Perfectly Faulted

Chapter 6

You guys have have been pressuring me so much to write a new chapter, and I finally did. ;) If you vote for my chapters, that would be awesome! Enjoy...

Picture of Tim on the right

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The tutoring at Orange Blossom goes by pretty uneventfully, but I learn a few things about Ryan that interest me. One: He plays the electric guitar, probably much better than I do, since he takes lessons and I don't. Two: Even though he's absolutely terrible at math, he is a true artist. When he leaves his phone on the table, it is still on, with the bright home screen staring up at me. I can't help but look, (I can be very curious sometimes) and notice his background image. It is a watercolor painting of a girl on a swing, with leaves falling around her. Scribbled in the corner, in tiny letters that I can barely make out, is the signature of the artist: Ryan Sharber. He had painted that? I was amazed by the talent that he possessed, the skill that this guy, who I didn't yet know very well, had in him. To me, as a girl who draws everything from manga to landscapes, he appears extremely good. We talk about his artwork a bit, with him showing me pictures of some of his projects. I discover a third thing about Ryan: Like me, he uses music and art to distance himself from the world; to escape to a land of sounds and colors where nothing can touch him. The last thing I learn is that next to Evan, he is the sweetest person that I have ever met.

Speaking of Evan, she is back at school today. She looks tired, her hair seeming a bit messier than usual, but I learn that she spent the day in bed, with the flu, shivering and too hot at the same time. She is better now, thank goodness, so at lunch, I am able to tell her everything that happened two days ago.

"So you're tutoring him now? That's cool," says Evan.

"Yup. Every Wednesday."

"Hey, I know that today's Friday, so it's not your tutoring day, but can we go to Orange Blossom again? I really want to properly meet this guy."

"Sure. I'll ask him if he can come." I look over to where Ryan is sitting, at the end of a table on the other side of the cafeteria, with a friend. Nobody else is sitting near him, as if he's an ugly insect that no one wants to get close to, except to squish it. I know the feeling. I get up, throwing away my plate of school food that looks like spaghetti and meatballs. Then again, you can never be too sure what you're eating here. A good idea is to just go with whatever they plop onto your plate, because they're not going to give you anything better. Usually, Evan and I go out to lunch, since this school allows us to do that, but since we have a test next period, we decided to stay in to get some last-minute studying done.

I wave to Ryan's friend as I get closer to their table, and he smiles brightly back. He seems really sweet. "Hello," I say.

"Hey, Skye!" replies Ryan, turning around. "Oh, um, this is my friend Tim. Tim, this is Skye."

"Hi!" says Tim, waving shyly. He has a round face, with mossy brown hair that sticks up slightly in the front. His eyes shine when he speaks, a sign of kindness.

"I was wondering if you two wanted to come to Orange Blossom after school today? That's the frozen yogurt place place down the road. I want you guys to properly meet my friend Evangeline. I know you've seen her, Ryan, but maybe we can get to know each other a bit better," I suggest.

"It's cool with me," says Tim. "Do you wanna come, Ryan?"

"OK," he answers.

"Awesome, see you guys there."

At the end of the day, Ryan and I, since we are in the same class for last period, meet up in front of the school, once again under the weeping willow next to the street. Evan and Tim aren't here yet, but I know that she is in his last period class. Andrea, who is walking behind us, notices us, unfortunately.