skinny love- rilaya

the class

"You aren't in love, munchkin, I can tell you that much." I assure Riley as we walk through the front doors of our new high school. Well, I walk in. Riley seems to be floating on a cloud.

She turns to face me, her cheeks still flushed bright right from her encounter with the boy on the subway. Although I hate to admit it, her little love affair has severely damaged my mood. For some reason, just thinking about her in his lap makes my cheeks burn.
I ignore it though, grabbing her hand and dragging her through the crowded and never ending hallways of the large and intimidating building.

Boys and girls are rushing past us, all comfortable in their surroundings and confident in themselves.. Leaving Riley and I feeling like lost puppies. "Where is D210?" I ask, staring down at the crumpled schedule in my hands. It stays silent for a moment, until finally I have to look up, a flustered expression on my face. "Riley!" I snap, but her face remains blank. She lifts her finger and points across the hall. Peering through the doorway of our homeroom, I realize the hell I'm going to endure this year.
Because there sits Riley's dad..
Talking to subway boy.
Great.

Dragging Riley by the wrist into the classroom, I drop her off next to her Dad, interrupting the conversation he and Mr. Perfect were having.
"What are /you/ doing here?" I question through gritted teeth, directed at both of them.

"I just moved here from Texas, I go here now. My names Lucas." Cowboy boots explains, and I wave him off in the direction of a desk behind where Riley and I will be sitting. "Right. Huckleberry, pleased to meet ya' partner. Now go." I watch, content with myself as he furrows his eyebrows in confusion and heads towards the empty desk.

Riley's big brown eyes follow his every move.

"Right, now.." I continue, trying to ignore the awful feeling seeing her looking at him like that has given me. "What are you doing here?" I ask Mr. Matthews, who gives Riley and I a gentle push in the direction of our seats. I slump down and cross my arms over my chest, awaiting an explanation.

"Surprise, I'm a high school teacher now!" He announces, causing me to groan, although I'm secretly grateful that at least one thing in my life is a constant. Looking over at Riley, who's still starstruck, infatuated with cowboy Ken doll, is making me realize how much really can change in the matter of just a few moments.

And I don't like it.

The class goes by unbelievably slow, most likely because I'm even more distracted than usual. I've never been one for paying attention in class, but it's even harder when my best friend is making googly eyes at some texan nobody. She doesn't even know him. She knows me, and I know her, which is why it's so hard for me to understand what could be so intriguing about him.

"Riley!" Mr. Matthew's voice booms all of a sudden, snapping us both out of our trances and back into reality, where our teacher is trying to give a lesson. "Since you seem so particularly distracted today, why don't you answer this question. What is really important in life?" He asks, and honestly at this point I'm not even surprised. His lessons are always very, very personal and unrelated to education at all. I'm sure he's found some far-fetched way to relate it back to whatever class we're in, but still, it isn't really relevant. Which is good for me. Not so good for Farkle, but he'll live.

After pondering for a moment, as she does, Riley smiles. It's sincere, and I can tell, because she's looking right at me now.

"What's most important in life are the people you share it with. Making sure to make time for the ones that you love, and appreciating them."

Her voice is soft, yet confident, as she knows what she's saying is true. Glancing up at her Father, he has a proud look on his face, one that I'm sure is not much different than mine.

Still, I have no idea how this relates to what he's trying to teach us in this class. But nothing beats knowing that you're loved, and Riley sure as hell makes me feel that every single day. Not even some ranger rick can change that.