Sweet Cheeks. Rucas. GMW CHOICE AWARD WINNER!

Chapter.39.Kitten.<3

Head down.

Keep your head down.

One foot in front of the other.

I wore my hoodie today, I'll take it off once I get to in school suspension but I'd prefer to stay hidden until then. "What am I going to do without you?" Lucas and Maya ask at the same time. Taking a peek at them, they obviously didn't mean to do that they both seem completely dumbfounded. Giggling I take my bag from Lucas, I have lots of homework to catch up on anyways and I'll only be getting more. Teachers will send work down for me anyways, the whole writing with the wrong hand thing should be interesting.

"RILEY!" Ducking my head from the teenagers who are nosey and curious, I try to shush Darby who has made the announcement I've arrived. "How are you feeling?" She questions while hugging me, "Your face doesn't look too bad anymore. Did you try to cover it with make-up?" Before I can even answer she begins again, "Poor Riley, how are you going to do work? OMG! OMG! We should all go out to the diner, I'll take Xander and Xavier you bring Auggie we'll ALL GO!"

What did she take? "I'm so sorry." Yogi comes up and grips her hand in his, "I got her, her favorite drink from Starbucks this morning –

"You mean the one that we never let her get because it is jam packed with sugar and turns her into well that?" Maya adds in while glancing at our friend, she's bouncing on her heels. She's very sugar susceptible. Whoever said that a sugar high is all in your mind, is out of theirs.

Nodding his head, D leans down and kisses his cheek. "ISN'T HE AMAZING!?"

Laughing nervously, I add a few books to my bag that Lucas is holding open for me. "He's very sweet, yes. Now, I don't see why we couldn't go to the diner after school." I shrug, while everyone else nods. "5 o'clock?"

"PERFECT!" She sings before taking off, "I'll text Farkle and Smackle." She turns around and glances at Josh, "You should smile more. Maya loves it when you smile. Okay BYE RILEY HAVE A GOOD DAY IN ISS!"

Oh hello entire school! Do you not have anything better to do than stare at me?

"GET BACK TO YOUR OWN LIVES!" Lucas yells and everyone does as instructed, he can be scary when he wishes. I'd hate to be on his bad side, he's not a bad guy at all but he doesn't necessarily argue with the fact people see him as a bad boy. "Come on sweet cheeks." Glancing up at Lucas who throws my back pack over his shoulder, the left side of his lip is tugged into a smile. "I'll walk you there." I was about to say bye to Maya and Josh but she was laughing hysterically while Josh smiles.

I don't think she realizes how much he just watches her. Not like in a creepy way but in an 'I adore you' way. It's like he studies her, it's very sweet. Taking my good hand in his, I keep my eyes trained on the floor. Only whenever you do this, do you realize how gross the floor is. "I hate that you're hiding."

"I'd like to keep my battle wounds to myself." I joke and relish in his thumb rubbing the back of my hand. I love it when he does that, it may sound weird but it's not like he's mindlessly holding my hand he is actually acknowledging it.

I can tell he's shaking his head, he's never hidden when he disagrees with me. In fact that's what a lot of our conversations were about when he first moved back. We disagreed, we argued and now we're here. Him walking me to ISS, hand in hand while he's holding my bag. Stopping outside the door, I turn and rest my back against the wall. His hand rests against the brick over my head. "You gonna be okay?"

"Are you?" I joke and poke his stomach, "I'll be fine. I was a delinquent, I deserve to be punished." I don't miss his obvious shiver but don't say anything about it. Maybe the gust of wind that blew was cold?