5 - Skittles

The next morning as I was getting ready, I noticed I needed a haircut. I purposely kept my hair long, so I only had to spend money to get it cut once or twice a year, but it was in bad shape. I had lost some weight too. Apparently, I couldn’t be bothered to eat during my hibernation over the summer. My pants nearly fell off after I zipped them up, and my shirt hung loosely off my shoulders. I looked like a kid in her big sister’s hand-me-downs. I punched a new hole in my belt and cinched it around my waist.

I carefully put on my shoes, wincing at the pain in my ankle, and heard what sounded like pebbles hitting my window. When I looked out, I saw Bryan in his room holding a giant bag of Skittles, eating a few then throwing one, eating a few then throwing one. 

This was my chance to fix the horrible first impression I had made, so I needed to make sure I seemed normal. I opened the window and a Skittle pelted me on the chin.

“Eat up,” he called over to me. 

Balancing on my good foot, I bent down and picked up a red Skittle off the floor, dusted it off, and popped it in my mouth. 

“Breakfast of champions,” I called out. 

Bryan set the bag down. “I’m coming over,” he said, then he climbed out his window and jumped to mine.

“You’re going to give me a heart attack doing that,” I said.

He hopped into my room and tossed me another Skittle. It should have been awkward to have a guy I’d just met jump into my bedroom through the second-story window, but somehow he made it seem perfectly normal.

“How can you jump like that?” I asked. I couldn’t think of a better way to comment on his athletic prowess. “You act like it’s nothing.”

“Parkour,” he said. “I’ve jumped buildings a lot higher than this.”

“Is that how you learned about head and rib injuries?”

“It contributed to my knowledge, yes.”

“Where’d you learn Parkour?” I popped the Skittle into my mouth.

“France.” 

I gave him a curious look.

“My parents move around a lot, internationally, and one of their stations was in France. I needed a hobby, so I picked it up.”

“You make it sound like nothing. Like you found a penny and picked it up,” I said, flicking my hand up in the air flippantly. 

“And all day you’ll have good luck.” Bryan grabbed my books and walked to the door. “You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.” I made my way across my bedroom. “So nonchalant about the most dangerous sport in the world,” I mumbled. Then I puffed out my chest and spoke in a low voice, imitating him. “Jumping across skyscrapers is easy and safe. A second story window is nothing.”

Bryan laughed. “Is that supposed to be me?”

“What? Not enough bravado for you?”

“It’s just funny. A tiny thing like you trying to sound and act masculine.” He mussed my hair. “Like a mouse pretending to be a bear.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, batting his hand away. “I’m small and squeaky, you’re big and rumbly. Let’s get out of here, bear-man.” 

We walked to school, and he escorted me to and from each class, carrying my books while I limped along on the crutches. After Bryan dropped me off to second hour, Crew came in and sat next to me. 

My anger came back immediately. 

Yeah, he didn’t actually stop me from finding Mr. Finn since the guy I saw yesterday wasn’t Mr. Finn—it was Bryan—but the result didn’t matter. It was his action. I didn’t know I would have another opportunity to find the guy. It was just dumb luck that Bryan and I shared classes and lived next door to each other. I felt rage when I thought about Crew physically blocking me from doing what I wanted to do.

“Who’s the jerk?” Crew asked when he realized I wasn’t going to greet him. 

“Last I checked, it was you,” I parried.

He tsked. “When you fell into my arms yesterday, I was able to save you from injury,” he said, eyeing the crutches next to my desk. “That makes me your knight in shining armor. Who missed the cue and let you get hurt?” 

I looked over at him. I thought I had imagined his unnerving beauty yesterday, but no, he was freaking gorgeous. Like, make you forget where you were and what you were doing gorgeous.

I took a deep breath to regain my composure. He was just a guy after all. A guy who happened to look like a blonde G.I. Joe action figure.

“I did not fall into your arms.” I refrained, just barely, from calling him something that could have landed me in the principal’s office. “You knocked me over then snatched me up while I tried to escape.” 

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” Crew flashed a suggestive smile. “I was grateful for the opportunity to catch a blonde bombshell.”

“Oh, puh-lease.” I rolled my eyes dramatically.

“What? You are a bombshell, with those green eyes and blonde hair, full lips, and that body—” He cursed. 

I faced forward without a response.

“Why the crutches?” he asked, not phased.

“I sprained my ankle,” I deadpanned as I stared straight forward.

“Doing what?”

“Walking.”

“Tell me you were doing something more exciting than that. Perhaps a boy?”

I turned and faced him, but I shouldn’t have. It was difficult to look at him and maintain my anger. It’s like I couldn’t concentrate on anything but how hot he was.

“Do you talk to all the girls like this?” I asked, annoyed at him but more at myself. “Or are you saving your harassment especially for me?” 

Before he could come back with another racy comment, the bell rang, and Mr. Wright started in on the day’s lesson. I managed to avoid looking at Crew for the rest of the hour, even when he reached over and played with my hair while the teacher’s back was turned. After class, he grabbed my books.

“What are you doing?” I asked, bending over to get my crutches.

“Being your knight in shining armor, doll face,” Crew said.

“She already has one,” I heard Bryan’s voice say. I turned and saw him walking down my aisle.

“It’s true, Crew,” I said, impatiently. I stood up with my crutches and got situated. “I already have someone helping me.”

Crew faced Bryan, sized him up, then turned back to me. “Is this the reason you’re playing hard to get?” Crew asked with his thumb pointing toward Bryan and his eyebrows raised.

“Don’t mistake ‘hard to get’ with indifference,” Bryan shot back before I could reply. 

I looked at Bryan, and it was like a different person standing there, almost menacingly. The good-humored, easy-going boy scout was gone. In his place was an intimidating bodyguard. His posture was relaxed yet tense, like a coiled snake. Like he was ready to fight. Like he wanted to fight. I may have assumed he was a gentle giant yesterday, but that clearly wasn’t his only side.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, sensing the tension between the two guys. It wasn’t aimed at me, but I felt it. 

“You aren’t needed,” Crew said authoritatively. “I’m here.” 

“I’ll wait to hear that from Sera.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Crew asked me, ignoring Bryan’s comment. “That would explain some things, but it won’t stop me. I don’t mind sharing.”

“Well, I do,” Bryan gritted out between clenched teeth.

“And I always get what I want,” he said more to Bryan than to me.

“Not this time,” Bryan growled.