Roses are Red

Rose's Dilemma - Story 2

Chapter 1

"I'd like to thank Lucy and Lorrietta for these wonderful chocolates!" Mrs. O'Connor took a bite out of one, spraying saliva and caramel everywhere. "Now, who else brought something for their favorite teacher?"

Favorite?, I thought scathingly. How does she not realize that we all hate her?

"Ryan Lynch, pay attention when I'm talking to you! Now, as I was saying, what is the square root of 139?"

"Paul Revere," I replied automatically, stuck in a daydream about Mrs. O'Connor running on a treadmill in the school gym. The sound of raucous laughter woke me up, and I stared around the room, flustered. "What? What did I do?"

"Nothing, Ryan! They're just mean." Lucy Glen had been trying to get into my good books since the beginning of the year. Ignoring her, I turned and saw Rose Krokoff, the woman of my dreams, giggling her head off with Lorrietta Foster. "Oh, don't mind Rose, Ryan! She just broke up with Brent, and she's a bit sore. She'll do anything to get to you!"

"Really?" I asked, looking up. "She would? Wait a minute, she was with Brent Harlem? Wasn't he with Regina McFly?"

"Well..." She drifted off. "Sorry, I can't focus on anything thing with those guns of yours around!" She squeezed my biceps, not bothering to recognize my boundaries. I jerked my arm away from her, but she didn't seem to to notice my discomfort.

"Anyway," she said, scooting her chair closer, "I can help you with your math. You probably don't have time, being the captain of the football team... and the wrestling team... and baseball..."

"I can get by." I replied sharply.

I looked back up, but Rose was gone. She wasn't supposed to be in this class, but I had hoped above all hopes that she would stay. Maybe, if it hadn't been for Lucy, she would have noticed me. Then again, with her perfect red hair forever falling into her grass-green eyes, no one could know for sure. Five minutes later, Ms. O'Connor announced that we had assigned seats. I relaxed a little bit, knowing that there was a one out out of a ten chance that she would seat me with that annoying Lucy Glenn, who eyelashes were batting so hard they would easily hit a home run.

"Ryan Lynch, I just told you to move next to Lucy Glen!" Mrs. O'Connor screeched. Her tone sweetened, and I knew she had turned to Lucy. Sure enough, I heard her croon, "Lucy, dear, why don't you move next to Ryan?"

"Sure, Mrs. O'Connor! Anything for my favorite teacher!" I turned around in time to see her, smirking, wink at Lorrietta.

"Ms. O'Connor?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"What, Ryan?" She demanded.

"Uh... I, um. I think Lucy might be a little distracting." The whole class exploded with laughter.

"'Cause she's so pretty?" teased Brent Harlem, making kissy lips.

"Why I oughtta-" I began, when my classmates erupted with laughter once again. Giggling, Lucy sat down in the seat beside me and batted her eyelashes.

"Ryan, babe, what's wrong? Am I distracting you?" she cooed.

"Nothing, Lucy..." Turning around, I gagged at the wall. "It's just that I- I think you're too good to be with me, you know? You should hook up with someone better, like Flynn Rider or Brent Harlem," I grinned stupidly, a feeble attempt at an excuse.

"No, Ryan, they both have girlfriends, and besides that, you're the one for me," she replied, smirking attractively. She leaned towards me and pressed her lips against mine. I broke away, spitting and wiping my mouth.