Free Me From the Wolves

[3] "School relationship thing"

"Ruin what?" I asked. He was the one acting so strange on his father's funeral day. It was even stranger when he pulled away from me and grabbed a piece of fruit just like Andrew had.

"I've had a change of heart," he announced, biting into the apple.

"Humor me."

"I figured it naïve of me to detest the social normalcy of relationships," he said while chewing.

"Meaning...?"

He looked over at me with a gorgeous smile that I fell in love with each time he did it. "I'm going to be the best boyfriend ever."

I looked at him in skepticism before grabbing my bag and leaving the kitchen with him in tow without a grab of his arm.

"You don't believe me," he guessed without me saying or thinking it.

"Not today I don't," I agreed while opening the front door, but then he pinned me against the panel outside right after I locked the door.

"I already know you think I'm overcompensating for this afternoon, so just please let me be passive with this," he pleaded in a whisper. "I need at least something to go well today."

"Fine," I allowed immediately and he quickly kissed my cheek before grabbing my hand to walk towards his black Porsche. Of course then he opened the door for me. But that wasn't a best boyfriend ever thing; it was a Ryder thing.

"This is gonna be fun," he promised with a devious smile while he lingered on the door. Part of me felt like he was mocking me rather than just suppressing his feelings about the funeral. "I get to open doors for you and carry your stuff and be all—"

"Ryder, I love you, but if you turn into some cheesy, lovesick boy I can't recognize, I will break up with you," I warned him sternly. He knew that I was joking about the break up, but I was serious about not wanting him to turn into some soft guy who was the opposite of the boy I was interested in. Okay, okay, he surrendered telepathically.

"I love you too," he said goofily as if noting my warning more than anything. He shut the door and rounded the car. He sat down in the driver's seat and I hoped his happy-go-lucky attitude had washed away partly because it was a fake personality, but also because I wasn't a morning person who had the appropriate appreciation for it. He only looked over at me while the car roared to life. He even studied me.

"What?"

"God knew what He was doing when He made you and Fate knew what It was doing when It paired us together, that's all," he said and then laughed before facing the street and driving off.

***

Yesterday when I said a school day without Ryder was better off, I was right. When I had walked the halls with Stella, people treated her like modest royalty, but when I walked with Ryder's hand in mine, it was like he was infamous. People had been willing to talk to and smile at Stella, but with Ryder, they waited for him to greet them. And all the comments made about me from yesterday were replaced.

His fears of being seen as "weak" because of me didn't even come true. Not as people whispered about how fast he had "claimed the new girl" or some even dared to say "I'm sorry" about his dad. He was still the same Ryder who brooded over people or spoke his mind or dictated what was considerably cool amongst the masses, which made me considerable by most standards as well because Ryder didn't just date anyone apparently.

Throughout the day I wondered why Ryder even complained about dealing with school and a relationship. Honestly, as natural as it was for us to fall in love, it was the same fluidity when he'd walk me to class or grab my hand or make conversation without it being too overbearing. It was just like the summer time when I had a chance to be with him and I think he finally realized that by the time lunch rolled around.