Chapter 2: How He Became Mine

He'd be with me forever, and I was sure of it.

The day that I met Ryder was probably the most important day of my life. It was two summers ago, and we were only twelve. We had a farmhand who had broken his leg a week before it, and that day was Ryder's first day on the job. My dad gave him the simple task of milking eight cows after a few minutes of simple instruction. He had told Ryder to check in with him when he was done with the job. Three hours later, he had gotten no word and sent me out to check on him. I walked out to a blazing hot day. It gets warm in Ten, but this was worse than usual. All of a sudden, I see an unconscious figure collapsed on the floor, most likely from heat exhaustion. I remember the way his grey shirt was soaked under his arms and down his neck, and I pitied him. I sprinted back inside to get some ice for him, and after a few seconds of some ice on him, he perked up and was fine. My dad came out to see the commotion, and Ryder started apologizing to him and telling him that he finished the job and just got a bit overheated. He thanked me for my help but I didn't see him for the rest of the summer.

The next time I saw him was the first day of the school year. He was thirteen now, but my birthday wasn't until the winter. I was surprised to find him in one of my accelerated classes, and it was right after our lunch period, and it was clear he had just gotten into some fight. I wasn't outside to see it, but he was limping and he looked a little dizzy. We then were told by our teacher that we needed to sit next to a partner to work with for the year, and a bunch of kids were arguing over who would sit next to me, some of which I barely even knew. When I saw that Ryder had no one who would sit next to him, I went over and introduced myself. It was the first time anyone had ever seen him smile.

Throughout the year, I discovered that Ryder was a good partner to have. He carried his weight on partner projects despite him having to work all day. Sometimes he would have dark circles under his eyes, but I was happy that he tried to make an effort for me, even when I offered to do things to make his life easier. I realized very quickly that he wasn't the angry person that everyone seemed to think he was. He was never that way when I was around. Sometimes I wished that I could tell everyone that he wasn't as bad as everyone perceived him to be, but I realized it wasn't really worth the effort. It wasn't my problem that they were missing out on seeing that Ryder was a nice person.

It wasn't until last May that he asked me out. It took a lot of courage to do that, and even though I had liked him, I wasn't brave enough to take the risk of rejection. I remember how quiet he was being. The conversations between us always flowed so naturally, and he kept giving me one word answers. I had thought he was mad at me, even though I didn't do anything wrong. By the time I realized what was going on, and that he was actually going to ask me out, I couldn't stop smiling. It was one of those moments that I knew would stay with me for the rest of my life. I think his working time on the farm got better too, he seemed to get so much more done. Ever since the heat exhaustion incident the previous summer, my father always wanted Ryder to check in with him each time he finished a task, and whenever he came into our house, his face would light up each time he saw me.

As the days got warmer, our feelings got stronger. I begged my parents to let me work on the farm with Ryder. At first, they didn't like the idea of me slaving away in the hot sun all the time as if I was a poor girl who needed the money, but eventually they figured out that an extra set of hands to help out Ryder could be helpful. We were getting closer and closer, and then our next milestone happened. One starry night when he was staying late, he kissed me goodbye. It was my first kiss and I was pretty sure that it was his too. After that, he kissed me goodbye each time he left, and it was bliss. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend.

Sometimes Ryder gets angry, but it had never been at me. Our first fight was a little bit scary, and I was sure it would be the end of our relationship. It was the hottest day I had ever experienced, with temperatures reaching over one hundred degrees. I reminded my parents about Ryder's collapse last summer, and how the heat has a terrible effect on him. They agreed with me that Ryder and I should have the day off, because they didn't want either of us to get heat exhaustion, or something even worse. When I told Ryder that we were staying inside at my house (mine had air-conditioning and his did not) he started to tell me that he needed to work and bring home money for his family, and the telling quickly escalated to yelling. As he ran outside to the field, I started to cry, fearing that something bad could happen to him. It didn't take me long to catch up to him and he was already starting to perspire. I told him that I would give him a day's pay out of my own money if he agreed to come inside, and once we came in, he starting apologizing to me for so many reasons, and he promised he would never act like that, at least around me, again.

Ryder makes my life complete and it's nice to have someone who just gets you. He is always able to know how I feel just by one look. The same thing goes for me with him. Although he's only been dating me for a little bit over a year, it feels like we've been together for eternity. Time stops, and I'm lost in his eyes. He's my soulmate, and it will always be that way. Despite knowing so well, I discover new things about him every day. All of his imperfections are what makes him perfect, if that makes sense. The way he makes me feel is impossible to describe, and every moment is one of love and happiness. I can't picture what my life would be without him.

I see our whole lives together. He'd help me run the farm that we'd pass down to our children one day. We are going to live long, prosperous, and beautiful lives together. Ryder truly is a gift to me and he makes everything better. No matter what I have to face in the future, I know that I will be okay as long as he is by my side. I have fallen in love with the most wonderful boy in all of Panem, which makes me the luckiest girl in all of Panem. Even when one of our lives came to an end, it was comforting to know that the other would stay with them until death. Love is the strongest force and it has pulled us towards each other for all eternity.

Is this fairy tale ending really written for me?

Author's Note: Hi again! I'm having so much fun writing this, it brings me back to when I created these two for the first time. Ah, young love...

Yours Truly,

CuriousClove :)