Chapter 6
1221 Words
The golden rays of the morning sun slipped through the thin curtains of Rihanna's bedroom, casting warm streaks of light across her face.
She stirred beneath the blanket and buried her face deeper into her pillow, unwilling to leave the comfort of sleep. A few moments later, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to adjust to the brightness invading her room.
A lazy yawn escaped her lips as she stretched her arms above her head.
Just then—
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Her alarm clock rang loudly.
"Ugh..." she groaned, reaching over to silence it.
For a few seconds, she sat motionless on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the floor. Her thoughts drifted back to the previous day.
The rooftop.
Ryan.
The awkward encounter.
The embarrassing fall.
And worst of all, him finding out that she had been standing on the edge of the rooftop.
She shook her head immediately.
"Nope. Not thinking about that."
Getting out of bed, she headed straight for the bathroom and rushed through her morning routine.
After taking a shower and getting dressed in her school uniform, she grabbed her backpack and quietly left her room.
The house was still silent.
Her father was probably asleep.
Her stepmother was definitely asleep.
And she preferred it that way.
Without disturbing anyone, she slipped out of the house and closed the door gently behind her.
Instead of taking the bus as usual, she decided to walk to school.
She needed some time alone.
Time to clear her mind.
Time where nobody could bother her.
The morning air was cool and refreshing against her skin.
She plugged in her earphones and turned on her favorite playlist.
Instantly, music filled her ears.
A small smile tugged at her lips as she walked down the quiet streets.
She hummed softly along with the song playing and occasionally kicked small pebbles that lay on the roadside.
For the first time in days, she felt somewhat peaceful.
Unfortunately, the peace didn't last.
After turning into another street, a strange feeling settled in her chest.
It felt like someone was watching her.
Following her.
Her steps slowed.
She frowned and glanced over her shoulder.
At first, her heart skipped a beat.
For a terrifying second, she thought her worst fears had somehow come true.
Maybe her stepmother had finally decided she was too much of a burden.
Maybe someone had been sent after her.
But then she saw who it was.
Ryan.
Relief washed over her instantly.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"What is he doing?" she muttered under her breath.
Ryan continued walking behind her with his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
He didn't seem bothered that she'd noticed him.
In fact, he looked completely relaxed.
Soon enough, he caught up to her.
Neither of them said a word.
He simply matched her pace and continued walking beside her.
The silence between them wasn't exactly comfortable.
But it wasn't unbearable either.
Rihanna stole a glance at him.
His expression was unreadable.
What did he want?
Was he planning to question her again about yesterday?
Because if he was, he was wasting his time.
There was absolutely no way she was going to tell him why she had been standing on that rooftop.
She didn't want sympathy.
She didn't want pity.
And she certainly didn't want anyone treating her differently because of it.
Especially Ryan.
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
The moment they arrived at school, they went their separate ways.
Rihanna headed toward her locker while Ryan disappeared down another hallway.
The second she reached her locker, she let out a frustrated sigh.
"Seriously?"
She slammed her locker door shut.
"He completely ruined my peaceful morning."
First, yesterday.
Now today.
Why did he keep showing up everywhere?
"He's so annoying."
Muttering complaints under her breath, she grabbed the books she needed for first period and made her way to class.
The morning lessons passed by surprisingly fast.
Before she knew it, the break bell rang.
The entire classroom erupted into movement.
Students hurried out of their seats and flooded into the hallways.
Groups of friends laughed and chatted as they headed toward the cafeteria.
Others rushed outside to enjoy the break.
Rihanna waited until the crowd thinned slightly before leaving.
After dropping off her books at her locker, she made her way toward her favorite place.
The rooftop.
The one place where nobody usually bothered her.
The one place where she could simply exist without worrying about anyone else.
She settled into her usual corner and pulled out the novel she had been reading.
Music played softly through her earphones as she flipped through the pages.
For a while, everything felt peaceful again.
Until a shadow fell over her.
Rihanna frowned and looked up.
An arm was stretched out toward her.
Holding a lunch bag.
Her eyes followed the arm upward.
Ryan.
Of course it was Ryan.
His hazel eyes remained fixed on her as he offered the bag.
She stared at it suspiciously.
Then she stared at him.
"What?"
He simply nudged the bag closer.
Rihanna immediately shook her head.
"No."
Ryan didn't move.
Neither did the bag.
"I said no."
At that exact moment, her stomach betrayed her.
Grrrrrr.
The growl echoed far louder than she would have liked.
Her entire face heated instantly.
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
A smug smirk appeared on his lips.
Rihanna wished the rooftop would open up and swallow her whole.
Without saying another word, she snatched the bag from his hand.
His smirk widened.
She ignored him.
Opening the bag, she found a hamburger, fries, and a can of soda inside.
Her stomach growled again.
Traitor.
Several awkward minutes passed.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"Why are you suddenly being nice to me?"
Ryan glanced at her.
"What do you mean?"
She scoffed.
"You know exactly what I mean."
He remained quiet.
Rihanna sighed.
"Just because you saw me like that yesterday doesn't mean you have to start acting nice."
Still silent.
"I don't need your kindness."
Ryan continued looking at her calmly.
His silence somehow annoyed her even more.
Unable to handle it any longer, she stood up.
"Whatever."
Clutching the lunch bag, she walked away.
Ryan watched her retreating figure.
A small smile found its way onto his lips.
She really was something else.
Meanwhile, Rihanna marched toward the library.
By the time she got there, her anger had faded considerably.
Mostly because the hamburger smelled amazing.
After making sure no librarians were nearby, she slipped into one of the farthest corners.
The library had several camera blind spots.
Over the months, she had memorized every single one of them.
Bringing food into the library was strictly prohibited.
But she didn't exactly have many places she could comfortably spend her break.
The cafeteria was crowded.
The classroom was worse.
And the rooftop was currently occupied by a certain annoying boy.
So the library would have to do.
Carefully pulling out the hamburger, she opened her novel with one hand and began eating with the other.
A satisfied smile slowly spread across her face.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
Ryan wasn't entirely unbearable.
The thought made her immediately roll her eyes.
"Still annoying though," she muttered before taking another bite.
- Writer
