Chapter 2: Riley

The walk to school was quiet and short. The autumn sun was barely clearing the horizon, casting everything in a golden light. Birds were chirping softly. Hardly anyone else was  out this early, except for a few students off to school, and a jogger. This would be the time of day I'd want it to be frozen forever at, as long as a) Matt was with me and b) everyone stayed asleep.

I lingered around the back of the school for a while, until the side parking lot started filling up with cars. Grumbling at how much I hated school, I slunk around the school and through the propped-open heavy metal door.  Maybe it would be better if it didn't look so much like a prison.

Like every other day, I just tried to be invisible. I'd walk quietly through the halls, not talking to anyone or tripping people (unless I had already been given s**t and was having a bad day), or even answering questions in class. Sometimes it worked and people ignored me back, and sometimes it didn't.

Today it didn't.

I was counting tiles on the floor as I walked over them after 3rd hour when someone pushed me. It was deliberate and hard, catching me off guard and causing me to stumble into one of the poop-colored lockers lining the walls.  After a quick glance over my shoulder, I found the shover to be Riley Something-or-other, one of the rudest, most better-than-thou football jocks in the school. He (and whoever his current girlfriend was) were the ones who picked on me the most.

Turning to face him full on, I straightened my shoulders to try and look more than my 5' 3'' height. I didn't want this. Sometimes I do like making comments to make them actually use their brains, but not today. Today I just wanted to be invisible.

"Hey b***h," Riley said in his all too familiar snarling voice. I let my eyes drift lazily up from his Nikes over his ripped, probably expensive jeans, baby blue Hollister shirt, semi-long blonde hair to his green-blue eyes. I suppose he'd be kind of good looking if he wasn't such an a*s.

"So our football team lost last night again, huh?" I said snidely, practically hearing Matt's disapproving voice at provoking Riley, who was particularly unkind after the team lost. But it was just so much fun to see Riley's angry face. And maybe I'll get the chance to give him a taste of his own medicine. "Can't say I'm surprised."

People hurried by with their faces averted when Riley clenched his fists and leaned closer to me. I almost leaned back away from him, but caught myself just in time and forced myself to stand up straight. "What's that supposed to mean?" he hissed, blowing smoke-scented air up my nose.

"You're the quarterback." I shrugged casually. "And you suck." Okay, so I hadn't actually seen Riley--or any of the rest of the football team--play before, but he doesn't need to know that. "That one throw..." I trailed off, shaking my head disapprovingly. A flicker of fury flashed through his eyes and I almost smiled. "I hear it blew your chances at the U of C. I mean, it's not like they'd accept you for your intelligence level."

"You don't know anything," he growled, grabbing my arm and squeezing it painfully. But I didn't cringe (go me!). Instead, I dared him with my eyes to go farther and punch me like he wanted to, give me a reason to retaliate in 'self-defense.'

"Really?" I cocked an eyebrow at him. "I heard they were considering Andy instead." Of course I was making this up and would probably be given hell for it later, but, oh well. More kisses from Matt. Plus it would be great to see what Riley thought about his arch-enemy, the teams' other, nicer quarterback getting approval from colleges.

"You lying b***h," he snarled, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. He knocked the Chemistry book out of my arms and kicked it away. "I'll get you for this." The few people left in the hall backed out of his way as he stalked off, cracking his knuckles, obviously planning my demise.

"Not if I get you first," I muttered under my breath as I scooped up the book.