Hurricane Love

Twenty

The rest of the week dragged by slowly. I was still dealing with the odd few sniggers and stares over my drunken video and thinking up a way to explain it to Christine before the Headteacher did.

I avoided Mason like a plague, not wanting to explain my failed maths test to him and thankfully, my knowledge of his class schedule helped me do so meaning I didn't see him at all.

I also tried my best to avoid Ryker too but not knowing his class schedule and the fact that he always tended to be in random places at random times made it difficult to stay clear of him.

I saw him six times in total during the remainder of the week. Four of those times were in the hall between classes; all four of those times I had to walk directly past him either with Abbie or alone and all four of those times our eyes locked briefly as we noticed each other before I quickly turned away and ignored him.

The fifth time I saw him was in the cafeteria when he joined the line right after me, meaning he was right by my side for approximately ten minutes as we chose lunch and paid. As usual, I ignored him and pretended he wasn't there, keeping my body slightly angled as I grabbed the items I wanted.

Unfortunately, we had both decided to go for the last bag of original Doritos and I quickly pulled my hand back when I noticed, grabbing my drink and heading for the till immediately but not before he threw the bag to land on my tray. In that moment, I felt the need to turn and insist he keep them or at least thank him, then I remembered how mean he had been to me at the pizza parlour and all the times before, so I turned my back to him and continued to pay for my food, keeping the Doritos.

The sixth time I saw him was in the only class he actually turned up to that week that we were in together. We locked eyes when he stepped in, late, before I turned back to Miss. Thomas and ignored him for the rest of the lesson. I'd planned to dash out of the room as quickly as possible at the end, but he beat me to that, storming out of there and practically shoving people out of the way as he did so.

Finally it was Saturday and after another day shift at Bernie's, I met Abbie at the corner after work and we headed to her house to get ready for Cassie's party.

As I finished applying my makeup in the mirror, I stared at myself, realising I'd gone quite heavy on the foundation and a little darker on the eyeshadow. It looked good but I did wonder to myself who exactly I was doing this for.

'I can't believe we are actually going to this party,' Abbie chuckled, as she curled her hair with the curling wand in her closet mirror.

'Me neither,' I replied.

'She may have been a little nice to you, but should that mean we forgive her for all the other times she was a total cow?' Abbie asked me.

'No,' I said. 'However, is she the only one who has been such a cow?'

'Well...no,' Abbie laughed. 'I mean she can't get through a single game of dodgeball in gym without you hammering her right in the skull at least sixteen times.'

I burst out in laughter and shrugged. 'Yeah, well, she shouldn't take the piss out of you for having small boobs in the changing room!'

'Exactly!' Abbie replied. 'So, we still hate her.'

'Oh, of course,' I said. 'But she invited us, we have nothing better to do, it's Saturday night and-.'

'And Ryker will be there,' Abbie interjected.

'Don't start,' I sighed. 'I'm not interested in seeing him tonight.'

'I actually believe you this time,' Abbie said. 'You haven't mentioned him for days and I've noticed you've taken it upon yourself to avoid speaking to him now.'