Sticking to Tradition

Chapter Eleven: Theo

Note: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot was written by me and not copied from any other writer.

I'm not big on relationships. The few girlfriends I've had in my lifetime were either a girl I met in middle school or a girl I met during the summer when I stayed with my grandparents in Hugeston. My first girlfriend was a girl named Evelyn Collins. She was a pretty little blonde with eyes as green as the grass we played in. She said she liked me because I smelled like lemons in the summer. She was the grand-daughter of my grandparent's neighbor, Weston Collins. He was a retired businessman who spent his days farming for relaxation purposes. During our breaks, we would meet by the oak tree between our houses and play silly childish games like hiding and seek. Eventually, our schedules were too hectic for trips to our grandparents. When we did meet up years later, we were too different to even acknowledge the other. I was introverted and unbothered, and she, loud and obnoxious. Puberty has a way of changing people.

My last relationship was nothing like my first. I met her in middle school. She was a freckled-faced, redhead with speckled green eyes. I liked her because she was easy to talk to, pretty on the eyes, and relatively unbothered by seemingly trivial things like messages and calls. If I did any of the aforementioned, she didn't really care, and if I didn't, she still didn't. Vera, that's her name, was a free spirit; at least, that is what she tried to convince me. It took three months and a bothered Hayden for me to finally understand that she wasn't unaffected by nature. She just didn't care about me and wanted to hide that she was cheating on me with her ex. Heartbreak has a way of changing you.

There were a few others in-between, but those two are etched into my memory as if they carved themselves into me. They made me realize something I kept locked away for years. Something I never realized until this moment, staring at Rylee Scott in my varsity jacket. They weren't able to stir in me a desire as much as she does. Nor were they able to make me feel like a better version of myself. And still, not one of them was able to make my heart drum wildly and erratically as it does when I'm around her or thinking of her. She was so different from them in every way.

Rylee laughs at something her friend says. Mikah, was it? She was the girl Jacob Walters tried to hook up with and failed miserably. Mikah doesn't seem like the type to be interested in jocks. Girls like her and Rylee always seem to want more. I doubt I would have gotten any type of attention from Rylee if our circumstances were different. I know I'm not her type, the memory haunts me daily.

"Keep staring at Scott like that and I'll report you for stalking." Hayden jokes as he takes a seat next to me on the stairs. He hands me a bottle of water which I happily accept. Tyler's place is stacked with alcohol, but I know better than to drink during the season.

"She's mines. I can stare at her as I please."

Hayden laughs, "Yours? Got something to admit, O?"

"I don't know. I should hate for everything that happened, but how can I when she looks sexy as fuck in my jacket." Rylee looks up from her friends and sends me a smile. I hold back the urge to pull her away from the group. It is not the right time to snatch her away, so I return the smile. She looks like a goddess. Something about seeing my surname on her back fills me with pride and unhinged satisfaction.

"You sure this isn't just something physical between you and Rylee? Like built-up sexual frustration from hating each other for so long?" Hayden rationalizes. I don't hesitate to disagree, but I don't feel confident to explain to him how I feel without sounding whipped.

"How are you so sure, O? The two of you walk on eggshells when around the other. I don't know. I think you're just caught up in the tension."

"It is more than tension, Hayden. You're the only person that knows how much I liked her in middle school." I spill. Hayden sighs. It was the first time I said those words in years. In fact, Hayden was the first and only person I told.

Middle school was a dark time. Rylee, Hayden and I were like the three musketeers. Wherever you saw one of us, you saw the other. But, things changed in the eighth grade when Vee transferred to our school. She was a beautiful Hispanic girl with wavy brown hair and light brown eyes. She would always drag the 'O' in my name which prompted Rylee to start calling me 'O'. Valarie, or Vee as we called her, was bubbly and outgoing. She and Hayden were the polar opposites to Rylee and me, who were a bit more introverted.

The issues came along when Preston Gibbs, an insanely cocky bastard, told everyone in the boys changing room he was going out with Rylee. Preston was dark-skinned with an oval face, a Nubian nose, and down-turned eyes. He was insanely athletic and it was no shock girls liked him. But, he was a total dickhead because he took pleasure in making everyone else feel incompetent next to him. He took little time after his announcement to brag about how Rylee said she didn't like white boys. I don't know why the comment bothered me as much as it did. Maybe it was because Rylee had something in common with Preston that I did not and would never. I remember hating the color of my skin for weeks. I even mentioned to Hayden wanting to stay in the sun longer to become darker, so Rylee would like me too. It took three awful sunburns to realize it would never happen.

Eventually, I admitted defeat and accepted I would never be Rylee's type, but that didn't mean I wasn't good enough to be her type one day. I was okay with being her friend until that day came. Then, I had a slight crush on Vee. I told Rylee about it, and she promised to keep it a secret until I muster the courage to tell her. A week later, I overheard Rylee telling Vee, "He's white. He isn't good enough." Those words broke me. I lost all control that day. During recess, while playing basketball, Preston insulted me about my ball pass, and it took less than a few seconds before my fist collided with his face. We fought until some teacher pulled us apart. I remember seeing Rylee there with that worried look on her face. Was it me she was worried about? No, it was Preston, and I exploded.

"Rylee Scott, I don't want to see you, again." I seethed before the teacher pushed me towards the school building. Unfortunately, avoiding Rylee was not a possibility. We were in the same classes, and eventually, we went to the same high school. Hayden sided with me. Vee and Rylee stopped being friends, and life continued.

But, my heart never stopped wanting her. No matter how many times I tried to erase her from my head, she pops up. When she tried out for the cheer team, I hated it. When she smiled, it annoyed me. When she laughed, it triggered me. When a guy spoke to her, I wanted to wipe the floor with his face. It is not tension with Rylee. It's history.

Hayden pats me on the back, and it shakes me out of my memories, "You okay?"

I nod, "Yeah, just thinking back to that day."

"Has she said anything about it since the two of you got together?"

"I don't give her a chance to talk about it. It's off-limits."

"Why?"

I exhale, "Because talking about it reminds me that I'll never be what she wants. It makes me hate myself and her. I just want to experience this and get it out of my system. Date her and move on with my life."

Hayden shoves his hands in his pockets and puffs, "What if you can't flush her out of your system, O?"'

I take a mouth full of water and swallow, "That's not an option."