Something Good Can Happen (On Indefinite Hold)

Chapter 5: No one can resist the Puppy Eyes!

After the final bell, I ran out- since I was still feeling a little weird about the whole him-offering-to-drop-me-thing.

I found Arya near the school gate, standing with a bunch of big breasted tenth graders, talking about something I wasn’t interested in, and I pulled her shoulder, and made her face me.

 “What’s up, Babe?” she asked.

“I'm going to tell you a really funny story, ok? I'm staying at Kyle’s tonight, so I’ll call you once the boys are asleep. There is so much to tell you.” I said to her quickly, looking out for Ryan.

If I didn’t see him, I was going to make a dash for it.

Honestly?

I was hoping he didn’t turn up.

This just wasn’t seeming right.

She widened her big brown eyes and gripped my shoulder. “Squeal worthy?” she asked me. “You know we don’t squeal. Its just not us.” I said to her, and rolled my eyes.

 “Huh. Well- I’ll be wait-

“Val?” someone called my name from behind us.

Ryan.

It sucked how much the three o’clock sun shone around his tall head, like a halo. Or I was just too short.

 “Ok, so the car is right there’ he pointed at the black XUV in the parking lot ‘Coming?”

“Yeah- Thanks so much.” I said quickly, and shot a look at Arya.

Her jaw hit the ground, as did the jaws of the girls she was with.

 “Hey- I offered to do it. Thanks for accepting.” He smiled, and walked next to me, all casually.

 It wasn’t me- but I wanted to do the can-can, and maybe start singing some happy song real loud. And then, everyone out with me should have started dancing in sync, and we’d know all the steps and lyrics to whatever happy song I was singing.

 Because it just was…

“Awesome!’ Arya whispered, answering my lingering statement. ‘I'm willing to NOT be my self Val!” and waved her cell phone at me, indicating that she’d expect a call.

 “You have a boyfriend Arya!” I hissed at her, almost playfully. But- Arya managed to suss every guy I’d liked in forever.  Not intentionally though. She always tried to warm them up to me- I never asked her to.

Currently, she was on guy number 4- and we were only six months into the New Year.

 “No, it didn’t work out!” she hissed back, and flipped me the finger, before blowing me a kiss.

Now, that’s a surprise.

I honestly thought she’d be with Ansh for a long time- they’d genuinely liked each other.

 I turned to follow Ryan, and was smiling to myself, ignoring the other students who saw the little conversation between me and Arya.

We reached the car, and he opened the door for me

“After you.” He said.

I slid in, and pulled my bag in, he followed.

“Rajesh’ he called out to the driver, this really, really old looking gent, with silver hair and laugh lines. ‘This is my friend, Valarie. I told her we’d drive her. Ok?”

Rajesh turned back, and broadly smiled, and said “You have a friend, that’s good enough. How are you, miss?” he asked me.

“I'm fine, thanks. Could you call me Val, please?” I said, shyly.