He leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Let me know if it starts bothering you.”
I nod at him and give him a smile. I can tell the bruise put him on edge, and I’m glad he doesn’t ask for more details about it.
He pulls his Jeep from the curb, heading in the direction of the school. Snow is coming down pretty hard, and I’m glad I don’t have to walk. I can’t stop myself from stealing glances over at him while he drives us. I take little bites of the muffins he brought me, enjoying the sweet treat first thing.
When he catches me, I blush, and he gives me a big smile that goes all the way to his eyes. God, he’s so handsome. He takes my breath away. I wonder if our kiss was his first, too, but shyness gets the best of me and I can’t bring myself to ask. It probably wasn’t. Not with the way some of the girls at school look at him. And he’s the star of the football team. I’d rather not know about any of his other kisses.
“Don’t move,” he tells me when we pull into the school parking lot. He grabs my backpack and hops out, then comes around to my side of the Jeep. He opens the door for me and helps me down, and I reach for my backpack. He shakes his head and gives me one of his beautiful smiles again. “I got it, babe. Besides, your back hurts.”
The backpack wasn’t hurting my back, but I know he isn’t going to give it to me. He takes my hand in his after he shuts the Jeep door and we make our way into the school. I notice people turn to look at us. A few say hi to Ren. He gives them a chin nod, not speaking to them. It’s clear he’s popular, but I’m not sure he likes that much.
When we get to his locker I glance around and see more people are looking at us. I’m not sure if they’re looking at me or him. I’m not paying attention as Ren starts to unzip my coat, taking it off of me, then removing my hat and gloves. He shoves them into his locker before taking off his own and putting it in.
“Mythology?” he asks as he shuts the locker, and it takes me a minute to get what he’s talking about.
“Yeah, you have it, too?” I look up at him, hoping he does.
“Maybe.” He grabs my hand again, leading me down the hallway.
Maybe we have the same class? How does he not know what classes he has? We walk by Kristen and Carrie, who are giggling, but they quieten as we pass. Kristen’s eyes narrow on me before she gives me a disappointed head shake. I don’t know what she means by that. Ren doesn’t so much as glance her way as we pass them. He doesn't really look at anyone besides me. People move out of his way as he walks down the center of the hall, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
He walks me into the classroom, and I pick a seat towards the back of the room. He drops my backpack next to my chair as I take a seat. He places both hands on my desk, leaning down over me, blocking anyone from seeing me, and filling up all the space in front of me.
“Don’t leave without me. If I’m not back in the classroom before the bell rings, wait for me.”
I nod at him. Something about his overprotectiveness stirs something deep inside me.
“Say it, babe,” he says, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll wait for you.”
He leans in, placing another quick kiss on me, and I watch him stride from the room, determination in his steps. I sit there still feeling the sweetness of his lips on me long after the teacher starts the lesson.
12
Ren
I spend the better part of my morning rearranging my schedule in the guidance office. Some might say it’s crazy to move all my classes around so that Lily and I have a mirrored schedule. I don’t care what those people think. I am crazy. Besides, it doesn’t even matter what classes I take. I’ve already gotten into college.
Our kisses this morning were enough to send me over the edge of sanity and now I’m in full-on insane mode. I never felt like I was living my life before she walked into it, and now suddenly she’s here, and I can’t picture a moment without her. She’s quickly becoming the center of my world, and I’m okay with that. I’ve never been obsessed about anything before. Not winning in football or getting the best grades. Not beating some dumb video game or working on my Jeep. But since my eyes landed on Lily, she’s consumed my every thought. I didn’t see her coming, but I’ve never been happier to have been blindsided.
“Okay, Ren. You should be all set.” The counselor looks over his notes and back to my schedule. “You’ve more than met all your prerequisites, and your transcripts are well above marks for your scholarship. I see no need to change your schedule this late in the year, but honestly these are all bonus classes for you as they are. Your attendance will still be counted, but I don’t see the teachers here giving you any grief about it.”
I nod, looking over my new classes for today, and smile. Mythology, civics, lunch, and then art. We both have free periods at the end of every day, so that gives us more time to be together. “Thanks Mr. Green.”
“No problem. But can I ask why the sudden change?” He watches me as I stand and grab my bag.
“I’m broadening my horizons.” I don’t wait for more questions as I turn and leave, eager to meet Lily after her first class.
The bell sounds as I get to the door, and I look in and see her stay in her seat as everyone else stands up and grabs their bags. I walk past the crowd and she spots me, smiling so big I see dimples in her cheeks. It takes my breath away. She’s truly beautiful.
I grab her bag and take her hand, leading her from the classroom and down the hall. “We’ve got civics before lunch, with art after that.”
“So you do have the same schedule as me?” Lily beams, and I’m glad I made the change.
“I only had to shuffle a couple of things around, but this last semester is cake. I’d rather spend the time with you.”
Her cheeks redden and she ducks her chin. “That’s really sweet of you. Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me.” I squeeze her hand and she looks over at me. “Just don’t try and get away.” I wink at her and she elbows me. It’s playful and fun, and I can’t remember the last time someone made me feel special. I’m warm and gooey inside, and I feel like one of those cartoons with the heart eyes. God, I must look like a fool following her around like a puppy dog. But I’d rather be her puppy than nothing at all. If being by her side as a loyal partner is a crime, then lock me up.
We sit beside each other in civics, and I find a few chances to reach out and touch her. Something about making sure she’s real. When I touch her, she smiles at me and lights up. It’s like she’s never been touched before, and she leans into it, craving the attention. When class is over, we walk hand in hand to lunch, and much like the day before she sits while I bring back trays of food. Only this time we aren’t interrupted and we get to finish a brownie together.
“You like sweets?” she asks me, and I smile back.
“Almost as much as I like you.” I wink at her, and she nudges me with her elbow again. I’m starting to think she likes touching me, too. “Seriously. Sugar is like crack to me. Give me a cake and I’ll marry you.”
Her face flushes red.
“It’s too bad you missed my birthday. You could have made me one,” I tease.
“When was
it?”
“Thanksgiving. My mom jokes that I like to eat so much that I was born on a day dedicated to it. When’s yours?”
“Umm.” She looks away and then looks back at me. “Friday.”
“As in this Friday?” Excitement builds in my chest.
She nods and shrugs. “It’s not a big deal. Just finally eighteen.”
“Hey.” I take her chin in my hand and make her look at me. “It’s a huge deal. We’ll celebrate. Okay? I’ll take you for cake. I know a great place.”
Her face lights up and she nods. The little cloud that formed has passed, and I vow to do that for the rest of our lives. To push away her clouds and make sure she’s only seeing sunshine.
We finish lunch and walk to art class together, and I can see the change in Lily once we get there. There’s a look of excitement in her eyes as the teacher talks about what we’ll be working on today. She asks us to do a charcoal sketch of the statue in front of us, and I set up my easel next to Lily. She beams over at me as she takes the dark stick and begins to draw right away. I’m not really that good at art, but I try as best as I can and do a pretty decent job. The statue is of a woman wrapped in a cloak, so the curves and shading are difficult. I’m sure if I’d taken art any time during my four years of high school I’d understand what I was doing. As it is, this is my first time, but I muddle through.
I glance over at Lily a few times, but she’s deep in concentration. I love to watch her face as she draws and see the focus she puts into her work.
By the time the hour is up, the teacher calls for us to stop and examines what we’ve done. I can’t see Lily’s from where I’m sitting, but I see the teacher come up behind her and her eyes spark.