Holy Pazuzu!

"Riley Rylan?"

"Present," I confirmed, my eyes never leaving the page I was reading.

Of course, the teacher didn't mind me not paying attention in class. I had, after all, the perfect average. I mean, it was only Math. Not even a challenge, really. I already studied the material before the unit even started so there was no point in being in class. A waste of my time, but I wouldn't want to tamper with my perfect attendance.

However, inn midst of the lesson on logarithms, the ruffian finally showed up for class.

Grayson Stone. He was 6 feet of pure muscle, the school's triple threat. He's known for his talent in football, basketball, and lacrosse. He probably wouldn't be in school if it weren't for sports.

"Mr. Stone, thank you for gracing us with your presence," Mr. Lowe said sarcastically.

I groaned inwardly. I hoped he wouldn't come in, as I had always wished for since senior year started. Mr. Lowe had to assign seats. Why couldn't he place the savage somewhere else, instead of putting him directly behind me? It's injustice, I tell you!

So for the next 90 minutes, Stone would pull my dark brown locks, throw paper balls (generally in my direction), and push in my chair constantly. Damn his long legs. It took all of my self-control to not fling myself on his desk and stab him with my pencil.

Fortunately enough, class ended before I could commit murder. I sped away toward my next class, English. I didn't want to be caught in school traffic. I absolutely hated being pushed around. Surprisingly though, I didn't have to push through a sea of teenaged bodies, so I arrived in class earlier than usual.

2 minutes before the bell for class to begin rang, a rush of students piled in, including Grayson Stone.

Fate was truly cruel. Especially to me. You know why? Because Grayson Stone was in every single class I had this year, always in the seat behind my own.

However, this time, he didn't even bother me. I turned around and saw that he took a nap. At least he won't bother me. That's how the rest of my day went. Uneventful and utterly boring. I took solace in that, it was predictable.

The bell for dismissal rang and everybody rushed out of the school. It was Friday, the craziest day of the week. I stayed in the bathroom near my last class, Physics, and waited out the stampede. I looked at myself in the mirror for the meantime. My dark brown hair grew considerably in the last year and a pair of black-rimmed glasses were perched atop my nose. My eyes were a dark shade of brown, almost black and were very small whenever I smiled. A white tank top peeked underneath my gray, zip-up hoodie and a pair of jeans that has been dulled with age. Last, but not least, I wore my favorite Converse shoes. I looked ordinary, nothing special.

After inspecting myself, I grabbed my messenger bag and peeked through the hallways. There was no one there, so I was able to drive out of the school calmly.

What an exciting start to a Friday.

As soon as I walked through the front door of my house, I immediately wished I hadn't.

"Rider Reed Rylan, Jr.! For Pazuzu's sake, why is he here?!" I shouted, pointing to savage eating all of my precious Fruity Pebbles.

Rider was my twin brother. We have the same face structure which people find incredibly freaky. I remember I cut my hair into a pixie in 9th grade. I would wear my brother's clothes when I wanted to be lazy for a change and people wouldn't able to tell us apart, not even our parents.

Nevertheless, I digress. At present, Rider's best friend was at my house, eating my Fruity Pebbles.

"Why do you always say 'Pazuzu', nerd?" asked Grayson.

Did I mention Rider's best friend is Grayson? I had to see the idiot all day. No fair.

I ignored his question and marched up to Rider, who was in the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming over?" I demanded, hands on my hips, trying to look dangerous. It was somewhat hard to do since looking at my brother was like looking in a mirror. He looked so laid back; I couldn't help but fit the description.

"Sorry, Rile," he apologized, "I forgot to tell you. There's a party tonight and we wanted to get some Xbox action before we left."

"I should have annihilated you in the womb. I would have been born an only child, and then I wouldn't have to deal with Grayson Stone eating my Fruity Pebbles!" I whined.

"Aw, but you wouldn't have your big brother protecting you from other boys!" Rider said, licking his fingers from the excess ketchup he used for his sandwich.

"You mean 'little brother', you imbecile," I said triumphantly.

"By one minute!"

"Ah, the lonely minute I was an only child. Good times, good times," I mused over. "Besides, what boys would you protect me from?" I stole a bite from the sandwich. Turkey, scrumptious.

"Boys who use your incredible smarts to do their homework for them." I looked at him skeptically. "It could happen!"

"You just want to beat up the boy that I bring home one day."

"Yeah, that too," Rider smiled sheepishly.

"Well, don't worry about it. Not gonna happen. For the meantime, beat up Stone for eating my Fruity Pebbles!" I commanded.

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted and lunged at Grayson, effectively getting my beloved cereal back and fighting Grayson like I asked. I love my brother.

"Proud of me, sis?" he asked after he left an exhausted Stone on the couch.

"Yes, very much so, bro," I walked back in the living room, munching on my favorite snack. "So who's throwing the party?"

"Will Cook. His parents are out of town this weekend."

Ah. This party wasn't really different than the others. Alcohol, drugs, and other unmentionables. Your teenage party at its truest form.

I hummed, unimpressed, "Hope you have fun." I lifted myself off the couch and was about to go upstairs to my room until a horrific shrill shattered my eardrums.

Grayson Stone was standing on my couch, one knee up in the air and arm lifted near his head as if he were protecting it, screaming like a girl. All because of a spider. The school's ultimate hottie was scared of spiders! Without him seeing, I took a picture of his scared form with my cell phone.

"Are you afraid of spiders, Stone?" I laughed hysterically, clutching the sides of my stomach from the pain. This is a workout!

"Shut up!" He reprimanded me. "Renee," He smiled smugly. Ugh. He knows I hate my middle name!

"I hope you die in your alcohol binge!" I snapped.

"At least I have fun, kill-joy!"

"At least I have a future, you barbarian!"

"You need to get that thing up your ass removed first!" Stone spat.

"You. Are. So. Infuriating!" I stabbed his chest with my finger. We were closing the gap between us with each insult. We could feel each other's anger surround us while we had an intense staring contest. Our noses were almost touching and I could see that he was determined not to lose. His eyes were a darker color than his usual bright hazel-brown. His face was contorted into a mean scowl but he still looked handsome either way. Being up close to him let me see his smooth face, his crooked nose, his long curly hair. I wonder how it would feel like if I touched it.

No, no, no, no! I did not just think about that.

Thankfully, my brother broke the awkward silence. "Ok," Rider drawled out, "we're going to play on the Xbox." He grabbed Grayson by the elbow and dragged him upstairs. "Later."

As soon as they were gone, I slapped my forehead in annoyance. "Holy Pazuzu!"

"This little piggy went to the market, this little piggy stayed home, I ate roast beef, and you have none." I was extremely bored. Instead of using this idle time to continue studying, I painted my toes instead. My black nail polish just stood there sadly on my desk, new and unused.

After the argument, I went into my room and watched TV. I changed out of my school clothes and put on my pajamas, which consisted of my brother's sweats and a tank top. I wasn't going out so might as well put the PJs on. I tried to study but the nail polish just called to me.

I had my stereo playing "Falling Down" by Atreyu at full volume in order to drown out the game my brother and Grayson were playing. Halo? Black Ops? Something that involved guns and violence. After I was done painting, I got a text message from my best friend, Blaze.

U goin 2 the party?

How in Pazuzu's name did she know about the party? Oh that's right, she has a social life.

No… why would I?

I didn't get any messages from her after that. Until 30 minutes later, I saw her standing at my doorframe. She was wearing her signature skinny jeans with 4 and a half inch red, stiletto heels and a small, black cropped shirt with the word "LOVE" written on the chest area. The small shirt showed off her pierced belly button, and a black leather jacket completed her outfit. She practically oozed of party.

"You're going, aren't you?" I asked the blue-haired girl.

"Yes, and you are, too," she stated determinedly.

"What makes you say that?" I deadpanned, resting on my elbows behind me, looking at the results of my toe-painting skills. Black. Plain and simple.

"I'll sic Rider on you if you don't," Blaze threatened.

I whipped my head up and narrowed my eyes at her, "You wouldn't dare."

She left the room and went directly across the hall to Rider's room. Not even 2 minutes passed and Rider had me in a Guillotine chokehold. Trust me, its really awkward but I've done it to him, so we're even.

"Who's you daddy?!" Rider shouted, whipping his head around crazily.

"You are!"

"Are you going to the party?"

"No!" Rider squeezed my head more tightly. I gasped for air. "Ok! Ok! Fine! Just let me breath!" I punched his leg furiously. Tap out! TAP OUT!

He let go and I fell to the floor like useless mush. Sweet Oxygen! I rolled on my back and glared at my so-called best friend, "You suck infinitely."

Blaze rolled her eyes and pulled me back into my bed. "Ok, girlie. Let's get you all dolled up for the party!

"And the torture begins," I muttered under my breath. She must have heard me because I was momentarily blind. I took the offending piece of cloth off my face and I blanched as soon as I realized what it was. "You have got to be kidding me. This isn't even clothing, this is a handkerchief!"

Blaze smiled wickedly at me. I hate that smile. Something unexpected always happened and I liked my predictable life. "You're going to be a completely different person tonight."

Blaze kept throwing different pieces of clothing on the floor until she found the one she wanted. For two hours, I was her dress-up doll. As soon as she was finished her proclamation was correct. I looked like a completely different person. I didn't recognize the person in the mirror. That can't be me, I thought.

The person in the mirror had long, loose curls framing her cute face. You were able so to see her bright eyes without any spectacles resting on her nose. Her lips were an amazing shade of pink and her cheeks were flushed as if she came back from an intense jog. She was wearing a deep red V-neck shirt showing off a generous amount of cleavage and a black miniskirt barely covering her surprisingly shapely butt. Her eyes traveled over the reflection's slim, long legs, finally stopping at her black shoes.

"Blaze, what have you done?"

"I made you look hot."

"No," I refused, "this cannot be me. I mean, I never looked so —"

"Slutty?" Blaze offered.

I gave her a pointed look, "I was going to say 'provocative', but 'slutty' works just as well."

"The point was to transform you. No one at the party will recognize you. Have some fun tonight, be wild," She winked then left.

I just stood there in my room reeling over the fact that the girl in the reflection was, in fact, me. The girl in the mirror had a scar on her knee in the same place mine had.

Rider and I were riding our bikes around the neighborhood. I didn't know how to check the streets properly at the time, so I crossed the street without thinking. A car came out of nowhere and hit me. My head hit the pavement pretty hard and I scratched my knee up horribly, too. I have never seen my brother cry so much in my life. He literally thought I was going to die that day. Of course, now, he denies ever crying about the incident but I knew he was worried that day.

"Riley! Get you glorious butt down here so the guys can see your bod!" Blaze screamed.

I heard a sound of disgust. "Please, do not describe my sister's body like that."

Yep, that was Rider for you.

"Coming down, mother!" I replied sarcastically.

I checked the mirror one more time. It felt strange having contacts on. "You are not nerdy Riley tonight. You are crazy Riley. The confident, sexy, and wild party girl that's been hidden for years. Get drunk and have fun!" Yeah, and then regret the entire thing in the morning. With a final nod of my head, I left my room and with a shaky breath, walked downstairs.

I heard the three of them chattering on about what kind of beer they'll have at the party. Maybe if I bring some kind of blanket, Rider won't notice the miniskirt, I planned mentally. As soon as I decided that I needed the blanket, I heard Blaze's voice cut through my plan.

"Doesn't she look nice?"

"She looks like prostitute!" Rider exclaimed.

"She does not! She looks absolutely sexy and gorgeous!" Blaze defended for me. "You know all the girls dress like that anyways."

"That doesn't mean she has to!"

"Let her have some fun, Rider! She's gotta act like a teenager before she graduates!" Her blue hair seemed to match her unruly mood.

The two continued their argument over my attire while I stood in the background. Those two need to date already. Of course, the two would never admit to themselves, lest to each other, about their feelings for one another. It would be only be a matter of time and when that time comes, I'll be the one who smacks their heads for not realizing sooner.

"You know Blaze was right about one thing," I heard a mouth whisper near my ear, giving me the most delightful shudders I have ever experienced.

I turned around to see Grayson looking down at me. His eyes were dark again, but not out of anger. I had a feeling I didn't want to know what caused such a change. Or maybe I do. Oops, I think wild Riley wants to come out and play.

"What would she be right about?" I asked quietly, his smothering eyes making me more nervous than ever.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," he said sincerely.

I was stunned. When had kindness become associated with Grayson? He was always mean, especially to me. He annoyed the Pazuzu out of me every chance he got! He saw me as his best friend's nerdy twin sister. Maybe it's because I look like the girls that throw themselves at him. The bimbos practically worshiped the ground he walked upon. Hah! Like he'll ever expect that from me!

"And so will every other girl with a miniskirt and massive breasts," I replied sickly sweet with an equally sweet smile. I walked towards the front door and interrupted the still fighting couple, "If you guys don't mind, there's a party with beer and sticky bodies waiting for us."

"You actually want to go?" Rider asked incredulously.

"Yes, I want to see your face when you see you big sister beat you at beer pong," I challenged.

"Oh! You're on, sis! You're gonna lose, lightweight."

"Says the boy who puked the first time he drank alcohol," I teased, poking his only ticklish spot.

"I was 14! Like I knew what was in that cup!" he defended while trying to avert my hands.

"You mean the bad smell didn't clue you in enough to make you realize it wasn't Coke?" I asked innocently.

"Shut up! Blaze, you're the DD, tonight!" Rider announced.

"No way! I wanted to let loose tonight!"

"That was before Riley here wanted to try her luck," he turned his attention back to me. "$50 bucks says that you won't make past the first 3 beers."

"Deal," we shook our secret handshake (No, I can't tell you! It's a secret for a reason!) and ran to the car.

As soon as we entered the front door of Will Cook's house, it was filled with drunken teenagers. Wow, and it's only 8pm.

Rider immediately went towards the beer pong table and started assembling the items we needed in order to play the game. I remember the rules of the game from numerous conversations I've heard in the hallways. It helps to be invisible. It consisted of 6, 10, or 12 cups arranged in a triangle formation and if the person landed the ball in the other side's cup, the opponent had to drink the contents of that cup. The empty cup would be reinserted in the triangle and if the person landed in the empty cup, that person had to drink one of their own cups. The first side to eliminate all of the opponent's cups wins. Going over the rules in my head, it sounded easy.

Consequently enough, I had forgotten that I had no coordination whatsoever.

So there I was, drunk out of my mind and loved the feeling it gave me. Sure, I had 1 cup left that my brother could make, if only he wasn't drunk as well. The first shot I made, I hit Rider square in his eye, causing temporary blindness for him. Conversely, the drunken Riley was a better shot than the sober one. Rider had 2 cups left and my confidence seemed to skyrocket. I shot a fastball and BAM! The ball splashed all over Rider and he grudgingly brought the 5th cup to his lips.

We were tied and it was my brother's shot now.

"It looks like you owe me, 50 bucks bro," I teased, but the alcohol made me slur it incoherently.

Thankfully, he was able to understand me. Maybe it's a twin thing. "Yeah, I know," he smiled widely, "but let me try to redeem myself by winning."

"I doubt you will," I challenged, a mischievous look twinkled in my eyes.

"What makes you say that?"

"You were able to make the first 3 shots sober, and it has taken you 20 minutes to make the last 2," I explained, "while I have made every single shot while intoxicated."

"Well, Rider, I am drunk off my ass and I double our bet that I can make this shot."

Rider seemed to look a little worried because, as impossible as the situation may seem, I was a much better shot while I was drunk and he knew it. But it certainly didn't stop him from pushing his luck.

"Alright, Riles. You make this shot, I promise to do your laundry for the rest of the year."

I let loose an evil cackle, "I get $100 and no laundry duty? Oh, Reedy, I love yoouuu!" I drawled out.

I lined up my shot , and instead of making another fastball like I anticipated, I made a pitiful bounce. It seems as though my incredible drunk strength is decreasing! It was like watching a slam dunk in slow motion. The first bounce went over the net, the second bounce was going over the empty cups. As the ball traveled to the peak of its parabola path, it started going down… down… down… down to the last alcohol-filled cup!

I was about to cheer my victory but was startled when I heard other cheers around me. It seemed Rider and I attracted a crowd during our competition. I was drowned with hugs from Blaze and surprisingly Grayson. I knew it was him because all of a sudden, we were hoisted in the air.

We were carried to the dance floor and I was there dancing for the rest of the night. Rider, Blaze and Grayson were gyrating their bodies into oblivion while I was dancing all by my lonely self. I didn't plan on dancing with anyone because I wouldn't dare dance with someone I didn't know. Would you dance with a strange man who grabbed you with groping hands and smelt of a disgusting mix of alcohol and sweat? No, I certainly would not.

Of course, that's my thinking with a sober state of mind.

Near the end of the night, someone gently put their hands across my stomach, pressing my back into them. I knew it was a guy because of the strong forearms and the strong chest covering my back. We danced slowly to a fast-paced song. For a guy, he didn't stink horrendously, but had a distinct male scent mixed with cinnamon. I loved cinnamon. I was entranced by the erratic beat of his heart and his smell to even think about who I was dancing with. But then I had the sudden urge to turn around.

All I could his was his silhouette, he was hidden by the shadows and not even the club-like lights could catch him. But he seemed so familiar; his build looked like something I have seen a thousand and one times. Without even thinking, I kissed him. I didn't care that he didn't respond but his smell. It filled my entire being, it surrounded me, enveloped me, made feel safe and left me in bliss.

It must have been pretty horrendous in my part though. What with my lack of experience in the kissing department. After a few seconds of no response I gave up hope and separated from him in embarrassment. After feeling rejected, I went towards the cooler and drank pitifully. For Pazuzu's sake, Riley! It was a stranger! the smart Riley said.

The drinks made me feel rejuvenated. I danced with other guys, let them hump my body like a dog in heat. At least I was wanted by them. I completely lost myself. I danced for at least an hour before Rider said it was time to leave. I saw the concerned look of my brother, the mischievous smile on Blaze, and a very angry Grayson. What's stuck up his butt? I laughed out loud from that thought, immediately remembering Grayson's last insult to me. Guess that thing he was talking about transferred to him.

"Blaaaaze… what's wrong with Stone?" I questioned sluggishly, leaning into her shoulder. Ooh, comfy.

"Don't worry about it, honey," she replied in an amused tone, but I paid no attention since she ran her hands through my hair. She knew that made me sleepy.

"Blaaaze, stop that! You know what that does to me," I whined. It was funny to see the boys who passed by hear the comment, the looks on their faces were priceless.

As we were walking towards the car, I tripped on my heels and fell towards the concrete. Then an arm snaked its way around my waist and saved me from scraping my face. It felt like the same arm that was held me while we were dancing. I looked up to see that it was Grayson but he was closer than I anticipated. Our lips were closer than ever and Grayson must have realized because he straightened up quickly. Then something else happened that was uncalled for but expected at some point. I ran towards the closest bush… and puked. Oh, but this was the kicker: I passed out. Fun Riley was all tuckered out.

The next morning I felt like a train ran over my head over and over again. My eyes felt so heavy, like I was lifting weights with them. I made the mistake of walking right after waking up. I felt terribly dizzy, on a never-ending merry-go-round. The light coming through my window was too bright and I felt like throwing up. I ran towards the bathroom and puked my stomach contents bitterly into the porcelain seat. The feeling in my mouth was horrible and felt the need to clean it. But it was an even worse idea. Puke plus toothpaste and mouthwash does not equal a happy Riley.

I walked downstairs carefully, holding on to the railing with all my might. While I was making breakfast, the noises I made me feel worse. The blender to make my fruit smoothie was the worst. I grabbed some milk and my precious Fruity Pebbles for my cereal. I saw on the counter some aspirin and a glass of water. Rider must have put that there for me, since I always woke up before him. Everyday, I have woken up at 8 in the morning, including today. I swallowed down the aspirin and continued eating my breakfast.

As soon as I was done, I walked towards the sink to clean up the dishes from last night. It gave a me a headache but it needed to be clean.

"What the hell?!"

I screamed and dropped the dishes with a horrific clank. I turned around to yell at whoever yelled at me, but came to an abrupt halt when I saw it was Grayson. He was wearing basketball shorts… only basketball shorts. His 6 pack abs were just out in the open, it was hard to not look away.

Of course, I came to back to my senses and resumed to yell at him, "What in Pazuzu's name are you doing here?!"

But he didn't answer. He looked like he was in awe. What's wrong with him?

I looked behind me to see what he was staring at. I looked around me and saw nothing of interest. Maybe I have something on my clothes. I looked down and understood his expression. I was wearing a white, wet camisole with black undies.

"Ahh!" I covered myself, or at least tried to cover myself, "I'm practically naked and all you can do is stare?!"

"It's not like I knew you were!" he defended himself, coming out of his trance.

I squatted until my head was above the kitchen counter, hiding myself from his line of sight.

"Now answer my question: What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I was drunk, too, Riley. You know I sleep over when me and your brother come back from a party."

I blinked. It made sense, how Rider always stayed in his room after a party. If Rider was here, then surely Grayson would be here, too.

"Then why did you yell at me?"

"You were making too much noise," he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Whoops. "Sorry about that. Let me just clean the rest of the dishes." I straightened up and finished cleaning the dishes. I did it as quickly as possible because I had the feeling he was still in the room with me. Why can't he go back to sleep and leave me alone? I turned off the water and dried my hands off before I turned around, but I was startled when I was extremely close to Grayson again.

If the hangover made me lightheaded, it was nothing compared to standing next to Grayson. His hands rested on the sink behind me, effectively trapping me in his body cage. He smelled so familiar but I couldn't exactly pinpoint it. Curse the alcohol that makes my memory spotty!

"Grayson, what are you doing?"

"I want to give you something that you gave to me," he explained softly.

"What? Like a gift return? When have I given you a present?"

He laughed. "No, it's not something you can gift wrap," he looked down at me again, "Actually, you might."

He lowered his head until he was eye level with me. He moved some pieces of hair away from my face, placing them behind my ear, making me shiver pleasantly.

"Cold?"

"Yes," I lied.

He lowered his head further and placed himself cozily in my neck. If him standing next to me made my heart beat erratically, him actually touching me made my heart jump out of my skin.

"Warmer?"

I nodded. I didn't trust my ability to speak at the moment. He skimmed his nose against my neck, his lips ghosted against the sensitive skin.

I sighed as quietly as I could. "Wh-why are y-you do-doing this?" I asked shakily.

He mouthed his answer against my skin, the heat coming from his mouth almost made me melt. If I weren't holding onto the sink so tightly, I would've fell. "To get you warm."

I tried with all my might to keep still and not let him know that I enjoyed every minute of this.

"Th-this is-isn't the pr-present you were t-t-talking ab-about?" I stuttered again.

He let out a breathy laugh. "No," I felt him smile. He lifted himself from my neck and stared at me again. "You look very adorable with your glasses, you know."

My mouth twitched upwards. My heart was going haywire, I was afraid I would pass out any second. I felt Grayson's arms wrapping themselves around my waist and he pulled me closer to him. The smell of cinnamon filled my nostrils and it felt like I was at home in his arms, like I was meant to be there. The feel of him felt so good and right, that's when I remembered of last night's events.

"I kissed you last night," I said quietly.

"Yes, you did," he confirmed, coming closer to my lips every passing second.

"You didn't kiss back."

He stopped his dead in his tracks right there, never leaving his position, just a mere inch away. "I didn't want to kiss you while you were drunk, Riley. I want to kiss you when you are fully aware of the situation, when you know who you are kissing."

"When you were dancing with those guys, I wanted to kill them. I've never felt so jealous in my life. I wanted to have you to myself. It took all my restraint to not haul you away from them," he said softly.

He continued his path towards my lips but as soon as he reached the destination, he ghosted his lips around my face. It was unbearable and sweet torture.

"Grayson," I said huskily, getting impatient, "please give me my present already."

Then I felt his lips on mine. He was sweet and gentle, completely the opposite of his exterior form. I saw fireworks flashing in front of my eyes. The years of undeniable attraction, what we both tried to ignore but never went away, just exploded right then and there. I felt him grab me even tighter and he hoisted me onto the kitchen counter. I snaked my arms around his neck and pulled his head closer to me. I didn't want to let go but both of us needed to take a breather.

"Did you know—"

Kiss

"Three passionate—"

Kiss

"Kisses a day—"

Kiss, Sigh

"Of 20 seconds—"

Kiss

"Long can help—"

Kiss

"You lose—"

Kiss

"A pound?"

He lifted his head to stare at me amusingly. "You are such a nerd," Grayson announced, "But you're my nerd."

"So does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"For as long as you want."

"What if I want forever?"

"Then I'm yours forever," Grayson leaned his forehead against mine.

"For a jock, you're pretty smart," I teased, "but you're my jock."

"Even though I sleep in class, I do all my work! I gotta keep my sports for college. Class is a lot more fun with you in it though."

"Well now you have another reason to come to school. Sports and kisses from your girlfriend."

"Forever, right?"

"As long as you don't do any jock moves that result in the injury or pre-mature death of you."

He laughed joyously, "I love you, Riley."

I stared at him for a while. Here was the guy that has always bothered me since I could remember. He was my brother's best friend. The most popular guy in school. The guy who's known as the major ladies man. The guy who goes through girls like he goes through floss.

"Why?"

"You make me want to be the guy that you deserve. Someone smart, someone who can protect you, someone who'll always be there for you. You make me want to better myself. You've always made me feel like that. So I can show you that I deserve a chance with you."

I giggled lightly. "Smart jocks. Who would've known they existed in this world?"

"I love you, too, Grayson," I murmured against his lips.

"Oh my god! Why are you guys kissing?!" Rider shouted, pointing a menacing finger to us.

Grayson straightened up while I laughed hysterically.

This is going to be interesting.