Love In Actuality

16: Kyree

Aaron called me the next morning just as I was stepping out of the shower

and getting ready to pick out my clothes. “Hey. Can I give you a ride to school?”

he offered. In the living room, I heard the television click on.

“Sure.” My closet suddenly didn’t have enough options. 

“You gonna be ready in ten?” 

I hesitated. My shower had taken way too long, and I had just planned on

going to school late. It wasn’t like I had a future or anything. Still, here I was,

standing in my bathrobe and starved for breakfast. “Honest? Probably not.”

He sighed. “Well, I’ll still be there in ten minutes, so try to hurry, okay? We

shouldn’t be late the last week before break.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I quickly swapped my robe for jeans and a sweatshirt, grabbing some

shiny flats to make it seem dressier. Aaron let himself in a few minutes later. We

were almost out the door when he paused. “Where’s your swim stuff?” Aaron

knew just as well as I did that I hardly ever went to practice. My hair was falling in

my face, so I pushed it back into a loose ponytail. “Laila has practice every day.”

“Are you saying I’m not getting a ride home unless I go to practice?” I

asked with a raised eyebrow. So that’s what this was about. I was a fool to think

that he actually wanted to be with me. He probably just wanted to make fun of

me swimming. Or something. 

“Pretty much, yeah.” He moved aside so that I could get my stuff from my

room, but I still made sure to brush his shoulder as I passed him. What a jerk.We didn’t speak again the entire ride to school. Laila finally instigated

Aaron when she got out, saying, “Have fun, Aar.” 

My door was half open when Aaron spoke up. “Look, Ree, I don’t get why

you’re mad.”

I closed it again, giving him a steely glance. “You tricked me into going to

swim practice. God, Aaron, I thought you gave me a ride so that you could be

with me, not so that you could, like, deceive me or something.”

“That wasn’t what I was doing at all. I was killing two birds with one stonegetting to spend time with you and getting you back in the water. I can’t believe

you would think that I would do something like trick you, Ree.”

I didn’t dignify his response with an answer. Just got out of the car and

walked into school.

We barely saw each other for the rest of the day.