Mystery Boy

Jacky had ushered me off to class quietly after that. There was a tint of a blush on his pale cheeks as he walked off, heading towards where he was supposed to be in the first place. The rest of the day dragged on and when I finally got to lunch I was relieved and exhausted.

I growled under my breath when I noticed Chelsea and Charlie Hormig walking into the lunch room at the same time as me. They were surrounded by people I had seen around the building. I didn't know any of their names though, not until Chelsea called out to me excitedly and motioned for me to scuttle over obediently. I held my breath as I sauntered over to their group, a smile pressed on my face.

“Hi again,” I greeted them as I stood next to their table where the five of them claimed their seats, looking up at me expectantly.

Chelsea grinned and patted her hand against the hard plastic of the chair next to her. “I'm so glad that we have lunch together! I told you everything would work out!”

I shook my head, silently declining her lunch invitation for the second time. “Yeah, it's great,” I said as my eyes scanned the lunch room distractedly, “But I actually have to go,” I claimed as I caught sight of Riley Radke who was seated just a few tables over with a group of young and rowdy looking boys.

“Where to?” Charlie asked with a smirk on his lips. He had followed my gaze over to Riley and now he sat with his arms folded over his chest in a playful way. I sighed happily, glad to know that he was way more laid back than Chelsea.

“Just meeting up with some, uh, friends,” I murmured as Riley caught my eye and looked at the people around me with a odd, unwelcome, expression on his face. I bit my lip and decided that I would go. “I'll see you around, I guess.”

Chelsea didn't even have time to reply as I walked away and over to the table of freshman where Riley sat with his friends, no doubt. I plopped down in an empty chair beside him, causing all his friends to go quiet. “Do you know where Ronnie and Jacky are?” I asked him nicely, leaning my elbow on the grungy table top, purposely ignoring everyone else there as they stared at me. Riley smirked at his friends and then shrugged at me.

“They're probably with Derek and Mika, they're a grade older so Ronnie and Jacky never see them during class,” he said simply, offering a shrug as well.

I nodded once and leaned back in my chair, “I'll wait here for them, then,” I said with a smile. “You don't mind do you, Ri?”

Riley grinned ear to ear at the nickname and shook his head. His friends were watching with wide eyes. I looked around the table at the three boys that were there. Two of them looked incredibly similar and I knew instantly that they were twins. The other was almost the opposite of them. His hair was ashen and his eyes blue while they had light hair and dark eyes.

“What are your names?” I asked, motioning to them.

“I'm Leon,” one of the twins said, “This is Sam.”

I smiled at them and waved once. “I'm Airea, Riley's neighbor.”

They nodded as the last boy licked his lips before he spoke. The blue eyed boy seemed cocky as he figuratively “roughed his feathers” like a male peacock who was trying to win over a female. I laughed at the easy comparison and waited for his words, ready to get a chuckle out of the young boy's attempt at impressing me. “I'm Killian,” he said with a smile that would melt any little girl's heart. “You're really beautiful,” he added as Riley smacked his palm against his forehead, obviously embarrassed.

“You can cut the act, Killian,” Riley said with a grunt, “She's Jacky's girl.”

Like that the boy backed off. I realized that it was kind of like a respect thing between them. Don't hit on another guy's girl, right? Which could also be known as guy code, like what Kelley and I used to joke about when we were in middle school. At the mention of Jacky I straightened up a bit, a sly smile coming across my lips. I tapped my fingers on the table top nervously as Riley began talking to his friends again.

“Right, Air?” Riley asked a couple of minutes later, causing me to look up to him with confusion on my face.

“What?”I asked distractedly.

Riley chuckled and shook his head. “Just talking about you and Jacky. You two got together quick.”

I chuckled and stuck my tongue out at him. He did the same and pushed his shoulder gently and playfully. He raised his eyebrows at me and then wiggled them at his friends. They laughed and I rolled my eyes at all of them.

“Riley, you going to need a ride home after school?” I asked.

He glanced to his friends, having a silent conversation, then he shrugged. “Killian and I were going to hang out but there's not enough room in your car so we'll probably ride the bus home.”

I shrugged too, “Okay. I'll probably be over playing with Charming.” I grinned and then stretched my arms out over my head. I squeaked when I felt arms wrap around my chest. Ronnie's cheek was against my cheek.

“Hey Air,” he greeted with a grin as he squeezed me tightly.

I rolled my eyes, kissed his cheek, and shoved him away from me. “Hey Ron. Where's Jacky?”

“With the guys.” Ronnie said as he smacked his brother in the back of his head. “What are you doing with these losers?” Ronnie asked as he motioned towards Riley's group of friends.

I chuckled and shrugged as I stood up, wrapped my arms around Riley's shoulder's from behind. “He's not that bad.”

Ronnie rolled his eyes and scoffed, grabbing my wrist and yanking me away. As I walked away with Ronnie's tattooed arm over my shoulder. I caught the judging glances of Chelsea and Charlie Hormig and their friends. Chelsea looked disgusted as she watched me with a sneer on her face. When I caught her eye she rolled them and looked away from me, back to her friends. I felt ashamed and I knew this was just my memories. At my old school I was like her. I would've never talked to anyone like Ronnie and I sure wouldn't have let him hang on me.

It took a drastic change in my life for me to realize that I was wrong yet part of me still wanted to be in with that crowd. I tried to suppress those feelings as I wrapped my arm around his waist and let him lead me out of the lunch room and away from them.

“Where are we going?” I asked Ronnie.

“To the stairs,” he replied, “The rest of the guys are there.”

I nodded. We all sat on the back staircase for the rest of lunch. Ronnie said that tomorrow we could go off campus for lunch so that we wouldn't have to try and stomach the “slop” that they serves around here. Today I didn't eat, it was probably a good thing that I wasn't hungry anyways.

Instead I sat on the third step of the stairs next to Jacky, my head on his shoulder as I listened to the guys talk about their band and the girls that they “didn't feel like fending off”. That made me chuckle. I had never been on the inside of guy's conversations. I didn't know why I felt so comfortable around these guys but I did. Jacky's fingers found mine as sat there.

Eventually that caught Ronnie's attention. He looked at us and asked, “What the hell is this?”

I felt heat creeping up on my cheeks as Jacky buried his face in my neck. The guys started shouting out snarky comments and making jokes. “Just lay off, guys,” I said as Jacky bit his lip, trying not to smile at some of the jokes.

“So...” Ronnie trailed off, “Are you two together now?”

I chuckled and reached out to punch him in the stomach, “Why don't you let us decided that, huh Ronnie?”

Ronnie rolled his eyes. After that Jacky and I joked around with the guys as Derek and Ronnie shoved each other around playfully. The rest of my classes were just more of the same. Luckily I didn't run into Charlie or Chelsea until after school when I was walking out of the building surrounded by Mika, Derek, Ryan, Ronnie, and Jacky. The guys asked if I wanted to go over to TJ's house and hang out with them. I shrugged and nodded my head as six of us split up, going off to our separate cars.

When the three of us got to my car Ronnie cursed when he remembered that he forgot to give Riley the house keys. “I'll be right back,” Ronnie murmured as he dumped his backpack into the back seat and shoved his keys in his pocket.

“Alright,” I murmured, “I'll drive up to the front and pick you up.”

Ronnie nodded as he raced off, holding his tight jeans up with one hand. I chuckled and slid into the front seat, Jacky doing the same on the passenger's side. I started the car and pulled up to the main entrance of the building. My windows were rolled down as I pulled to a stop and put the car in PARK. One of my arms hung out of the window and I noticed Charlie Hormig standing near the door with another friend that I hadn't seen before.

When they noticed me they seemed to be talking about the car. I smirked and then when Charlie smacked his friend's shoulder and motioned towards me. Then the two of them walked over. Charlie grinned and leaned down in the window.

“Hey Airea,” he said, “Where'd you get the car?”

“Did one of your friends swipe it?” his friend asked, a cocky look on his face. My eyes moved up to him and I smiled sarcastically.

“No,” I replied, “I jacked it myself.” Then I revved the engine as Ronnie came shuffling out of the school, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “I've got to go,” I said in a sultry way, “Got places to be and people to see.”

Jacky slid out of the car and let Ronnie slide into the back. When they were both buckled in I revved the engine and drove off, waving goodbye out the window as I left the two boys behind.

I told the guys that I had to stop at home and let my Dad know where I was going so that he couldn't call the cops on me or something. I pulled up in the driveway and rolled my eyes when I had to park behind Decklan's friend's car. When I pushed my way into the house I called out for someone and came face to face with a tall blonde boy.

“Can I help you?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

“I'm Avery,” he said, extending his hand for a handshake.

I just slid past him and into the room that I shared with Decklan. He was sitting on his bed with another of his friends, causing me to growl and roll my eyes as the boy looked me over. “Keep your friends away from my things,” I warned Decklan as I sat down on my bed and opened my laptop, choosing to lock it so that no one else could use it.

Decklan scoffed, “Like either of them would want your disease, Airea.”

I laughed sarcastically as I set my computer down and tossed my backpack into the closet to be forgotten about. I put a hair thing around my wrist as I exited the room, calling for my father. “Dad!” I shouted loudly, beginning to get frustrated.

“He's not here, dumbass,” Decklan called out to me.

I ducked my head back into the room and asked where he went.

“To pick Easton and Taite up, obviously.”

I rolled my eyes, “Just tell him that I'm out with Jacky and Ronnie and that I'll be home later.” I didn't even bother to ask where Ina was because I really didn't care.

Decklan waved me off and I slipped out of the house, rolling my eyes at Avery as he riffled through the fridge. I hopped back into the car and honked at Riley and Killian stepped off of the bus. I waved as we drove down the street, listening to Ronnie as he directed me where to go from the backseat.

When we pulled up to a run down apartment building I sighed. My thoughts had been flashing back to my old town on the whole ride over. I wanted to call Kelley and tell her about what had happened but I knew she wouldn't be of much help to me. I got out of the car and locked it up. I walked next to Ronnie and Jacky to the elevator that took us up to the third floor where the rest of the guys were already waiting for us with TJ.