Chapter 8: Rhydian
"Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick and Beatrice, act one, scene one, find and partner and play the parts."
Could his life be any more painfully awkward? He had just been caught accidentally pulling the classic around the shoulder move, and now he had to read out a scene between lovers with the same girl that he was in love with. Yes he did know the play, but no one knew that, and he was hoping to keep it that way.
"How long do you think Shannon has been cheating on Harry with Tom?" Kara's voice may not have been loud, but both Maddy and Rhydian heard it from where they had been walking away from the Kays. Maddy growled under her breath and turned to face where they were still insulting her friends. To distract her, he grabbed her hand and led her to where they could practice.
He shut out Liam doubting his friends and the Kays sniping and faced Maddy and Maddy alone as he held up his script, indicating to her that she should do the same. She rolled her eyes but complied.
"But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted;" Rhydian began, looking down at the text and then back up at Maddy, surprised to find that her full attention was now on him. The next part he spoke looking straight at her, "- and I would, I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none."
Well they both knew that wasn't true! Maddys eyes had even slipped to his lips as they formed around the final phrase. She coughed to herself, clearing her throat before looking back down at her script. Rhydian was happy to see a scatter of pink light on her cheeks from being caught looking.
"A dear happiness to women." She stuttered out, gaining speed as she found the correct passage, "They would else have been troubled with a p-perni… perinic… augh, what's that word?" She grumbled.
"Pernicious." He supplied softly, shifting towards her, watching as she got even more flustered in response.
"Yes thanks," she replied, watching from under her lashes as he stepped into her space. "Pernicious suitor." She corrected and read on, "I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that." Bolstered by the fact that she had not messed up again despite his close proximity, she got faster again, looking up at him. "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow th…than a man swear he loves me." Maddy's voice had faltered and slowed down as she got to the end as if realising what she had said.
"What was that?" He teased quietly, "I didn't quite catch the end."
"I said," she swallowed, and his eyes were drawn to the soft curve of her neck, "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me." This time she stared right at him as she repeated the quote, as there was no need for the book.
"You don't have a dog." Rhydian found himself pointing out, not even sure what the quote was meant to be talking about. He remembered them joking and light-heartedly arguing in the film at this point, why did these lines seem so serious when it was Maddy speaking them?
"Yes." She replied breathily, his eyes dropped down to watch her lips move and then to watch her breath hitch as she noticed him looking. "Good thing it's not true then." She continued, licking her lips anxiously as she finished.
Rhydian was so close to her and so hyper focussed that he lost the willpower to hide the groan he made in response. He so desperately wanted to kiss her. He glanced up and felt his stomach drop.
Her eyes were fiercely burning gold, right there in the middle of a classroom, surrounded by all their peers, looking directly at his lips. "Maddy!" He gasped out in fear just as she was about to lean forward. She immediately noticed and went to look around at what could have caused it.
"No!" He whisper-shouted and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. Thank God he had his back to a wall and so no one could see her face.
"What?" She asked anxiously, backing away, clearly assuming he was rejecting her or something.
"No no no no no," Rhydian was quick to assure her, stepping back towards her, "It's just that you're wolfing out a bit," he had another moment of fear, reaching up to shade his eyes "I'm not am I?"
She swiftly told him that he appeared fine and then looked down at her hands for evidence of the veins that were sure to be showing by now. "I don't understand, usually I can feel it coming along. I don't even feel any different now."
"Breathe, breathe, you're fine." He assured her, rubbing his thumbs on her upper arms where he still held her. Rhydian was sure he could feel her heartbeat slowing down through the warm skin, or maybe he was hearing it.
She closed her eyes to ground herself and the next time they opened they were back to normal. He nodded and she breathed out a sigh of relief just as the teacher explained about the passage they had been reading.
Distracted as they had been with the possibility of being caught, they had both forgotten about the tension that had been brewing between them. In a slightly cowardly move away from Maddy, he went to point out to Shannon and Tom how Liam still wasn't buying their act. Maddy watched and no doubt listened to the exchange from across the room, unsurprised when they gave an indignant response.
—-
On the walk to lunch Rhydian gave them the same warning and gave the stellar advice of acting more 'couple-y'.
"Couple-y?" Shannon asked in confusion
"You're the expert." He bit back a bit too soon.
"Not from the look of you two in Drama." Rhydian instinctively turned his head to look at the door to the canteen to where Maddy was sure to soon appear. She had been held back by the drama teacher to talk about all that she had missed.
"Is that the real reason that we can't do anything with you and Maddy anymore then?" Tom continued, "Not because we're not wolfbloods, but because we're not her specifically?"
"What?" He jumped at the sudden attack.
"Look, if you at least communicated with us before you made a big decision like, um I don't know… robbing someone, then maybe we'd be happy to give you some more alone time."
"We just want to be a bit more included." Shannon chimed in as she sat down.
"Oh Tom's included alright," Rhydian bit out, his anger flaring at the sudden attack, "So included in our lives he let Maddy's parents in on the poaching, which they know is my idea, by the way, and now they think that I…" his thought trailed off as he saw Maddy enter the hall, and smile at him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Liam's head snap up and follow her as she moved across the room to join them.
Liam had been so weirdly fascinated by Maddy after he accused her last year and after she'd come back and it was getting on his last nerve, especially considering that it was ultimately him that forced her to leave in the first place. "Augh, why did it have to be his farm!" He ground out.
"What did I miss?" Maddy asked quickly, looking between them all, clearly sensing an odd atmosphere.
"Nothing." Rhydian replied, standing up, "I fancy a run anyway, you coming?"
Maddy purposefully ignored him, "No, I want to spend my lunch with Bradlington High's hottest new couple!"
Rhydian groaned at her obvious ploy to get back in their good books and spend more time with them, but Shannon waved her off. "Don't worry Maddy, we've got our marching orders already. Can't really be more couple-y with you cramping our style, can we."
"Oh." Maddy looked disheartened, "You sure?"
"Yep." Shannon replied, clearly not that bothered by it. Tom nodded as well, obviously sensing that she was itching to run off with Rhydian again.
"Okay then, see you later!" She smiled at them both, before whispering "Good Luck!" And joining Rhydian at the vending machine.
"Seriously? They're giving us notes on acting couple-y when they're acting like that!" Shannon pointed her fork at Maddy where she was tugging playfully on Rhydian's arm to get him to go outside. He was pretending to put up a resistance as he smiled down at her, a look of adoration on his face that anyone could read.
"I know right." Tom replied as he tucked into his pasta, before having an idea. He picked up a piece of pasta on his fork and lifted it to face height, teasing her with it. Shannon doubted him, but the first bite of pasta got everyone's attention. During the second, though, he pushed it too far and they were interrupted by none other than Harry Averwood himself. It was only when she had left that he realised what a fool he had been.