Midnight Secrets

Chapter 5

Rylan:

My footsteps echo as I cross the road. I reach through my bag looking for my keys when I hear someone yelling my name. I turn around to see her. Jessie.

For some reason my heart starts beating out of time, slightly faster. I take note of it but quickly dismiss it. I'm not excited to see her. I'm simply surprised she turned up.

I watch as she crosses the street her long dark hair waving in the wind. It covers her face yet she takes no notice and only moves it once she's standing in front of me. It sticks up, all over the place but she doesn't seem to care.
I look down at her. Despite myself I smile.

"Hey"

"Hi" she awkwardly replies, looking less determined and more nervous as the time passes.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asks, quickly masking her nerves with confidence.

I stare into her eyes for a moment. The deep blue almost looks black in this light. She stands tall with an act of confidence but as she slightly shifts from foot to foot I can tell she's uncomfortable.

I want to tell her why I stay out at night. I want to explain it all and for her to understand, but from the look on her face I can tell she isn't ready to hear the truth. Instead I try for a different approach.

"You didn't tell anyone I dropped you home, or that I was out past curfew." I state not really answering her question.

She opens her mouth to reply but I cut her off immediately before she can answer.

"News travels very fast at this school darling. Why didn't you say anything to anyone?" I lean back against the hood of my car, smirking at her as she stares at me.

Her brows are pushed together and her eyes search mine intently. She's trying to read me I realise. Very few people try and no one ever manages to truly understand what I'm thinking but she's trying, I'll give her that. She's a smart girl.

"I don't care why you were out" she lies " and no one needs to know, your reputation already proves you're a bad boy, there's no need to get into more trouble. It might come as a shock to your poor ego but not all of us worship everything you do" she hisses waving her arm at me in distaste.

She looks back at my face as I raise my eyebrows in amusement. Her blunt and carefree attitude takes me by surprise. The Jessie I once knew was timid and shy.

I want to laugh but I know it would only set her off and for some reason I don't want to upset her. At least not right now.

"I just didn't see the point, it wasn't a big deal. No one needs to know." Her features soften as she shrugs her shoulders.

She offers me a smile. A fake pitying one. She's thinking about my mum I realise. I told her the same thing back in primary school after the accident. I didn't want the rest of the school to know and Jessie helped me keep it a secret. It didn't last long though. Like I said news travels fast, not just in high school.

"Yeah I agree. I mean I thought you'd be telling the whole school that I picked you up. Any girl would be crazy over it, being in Rylan Rosette's car" I tell her smirking as I widen my eyes.

I've heard too many stories spread around the school. Some are true, some are simply fantasies girls create as a plea for my attention. Most of the time I just let the school believe whatever they say. Doesn't cause me any harm and often provides a little entertainment as they fight over which story is true.

"I'm not like that. I honestly don't care. We can just forget about it." She shakes her head and moves to leave.

I know she's not like that. I let her go but she turns around as if wanting to ask me something.

I smile at her. A genuine smile, not my playboy smirk I use on most girls. But a simple smile to let her know she can ask me whatever she's thinking.

"Why did you move into the top calculus class?" She asks me, surprising me again.

I shrug and tell her the truth "I was told that I either get my grades up or Mr Turner  was going to force me to tutor juniors."

She laughs at me. I'm stunned by how gorgeous she looks in the light, her smile wide and soft eyes.

"Tutoring really isn't that bad," she smiles.

Of course she'd say that she loves school and tutors for fun . I roll my eyes at her and find myself smiling again. As she backs away down the path she gives me a little wave as she turns around.

"See you in class" she yells over her shoulder as she walks towards her house.

I get back in my car. Confused as to what just happened. We weren't even flirting with each other yet she made me smile more than most people did. She was still the same sweet, timid girl but something was different from the old Jessie. I found myself looking forward to calculus the next day.

I think I could tell her the truth about the disease. If I give her a little time. She was once my closest friend. I've been a jerk to her but maybe I can earn her trust again. She deserves the truth. Not just about the disease.

No way, I think to myself, snapping out of my stupid fantasy. I'm turning into those stupid cheerleaders I laugh to myself. Fantasising about things that won't ever happen. I draw my attention back to the road ahead of me as I drive home.