Misinterpreting Fate (Book 2)

8. Ryan Helder

Chapter 8: Ryan Helder

Sam

I leaned my head against the window of the school bus, staring at the splint on my right hand. All week, I've been stuck in this stupid thing because my knuckle was broken, and now I had to go to the first day of school with it on my hand. It was hard enough trying to hold a pencil, let alone trying to do schoolwork all day. I didn't know how I was going to get through the day. The next two weeks were going to be awful.

The bus lurched to a stop, making me slam my head against the window. Rubbing my head with my good hand, I watched as Ryan Helder stepped onto the bus. He spotted me immediately, his face lighting up. I don't know why he was so excited to be here. It was way too early for that level of excitement, especially on the first day of school.

Moments later, he was sliding into the empty seat beside me. "Hey," he said, making him the only person talking on the entire bus. Did he have to talk so loud right now? I felt like everyone was listening. "How's the hand?"

I shrugged, looking down at the splint again. "It's fine."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

I shrugged again. I didn't want to not tell him, it was just saying it would lead into the entire story, and I didn't want to think about it anymore. I especially didn't want to have that conversation in the middle of a silent bus with everyone able to hear.

"I'm just saying," he went on. "It looks like you punched someone. Bad technique, of course, considering you broke it. But I can't even picture you punching someone, so I'm confused."

"I did," I sighed.

"You? Are you kidding me?"

I shook my head. "Maybe I'll tell you later." Hopefully he would forget about it and I wouldn't have to explain.

"You better. And then I'll teach you how to properly punch someone. Obviously you need some training."

Of course he would offer to teach me. He was an avid boxer in his free time. Punching people was his main hobby, although he usually kept it in the boxing ring.

The bus pulled up outside the school and Ryan and I were standing before it came to a full stop. "I don't plan on doing it again," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. There was no reason for me to learn. I didn't want to fight people, simple as that. This was simply a one-time thing.

Ryan walked down the aisle, pushing past the younger kids to get off first, with me right behind him. "Maybe not," he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, "but if you ever get the urge to do it again, you won't end up with another broken hand."

We stepped off the bus and I fell in line next to him as we walked up the steps to the front door of the school. "I'm definitely not going to. I feel guilty enough as is for hitting him. I shouldn't have done it."

"That's why I gotta teach you. Come on, Sam. You've never even tried before. It's actually really fun. Gets out a ton of that pent-up anger."

"I don't have any pent-up anger."

"Then why the hell did you punch someone?"

I finally couldn't take it anymore. I stopped in the middle of the hallway, making people have to move around me. Ryan stopped too to look at me. "Because he betrayed me and broke my heart! I wasted years being in love with him!"

The hallway was suddenly too quiet, and I knew people were probably looking at me, putting together the dots. I ducked down a different hallway, not wanting to face any of them right now, not even Ryan, who was calling my name after me.

I hadn't been ready for the school to know. With the way the gossip mill worked around here, everyone would now by lunch that I liked boys. I could just hear them now. They'd say I was corrupted because I had two fathers, that it was their fault I turned out like this. What a way to start off junior year.

I ran into the bathroom, which was thankfully empty. There was still a few minutes left before I needed to be in homeroom. I could stay here alone for a bit.

"Sam."

I rolled my eyes as Ryan threw the door open. Why did he have to follow me?

"Are you okay? Why'd you take off like that?"

I shook my head. "I didn't want people to know yet. That I'm gay. I'm going to end up bullied - you know it's true."

"I don't think anyone knows, Sam. Besides us, of course. But we're not going to tell anyone, not unless you want us to."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but I practically just shouted it in the hallway. People talk."

"I'm pretty sure they were all freshman. I literally didn't recognize any of them, which means they don't know you either. You're safe." He put his hand on my shoulder, trying his best to be comforting. "Besides, I'll beat up anyone who even thinks something bad about you."

That made me chuckle. "Please don't. You'll just end up in detention or suspended. You know you can't get suspended again or you'll get kicked out of this school."

Ryan visibly cringed at the thought. He and I were too very different people, which constantly made me question why we were even friends. If I'm to be honest, I couldn't even remember how we met, we've been friends for so long. It's probably why he had been hurt when he wasn't the one I went to two years ago when I finally figured out my sexuality. I went to Jaime instead, who I've only known since middle school.

It's not that I didn't trust Ryan - because I did - it was that I didn't trust him to not tell Shawn. Out of all my friends, Shawn was the one I had been most worried about knowing. He had always been a little weird around my parents and, even over the last couple of days, he started acting weird around me. He says there's nothing wrong, but it's hard to ignore the evidence.

"Come on," Ryan said. "Homeroom's about to start."

I nodded and followed him out into the hallway. Most students had already gotten out of the halls, which left us plenty of space to walk side by side. Ryan and I didn't have the same homeroom, but the rooms were next to each other, which was close enough.

At my homeroom, Ryan told me he'd see me later - thankfully all of us had the same lunch period this year - and we went our separate ways. I walked into the classroom and slid into the same assigned seat I sat in for the last two years with the same homeroom teacher standing at the front of the classroom, probably judging us for something or other. I've never really liked him. Good thing we were only in homeroom for attendance and announcements before we were off to first period.

I was not looking forward to another year in this place. The fact that I was only a junior didn't make me feel any better. Graduation couldn't come soon enough.