Ride the Waves | Chris Brown

7. Grass ain't greener

Chapter 7: Grass ain't greener

"Where you ever going to tell me?"

I watched as Chris' face softened. He sighed out before taking his hoodie and putting back on while I looked on. He seemed to be at discomfort while I sat confused. He knew all this time that it was me. That's why he watches me in the hallways the way he does. All along he knew.

"Look Nina, I didn't expect for this to come out the way it did. You were never supposed to know it was me and-"

"But why though! Don't you think this is something I should know. I had sleepless nights trying to figure out who this mysterious person was and all this time it was you. You looked me in the face several times knowing it was you who saved me and didn't even show intentions of telling me"

I breathed heavily as Chris reached across the table to touch my hand and try and calm me down but I snatched it away, tucking my hands under my thighs.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to feel obliged to speak to me. I wanted you to talk to me because you wanted to"

Chris' eyes had been focused on the table and it was the first time I had seen him look defeated, a complete contrast to his usual hard exterior.

"What do you call this then? I'm sitting in a restaurant with you and we are talking and eating pizza ... You know what Chris, can you just take me home?"

Chris nodded his head slowly, his brown piercing eyes suddenly focused on mine. My heart panned in my chest when I caught glance at the pain I could see through his eyes. Right now I was too stubborn to care.

I have had restless nights, and troubled days trying to put the pieces together but all along the answers had been sitting right in front of me, in the form of a gorgeous yet mysterious boy.

•

The next day, Kadirah and Kiera joined me for lunch. I had intended to sit alone or retreat to the library, but as students filtered into the cafeteria, the chairs around me were filled by either members of the football team and a few of Kiera and Kadirah friends. Some of them were at the party, but no one mentioned my almost horrible and potentially embarrassing experience which I was glad about."Kiera," a passing voice called. Kiera nodded, and Kadirah and I both turned to see Donovan take a seat at the end of the table, someone Kiera said was just a boy she spoke to often (yeah right) and Chris followed suit with a tray of food in his hand. I hadn't spoken to Chris since our last encountering making me seeing him for the first time since very awkward.

"I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth," I laughed at Kadirah's joke watching Donovan pull Kiera onto his lap and press his lips to her cheek.

"I heard that, skank!"

Kadirah grabbed her roll and threw it down the table, narrowly missing her sister's face. Before Kiera could say another word, Chris let Kiera access to his tray where she grabbed his bread roll and chucked it in Kadirah direction, narrowly missing her face also. I began to wonder when the twins where close to Chris. If not close, on talking terms.

It was then that I noticed a small cut on Chris' eyebrow. He traded glances with me, and then began a conversation with Donovan across from him. Although the lunch table had thinned, Kadirah, Kiera and I lingered to discuss our weekend plans. Chris stood up to leave, but stopped at our end of the table."What?" Kadirah asked loudly, holding his hand to his ear. I tried to ignore him for as long as possible, but when I looked up, Chris was staring at me.