Becoming- Everhart High Book one

Familiar Patterns

The buzzing of my doorbell was the worst sound in the world. Particularly when the person on the other end was Ryan.

"What."

"I wanted to see if you wanted to catch a movie tomorrow, I would have asked you earlier but I figured you would be awake anyway." He looked at the ground while he was speaking and I wondered how he was so different when no one was watching. But I didn't care, he had been pulling this little manipulation game forever. I had stopped falling for it ages ago.

"You seem to forget your little fit in the library"

"I'm sorry for being so hard on you at the library too, the guys were being jerks. I kinda wanted to go to make it up to you."

"Still. You're a jerk to me half the time. I'm still not gonna go on a date. I'm sick of your little manipulation game. I swear your power is changing personalities."

"Emma I'm sorry, I know you don't deserve it, I'm sorry, I'm an asshole. But I really, truly care about you. I love you Emma,"

"Ryan, I'm done." I turned and closed the door, I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt, I hated how sincere he could sound. I watched as his shoulders slumped and he glanced up to see me in the window I had moved to. I'm sorry, I love you He mouthed. I closed my eyes, I couldn't keep doing this.

"Come in. I'm still mad though,"

"Emma I don't-" He began, the words faltering on his lips.

"Save it, it's not worth it, you just let your ego get ahead of you. It means a lot that you're here, now." I said as I walked toward the kitchen, I knew he would go straight to the living room, this happened too much. It seemed that every time I thought I could get away he showed me the side of him that I had fallen in love with so long ago.

We talked for an hour, avoiding the topics that we knew would ignite our usual arguments. Finally, I stopped him. "Ryan, this can't keep happening. I used my powers on you the other day, what are you thinking? I can't keep this up"

"I know Emma, but I didn't do anything when you used your powers, that was all Jason, I didn't tell him to do that. I yelled at him after, in fact he's off the team. He went too far."

"Kyle, I know that wasn't you, and maybe you really did get mad at him, but you're making my life horrible. Your gang makes my life miserable, and you're a coward. You know that."

"Okay, I'll tell them I ended things with you, I'll tell them to lay off, anything you say, I wanna change."

"I don't know Ryan. I really don't know," I sighed, leaning on his shoulder the way I used to back when things weren't so difficult.

He left soon after, hesitating at the door and I was scared he would try to kiss me. But he only turned and walked into the dark.

I walked into the homeroom seconds before the bell. Ordinarily I would have been early with plenty of time to spare but I had found myself waiting until the last second since my detention. "One of these days, you're going to be late, what's getting into you? You're acting like Katie," Kaylee reprimanded. I smiled and shrugged.

"So? It's fun watching Mrs. Dupont get annoyed. She watches the door like a hawk,"

Kaylee just shook her head and got out a pencil. "Never thought I would see the day,"

Before I could reply, Mrs. Dupont began class.

"Hey, Emma," Mrs. Dupont called to me "Could you bring this to the office for me? Just go straight to the principal," She held out a sheet of paper and handed it to me.

Outside the office I paused, I heard voices inside.

"I don't care. She's going to get herself in danger, she knows far too much." The first voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"What are we supposed to do? There's nothing we can do about Emma. We need her, and short of getting her involved there's nothing we can do."

The same familiar voice spoke again. "Over my dead body. Leave her out of this. It's too dangerous for her. Well, and the whole mission."

I backed away and walked out of the office, my heart pounding. When I had said maybe he was an enemy agent I was joking! I knew it had been Kyle's voice, there was no way it was anyone else. But who had he been talking to? Was it one of the principals? If it was Drake it wouldn't be surprising.

At lunch I hurried to talk to Kaylee, she saw the look in my eyes before I said anything. "What's wrong?" Kaylee asked. At the last second I saw his pleading eyes, the day I had caught him.

"Um, it's nothing, just ya know, school and Ryan, I had another meeting with him earlier." I said quickly, I figured the only thing that could save me was using Ryan as an excuse, not to mention it would cloud my thoughts. Even when she wasn't picking peoples brain she could often tell what they were thinking about. "I let him back in." I added quietly.

They both were surprised. "Emma! How many times is he going to use you?"

I avoided the conversation as best as I could. I didn't even bother to defend my on and off relationship with him. I knew they wouldn't understand.

The rest of lunch I found myself tuning out what they said. I just couldn't make myself care about the drama and chatter. I glanced over and saw Kyle staring intently at me from the sisu table. What the heck is his deal? I thought as I watched Ben smack his head and he turned back to the conversation.