The Ribbon Campaign

fifteen || of little red and driving

I'm just about to tear my study notes in half when the doorbell rings.

I hear Ryan going downstairs to open and it and turn my focus back to my notes. Exams are becoming an inevitable reality and it's seriously pissing me off. I'm not a good student, as I've stated before, and my marks have only gotten lower since I've missed so much school from all the speeches. I don't get anything and half the things on the review sheet make about as much sense to me as German does (I don't speak German).

"What's up?" Bryce's voice asks me as I hear him approaching. I don't bother looking up and just bury my face in my hands.

"Stressed," I say. "I'm so stressed right now. I'm about to light all these papers on fire. Do you know what atmospheric chemistry is? Because I don't."

"Something to do with the atmosphere?" Bryce suggests.

I blink and look over my paper. "Wait. Wait, that makes so much sense."

I'm just about to put everything together in my notes when a hand closes my book. I look up with a raised eyebrow at Bryce who is looking down on me with a similar expression. "Bryce," I say slowly, "Let go."

"No," Bryce replies just as slowly, but I can tell he's doing so mockingly. "You need to relax. Exams only start in two weeks, anyway, so I don't get why you're freaking out now."

"Because I don't get any of this!" Bryce sits down in the chair beside me and I slide him over my binder, pointing to some chemistry questions. "Do you understand this shit? Do you?"

"Ellie, if you don't understand if I sure as hell don't either," he says, pushing the binder back to me. "Have you started the English essay yet?"

"Crap! No, have you?"

"Oh thank God. Yeah, me neither."

"Wow, Bryce Newton is actually caring about his grades," I joke, "Never thought I'd see the day."

"I care," Bryce insists, "I just don't give myself grey hair over it."

I continue to stress over my notes while Bryce leans back and texts on my phone. I don't really know why he came over but I don't dare question. Lately we've both just randomly appeared at each other's homes not even for the sake of talking but just to have the other person's presence nearby. It's kind of scary to think of depending on each other like that but I don't dwell on it and blow it out of proportion. We're just good friends.

After twenty minutes, Bryce seems to get fed up of being ignored and closes my binder. Just like last time, I look up at him with a raised eyebrow. He says, "It's Saturday night, Ellie, I'm not letting you study."

"I'm not like you, Bryce," I remind him. "I don't go and party until people are leaving for Church on Sunday morning."

"We don't have to party," Bryce says, wincing a little at his words. "You don't need alcohol to have fun..."

I burst out into laughter at the way those words seem to physically hurt Bryce to say, but at the same time feel a little proud that he's changing. Bryce still gets drunk and parties, sure, but not even close to how much he used to. Some people may see it as reckless behaviour nonetheless, but I see it as improvement.

"Then what do you want to do? Neither of us drive and there's nothing to do nearby."

"You have a driving brother and a driving brother's boyfriend," Bryce points out, leaning back in his chair.

"They're looking after Fiona, they can't leave to drive. And Ryan won't go anywhere without Caiden at this point, even if it's just a five minute drive."