Page 14 of Between the Flames

CHAPTERSEVEN

Afew days later, I caught up with Noah in the cafeteria during lunch, where he was sitting alone at a table in the corner, closest to the window. He held a sloppy joe in one hand and was shoveling steak fries in his mouth with the other, a bottle of Sprite sitting in front of him with the cap already off. I shrugged out of my zip up hoodie and sat down, pulling my bagged lunch from my book bag. I couldn’t stand the cafeteria food. The only good thing they offered were the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and I really needed to cut back on those; one a day was starting to catch up with me. I nibbled at my egg salad, looking out the window that faced the Language Village and Auto Shop.

“I got into San Francisco State,” Noah nonchalantly said while chewing on a mouthful of sloppy joe. “Early acceptance.”

“Noah, that’s freaking awesome!”

I was trying not to think about my college applications. I had only applied to the best of the best and my safety school was still a hard one to get into. My grades were near perfect, but the unknown had my anxiety through the roof. Noah shrugged and went back to not talking. I used the silence to scroll through Instagram, letting the stories play while I mindlessly clicked through them.

Suddenly, my skin prickled. I glanced at Noah to find his eyes glued across the room. Following his line of sight, my gaze fell on Ryder, who was already watching me. I inhaled sharply as his eyes searched my face, his features softening. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled to his elbows, his arm draped across the back of Lily’s chair as she chatted with the girl beside her.

“I fucking hate that guy,” Noah mumbled under his breath.

“What happened with Lily a few days ago?” I asked, keeping my gaze on Ryder. “I saw you guys in the basement… I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to listen in. Okay, maybe I was. Look, I saw you punch the locker next to her. And before you even try to lie to me, I know something’s up, No. I’m not stupid.”

He groaned and from the corner of my eye, I saw him rub his hand over his face before turning to the window.

“Not much to tell. We’ve been talking for a couple months now, hanging out in groups. I thought it could go somewhere. She said she wanted to be with me, but now she’s decided to stay with Ryder. Says shits changed.”

I turned to him, watching as he shrugged, trying to play it cool, but I could see that he was hurting. Reaching over, I took his hand in mine.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over, but neither one of us seemed in a hurry to get to our next classes. We sat hand in hand, staring out the window as kids scurried out of the building, backpacks slung over their backs, some of them holding hands with their boyfriends and girlfriends. The one-minute bell finally motivated me to stand up, pushing the chair out behind me as I did. Noah made no effort to stand.

“Burgers after school?”

Noah nodded his head yes, and I offered another small smile. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the car later.”

Shrugging my backpack onto my shoulders, I walked toward the double doors, stopping to look over my shoulder at Noah one last time. He was staring down at his phone, a blank expression on his face. With a deep sigh, I continued through the doors and headed across the quad toward my class. I managed to slip into my seat just as the late bell rang.

* * *

I was bored to tears,staring at the clock, watching every passing second. With forty-five minutes left of class, I feared I was going to fall asleep. Excusing myself to go to the bathroom, I shut the classroom door quietly behind me before leaning against the wall for several seconds. The girls’ bathroom wasn’t far, so I took my time, walking slowly and letting my fingertips glide over the coolness of the metal lockers that lined the hallways. I rounded the corner before stopping dead in my tracks, seeing Ryder with a small group of friends circled together near one of the empty classrooms. They spoke in hushed tones, my presence unnoticed. I shook out of my stupor and continued toward the girls’ room, sliding my phone out of my back pocket to give my attention to. My feet carried me past their group and I exhaled as I rounded another corner and out of their sight. I had barely made it another step before hearing his voice.

“I’ll catch you later, guys.”

I quickened my pace, but it was no use as the warmth of his hand gripped my wrist and forced me to stop walking.

“Elle.”

My heart felt like it was a ping-pong ball being batted at with him on both sides. I couldn’t deny that there was something between us; the feeling I have every time I’m in his presence proved that, but these last few weeks had shown me that it was just a thrill for him. Something new and exhilarating. I craved a chance with him, to see if this could go somewhere, but he was showing me every day that he stayed with Lily, that he wasn’t choosing me. It was time for me to protect my heart, because it was feeling weaker and weaker every time he sought me out. I mustered every ounce of courage that I had in my body and looked him straight in the eyes, my stare unwavering as I told him my peace.

“Elle, please,” he whispered, as if he could predict what I was about to say.

“No, Ryder. Stop, just stop. You don’t even know me. Until recently, you didn’t even know I existed. I don’t know what your sudden fascination with me is, but I’ve liked you for so long… whatever you’re doing, whatever this—,” I gestured between us, “is, it’s not fair. You’re not being fair. You have a girlfriend. So just please. If this is just a game for you, I want nothing to do with it. The way I feel about you is not a joke, Ryder. Not like your sudden obsession with me is.”

I had officially snapped, rage and hurt bubbling over. Ripping my wrist from his grasp, I ran toward the bathroom, pushing the door open and locking myself in the closest stall. A few silent tears slipped as I laid the first layer of brick around my heart.

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