stoic

Chapter 12

"Mackenzie." I heard a deep, soft voice from behind me as I spoke to Ella by her locker. I turned around to see Ryder towering over me with a straight-faced expression, "Can I talk to you?"

I turned to look at Ella who gave me a small smile before I followed him down the corridor. He turned into a classroom and closed the door behind me.

"What have you been telling people?" He said with a sigh and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"Nothing? There's nothing to tell people." I say as he sits on a desk.

"Well why would people make-up that we're a 'thing'" He used air quotations with his fingers.

"It's because I was wearing your Jersey. That's it. I didn't say anything." I study his face for a minute before continuing, "Why would that be such a bad thing anyway?"

"Because Mackenzie... We'll never be a thing. It's never going to happen."

I'm hurt by his sudden words and I take a step back. He lets out a small laugh which takes me by surprise.

"You'd be stupid if you ever thought that we ever had a chance. Open your eyes Mackenzie. We're two different people."

"Well.. You don't have to be a jerk about it." I spit. And he looks up at me for a second. I look away from his intimidating glare before breathing in to control myself, "they were just stupid rumors spread by Lindsay. I don't know why you're even taking them seriously. If it's about the thing that happened in the locker room... Forget it, it didn't mean anything."

My own words hurt me for some reason but I walked out of the classroom towards my class.

• ••

Instead of going to sit in the caf for lunch, I decided to go to the field and do some training. I went in before the cheer team arrived so that I could avoid Lindsay.

"12 seconds." I breathed, stopping the timer on my phone. I wasn't good at sprints but they helped me get any built up tension out.

"Damn, that's pretty fast." Someone said from the bleachers and I looked up to see a girl who was dressed in similar clothes as me. "I'm Amy by the way." She smiled.

"Hi Amy, I'm-"

"Mackenzie Thomson. I know." She laughed and I returned it.

"You're on the track team?" I asked her and she nodded.

"Wanna race?" She asked me, stretching out her arms and I nodded.

After sprinting around the track and beating Amy, I stretched out still trying to catch my breath.

"You really need to train me." She said as puffed out as me.

"Sure." I smile.

"You are so fast." She pauses, "how are you not in the Olympics." She joked and I laughed with an eye roll before walking over to my bag which is on the bench by the track. I sit down and pull out an apple.

I get to know Amy a bit more and it turns out that she's a junior who transferred here from another school.

She told me about her encounter with Lindsay and how she questioned her.

"I used to be her bestfriend." I laugh as it if it's a joke.

"So I've heard."

"All I can say is; don't mix with that group of people."

"Oh trust me. I don't like them."

I smiled at her before taking a sip of my drink. At the same time the bell rings and I sigh. I pull out a grey crew neck sweater and pull it over my head. I didn't want to get dressed and have to bump into the cheer team.

"I'll see you around Amy." I tell her, standing up and swinging my bag over my shoulder.

"Yep, it was nice meeting you!" She shouted after me and I looked behind me to give her another smile.

I went to my locker before heading out to the front of the school, seeing as I had free period. I texted Ella and asked her to meet me there but instead I was greeted by a Brendan.

"Hi stranger." He said to me and I gave him a tight lipped smile. "We missed you at lunch."

"You missed me at lunch." I said and he laughed slightly. "Where's Ella?"

"She forgot that Axel and her had plans so she sent me instead. She said she'll make it up to you."

"Oh.. that's fine."

He gestured for me to follow him towards his car and I did so, getting into the passenger side.

"Where to m'lady?" He said in a british accent, making me giggle.

"My humble abode?" I replied in the same accent and he smirked at me.

• ••

"Shit." I mumbled as we pulled up in the driveway, "My brother is home."

We got out of his car and as I opened the door, I see Tim sat on one of the couches.

"Kenzie.. I have a bone to pick with yo-" I gaze landed on Brendan. "What is he doing he?"

"He has a name and is my friend so if you don't mind we're going upstairs."

"No you're not."

"Shut up Timothy, you have no say in what I do. Go back to college or something." I say and he scoffs before I take Brendan by the hand and pull him up to my room.

"Going to your room huh?" Brendan teased as I locked the door behind him. I don't what came over me but I pulled Brendan towards me before pressing his lips against mine. He kissed back in no time and for the rest of the afternoon, all of the stress which was built up vanished and I was left in a euphoric state of mind.