Even though Ryder had his melodramatic moment, the rest of the night was characterized by just us being us and I hadn't even asked about Zander or the fact that the funeral was coming up soon. Even though the night was filled with pleasantries, I didn't doubt that he was covering up and presetting another apology for him most likely skipping school the next day.
"So what are you doing about the funeral?" Cassandra asked me or maybe Andrew Tuesday morning.
"I'm—"
"I'm not going," Andrew said over me while he galloped into the room and grabbed an apple.
"I'm just going to leave school early instead of just skip the whole day," I decided. I wanted to be absent for Ryder, but I was under the impression that he didn't need yet another person sharing condolences.
"So...does that mean I can drive your car since I'm assuming Ryder will pick you up and drive you with him?" was all Andrew was concerned about, even though it was dented in multiple places because of Preston. Come to think of it, I didn't even remember seeing it out in the driveway at all yesterday. The doorbell rang and Cassandra took the liberty to answer it since she was on her way out, but still, I narrowed my eyes at Andrew.
"What's your fascination with driving my car?" I asked as I heard Cassandra open the door and Ryder's entrance took up all of my other senses.
"Well you're the one who wrecked mine," he reasoned as Ryder walked into the kitchen, wearing nothing resembling funeral wear. In the process of walking in to kiss my cheek and wish me a good morning, he put a piece of metal in Andrew's hands. "A key to...?"
"Your car," Ryder answered. "It's not done, but you'll have it soon."
I didn't know the exact look that was shared between them. Even though I knew Andrew would want to say thank you, he still thought anyone titled as my boyfriend—let alone, mate—was beneath him. Ryder smiled genuinely anyways.
"For now, you can take Ashlynn's since I got it fixed yesterday," he said and that's all Andrew needed before snatching my keys out of the basket and leaving out the back door. I turned to Ryder.
"Um, excuse you."
"What? You're not going to need it today anyways," he shrugged. That was true yesterday considering Cassandra just let us drive her car to school since it was her day off, but I wasn't letting him off so easily.
"You weren't saying that when I was telling you to take it back to whichever dealership you bought it from," I reminded.
"That's not fair," he frowned.
"Just like handing my keys to my brother," I added. Simultaneously we both gave each other a specific look.
"You're not going to need it anyways," he commented. "You know I'll take you wherever you need to go."
"Which is where?"
"Well," he started and then looked over to the microwave's clock. "Considering the time right now, I'll take you to school with me."
"You're going to go to school?" I asked him and he simply nodded. I forced a laugh but he only frowned in confusion. "You're the one who said you didn't want to go since I was there."
"And you," he said grabbing me by the waist, "are the one who said I was overreacting."
"I said you were over thinking," I corrected.
"Then isn't school the perfect place to be, considering I'm thinking at all?" he questioned with a lazy look on his gaze. However, I just raised an eyebrow. Then his look of love ended and he mimicked the look on my face, which was a pessimistic frown. "You're trying to ruin this for me."
"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.
"What, no lunch date with Ryder?" Bailee asked while I ate lunch with her and Evan. "He's been quite unexplainable today."
"I don't think so," I told her for both parts of what she said, even though I knew what she meant. Everyone was used to the Ryder who caused chaos instead of my Ryder. I don't think she expected him to balance it out as well as he did, but it happened. And apparently, even though he hadn't walked me to every class or carried every supply, being around me just a few times with the few gestures he did was enough to differentiate our relationship from his past ones that he didn't care too much about.
I looked over my shoulder and saw as he laughed and joked with a table I had seen his friends at yesterday. However, now Colin sat over there with him and they were laughing and having conversations as closely as they did at the bonfire. It made me happy to see him fall back into his life even though I was sure he heard all the condolences and whispers about his dad.
"Hey," Andrew greeted while he sat down beside me. I looked up at him for the first time seeing him at school today. Evan and Bailee replied to him, but I was focused on the fair haired model standing at the end of our table. The boy was tall and blonde to say the least, but he was also devilishly handsome. His scent was masked with a certain aroma I couldn't explain. It was too distinct for a human's, too bizarre for a werewolf's, and too saccharine for a witch's. He was still incredibly captivating, even though I had seen him in two of my classes.
"Who's this?" I asked while looking at the boy whose bright blue eyes met my plain brown ones.
"Trevor Versailles," Bailee answered in complete awe as she looked up to the boy. Evan rolled his eyes and hunched his shoulders as if knowing his girlfriend had a crush on the boy at some point or another. But he knew it passed because Bailee looked down in embarrassment while Trevor gave her an awkward grimace as if telling me in that one expression that he didn't actually know her.
"I'm Trevor," Trevor greeted as if trying to redo Bailee's outburst. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
I almost wanted to desperately beg him sit there just because he was beautiful, but of course Bailee did that for me and I settled with a head nod.
"This is my sister Ashlynn and you probably already know Bailee and Evan," Andrew grumbled while he began to eat.
"I think Bailee and I played soccer together when we were younger. And Evan..."
"We had physics together last year," Evan reminded with a jealous grumble.
"That's right," Trevor smiled before looking over at me. I saw his eyes shift somehow in color, even though they were locked to me. "It's nice to meet you Ashlynn."
"Likewise."
Did I not worry about some guy checking out my girlfriend? I heard Ryder's voice ponder. I wondered if he meant for me to hear it or if it was a subconscious thought of his, but when I looked over and saw him laughing at Rod with Colin, I figured it was the latter option. He wasn't even looking over here.
"So are you ready for soccer season?" Evan asked Trevor, I assumed. So he was a soccer player. That explained his athletic build.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied.
"Ashlynn plays soccer," Andrew said while shoveling food into his mouth.
"You do?" Trevor asked me and I felt not only my cheeks heat up, but part of my brain throbbed. It reminded me of when Stella had kissed Ryder and I was in his head, feeling each twinge of pain at the touch of her.
"I did," I corrected. "I was a forward."
"Oh really? You should try out here. Soccer isn't our number one sport compared to football or basketball, but I mean, you should still go out for it," Trevor suggested with a kind smile.
Nope, screw it. I'm gonna kick his ass, I was hearing Ryder think and then when I looked over my shoulder to see him sitting with Colin, he was actually standing at the end of my table and managed to startle me.
"Hey," I smiled at him.
"Hi," he greeted with tension.
"Don't I see enough of you at home?" Andrew groaned at Ryder's presence.
"Maybe I just like seeing your face," Ryder smiled sarcastically. Then his dark eyes met Trevor's face. "Trevor."
"Pleasure seeing you here; it's been a while," Trevor replied to my surprise with a sly smirk. I saw Ryder flinch ever so slightly but if you hadn't stared at him for the moment, you would've missed it. Not only was he appalled that Trevor didn't have the sort of fear that everyone else had for him, but maybe he was jealous. I found it amusing. "Is there anything you needed...?"
"Just her," Ryder said before glancing down at me. Time to get ready for the funeral, he reminded me.
"Oh, right," Bailee muttered beneath her breath before mouthing the word "funeral" to Evan and then quickly look up at Ryder. "I'm sorry about your dad."
"Aren't we all," Ryder sneered before I took the liberty to stand up with my stuff and depart with him before his socialite attitude from this morning would quickly wash away for a more dismal and/or irate one. But then we heard and sensed someone behind us and before we knew it, Trevor had jogged in front of us.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
"We just did."
"I meant about something other than your surprise in attendance..." Trevor hinted at something and I frowned, wondering what it was especially when he didn't glance at me to give it away immediately.
"In that case...no," Ryder decided and then I recognized the glare he gave Trevor. He slid his hand down to mine and locked our woven fingers. Trevor's eyes glanced down at the clasp and then he smirked. "If you don't mind—which I don't care if you do—we have a funeral to attend."
"I suppose another time will have to do," Trevor called out to us while Ryder turned us to leave the cafeteria. I only smiled to myself, even as Ryder tried to stalk out in a huff before the rest of the upperclassmen werewolves started to wrap up their lunches and conversations in order to leave—well, the ones that even showed up to school.
"What?" Ryder finally asked me in irritation once we got in his car. He finally asked me after walking through the halls and signing us out of school and acting as if people weren't whispering about us. I was contented, but the dimple in his cheek that revealed itself in his annoyance just made me try harder to hide my giggle.
"Nothing," I lied and finally let out a laugh. He sighed as he turned on the car. "You're just cute when you're jealous." He gave me a look I deserved and I looked down into my lap until he looked away.
But I still laughed to myself, maybe relishing the fact that it was my last laugh of the day.