After All

Chapter Two

            "Lady, you are a rockstar!" Cassie high-fived me as we filed out of the auditorium at the end of the assembly. "Seriously, hopping up and just owning your fall like that instantly made you the most popular girl in our class. You are going to have boys lined up around the block!"

I rolled my eyes. "Not everything has to go back to boys, Cassie."

We followed the masses outside and down a winding path towards the Commons for dinner. Folding tables covered in white polyester tablecloths lined the walls. They were filled with metal chaffing dishes and the kitchen staff stood at the ready to begin serving. We grabbed plates and got in line behind the other hungry students.

The girls we'd met who lived above us, Lisa and Alexis, saved seats for us in the back of the room. We all fell into easy conversation and I smiled at how quickly I was making new friends here. It also provided a good distraction from all the stares and whispers being thrown in my direction. Cassie was right. Whether good or bad, I had gained instant popularity.

Pushing back from the table, I grabbed Lisa's and my empty plates and walked over to the garbage cart. Just as I turned back towards my table, I heard a deep whistle behind me. I spun around to find a guy who might as well have had the words 'dreamy' and 'heartthrob' floating above his head, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms over his defined chest and he stared directly at me.

"That was impressive," his deep voice spoke, wrapping around my ears and blocking out all the other sounds in the room.

"Sorry, I don't respond to boys who think whistling is an appropriate way to get a girl's attention," I didn't move any closer to him, but I didn't walk away either.

"Well apparently you do," he pushed off the wall and walked towards me. I started to roll my eyes but he quickly continued. "I'm not really in the habit of doing things like that, but I can't remember your name from earlier and I had to get your attention."

"Oh yeah, why's that?" I asked, wary of his motives but increasingly distracted by the way his deep blue t-shirt strained against his muscles. He had thick, wavy, light brown hair that had my fingertips itching to run through it.

"I had to meet the girl who had enough guts to turn an embarrassing fall into a chance to shine. That was something else. I couldn't take my eyes off of you," he cocked his head to the side and the corner of his lips curled up.

"Thanks, but apparently I wasn't impressive enough for you to remember my name," I took a step back, trying to keep my composure and ignore the fact that I caught a whiff of his cologne, and it was enough to make anyone weak in the knees.

"Well aren't you a little spitfire," he paused. "So, do you think you can take pity on me and tell me your name again, or should I just call you spitfire from now on?"

I made him wait a beat before sticking out my hand, "Lily." I didn't want to be rude, but that didn't mean I couldn't make him work for it.

"Ryan Parker." He wrapped my small hand in his much larger one and I swore I felt an actual shock of electricity. He held my hand longer than was necessary and seemed reluctant when he eventually let it go. "So do you have a last name too, or are you like Madonna?"

"You're going to have to earn that one," I teased, leaning my back against the cinderblock column and crossing my arms over my chest.

He laughed. "I think I was right from the beginning, you are a little spitfire, aren't you." He took a step closer, and I worried he'd hear my heart beating out of my chest.