

"Oh my God, Riley. If you would've only listened in the freakin' first place!" Aaron screamed. I froze.

Just the anger in Aaron's voice made me stop. But when I looked into those deep blue eyes of his, I felt like my entire body was about to shut down.

I couldn't even begin to describe how Aaron's eyes burned. They bored into mine, probably seeing straight through me. The feeling of his gaze on me alone was enough to make me feel ten times smaller than I already was. I swallowed the knot in my throat.

"You haven't even given me the chance to explain myself," Aaron said in a low, hoarse voice. It sent shivers down my spine. "But you still won't give me a second."

"I opened the window, didn't I?" I tried sounding brave and keeping my voice steady, but I failed miserably. My voice cracked in the middle of every word. It shook throughout the entire question. Aaron let out a bark of laughter, but there was no amusement. There was no real smile. It was humorless.

"You threw a textbook at me," Aaron said. His voice was still low, and his expression darkened. "It's no wonder you've always been alone."

With that, Aaron dropped my feet onto the ground, only letting go when he saw I could stand on my own. But once I saw him start to walk away, I wasn't so sure I could.

~~~

The tables have turned.

Now I was the one following Aaron to school. Now I was the one trying to get him by my side.

Is this really what Aaron went through everyday, just for me?

Halfway to school, I just gave up. I had screamed and yelled until my throat started hurting, and every once in a while, I would just start sobbing. But Aaron just kept walking ahead of me tensely.

I didn't blame him. This wasn't something unrealistic, where I could just break down and the protagonist would just turn around and save me, sweeping me off my feet. No, Aaron had already tried that. But I just shut him down and threw a textbook at him.

Now I regret making him eat calculus.

Aaron entered the courtyard several seconds before me. But within those several seconds, he had already been ambushed by Dana. She wrapped her arms around his waist and giggled, probably murmuring unmentionable things into his ear. Aaron did nothing. He just stood tensely, letting himself be groped by the biggest bimbo in school.

I wiped at my eyes furiously and put on a brave face. I had to resist sprinting past Aaron and Dana, no matter how much it hurt to see them out of the corner of my eye. There was a pang in my chest as I slowly passed by.

"Slut," I heard Dana cough. I closed my eyes and kept walking. Keep your head up, Riley.

"Hey," Dana said loudly, "did you hear me, slut?" The emphasis on the vulgar word made me cringe. I bit my lip, squeezing my eyes shut. Just a few more steps...

I realized Aaron hadn't said or done anything. I hoped he wasn't waiting for it to escalate into a cat fight, just so he could cheer Dana on. Remembering Aaron's claims that I resembled a cat, I flinched.

"Riley Evans is a sluuuut!" Dana sang. "But I still got the huuuuunk!"

I stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't just Dana's lame excuse for a rhyme that made me want to cry, although that could've been part of it. Her words tugged at my heartstrings, but not in the good kind of way. It was in that kind of way that made me feel like I had just drank a bottle of poison.

The only sound I could hear as I ran away was the sound of my heart breaking into even more pieces.

<><><>

asldkfjalsdkfjalsdkfj, hope ya liked it! I really tried on this chapter. And I finally got to write an entire chapter on my laptop without Firefox crashing. I still saved like every five seconds though, lol. But I'm so haaaapeeeehhhhh! :D