Seeing Shane Gray ✓

two | forgotten

*.*.*.*.*.*

August 12

Standing under the shade of the gym hall, my legs begin to ache. I look down, searching for a dry-enough spot to sit down. I almost wish I'd taken care to check the forecast before I came to school in the morning.At least I wouldn't be one of the few people without an umbrella.

"You know you can take mine, right?" Riley offers. She taps her foot as she stands beside me under the shade, her purple flowery umbrella hanging from her arm. Her brown hair which she spent hours curling in the morning sparkles with droplets of water.

"I'm okay," I answer. "Dad'll be here any minute."

She hums. "Oh, shit," she mumbles, lifting a hand to wipe her running mascara. Her fingertips come back stained with black. She groans, throwing her head back and stuffing her books into my arms as she digs out her phone from her bag. "I swear, this day keeps getting worse.

"Look at the bright side: at least your parents didn't forget they have a daughter waiting at school to be picked up," I say sweetly, trying not to sound half as angry as I am.

Riley turns to give me a sympathetic look, one I don't want. I don't want her to pity me. Holding onto my own bag and Riley's books, I glance at the phone in my left hand. It's not even a big deal. I'm pretty sure Dad hasn't forgotten me. He probably just got hung up at work and didn't get a chance to text me and let me know.

For two hours.

"You want to come with me?" Riley asks, tapping a tissue under her eyes to wipe away the makeup disaster. "I'm sure Carlos won't mind dropping you off first."

I roll my eyes and slump against the cold wall, sliding down so that I'm squatted on the semi-wet ground at Riley's feet.

"Before he cuts you open and pulls out your guts? No thanks."

Riley laughs, sitting down next to me and resting her chin on her palm as she batters her eyelids at me.

"Are you jealous of Carlos?" she coos. "I promise he's not stealing your best friend."

"One, you're not my best friend," I answer calmly. "Two, I'm sure he's not stealing you. You're willingly walking into that death trap named handsomeness and preparing to die at the hands of that football-playing-womanizer."

Riley pulls back, shaking her head. "What is it with you and jocks?"

"I don't have a problem with jocks," I correct her. "If he was any nicer, like Shane Gray, for instance, I wouldn't mind him so freaking much."

A coy smile slides onto Riley's lips and she gives me a Cheshire grin.

"Oh. My. God!" she squeals. "Do you like Shane?"

"I said he's nice," I remind her. "Not that I'm dying to ride him or something like that."

"But you said you don't mind him." Riley grabs my arm, her nails digging into my flesh as she shakes me. "You like Shane Gray, I can't believe this."

I jerk out of her grip, scowling at her.

"You're delusional," I snap.

"And you're in lurve!" she sings.

Before I can smack her face, though, loud voices reach us from across the parking lot. The two of us look up to see the school's football team making their way across the semi-empty space. They're carrying their sporting bags and wearing fresh pairs of clothes, their hair wet. Another thing they have in common is energy. By the look of it, they're all still high on the adrenaline rush.