I Solemnly Swear That I'm Up To No Good

10-Holy Shit, I Feel Like Such A Fucking Girl Right Now

“You want to know the reason I pranked the twins?” He snorts. “I pranked them because they kept taunting me to ask you out. Well, it was mostly Parker. Porter didn’t like it. Parker kept telling me to take you out on a date. I was getting pissed off because let’s face it; I know you don’t like me.”

It gets quiet after that. Silence. I still don’t know if I should answer back.

“Babe, I know you’ll probably never want to talk to me again after I say this, but I’ve been holding it in now for five years. I love you. Not the shitty kind of love that teenagers say over and over again, but the real kind.”

“You’re right,” I whisper after a minute.

“Shit, you’re actually in there?” His voice jumps. “Holy shit, I feel like such a fucking girl right now!” After he quiets down again, he asks, “What do you mean I’m right?”

“I don’t like you.”

Its quiet again. Like really quiet. “I know.” His voice is the saddest I’ve ever heard him.

“I love you.”

Silence. “I’m sorry, what? I don’t think I heard you right.”

“I love you. Gabi loves Ryder. Not the shitty teenager one, but the real kind.”

All of a sudden he’s pounding on the crawl-in. “Gabriella let me in there right now!” He yells loudly, voice suddenly excited.

A smirk tugs at my lips. “And why can’t you open it? Where’s your key?”

“It’s in my room, fuck!” He groans, still pounding on the door. “Let me in!”

“Nah, I like it in here by myself. It’s peaceful, really-”

“That’s it,” He cuts me off and the pounding dies. I hear his feet thudding against the floor and up the stairs. I hear screaming, sounding like Ryder, and up some more stairs. The sounds disappear for a moment. Then the screams of joy are back, and he’s running down the stairs to the basement. His feet slide to a stop at the crawl in and the little key hole jiggles. The crawl in opens up wide and he’s sliding through it.

I’m sitting next to the crawl-in, so he smirks widely at me. “Hey babe, miss me?”

“Not really-”

“Shut up. For once, just listen to me and shut up,” He mutters, his arms snaking onto my waist. His lips crash into my own. He moves swiftly but slowly, like he’s savoring it. He lets all his emotions out into this one kiss. Ryder moves so he’s kissing my jaw and neck. Then he goes back up to my lips, deepening it. Then, he whispers against my lips, “Did you say you solemnly swear you’re up to no good when you came in here?”

I take the hand that’s not in his hair and slap him on the head.