"James."
Something cold and wet hit the back on my neck, a few milimeters from my ear. I sucked in my breath and chose to ignore it, brushing it off and turning my attention back to the teacher.
"...and if there are any problems with your new seat," he was saying. "Feel free to let me know."
"Psst, James."
Another cold, wet wad of paper hit me in the neck.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten.
"Oh, Mr. Moon!" Ryder raised his hand, exchanging looks with his "friend" sitting beside him. "I don't think I can sit next to James. She's gonna talk my ear off."
Mr. Moon's gaze flickered to me as I scraped yet another spitball from my neck, and I could feel my cheeks flare in embarassment. He suspiciously eyed me, making it obvious that he was new around here. Most of the teachers knew by now not to listen to Ryder; all he ever did was lie and mess with them.
Still, I didn't speak. I didn't defend myself. He was baiting me, trying to get me mad. I refused to stoop to his level. Instead, I looked at Mr. Moon and shrugged. He could do what he wanted. I didn't mind getting moved away from Ryder. Infact, that was exactly what I wanted.
"Well," he said after a short pause. "I'm sure you can handle her, Mr. Jordan. You seem more than capable, but I'll keep a sharp eye on her. The last thing I need is a troublemaker." He gave me a look, making me shrink down in to my seat.
That was a look I'd never gotten before. One of those looks that teachers give the bad kids. The type of look they give you right before they write you up and give you detention. The kind of look that tells you they think of you as the lowest type of person.
I looked down at my sneakers and sighed inwardly. Ryder was little by little ruining my life. I didn't get it; what happened to those other girls he used to harass--Carla, Jane, Rashel? How did I end up mixed into his sick little game?
Ryder's friend, I think his name was Zeke, looked at me with a mixture of amusement and... sympathy? Ugh. That was the last thing I needed.
I sulked, tearing my gaze away from the boy and staring at the empty seat ahead of me. It was saved for someone named Alex, but there were so many Alexes at this school it was hard to keep up. Although, there was Alex Wright and he was previously in a few of my classes. It was probably him.
My nails dug into my palms. I hated this. I wanted to go home. Actually, no. I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to be here either. Sometimes, I just wanted to run away.
"Sorry I'm late!" A chillingly familiar voice called, making everyone turn to face the door.
"Mr. James, care to explain why you're thirty minutes late?"
I couldn't stop myself from turning to look at what everyone else seemed so interested in, and a wave of relief took me in. It was Alex, the boy from the bus.
"Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "My papers weren't done apparently so I had to go down to guidance to get my schedule, but when I was on my way I got mugged by a team of purple ninjas! Try as I may, I couldn't stand up to five ninjas. They stole my hall pass and my pride."
He looked down, looking disappointed in himself. That was something I knew all too well.
"Mr. James--"
"Wait, that's not all! After that, I got written up for not having a pass and I had to explain everything to the principal. We searched the entire school up and down in search for the perpetrators, eventually finding them hiding out in an abandoned janitor's closet. We fought to the death, but me and Mr. K won. Then we headed down to guidance and they printed me out a schedule, and Mr. K even gave me ten bucks for reward of catching the infamous Purple Ninja Squad."
"Sit down, Mr. James." Mr. Moon was trying to act serious, but he was obviously rather amused.
"Well, where's my seat?" He scanned the room, looking over me as if I didn't exist. Right...
"Just sit infront of Miss Jones." Mr. Moon looked at me distastefully. "Raise your hand."
I obeyed woodenly.
Alex casually slipped into the seat in front of me, his eyes lighting up as he turned to face me. "Hey, bestie," he greeted me.
"Hey-- yo. James is my bestie," Ryder snapped from behind me.
"No, she's mine."
"You're wrong."
"You're wrong."
"Tell him, James."
"No, tell him, bestie."
I looked between them, unsure of what to say. Usually I gave in to Ryder's pestering, but with Alex here, it almost made me feel like maybe I didn't have to put up with him. Maybe I could finally let go of him for good.
But as I met Ryder's pretty brown eyes, I couldn't stop myself from nodding in agreement. "Ryder's my R. O. D., man."
"Yeah, James!" He raised his hand for a high five, but I looked at it as if it was contaminated with an infectious disease, so he promptly lowered it.
"R. O. D.?" He repeated.
"Ride or Die, bitch," Ryder said in a tone that I didn't quite like on him.
Still, it was obvious I couldn't control either boys. So I sighed softly and brought my legs under the desk, facing forward as Ryder and Alex gave eachother not-so-nice looks. I felt like I had started an all out war, it felt kind of... weird. Almost like I was Bella in Twilight, but less hopeless and idiotic.
Actually, I was kind of hopeless in a way. But I'd like to think that I'm a different type of hopeless. I don't need some guy to make me happy not because I'm independent, but because I wouldn't be happy either way. I had one emotion: regret.
I didn't have much more time to ponder on that because the bell rang. I sighed, gathering my books and pulling myself to my feet. I tried to pass Ryder, but he purposely stuck his foot out in an attempt to trip me.
Calmly, I paused, looking at it and simply stepping over it, despite his attempt to trip me further. "Idiot," I mumbled, passing him and heading towards the door.
"What was that, James?" In a flash, he was tailing me, standing a little too close for comfort. "Did you say something?"
"Of course not," I replied half-heartedly, checking my schedule to see where I was going next.
"Great, we have next period together." He closed my folder for me, smiling with enough charm to stun a large bear. "Let's go, biffle."
