Footnotes

Chapter Four

ste·reo·type\ˈster-ē-ə-ˌtīp, ˈstir-\

transitive verb

1 : to make a stereotype from

2 a : to repeat without variation : make hackneyed

b : to develop a mental stereotype about

-I Need A Minute-

     Fi is slack-jawed, and Sadie is still hiding behind her hands.

I brace myself as he pulls the chair out and sits next to me.

I glance at him, and my eyes widen.

Oh, shit.[19] It's him. That weirdo who bumped into me and wanted my phone number.

I scoot away, inch by inch. He turns to look at me. I startle and yelp as my chair tips backwards.

     "Whoa, easy!" Rhys grabs the back of the chair, steadying me.

I flush and groan inwardly. This is the second time. He must think that I'm such a klutz. That is, if he remembers me.

His expression is blank, neutral, and I'm filled with relief that he doesn't remember me.

     "Sadie, introduce your friend to us." Fi hisses.

     "Rhys, the noisy one is Fi, and the clumsy one is Annalise. Can you please leave now?" Sadie's voice is muffled by her hands.

     "Annalise." Rhys frowns."Is your last name Newton?"

I plaster a fake smile on my face."Yes. How did you know?"[20]

     "I have your phone. You dropped it when we bumped into one another. I don't have it right now, but maybe we could set a date and meet up so I could give it back."

Ohhh. That's why he was yelling,"Your phone!" He didn't want my phone number, he was simply trying to return my phone. Which made much more sense than my former assumption. Like any guy would want my phone number.

     "Okay."

     "I'm Rhys, by the way. Rhys Christensen."

     "Annalise Newton." I say.

     "I didn't recognize you at all with those glasses on." Rhys continues.

     "I know, they look bad, don't they?" I self consciously reached up to touch my glasses.

     "Not at all. I think they're really cute." Rhys's smile is similar to that he had the first time I met him. Boyish and warm and friendly.

Fi clears her throat loudly.

Rhys turns to look at her.

I take the chance to admire his appearance. He's very tall. His physique is lean, fit, but not overly muscular. His hair is a sandy shade, unruly and disheveled, unlike Aidan's dark, neat hair. His eyes are light gray, but somehow still manages to look bright. His jawline is strong and his cheekbones are high, the only features similar to Aidan's.

All in all, Rhys is attractive in a disheveled, laid-back way, much like a scruffy puppy, while Aidan is handsome in a clean, crisp way, like a statue.

Personally, Aidan's way hotter. But maybe I'm just biased because Aidan's my boyfriend. Still.

I have no idea why I'm comparing them.

     "...Anyway, I think maybe we should hang out sometime." Fi was saying.

     "Ah." Rhys smiles."That would be nice. I'd been wanting to meet my dear cousin's friends for quite some time now. Maybe I could tell you all of Sadie's embarrassing secrets."