Beside Him

Chapter 22// Confused To No Ends

"Watch me," she yelled, running backwards and away from me.

I shook my head and began to jog after her lightly.

If she dared I would chop off her god damn gorgeous ass t**s.

"Rivi?" I got distracted by a girl I'd never seen before trying to talk to me and I frowned, turning to her and stopping my run after Pen.

"Hey..." I said awkwardly.

Take the hint. Please take the hint.

"I was just saying the party was great." I frowned.

"Err... Tell that to Jackson. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Now excuse me a moment."

Before she could reply, I was shooting away, trying to figure out where Penny had gone.

Please, God don't let her get to Carter. I'll owe you big time.

I saw the flash of bright blonde hair and turned towards it, before suddenly bumping into f*****g concrete and falling flat on my ass.

"Sh*t..." I breathed out, rubbing my ass as I looked up to glare at the person I'd just collided into.

"Watch where you're going, sweet cheeks."

"Watch where you're standing, asshat." I replied, eyes narrowed into daggers at the obvious new kid.

He gave me a crooked grin to which I rolled my eyes. He stuck out a hand for me to take and I did, dusting my self off once I was stood.

"I'm Diego. Nice to meet you." He said with that bloody grin, his hand outstretched but this time in a hand shake.

I looked from him to his outstretched hand and then back to him. I awkwardly patted down my skirt once more before taking his hand and shaking it. His grin widened.

"Rivi." I replied and then flinched. "I...err- gotta go." I said awkwardly, retracting my hand from his claw-like grip.

"I'll see you around, Kitten." He yelled after me as I ran once more but I ignored him.

Kitten? How bloody romantic.

"Alright, Usain Bolt, slow it down." Archie. I turned towards where his voice came, noticing him holding Penny at arms length and giving her a weird look. "Where you shooting off to?"

"Carter!" Archie's features hardened immediately.

"Why?" Penny narrowed her eyes and shook off his hands.

"Because I'm gonna tell him to ask Rivi to Homecoming." Archer gritted his teeth and I stood there, not knowing what to do.

"No you're not." He replied tautly and she flicked her mass of hair across her shoulder, c*****g her hip.

Oh the nerve.

"Yeah, I am." She paused and looked around dramatically. "Unless Of course there's a different someone who wants to ask her out."

Archie paused as if actually considering his options and I held my breath.

Say it, King. Say it and I swear I'm all yours.

"Nope." My heart dropped at that one word but I quickly shook it off and ran to the step-siblings.

"Archie," I greeted with a half assed smile and then yanked Penny to me, slapping her on the head once I did.

"Bitch." She muttered, rubbing her head and walking off while glaring at me.

I smiled and turned back to Archer, fiddling with the bracelet he gave me instead of the usual act of cupping my wrist.

"You wanna go to-" He was cut off before he could finish.

"Kitten?" Asshat from earlier interrupted with a grin and I gave him a bored look. "Seems as though fate keeps connecting us."

I rolled my eyes as Archer muttered the word 'kitten?' in confusion.

"We go to the same school, ass hat. It's not fate, it's probability. Maths." I was pissed. He'd interrupted whatever Archie was gonna say and it did not make me a happy bunny. Or a happy kitten.

He threw his head back and laughed, to which I frowned in confusion.

"You're a right feisty one, aren't you?" He said, running a hand through his hair in a way that probably had other girls drooling and panting.

I was most definitely not other girls.

"Go f*ck yourself." I snapped and he raised his eyebrows.

"Wow, Kitten let's remember our manners now shall we?"

He was taunting me. Oh, not today asshat.

"Listen here you little blonde jack s**t, I have just about had it with you and your cocky ass-"

"River," Archer interrupted.

What's with all these interruptions today?

His voice held humour, his eyes tinkling with happiness. "I think that's enough, princess."

Asshat looked between Archer and I as if only now becoming aware of his presence.

He then gave me that cocky 'I'm-a-million-dollars-whereas-you're-a-dirty- pence' grin and I narrowed my eyes, thinking about whether I'd still get into juvie if I murdered his sorry ass.

He had the nerve to raise his hand and push a piece of hair out of my eyes and I slapped at his hand until he dropped it. Then he gently pushed me out of the way. "You're blocking my locker, Kitten."

I bit my tongue to maintain a retort. The sick ass was feeding off it.

Archie grabbed my wrist and began pulling me away, but not before pausing and towering over him with intimidation. "Breath the same oxygen as her again, d**k s**t, and I will personally ensure you pay your ancestors a visit in hell."

• • • •

"Once I was seven years old, dan an an an an dan dan." I hummed, dancing around the empty classroom with my headphones plugged in and Mr B giving me a bored, blank look.

"It was a big, big world but we thought we were bigger-"

"Rivi, I swear to all that is holy if you don't shut the f*ck up and sit your ass down you're gonna pay." He snapped and I rolled my eyes, changing the song to Finesse.

"Out here trippin in finesse," I hummed, quieter this time.

Tobias gritted his teeth and then stood abruptly, coming in front of his desk to lean on it.

"So, Tell me what's going on with you and Archer then." He said and I unplugged my headphones to let them swing around my neck before hauling myself up onto a desk opposite him and crossing my legs.

"Nothings going on between us." I replied, swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth and pulling my skirt down through my legs.

Girl problems.

"Liar." Mr B retorted with a snort. "So have you made up your mind about Mindy's wedding?"

"I have made up my mind about Amanda's wedding." I replied. He'd called her Mindy since they'd met and it'd pissed her off to no ends.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. So you going?"

I sighed heavily and then nodded. "Yeah, I have to. Lolly will castrate me if I don't. And to be honest, I'm over it."

He looked away. "Yeah," he cleared his throat. Then he gave me a pursed lip, real smile. "Me too."

My eyebrows raised. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess we both over reacted a little, no?"

"Tobi, She was your fiancé. You didn't over react by any means. You loved her, and she betrayed you, I would react the same way, if not worse than you did." I said, knowing my voice was dripping in sympathy.

He'd loved her with everything, and he'd been utterly devastated when he'd found out about her and Vincent, despite his desperate struggle to hide his pain.

Tobias Bryan was what one would call, a hermit. He hid his emotions behind that god damn shell and was as blunt as Gordon Ramsay (no where near as good a cook, he was as s**t as me in that department) and had done a bloody good job at piling himself in work to keep the pain of the betrayal where it belonged- in a pile of his own s**t.

And then there was that contributing stab in the back that he'd received along with a burgundy card with the words 'We invite you to the wedding of Amanda Irine Harrison and Vincent Jay Moretz' printed on in black, which had done nothing to crack his ice mask but everything to shatter his heart.

Poor Tobi.

I'd told my dad all about this and he'd kindly gotten him a job at Costell High, which was pretty damn difficult as the principle, Mrs Fry that is, was utterly adamant on her answer of no.

Let's just say my dad was quite the ladies man back in the day.

"Yeah," Tobi sighed, breaking me out of my thoughts. "You're right, I suppose. But guess what?" I raised my eyebrow. That one question was too... girly for someone like Tobias Bryan.

"What?"

"I got myself a girlfriend."

My grin widened and clapped loudly. "That's almost as amazing information as finding out Mr Bryan needs me for a 'book report'." I retorted, stifling a laugh.

"Har-Har You're f*****g funny." He muttered, amusement filling his blue eyes. I smiled and he returned it. "Right," he clapped. "Get out of my classroom."

I hopped off the desk and grabbed my bag, giving Tobi a kiss in the cheek before walking towards the door.

"Hey, Riv?" He called out when I opened the door and was about to close it behind me. I turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

I smiled slightly and closed the door behind me before muttering, to no one "any time."