After Hannah Baker- Zach Dempsey's New Life

2: Problems

Ryan didn't text me that night, or the next morning.

I walked into school and to my locker. Ryan was ruffling through her locker across the hallway when I got to my locker. She closed her locker then turned looking at her hand when a girl walked up to me. Ryan watched this happen then slowly started walking away.

"Hi," the girl chirped. "I'm Maria," she smiled. "You must be new," she continued. "Do you need help finding your classes?" she asked.

"I got help yesterday, thanks anyway," I nodded then looked for Ryan who was making her way down the hallway.

"From who?" she chuckled, "Ryan?" she laughed. "She's lame," she shook her head. "She likes girls," she mumbled twirling her hair.

"So?" I asked confused. "Even if that is true, she's still a nice person," I shook my head.

"She's really not," she shook her head. "I'm a nice girl," she whispered.

"No you aren't," I laughed then walked away from her. I walked down the hallway looking for Ryan. I couldn't find her and the hallway I was in was a dead end. I looked around the end of hallway. 

There was an empty staircase to my left. I went up a few steps. I saw Ryan sitting on the first landing looking at her hand where I wrote my number last night. She sniffled then looked up at me.

"Hey," I said quietly. She nodded at me. I walked over to her and sat down. "What's wrong?" I whispered. She shook her head slowly. "You can tell me," I mumbled.

"She use to be my friend," she whispered. "She told everyone that I'm gay," she mumbled. "I'm not," she whispered.

"How long has she been doing that?" I asked.

"Since freshman year. She did it because I got a boyfriend before her," she whispered. "I really liked him too, he dumped me and started dating her right after," she paused. "Ever since she's been following me around trying to get the guys I talk to to not talk to me," she put her head on my shoulder slowly.

"I saw what she was trying to do. I don't talk to people who are like that anymore," I nodded then looked at her. "Were you okay last night?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"You can still text me," I said quietly. She pulled her phone out and typed my number in her contacts.

She turned her phone off then set it on her lap. "I'll text you later," she stood up right before the bell rang then walked down the stairs. I stood up and walked to my first class.

I saw Ryan again at lunch she was sitting alone at a table. Maria sat at the table right next to her.

After I got my lunchbox I walked over to where Ryan was sitting. Maria was talking to Ryan with her arms crossed. Ryan wasn't looking at Maria, she was just looking at her sketch book.

"You should really stop sleeping around Ryan," Maria said just before I sat down. Ryan glanced at me then looked at Maria.

"I'm a virgin, you've made it basically impossible for me to get with anyone. Leave me alone," Ryan said then looked back down at her sketchbook.

"Zach, don't sit with her. Come sit with me," she smiled.

"I think I'm good," I shook my head.

Maria sighed then walked to her table. "What a slut," she laughed with her friends.

"Are you okay?" I asked Ryan. She nodded and kept drawing in her sketchbook. "Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.

"I'm waiting for the lines to go down," she answered then looked at the two lunch lines. She went back to drawing.