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Dedicated to Vbarth-CKCSLuver because she has voted and commented for every chapter :) Thanks, Love, it means a lot!
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"Duck!"
The warning came too late, and I felt something slam into the back of my head. Pain exploded in my head, and I cursed loudly. I spat out the half-chewed chunk of bagel and grabbed the spot where I felt a lump forming.
"Are you okay?" asked Norah, but I didn't respond. I was too busy trying not to cry because it really hurt. I turned around to find whatever had hit me, and I found a lacrosse ball sitting in the grass. I picked it up in my hand and frowned. I started to ask Norah if she knew who throw it when someone tapped on my shoulder.
I turned around to find myself face to face with that Griffin guy from Olive Garden. My eyes narrowed when I saw the word lacrosse stick gripped in his hand. "Is this your ball?" I asked accusingly.
"Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his light brown shaggy hair. "Sorry about that." Then, his eyebrows knit together as he seemed to take a closer look at me. "Hey!" he said, recognizing me, "You're that girl from Olive Garden! Sawyer, right?"
"Bravo, Genius," I replied sarcastically, and I slung my backpack over my shoulder and handed him his ball back. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get a bag of ice from the nurse for the giant bump on my head." I turned to walk away, but Griffin put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.
"I'll come with you!" he declared. "You're new, so you probably don't know the way to the nurse's office."
He had a valid point, but I wasn't interested in his help seeing as it was his fault. "No, I've got Norah's help," I said quickly, and I pointed to my friend who was sitting underneath the tree where we were eating lunch, a straw between her lips. She was staring at Griffin like he was some kind of rock star, and I honestly had no idea why.
Norah looked from me to Griffin and then said, "Yeah, she's got me."
"Oh," Griffin said, and he looked disappointed for some reason, "Alright. I'll see you around I guess." I nodded, and then Norah and I started towards the school. Just as we reached the door, Griffin called my name, and I groaned before turning around.
"Yeah?" I called to him.
"Did you get over whatever made you upset?" he asked, completely serious. Even though this kid seemed to be popping up everywhere, and both times, he'd managed to piss me off, I felt a smile creep across my lips.
"Yeah," I replied, "I did." Griffin nodded and then he turned to go back to his friends. A pang of pain at the back of my head reminded me that I needed to get some ice before my next class, and I grabbed Norah and hurried into the school.
As we walked through the hallways, I looked over at Norah to find her staring at me like she was looking at me weirdly. "What?" I asked, and she blinked.
"It's just..." her voice trailed off as she looked for the right words. "How do you know Griffin Parker?" she blurted after a moment.
I frowned. "We met at the Olive Garden. I was sitting outside, and he just butted into my business." Her jaw dropped, and I raised an eyebrow. "Is knowing Griffin Parker a big deal?"
"Yes!" she cried shrilly, making me and the people around me jump. Norah noticed this, and her cheeks turned bright red. She gripped my hand and dragged me into the nearest girls' bathroom. Without bothering to check if anyone was in any of the stalls, Norah started to tell me why knowing Griffin Parker was a big deal.
"He's the hottest guy in school and the star of the lacrosse team! Not to mention, he's really nice and super smart. Any girl would die to be his girlfriend! You should've let him get you your ice!"
I arched and eyebrow as the girl in front of me seemed to swoon at her own words. When she was finished singing Griffin's praises, I said, "He sounds like a real keeper."
I was going to say more, but before I could, one of the stall doors slammed open and Kaia of all people walked out. I could just tell from the smirk on her face that she'd listened to our conversation and she had something to say.
"You're right, new girl," she said as she washed her hands in the sink. "Griffin is a keeper. I should know, since I'm his girlfriend." Kaia flicked the water off of her hands, and turned to me. Obviously, she was trying to get a rise out of me, but I just kept my face impassive.
This seemed to frustrate her, so she added, "You better keep your filthy little paws off him, new girl, or you'll be dealing with me."
"Is that a promise?" I replied, and I took a step towards her, using the few inches I had on Kaia to intimidate her. Kaia looked like she was trying to think of a snappy comeback, but instead she just harrumphed and stormed out the bathroom.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" I called after her, and then Norah and I burst into giggles.
"You shouldn't provoke her like that," Norah choked out, and I shrugged.
"What can I say?" I replied, "That girl just brings out the bad side of me."
*
Grandma Aggie forgot to pick me up.
After half an hour of waiting for her, my cell phone rang, and I flipped it open to her immediate apologies. "I'm so sorry! I'm at my girlfriend's house visiting and drinking tea. I'll leave right now, okay?"
"No," I replied. I felt bad being the reason that she left her friends. I could just walk home, seeing as I memorized the way when we'd driven to the school this morning. However, I knew she wouldn't want me walking, so I said, "I've got a ride with a friend. Please, stay."
"Are you sure?" she asked, and I assured her I was. "Alright," Grandma Aggie said, giving in, "I'll see you at home, Sawyer."
"Bye." I flipped the phone shut and slipped it into my pocket. Then, I pulled the backpack straps over my shoulders and pushed myself off of the front steps of the school. I had started walking off campus towards my house, when a roll of thunder sounded throughout the sky.
I stopped dead in my tracks and groaned. "Really!" I cried up to the sky, "It's really gonna rain when I'm trying to walk home without getting lost?" I swore and kept walking, this time faster. As I crossed the street to a less busy road, I noticed a car slowing down next to me.
I froze and watched as it pulled up slowly next to me. The window rolled down to reveal the guy who had been the reason I'd decided to piss off Kaia; Griffin Parker.
"You know, it's a bit creepy when you slowly follow someone," I stated, crossing my arms across my chest. Griffin chuckled and pointed to his empty passenger seat.
"You want a ride? It's about to rain," he said, and I shook my head.
"No thanks," I replied, "I'm fine." Then I started to walk away, but Griffin didn't seem to catch the hint, and he followed me slowly in his car.
"Why not?" he called after me, but I didn't respond and I kept walking. "Sawyer, I'm trying to help you, but you won't let me. I've tried helping you a couple times, but you keep reject me. Why?"
I sighed and turned around once more to face him. Time to be harshly honest. "Look," I began, "Every time we've talked, you've managed to piss me off. The first time, you tried to force yourself into my business, and today you hit me in the back of the head with a lacrosse ball. That doesn't really make me want to accept your help."
"That was an accident!" Griffin stated, but then he seemed to deflate. "Look, I realize that asking you all those question about what was making you upset was a bit uncool, but you don't even know me. Give me one more chance, and I promise not to hit you with any more lacrosse balls."
Honestly, I wanted to say no. However, after hearing him say sorry, I started to think that maybe I'd judged him way too harshly. Sure, his first and second impressions were crap, but maybe the kid deserved a third.
"Fine," I said finally, and I walked over to his car and ducked into the passenger seat. Just as I rolled up the window and buckled myself in, the sky thundered once more. A second later, the sky opened up and rain poured from the sky, pounding hard against the car.
"Just in time," Griffin noted as he pulled away from the curb. I nodded in agreement and placed my backpack on my lap. We rode in silence for a moment before Griffin asked, "So where do you live?"
"Um..." I frowned as I tried to remember my address. "It's 67 Ashley Boulevard," I said finally.
"You sure?" asked Griffin, obviously noticing my uncertainty.
"Yep," I replied, "I'm completely sure." Griffin nodded, and pretty soon we were immersed in another awkward silence. I watched the rain as it turned the passing lawn to mush and soaked the trees. I was so tuned out that I almost didn't hear Griffin.
"So what brings you to town?" he asked.
Crap. I couldn't exactly tell him that my dad was a drug dealer, so I ran away, got caught and sent to juvie, and then my long-lost grandmother took me home after my dad fled the country. It was a great conversation starter for sure, but I didn't really feel like sharing.
"My dad is out of the country for the next year on a business trip, so I moved in with my grandmother," I said, and I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back for coming up with that on the fly.
"What's his job?" Griffin asked.
"He's an entrepreneur," I replied. It was sort of true.
I needed to sway this conversation from my life, though, because I was uncomfortable lying to Griffin. I don't know why, since I barely know him, but I didn't like it. "How about you?" I asked. "I've heard a lot about you today."
"All good, I hope," he said, glancing over at me.
"Depends on how you view it," I said with a shrug. "Apparently you're a lacrosse god, a brainiac, and very nice." Then, I added, "Your girlfriend also told me that I better keep my filthy paws off of you."
Griffin frowned. "I had no clue that I had a girlfriend."
I arched an eyebrow. "I believe her name is Kaia." At the mention of Kaia's name, Griffin groaned, and I smirked. "She's not really your girlfriend is she?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
"She was a bad decision who keeps coming back," Griffin snapped, and I raised my arms defensively.
"Dude," I said innocently, "I'm not judging your horrible taste in girls." Griffin looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave up before saying anything, and instead he just laughed.
We pulled into my driveway, and Griffin turned to me. "Listen," he said, "There's this party after the lacrosse game on Friday, and I think you should come and hang out."
"Oh, you do, huh?" I asked, and Griffin smiled. I tapped my finger against my lips and tipped my head to the side. "Can I bring a friend?"
"Is it a guy?" Griffin asked, and I chuckled and shook my head. "Then that's fine," he said.
"Alright," I replied, "I'll see what I can do." Then, grabbed my backpack and opened the car door. "Thanks for the ride."
"Anytime," Griffin said, and I nodded.
"I might just take you up on that." Then, with a grin planted on my face, I pushed myself out of the car and sprinted through the rain to my house.
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This would've been up sooner but i was playing with my sister's chinchilla, Peep. Then, I made mac & cheese for me and my sister while we watched All That on teen nick. If you don't know what All That is, you've been seriously deprived...
Anyways, enjoy!
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