Until Next Time

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The classroom is a hot mess. Paper airplanes flying above our heads, dodging the musty ceiling fans. The supervising teacher on duty barely gave us a second glance, just focusing on his educational magazine laid in front of him. Just a few more minutes until summer, I sigh. The year had been long and hard, but I managed to slid past and here I am now.

The players and the cheerleaders are gathered around a corner, giggles at an obnoxiously high pitch by the girls. Gordon, one of the more popular guy of the group, sends me a loop-sided grin that send a girl falling over. He walks over to where I was and casually sits atop of the desk in front of me.

Gordon and I had always been on okay terms with each others ever since I first met him in Grade Three. We were mutual friends, to say the least, chatting here and there throughout the school years.

"Hey Riley, do you want to join me for some pizza after school?" His blue eyes twinkles beneath the heat.

"Uh, sure. But shouldn't you be asking your buddies over there?" I ask, pointing to the group he left behind. Tamara, the head cheerleader, glares at me with icy dagger eyes. I think Gordon saw it, but ignores her otherwise.

There had been rumors that they are dating, not that I would be surprised. But those news probably got started by Tamara herself. It's pretty cliche if you ask me. A snobby cheerleader going out with the school's most wanted guy.

"Nope." A boyish, but nervous grin appears on his face, "Just you and me."

Okay, so my day got a bit better now. "Are you asking me out an a date?"

"Yes, but it doesn't have to be one if you don't want it to be," he rambles. A slight blush tints his face, "I should stop talking now."

I laugh at his cute rambling, "yes, Gordon, I would love to go on a date with you."

His head perks up a bit, "great. Meet me at my car after school." He gives me a final smile before turning away.

As on cue, the bell rings and the students hurriedly rushes out the door to escape to summer's freedom. As I prepare to leave, a hand pulls me and pushes me up against a locker door.

"Hey! What was that -." Tamara. I should have seen this coming.

She digs her fake polished nails into the skin of my skin, snarling, "listen, I don't know what it is between you and Gordon, but you better back off."

"What? There's nothing going on! We're just friends!" I tried to answer back in a neutral tone, but it's harder than I thought since she is trying to rip my skin apart.

"Back off, okay?" Her hand clutches tighter, "you do not want to know what happen if I ever hear there's something going on, understand?" She releases her grip, leaving a reddish purple bruise on my forearm before purposely hair flipping in my face. "You'll be sorry."

"What's her problem?" I mumbled underneath my breath. Trying the soothe the pain, I rub my up and down the injury before heading over to Gordon's car.

Like promised, he stood there looking perfect in every way. What am I saying? I mentally scolded myself.

Perhaps I stared a few seconds too long, because Gordon smirks and raises his eyebrow at me, "like what you see?"

I pretend to give him a look over, before replying back, "nah, I've seen better."

He laughs, while pulling the car out of its parking space, "oh really? I don't think so."

The moment the radio plays 'Summer' by Calvin Harris, I couldn't hope but tap my fingers to the beat of the song. Gordon glances at my direction, "you like his music?"

I nod, "yeah, it's pretty decent, but I love this song the most from all of them."

He cranks up the music a bit louder this time, and starts singing. I give him a double take before joining with him on the refrain.

When I met you in the summer,

to my heartbeat sound.

We fell in love,

as the leaves turn brown...

Time passed a bit quickly as we sang, and at the end, we were laughing at our off-key voices. Gordon opens the door to a pizzeria which I've never heard of before, ushering me in first.

I guess that's one of his personality charms that attracts the girls in the school. He's a gentleman, unlike some boys in our school. He respect every aspects of a woman, considering he grew up living with four in the household.

"Have you tried here before?" I shook my head, and he fakes a gasp, "you have missing out on a lot then, Riley. Let's have the chef's special then, you won't regret it." A waiter comes by to take our order.

 We laughed at the embarrassing stories of Gordon, who dramatically told them and emphasized on the hilarious points. The waiter served a medium sized pizza in front of us, and I inhaled the delicious aroma. Pepper, mushrooms, cheese, and variety of deli stacked on top of one other, giving layers to the pizza.

Gordon quietly chuckled, and served a slice on my plate and his. My first bite savors in my mouth, "this is amazing."

"Yeah," a smirk appeared, "are you drooling?"

I madly blush, and wiped my mouth with my napkin, "er, sorry about that."

He goes into a fit of laughter, "Riley Matthews, you're the most gullible girl I've ever met."

Thanks for making me look like an idiot. I slap his forearm, "it's not funny, quit laughing."

In a snap of a second, his eyes flicker to my forearm and back to my eyes, this time with a flash of worry, "What happened to your arm?"

He threw me off tracks for a brief moment. He was referring to the clearly visible bruise Tamara gave me earlier. "Oh, it's nothing really, just my clumsy self." If I ever gave out Tamara's name, I would live till next week. Gordon didn't seem to buy my story, but he doesn't question me further.

He rubs around it with his thumb, making me realize he has a gentle, delicate touch. Gordon leans in to give it a kiss, "be careful, okay?"

Once he sat back on his chair, he stares at me with deep ocean blue eyes.

That was nearly half a year ago, and Gordon and I are dating happily. He made me feel safe, and protected, some qualities I admire about him. Some girl still hasn't grown to the fact that he is mine and off-limits. But those are struggles I face and we face them together.

By mid-November, the weather was beginning to be cold, the start of winter. I specifically remembered a boy with a beanie, nothing but a thin white T-shirt and jeans, came barging in Melody's Cafe. I was there wrapped up in a coat, where as he was wearing a thin material that wasn't suitable for that day's weather. The boy cuts in front of the whole line, where I was suppose to be next for my order.

Little did I know that this was fate bringing us together, because it was sorry for tearing us apart eight years ago. His name is Chase, Chase Greens. The boy who shared my childhood relationship  was cutting in front of me in line.

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