valedictorian ⚣ ryden

2

Elizabeth should be dead. As far as Ryan knows, she got no more than two hours of sleep last night, and in the morning when Ryan woke up, she showed no signs of drowsiness. Ryan's in the middle of explaining it to Ronnee and his father over breakfast, ranting about how much he might want to study that, when he's interrupted by Elizabeth's phone ringing. It makes Ryan completely forget what he's going to say next.

"Sorry, you guys," Elizabeth says. "I'll take this outside." She gets out of her chair. "Carry on, Nerd."

Actually, on second thought, Ryan decides that Elizabeth will be dead. It will be very soon, too. He doesn't know why they're still friends. She never respects him. The name-calling is one hundred percent childish. "I'm sorry, dad," Ryan grumbles. "I forgot what I was saying." He glares at Elizabeth as she walks out of the door.

His father and Ronnee murmur about things being alright, and they go back to their breakfasts. It seems Ryan's intriguing drabble distracted them from eating. He decides he'll leave them to it. On his watch, the hands point to six thirty-two. If he leaves now, he can go to a Starbucks and order Elizabeth a coffee. She'll definitely need it. There's no doubt she'll crash in the middle of third period. If she doesn't eventually feel miserable, Ryan will be assured she's inhuman.

"Dad," Ryan speaks up, "I think I'll leave early so Elizabeth and I can get coffee. Can I have your car keys?"

Engrossed in his scrambled eggs, Ryan's father points to the keys that were tossed on the counter last night by his son. Ryan thanks his dad and picks up the keys. Elizabeth is outside when Ryan walks out, and she just ended her call. "Ryan, you love me," she says.

"That's less likely than you think," he mumbles as he walks to his father's dark blue car.

"I just got you a date to Brendon and Alex's party," she squeals.

Ryan fumbles with his keys. Is his hearing faltering? "Say that again, please," he says, voice crackling horrifically.

"I don't think I need to." Elizabeth has the biggest smile on her face.

Before starting the car, Ryan takes a deep breath. He's never had a date before. "This isn't a good idea," he decides. "I'm not going to the party." It was no use. The time could be spent on better things, anyway. Studying, for instance. The party just sounds like too much chaos.

"Ugh," she groans. "This is why you're going to die alone." Ryan shrugs. Before he pulls out of his driveway, he looks over at Elizabeth. She stares back expectantly. "What, Nerd?"

She acts as though Ryan has no reason to be staring. He has no excellence in fashion, but this is just too much. She has on Ryan's gray hooded sweatshirt and a pair of pink sweatpants. Pink sweatpants in which Ryan had never seen before. Where did she manage to get them from? "Are you, in all seriousness, planning to go out in public dressed how you're dressed?"

She scoffs and rolls her eyes. "One day my eyes will fall out from how much you make me roll them."

"Elizabeth, that's highly illogical. I-"

"Fucking drive, Nerd."

Ryan does as he's told and pulls out of the driveway. She often acts as though he's an embarrassment to her proverbial public image, yet she chooses, out of unmitigated free will, to go to school dressed indecently. Luckily for Elizabeth, Ryan's a good friend. He could never be embarrassed of her.

Eventually, after a silence created by Elizabeth's preoccupation in her cell phone, she inhales then says, "Please don't chicken out on this so early, Ryan. If you go to this, I won't have to explain to everyone who you are when I tell them embarrassing stories about you. They'll already know because they've seen you at the party!" She's pleading with her hands clasped together. Ryan can see them out of the corner of his eye as he focuses on the road. He ignores her, though. "Oh, come on, Ryan." Upon the silence from him, Elizabeth gives up. The five-minute car ride up to the coffee shop is silent. No radio, no speaking, no anything. Not until they pull up into the Starbucks parking lot. "Are we getting coffee?" she asks.