Forgotten

Chapter 4: Paris

            Before I could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. I figured I was saved from giving a response. I quickly grabbed my backpack and attempted to hurry out of the classroom. I got five steps out of the room and realized I had no idea where my next class was, and I couldn't even remember which class I had next.

            I had to stop to pull out my class list and then sighed when I felt a presence stop next to me. "You haven't answered my question. What did your earlier comment mean about guys like me and girls like you?"

            "Look at you..." I gestured towards him. His light blue jeans hugged his thighs without being too tight, his black and blue tennis shoes looked brand new, as did his dark blue t-shirt. His chestnut was short on the sides, and just long enough on the top to have a slight curl. His dark blue eyes watched me in confusion as I gestured to myself. "And then look at me. I don't handle social situations well, and I'm sure you're the king of social."

            I could feel him look over my shoulder at the paper in my hands right before I started to stalk off. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going, but anywhere had to be better than here. "Um, I hate to ruin your dramatic exit..." I jumped as Rylan easily kept up with my quick stride. "Mr. Hadley's class is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction.        

As much as I wanted to mutter that I knew that, it would have been a stupid thing to say. It was pretty obvious that I had no idea which way to go. I turned to head the other direction, and when he started to follow me, I muttered, "I'm pretty sure I can find my way there on my own."

            I was pretty confident he hadn't heard me over the noise in the halls, so I was a bit shocked when he replied, "Humor me. I'll walk you to class to make up for my behavior this morning."

            "You don't have anything to make up for." I muttered as I attempted to move a bit faster through the crowded hallway. This must be what it felt like to be a fish swimming upstream. I glanced over my shoulder. I was certain that Rylan was having just as much trouble navigating the hallway as I was. I yelped in surprise when I realized he was right behind me, and the crowd was parting like he was Moses and they were the red sea.

            His lips quirked up in a small smile, "Would you believe me if I said my next class was in this direction as well?"

            His charming smile made me want to smile back at him. After a moment of awkward silence, I finally shook my head, "Should I believe you?" I found myself asking him.

            His smile widened as he admitted, "Probably not." I blinked at the appearance of dimples as his smile grew.

            "What's the point of lying? I'm pretty sure I can make it myself." I tried to assure him again.

            He didn't look very reassured. "Technically, my next class is in this general direction. It's just not down the same hallway."

            "If you walk me to class, you'll be late for your own class and then I'll feel guilty." I stuck my lip out, giving him an unintentional pout.

            "That's not going to work on me, Babe. Besides, no one really cares if you're late to class on the first day." He stated. He stopped in front of a doorway just as a large guy was going through it. I absently noted that the guy had the build of a football player.

            "Paris? I thought you had science this period." Rylan said from behind me. He hadn't left yet?

            The big guy took a step backwards to get out of the doorway, and his green eyes lit with surprise when he saw Rylan. He scratched at his stomach, lifting his gray t-shirt just enough that I could make out some sort of tattoo that disappeared under the waistband of his jeans.

            His full lips tilted up in a smile. "Hey, Boss Man. They said something about having too many kids in my earlier math class, so I had to go to the office to get my schedule switched around slightly." My cheeks heated up as his eyes landed on me with curiosity.

            "Great, you can make sure that Alex gets to her next class." I raised a brow. Just because I'd made one mistake didn't mean I couldn't find my next class by myself.

            "Can she not get to her next class on her own?" Paris asked, mirroring my thoughts. He scratched at his spiked blond hair, clearly even more confused than before.

            Before Rylan could reply, the warning bell rang. "I've got to head to class. Just make sure she doesn't get lost on her way to her next class." He patted Paris on the shoulder and walked off without looking back.

            Paris' large body was blocking me from entering the room as he watched Rylan disappear down the hallway. "Excuse me." I tried to politely push past him.

            "You owe me an explanation, Little Princess." He leaned over me to speak and I backed up a step. I wasn't sure that I owed him anything. I tried to step around him, but he was easily able to block me from entering.

            I rolled my eyes, "I'm perfectly capable of getting to my next class by myself." I knew I had already stated that, but I felt like no one was listening to me.

            "Not according to the Boss Man..." He led me into the room. I sat down in an empty seat and expected Paris to do the same. Instead of moving to the empty seat on the other side of the room, the kid behind me suddenly scrambled out of their chair and into an empty one.

            A blush swept up my chest and I put my fingers to my cheeks, hoping to hide their redness.

            The teacher cleared his throat from the front of the room and my eyes focused on the whiteboard behind him. Mr. Hadley was written in large, blue handwriting.  "Thank you for joining us today." He gave us both a pointed look as he nudged his black rimmed glasses up with a finger.

            His dark, curly hair fell around his shoulders, making him look like he belonged in a rock band instead of at the front of a calculus classroom. I slumped in my chair to rest my chin in my hand as I listened to him start the class.

hG@