3Elizabeth stepped outside and filled her lungs with the cool, damp air, happy to be free from the stuffy classroom. Why the school deemed it necessary to compensate for the dreary weather by roasting the students inside, she would never understand. Kayla followed her, sighing loudly.
"Dr. Ziegler is so mean. How can he assign a five page report due on Monday? They hold us hostage every weekday, don't they know we want to have fun on the weekends? I hate psychology!"
Elizabeth smiled. "They why are you majoring in it?"
Kayla fumbled with her books as she tried to stack them neatly in her arms. "Because my dad said I had to declare a major or he wouldn't send me anymore money and the psych classes were all still open."
Both girls began laughing as they rounded the corner and walked towards the cafeteria, which the students had nicknamed the mess hall. Only the freshmen and students pressed for time between classes ever ate there. Everyone else had enough common sense to seek their nourishment off campus. Elizabeth didn't care for many of the options offered there, but going elsewhere wasn't worth the long walk to her car. The student parking lot was conviently located behind the dorms, all the way across the campus.
Pushing open one of the heavy doors, she pressed her back against it to allow Kayla through. Perusing the trays of food, she decided on a sandwich. Her eyes shifted over to Kayla, who eyed the food critically and finally settled on a single orange. Sighing, Elizabeth pulled her hand back and chose a banana instead. There was so much pressure to stay thin on this cheerleading squad. She wasn't used to this, but knew you had to play by the rules if you wanted to keep your spot.
They chose a table near the back and slid into the uncomfortable chairs. Elizabeth was sure they had been chosen on purpose; students weren't likely to linger.
"Say Kayla," she started, watching her friend twist the cap off of her bottle of water, "I was wondering if you know of a guy named Ryan Westbrook."
Big blue eyes widened as her friend choked on the water she had been swallowing. "Ryan Westbrook?" Elizabeth nodded as Kayla burst out laughing. "And they call me the dumb blonde."
Kayla took another sip of water and carefully replaced the cap before she spoke again. "Lizzy-"
"Elizabeth."
"Sorry, Elizabeth. Ryan Westbrook! Everybody knows who he is. He was the starting pitcher on the school's baseball team for three years until he got injured last year, and he's still really popular. He's that guy every school has, the one every guy wants to be and every girl wants to be with. The golden boy, you could say. How can you not know who Ryan Westbrook is?"
Elizabeth shrank down in her seat, feeling stupid. Was she the only one in school who had no idea about him? No wonder all those people were waving and hollering to him yesterday. Oh how silly he must think I am, she mentally grumbled to herself. On the other hand, this improved her idea of him as a potential boyfriend. Baseball is a classic American sport, and he's still in school after an injury, so he must be ambitious. He really is my parents' dream. Definitely someone they would be happy to see me with. And, she further reasoned, if such a popular guy is interested in me, maybe I'm making a better impression here than I thought.
Smiling, she sat up straight. "Wow, I had no idea. He walked me home yesterday and asked me for my phone number. I think he's going to ask me out. Lucky me huh?"
Kayla leaned forward and nodded. "Yeah, but Lizzy...Elizabeth, you don't know the whole story. Ryan has a bit of a um, a reputation."
"What kind of reputation?"
"He's kind of a womanizer. Most of the girls here do want to be with him, and if what I hear is true, he takes advantage of that. A lot of them go out with him anyway, and honestly I probably would too. I mean, he's so hot! But you, well, I know you're Miss Morals and I don't think he's the kind of guy you would want to date. I really don't think he's the kind of guy who's going to be happy with just a goodnight kiss. Maybe a goodbye kiss in the morning...if you get catch my drift."
Elizabeth caught it alright, and she didn't like it at all. That certainly changed everything she had been thinking. "Well, let me assure you, I have no intention of becoming his next conquest."
Kayla shrugged. "Okay, I just thought you should know. I would hate to see you..."
She trailed off and glanced up over her friend's shoulder.
Elizabeth didn't need to turn around to realize who was behind her, but she did anyway. The sight in front of her was not what she was expecting. Those piercing blue eyes stared down at her, and that quirky half smile adorned his lips, but the rest of him was unrecognizable. His hair was even more disheveled today, if that was possible. Rather than the preppy look he had been sporting the day before, he now wore jeans that had certainly seen better days and a rock band t-shirt. As he ran a hand through his hair, his sleeve shifted and revealed part of a tattoo on his left arm that looked like it went all the way up to his shoulder. Big black boots completely the picture. Yesterday he had looked like her parents' dream come true. Today, he was nothing short of their worst nightmare, and that just wouldn't do.
But he still looks awfully sexy. Oh my goodness, listen to me, she thought to herself. Before she could get a word out, he pulled out the chair next to her, flipped it around and straddled it. Elizabeth gawked at him, sure this must be an evil twin. This was not the boy she had met the day before.
"How's my southern belle this morning?"
Elizabeth could sense Kayla swoon at his use of the word "my" in that sentence, but tried not to let it affect her. "I'm doing just fine. In fact, you're interrupting our conversation."
"Don't mind me."
Well, now they couldn't very well talk about him while he was sitting right there, now could they?
"That's alright. We can talk later. Is there a reason you decided to invite yourself to join us?"
He flashed her a full grin and nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to have coffee with me?"
The way his eyes sparkled and his body weight shifted towards her made her nervous. After hearing all she had from Kayla, she was sure there was a hidden agenda behind that innocent invitation. I can't let myself get swept up in this guy, she reminded herself sternly.
"Thanks, but I would hate to abandon Kayla here."
Ryan's eyes flashed over to her friend, and Elizabeth groaned. Great, she thought as she watched him make eye contact. Now he's going to sit here and ask her out right in front of me.
Kayla took the hint Ryan was silently giving her and held up her hands. "No, no. Go on ahead. I can always use the extra time to study." She rapped her knuckles on top of her psychology book. "I have a paper to do, after all. I may as well get started. I have a date tomorrow night that I don't want to miss."
Ryan offered up one of his hypnotic smiles. "Well that's settled then. Are you about done here?"
Elizabeth glanced down. All she had managed to do in the last few minutes was tear her banana into pieces and it no longer looked appetizing. Kayla wasn't going to save her, so she saw no choice but to agree to go with him. "Sure."
Ryan stood up and picked up his bag. "Let's go."
She nodded and gathered her own things, stopping to drop the remains of the fruit into the trashcan on her way out the door. She waved goodbye to Kayla, who was still staring after them as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Outside, Ryan slipped on his sunglasses. Elizabeth rolled her eyes at the move. It was dreary out, and certainly not bright enough to warrant the use. She imagined he must just like what they did for his image. And what an image it is, she thought briefly, before chastizing herself to get a grip.
Rather than follow the sidewalk around to start the trek over to the dorms, Ryan led her around the back. "Where are we going?"
"For coffee. I'm over there."
Elizabeth glanced in the direction he was pointing and saw a bright red truck among a sea of neutral colored cars. "Isn't this the staff parking lot?"
"Yeah." No explanation as to why he would park here, nor change in tone to indicate he thought it was wrong. She supposed a guy like him did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He unlocked the passenger door and stood back as she attempted to climb in, not an easy feat for someone as short as she. She would swear Ryan hid a small smile as he watched her struggle without offering to help. It crossed her mind that he may be using the opportunity to stare at her backside. It seemed the sort of thing a guy like him might do. Finally she was in and he slammed the door behind her.
A few moments later they were speeding down the freeway. Elizabeth's hand tightened on the doorhandle as Ryan laughed at her. "I know how to drive. Relax."
"Easy for you to say," she muttered.
More laughter. "I promise to get you back to school in one piece."
He reached a hand towards the stereo and turned up the volume. Loud rock music invaded her eyes and she fought off a frown.
"Like this?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he started bobbing his head in time with the drum. "That's my band. Couple of friends and I started one back in high school. Zack has some equipment, and we recorded this a few months ago."
She nodded, wishing the song would end. It was starting to irritate her.
"That's me," he added, as a guitar solo started. He cranked the volume even louder and she attempted a smile."Cool," she offered, wondering if she needed to yell it for him to hear her.
Just as she was about to request he could turn it down a notch or two, the truck came to an abrupt stop. She glanced up and noticed they were parked in front of a diner. With the music blasting, she had forgotten to worry about his driving. The radio cut out as he yanked the keys out of the ignition and shoved his door open. True to character, he walked towards the entrance without coming around to open her door for her. Elizabeth sighed and climbed down carefully. She wasn't entirely sure he would come and help her if she broke anything.
Inside, the aroma of coffee and fried eggs invaded her nostrils. Booths and tables were packed in as tightly as they would fit. Many of them were filled with older men and women, with a few college students scattered about. Ryan signaled for a waitress as he led her to a booth in the back.
"Privacy," he said.
She nodded, though she would've preferred staying near the front door. She didn't want him getting any ideas.
After asking for two coffees, Ryan turned his attention on her. "So, I know you're a freshman, that you're eighteen and that you're too polite to tell a total stranger to fuck off when he's bothering you-"
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"
He touched his hand to his lips and grinned. "Sorry. I should watch my mouth in front of a lady."
"See that you do. What are we doing here?"
The waitress appeared with their coffee. Elizabeth busied herself adding cream and sugar to her own cup. She kept her head down as she peeked across the table to watch Ryan take a drink of the still steaming, black coffee. He appeared to be waiting for her to finish before answering her question. When she looked up, he responded.
"I want to get to know you better."
"Why?"
"Because I like you."
She suppressed the groan that began in her throat. He was laying it on thick now. He didn't even know her.
"Tell me about yourself."
She rolled her eyes. "I am not about to sit here and run down my life story for you. If there's something you want to know, come out and ask it."
Ryan's eyebrows shot up. "My my, haven't we become fiesty in the last 24 hours?"
She blushed when she realized how snappy she must have sounded. "Sorry. I just don't want to bore you with the details. You can ask me whatever you like though."
"Anything?" he asked michieviously, a twinkle in his eyes. It made her blush deeper.
"Nothing too personal."
He chuckled and took another drink as he thought.
"What made you get into cheerleading? It may be sterotyping, but the majority of the cheerleaders I've...uh, known...have been your typical dumb blonde bimbos. You're blonde and you're beautiful, but you don't fit the the bill."
Elizabeth didn't miss the hesitation. She imagine there were a lot of cheerleaders he knew quite well, and figured that's why he picked her out of the crowd in the first place. Just how many of her mates on the squad had he been with anyway?
She shrugged. "My mom suggested it after I quit doing pageants."
He laughed loudly when he heard that, so loudly that other customers turned to look at him. Ryan didn't appear to notice.
"A beauty queen too eh? You are definitely an anomaly around here. I guess that's normal back home though right? Southern belles, debutantes and all that stuff."
He was making fun of her. The lilt in his voice assured her of that. Now he probably figures I'm another stupid bimbo, she thought.
"I guess. I'm sure some girls around here do them. I've noticed that Washington is usually represented in national pageants."
His smile never faltered. "Yeah, but even though you're a cheerleader, I would have never figured you for a pampered pageant girl. Do you have your tiaras and sashes displayed at home? You still do, don't you? I bet your mother still shows them off to company."
Elizabeth blushed. It was all true, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. It embarrassed her that she had been out of pageants for years and yet her mother still insisted on treating her room like a showcase, dragging any new friends in there to brag about the titles.
"Are you quite finished insulting me?"
"I'm not insulting you."
"You're making fun of me."
"I'm just joking. Calm down."
Elizabeth leaned back in her seat, folded her arms in front of her and stared at him in such a way that he would be a dead man if looks could kill. "Look, I chose to move away from home so that I could get away from my parents and that world for awhile. I don't appreciate you teasing me about it. I just want to be me."
"Alright. I promise, no more talk about tiaras. Scout's honor."
Despite the hand gesture, she was sure he had never been good enough to be a boy scout. She wondered how she had managed to fall for that sweet routine the day before.
"What are you doing on Saturday night?"
The question appeared to take him by surprise. "Why Elizabeth Dawson, are you asking me out?"
Attempting to hold in the laugh that threatened to erupt did no good. "Not on your life. You told that guy we ran into yesterday that you might have plans. I'm just curious."
"Why are you curious if you don't want to be part of my plans?"
She shrugged. "Just wondering if you're enough of a jerk to be flirting with me today and planning to go out with someone else this weekend."
"There's no harm in flirting."
"Maybe not, but maybe you should try focusing your attention on one girl at a time."
His eyes narrowed. "Who says I don't?"
Elizabeth glanced down and pretended to be very interested in her chipped nail polish. It was only fair to annoy him, after all.
"I've heard things."
Ryan eyed her suspiciously. "Yesterday you didn't have a clue who I was. Today you're an expert on my love life?"
"I never said that. Forget I mentioned it."
"Fine."
Elizabeth sipped her coffee. Still too hot, she thought, cringing as she set the cup down.
"You don't stand a chance with me, you know. I'm not like all of these other girls who are going to drop to their knees at the sight of you."
The visual image put a smile on her companion's face. "I didn't think you would, but I don't mind a challenge."
"So that's what this is about. You're looking to corrupt the quiet new girl? Well that's too bad. I want nothing to do with you."
"You'll change your mind. They always do."
"I really don't care what 'they' always do."
"You can say whatever you want to now. You'll see."
She leaned into the table, bringing her face close to his. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps I can do better than you?"
It was Ryan's turn to attempt to control his laughter.
"You think awfully highly of yourself."
He nodded, gulping down his coffee.
"Arrogant."
"So it seems. Perhaps you should get to know me better before you make judgments."
She waved the comment off and focused on stirring her coffee.
"So what's going on between you and Edwards?"
Her eyes darted up. "Who?"
"Edwards. Derek Edwards. I saw you talking to him this morning."
"What, are you following me now?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I was walking to my English class and I saw you standing next to the vending machine, talking to some guy. When I passed by I saw that it was Edwards. You two looked pretty deep in conversation."
Amused, she ran with it. "Afraid of a little competition?"
"Hardly," he balked loudly. "I was just asking a question. It's none of my business if you want to screw around with the guy. I hope you're aware that he has a girlfriend."
"Be quiet," she hissed, annoyed. "I am not involved with Derek Edwards, sexually or otherwise and I don't appeciate your insinuation to the contrary."
She paused."What are you doing Ryan? Are you trying to get on my nerves?"
"No. I'm just trying to get to know you better."
"That's a joke. Take me home please."
"We've only been here for fifteen minutes."
"I don't care. Take me home please."
He glanced down into her cup and noticed that it was still nearly full. He gestured to it as she rose. "Don't you want to finish that?"
"No."
He shifted in his seat and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. As he thumbed through the bills inside, he pulled out a five and dropped it on the table before following Elizabeth outside. Loud music filled the car again, and this time she was thankful. It was a distraction and meant that he wouldn't try to talk to her. Or so she thought.
He turned the knob on the stereo until the music was barely audible. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"Sure you didn't."
The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
As they pulled up behind the dorms, she jumped out of the truck and nearly fell as her feet hit the ground. Shoving the door shut as hard as she could, she started away before he could get anywhere near her. He hurried after her and she brushed away the hand that reached for hers. Whirling around to face him, she could see his eyes dancing with amusement.
"Are you bipolar or something?" He burst out laughter, which only made her more angry.
"I'm serious. Yesterday you were mildly annoying, but today you're being downright rude. I had thought you were interested in me, but now you seem hellbent on doing anything you can to annoy me. What is your deal?"
He placed a hand on each of her arms and pulled her closer. "I am interested in you. I'm just trying to get you to lighten up. You're too damn serious for your own good, and I think you would be a lot of fun if you would just chill out."
"I don't want to chill out. I like myself the way I am."
He shook his head. "I don't think you do. I think you're dying to break out of that protective shell you've built around yourself, but you're scared to. You don't have to be scared with me. I want to see the real you."
She shook him off and folded her arms in front of her. "You're in for a disappointment if you think I'm going to spend anymore time around you."
That cocky grin swept across his face as he fingered his keys. "We'll see about that."
"You're so full of yourself."
"And you still want me. It's driving you crazy, isn't it?"
She ignored him, but he stepped forward until he was only inches from her. "It is, I can see it. Someone told you all about me, and you know better than to get involved with me. Your high and mighty mindset tells you that you're better than me, that you're too damn good for me, but you're not serious about never wanting to see me again. You want me. As much as you hate it, you want me. I'm getting to you."
"No, you aren't," she argued, but her voice was so weak that it was obvious she was lying.
He said nothing, only raising his hand to her face to tip her head back. "You are a really bad liar sweetheart."
She watched his eyes flicker down to her lips and back up quickly, so quickly that she wondered if she imagined the motion. He leaned in to close the small gap between them. She closed her eyes...and felt his lips brush against her forehead.
Her eyes snapped open to find him smiling down at her. "You don't strike me as the type to kiss on the first date." She started to protest that this wasn't even a date, but he backed away slowly and waved her off.
"I'll see you tomorrow sugar."
Elizabeth was frozen where she stood. It was only after the truck rumbled to life and sped out of the parking lot that she let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. He was getting to her, and she had no idea what she was going to do about it.