Over the Edge

Ch.8-Backtracking

"Red Riding Hood is right," Rhys commented. "Get out of my way."

I took the initiative and stepped closer this time. "Make me."

He squinted at me. I wanted to see what he would do. To see if he would live up to his rep, to his name, and forcefully move a girl out of his way. "I know what you're doing," he whispered, so just I could hear him. "Stop it and piss off."

"You first."

He used his shoulder and shoved his way through. I was more or less slammed against the desk, but the pain didn't register. Rhys exited the room, and I knew he probably wasn't coming back. People started talking again, and it wouldn't take a genius to know what about. Mr. Matthews' caught my eye this time, and with a slight nod smiled.

Apparently I had finally done something right.

~*~

I sat on the stone wall after school had ended. I would probably live to regret ever intervening myself in Rhys's life when it looked like he wanted to blow up the world, but-at least for this semester-it was kind of my job to get involved. Wow. Mr. Matthews would be so proud of my new way of thinking.

I had a bit of time to think about it, some time to ruminate on the subject, and I actually kind of saw where Mr. Matthews was going with this project. I thought about the people I had come to know, and the people he had paired up. Luke and Rose for one; she told me they were both apparently geniuses in Physics class. I also noted how Brittany Glenn, a cheerleader, was paired up with a girl name Dorothy Hayes, an introvert bookworm. And Doug Bart, an apparent basketball star, was paired with Matthew Hassel, a scrawny math genius graduating a year early. And that Jackson Lesser, a football phenomenon, was paired with Delilah Hipshot, a misunderstood girl who kept to herself. I found I was extremely eager to listen to the projects and see the emotional and mental changes of the people.

Granted, I still had no idea why he would pair together Rhys and me. Perhaps I would have to be outside looking in to see the reason why. If what Mr. Matthews did brought my mom and dad together, then maybe he really knew what he was doing? Maybe he knew something about Rhys that he wanted me to figure out.

That sparked a bit of interest through me. I'd always liked puzzles. Maybe he knew that, too. Conquering Rhys Richardson was a challenge and I could never turn down a challenge. He was a puzzle with a few missing pieces, some wedged in to the wrong places, and I just needed to fit everything together right again. I smiled at that.

As I saw it, I didn't really have a choice on the matter anyway. We were stuck until the end of the semester, which was months away. We had things to do on a project that was worth half our grade. He could be an asshole but it didn't mean I had to be a bitch.

With all of that settled, I felt lighter. Freer. Like I had solved some greater mystery. Solved one, only to be thrust into another. But I was ready for this one, not unwittingly storming through. I would be careful and cautious and hopefully things would turn out in my favor.

I casually cast my gaze to the door of the school, where a mob of students filed out. Rhys was one of them. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched. He literally looked like the world was on his shoulders, and he was crumbling under the weight of it.

I stood as he approached. A scowl twisted his features when he spotted me. I refused to let it affect me, though. I pasted on a smile that felt extremely fake. "Hey, Rhys!"

If you've never been looked at by somebody like you were the bane of their existence, you're lucky. It creates a horrible pit in the bottom of your stomach, like it's eating away at you. Regardless, I ignored the terrible sensation and sidled up beside him.