Author's Note: First update of the 2009!
This took me forever to write, and I'm unsure if I like it…Read and Review Por Favor ?
Disclaimer: I ownth not itth (Does that look anything like Shakespeare speak?)
Chapter 15: Torn
"Wait," I called after him "I didn't catch you name."
"Ryan," He said and continued down the hall, but then briefly paused and spun around "Happy Birthday!"
I watched patiently as he turned and disappeared from my line of sight. I let out a short sigh and slid down against a royal blue locker, allowing my head to droop in between my knees and let out another exasperated sigh. I turned my head slightly to peek at the door that had been the back drop of our interaction.
The interaction had been short and sweet. It left me anticipating for another run in with a certain amber eyed boy. Wait, what am I thinking, I have a boyfriend. I small voice spoke up in the back of my head but you dumped him remember, I felt a shiver run down my back as it continued to speak, you broke his heart, I closed my eyes and pressed my hands don't against my ears. All I wanted was this horrid voice to go away. I never wanted to hurt Shane, the voice continued to break through the barrier I tried to place between us, well than maybe you should of considered his feelings, I shook my head hoping maybe it would fall out my ear or something. The voice spoke on last time before disappearing leaving me a message that kept ringing in my ears I bet he's already moved on a Pop Star like him.
Had he moved on? Maybe it was time that I did too.
After all maybe everything happens for a reason. So maybe Ryan walking into my life is just opening another chapter up for me to live and Shane's chapter was closing. NO! I'm not ready for Shane to just walk out of my life for good.
Why does this have to be so complicated?
I heard a loud POP which startled me and pulled me straight away from my lingering thoughts.
Great, if this day couldn't get any better, now Caitlin is going to kill me.
I groaned as I stood up again. I dragged my feet the entire way to Chemistry, careful when walking through doors hoping to not have another relapse from my past experience with balloons and doors. All eyes turned to me as I walked into Chemistry, my teacher generous enough did not question the reason for my 15 minute late arrival. Maybe it was that fact that today was my 'special day'. I took my seat in front of Connor, who happened to be dressed up as a gorilla, who am I to question this boy's wardrobe choice. I heard him whisper a Happy Birthday to me and I offered a smile back. As I settled myself my teacher continued the lecture on Covalent Compounds, but soon became a dull buzzing sound in the back of my head. I quickly found myself doodling in the margin of a blank sheet of paper. I jerked my hand away from the paper the second I realized what I had been doodling. On my paper starring back at me was the name Ryan outlined several times. Beneath that I had written Shane's name. Which made me more slightly relaxed at least I was still subconsciously thinking of Shane.
I was beginning to feel as if my mind was having a civil war one side was keen to move on while the other one continued to battle for Shane.
I spent the rest of my time in Chemistry watching the clock tick ever so slowly. When the bell finally sounded, I collected my books silently and rushed off to my next class.
The rest of the morning was a blur I spent most of it drifting in and out of sleep. When bell rang to signal lunch and allowed my feet to carry myself to my locker while I continued to zone out of the world around me.
My feet turned the corner and passed through the set of double doors when I was pulled back, I groaned not again, my balloons had decided it would be fun to entangle in the door way again. At least I wasn't trapped inside of it this time. I was tempted with the idea of just leaving them there. After several minutes of yanking and groaning I slumped against the doorframe.
"This is impossible." I muttered to myself.
I heard a laugh come from behind me and whipped my head around to see where it came from. "I'm beginning to get the impression that you enjoy getting tangled into doorways."
"Don't laugh at my misfortune." I shot back at him.
"Who said I was," He preceded to walk towards me and help me pull them free.
"Thanks," I muttered to his shoes, my face had gone a blatant red, "again" I added with a roll of my eyes.
"Anytime" He swerved away from me and began walking down the hallway. I watched him, I guess he knew I was watching because he glanced back and smiled a crooked smile at me.
I walked to my locker where I ran into a rather impatient looking Caitlin. "What took you so long?" she scolded me.
I smiled "Do you have a pen?"
She gave me a confused look and handed one over.
I then proceeded to pop all of the balloons she had given to me.
She began stammering "Wh-Wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"You abandoned me this morning remember."
"Still doesn't mean you had to brutally murder all those innocent balloons." She replied with a rude tone "Anyways you got out of that little predicament."
I opted on not telling Caitlin about Ryan, I already knew her reaction anyways, and it would probably begin with Shane. The ongoing battle in my head was beginning to feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The next set of classes passed by with little notice, as I was deep in some sort of a distracted state. I was hostilely jerked out of it in gym when I was smacked in the head with a football gone astray.
I cracked my eyes open slightly, how did I get on the ground and why had my headache just increased by a tenfold.
"Mitchie are you okay," I heard a familiar voice that I pegged for Caitlin. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
I opened my eyes more to have revealed to me about 3 blurry Caitlin's waving their many hands in front of me. I tried swatting them aside but couldn't find the hands that actually did belong to Caitlin. I let my head drop back down to the grassy field I had been laying on. I felt someone sit next to me and help prop me up. I looked up to see who my human pillow was and felt myself flush deeply once I focused in on his face. Why does this happen to me?
"Are you okay Mitchie?" His voice came out pure and sincere.
"I think I'm fine, but my head hurts and I don't know why."
"Well this should help with the head," He pressed an ice pack onto my forehead. "And well let's just say some guys don't have the best aim when it comes to throwing a football."
"That's for sure." Caitlin replied and even in my dizzy state I could sense a rather cold tone in her voice.
Gym ended, and I found Ryan was attached to my side insisting on that he carried my books to my locker. After apologizing for the football about a million times, he became bent on making sure there was no serious damage. And I of course had no problem with the attention I was being given, but Caitlin on the other hand was quite put down with Ryan at my side.
"Ryan, I'm fine honestly." I said maybe for the hundredth time since I gotten hit which only about 15 minutes had passed since then.
"I know you are." He smiled "But let me make it up to you any way."
"No you saved me from my traitorous balloons twice today; you don't need to make it up to me."
What I said just seemed to brush right off of him "Well how about I take you out to dinner as my birthday present to you."
"I would-
"She can't" Caitlin interrupted "Because that would ruin-"
She stopped herself reacting as though she had said too much, I sent her a quizzical look but she ignored it "I have to go." And she then took off.
"What was that about?"
"I have no idea." I shrugged.
His eyes held a nervous look as he awaited my answer.
"Um…hold on." I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. "Hello?"
My friendly hello was returned with a loud, but joyful singing of Happy Birthday. But this loud rendition still had me holding my phone and arms length. They finished and I brought the phone back to me ear.
"Jason, is that you?"
"How'd you know?"
"Caller ID."
"Oh, well I just wanted to say Happy Birthday! Oh and so does Nate."
"Thanks and tell him I say hi."
"She says Hi Nate." I heard Jason shout at his band member at the other end of the line.
"He says Hi back," He replied "We got to go we'll see you soon."
"Jason don't say that you might give away-"
I heard Nate scolding Jason but before I could hear the rest the line went dead. I frowned as I put my phone away; I was wondering whether Shane had been nearby. And what am I not allowed to know?
"So?" Ryan asked pulling my attention back to him.
"So…" I said with a taunting smile.
"Am I allowed to take you out to dinner?"
"Not tonight."
"Well then I can settle for walking you home."
I caved to his offer. I knew this was one battle I could not win. So we set of for my house together. We walked in silence most of the way. It wasn't an awkward silence, quite the opposite actually it was a precious silence, that we both seemed to not want to break it.
When we turned onto my street, Ryan finally broke the lovely silence, not that I minded his voice was just as lovely.
"I hope I didn't ruin your birthday; by you know" He gestured at my forehead.
"No," I shook my head "it's been one of the best days ever" I reassured "And it's not like the damage to my head is lasting."
He let out a laugh, "That makes me feel better then."
"Ryan," I choose my next words carefully "I'm really glad I met you, before I was in this kind of state," My voice drifted off as a relived my last 2 weeks of sorrow "and when I met you somehow you managed to take it all away."
"I have that effect on people." He said with a smirk smacked across his face.
"I'm trying to be sincere and open to you."
"I know," His voiced turned soft and sweet, his amber hued eyes sparkled with sincerity "And I appreciate it."
We were standing on my porch. I glanced down at my yard at taking in the colorful array of fallen leaves. "Thanks for walking me home."
"My pleasure," He gently pressed his lips against my cheek. "Happy Birthday" And turned to leave.
"Wait" I called, while making a grab for his hand. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Um…" His eyes darted from the darkened windows of my house, then resting back on my face.
"Please." I don't know why but some part of me couldn't let him walk away just yet.
"Okay."
I turned the handle on the door, and the next thing I know a wave of "SURPRISE MITCHIE." Fell over me. My eyes began flying across the room, examining the faces that decided to throw me a party after I had put my foot down. I saw Jason and Nate…and him.
Our eyes locked and the world seemed to dissolve around us. I saw hurt in his eyes before he tore himself away from me. My face flushed as I suddenly became aware of my hand still interlaced with his. I questioned whether they had heard what we had said on the porch.
I looked at the rest of the room filled with friends and family, also noticing their eyes staring at Ryan or Nate and Jason whose faces changed to shock as they took in that fact the my hand was in his. I wanted to let go, but I didn't at the same time. I didn't know what to do, I stood with Ryan uprooted in that same spot for what felt like hours. I could feel tension emanating off Ryan, clearly he had not expected any of this waiting for us on the other side of the door.
Author's Note: Okay so after a long talk with my beta we finally got this chapter looking almost the way I had envisioned. I know it's been a while since I've updated, this chapter literally just had a lot of issues and yeah. Anyways I have finals starting so the next post won't be till like another two weeks. This one is a tiny bit longer than usual I hope it makes up for my lack of updating. So tell me what do you think of Ryan? Do you like him or hate him? Remember this is a Smitchie and will remain so, just at the moment Mitchie and Shane don't seem to be on the same page. And yes Shane came back, I originally had a different ending with Shane coming back and Mitchie going back to him immediately. But my beta and I decided that Shane and Ryan should encounter each other. So review? Tell me what you think! Just press that magic button.
-the storm
Final 6: Okay I'm still waiting on 3 entries I believe so, until then you all still have time to wow me and make me see how awesome your character can be!