CH. 5
POV: KORI
School can only be so much fun. It's school, after all. The bar's pretty much on the floor.
But naturally, teachers love to stoop lower than the bar. It’s like a contest for them. Mrs. Brown made sure of that in English class.
"So," she said to the class, "now that we've officially finished Romeo and Juliet, what are some thoughts? Did you all enjoy it?"
We all start muttering our disapproval, but Mrs. Brown ignores it. "Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite works by Shakespeare," she sighs, clutching the book to her chest. "It truly is extraordinary, especially for the time it was written in. Now, our assignment for the end of the play will be an acted-out scene from any place in the play, along with a written report on why you chose that particular scene and its significance to the characters in it and the play as a whole. I want you all to take your time and put together a well thought-out report, alright? Really do your best work. I will be allowing you to work in pairs, but I'll be assigning them."
Something thumps against the back of my chair, and I turn my head to the left slightly. Zack sits behind me, and he raises his eyebrows twice at me. I nod once, crossing my fingers and holding them up quickly for him to see.
Mrs. Brown likes going by "the fate of the universe" as she tends to call it, so she's got this old brown bucket hat with everyone's name on slips of paper. She'll rustle around for a bit inside and then pull out two slips, and that's how she decides partners. The hat usually works out in my favor, and there's no one I really dislike in the class, so I don't mind it.
Mrs. Brown starts calling names, and I cross my fingers tighter. Kori and Zack. Kori and Grace. Kori and Nevaeh. Kori and Archer.
I'm so lost in thought that I almost don't hear her when she actually says my name.
"Kori Merrick will be working with Ryland Park."
Shit fuck bitch. Shit.
Mrs. Brown is still rattling off names, and when she finishes she says, "I expect the scenes to be between 3 to 5 minutes, and the report should be no less than 2 pages. I want both partners to contribute, and have fun, people! Be creative!"
The bell rings, and the entire class is up and out of their seats within three seconds. Zack's by my side, and Grace catches up to us in the hallway.
"What the hell was that?" Grace seethes. "Pick any scene and act it out? What is this, drama school?"
Zack shrugs, saying, "It could be fun."
"You're only saying that because you're partners with Nevaeh," Grace points out.
Zack breaks into a wide grin. "Because the universe willed it."
"Yeah, yeah, that's a bunch of bullshit."
Nevaeh walks up to my other side, taking Zack's hand. "Quit complaining, Grace,” she says. “I kinda like that we get to pick the topic. Gives us more freedom."
"Hey, guys, give me a quick minute," I say. "I've got to talk to Mr. Adams about Friday's quiz. I'll meet you in the cafeteria."
"Alright, girl!" Nevaeh takes Grace by the wrist and starts pulling her and Zack along with the crowd towards the cafeteria. I can hear Grace complaining the whole walk down the hallway. I wave at them, then turn around to head towards the stairs.
And slam right into Ryland.
He's reaching out for me in an instant, and only then do I realize I'm falling backwards. One arm wraps around my back, hugging my backpack, and the other grabs my outstretched arm. He pulls me towards him, and I gasp and stumble forward. He catches me, fully wrapping both arms around me as I fall into him.
I blink twice as I regain my surroundings. Both of my hands are on Ryland's chest now, and I’m fully leaning on him. My face is in his chest, and I can feel the hard plane of muscle through his shirt. He smells good, like soap and mint and a hint of something sweet, and it's a little dizzying.
Ryland looks down at me and cocks an eyebrow. He’s hugging me hard against him. "Well, hello, partner."
“Hi,” I say, a little breathless.
Only then do I realize someone’s watching us. Hannah Brown’s a few feet to our left, staring at me with a grin. “Hi, Kori,” she says. "You okay?"
I push away from Ryland, my face flushing. "Hey, Hannah. Yeah, yeah I'm fine," I say, shaking my head. "Sorry, were y’all talking?”
"Nothing important.” Hannah shrugs, running her hands over the wheels of her wheelchair.
Ryland glances over at her, then back at me. “Hey, where do you want to meet for this project?" he asks.
He looks better today. I must've really caught him off guard the other day. He's got his hair pushed back off his forehead today, so I can see his face clearly. There's definitely still something off about him that he's trying to cover up.
"My house, if you don't mind," I say, shouldering my backpack. "After school on Wednesday."
To my surprise, Ryland simply nods and then looks over at Hannah, who's staring at me with a strange look. "Anyways," he says, "what were you saying, Hannah?"
"Oh, yeah," Hannah says, turning to him. "It was just about the other day."
As she talks, Ryland places his right hand on one of the handles of her wheelchair, staring down at it idly. He slides his hand over it. Works his jaw. Flicks his eyes over to her, and then back to her wheelchair. His eyes look hazy, like he’s not fully there.
I stare at him curiously. I never knew the two of them were close.
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Besides being assigned partners and then plowing into him like a truck, I don’t really see Ryland for the rest of the day. I do, however, see him in the hallway on my way to the bathroom when school ends. Again, he and Hannah are talking, off to the side so they aren’t in the way of the crowd. Eddie's with them, bouncing back and forth on his toes like a kid in a candy store. He’s been on cloud 9 ever since Ryland got back, and it’s honestly kinda cute.
Hannah’s saying something, and Ryland’s actually smiling at her. An odd sight.
Not that I care. My day was already weird. And it stayed weird, all the way until I got home. Where it got even weirder.
Kansas is sprawled out on the living room couch when I walk in. The TV is blasting some reality show, but he's lying face down so he's clearly not paying attention. There's a half-eaten tub of ice cream on the ground next to him. Tossing my backpack down, I rustle through the couch cushions until finding the remote and turning the TV off. Then, I chuck the remote at Kansas.
It thumps against his back. "Welcome home," he moans.
"What are you doing in here?" I ask. "I could hear the TV down the street. What, did Milo break up with you or something?"
Kansas makes a gurgling sound in his throat and is instantly sitting up, looking at me like I just suggested we bomb the next town over. "What? Of course not. We're fine."
"Alright then,” I say, spreading my arms, “if that's not it, then what's wrong with you?"
Kansas rubs the back of his neck. "Dad called. He's coming home early."
"What?" Now it's my time to stare at him in shock. "When?"
"I don't know!” Kansas leans back on the couch and tilts his head up towards the ceiling with a groan. “I sort of stopped listening and starting internally freaking out after he said that. He could be on his way now, for all I know."
“Well, how long have you been sitting like this?”
He pauses. “I don’t know. Maybe an hour or two.”
This is bad. I thought we'd at least have another two months before Dad got home.
Kansas reaches for the lid for the ice cream and places it back on. "Talk to me," he says, looking over at me. "You can clearly see how stressed I am. I just bought this ice cream two days ago. So, tell me how you’re feeling."
Damn, my bottom lip is starting to tremble. "I don't know," I say slowly, shaking my head. "Things can be...weird when he's around. You know I can never read him. I thought…I thought we’d have more time. Before he came back. I’m-I’m not ready-"
I give up on my sentence, clamping my mouth shut. Kansas lets out a breath as he stands up from the couch. "I know, Kor." He pulls me into a hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. "But I'll be with you every step of the way, just like I always am."
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Dad shows up two days later, thankfully. He called me the day before, and Kansas and I spent the whole day cleaning the house. The day of his arrival, I can barely focus in class. I practically sprint home to take a shower, and then I run around the house to do last minute preparations.
When I hear his car pulling into the driveway, I feel my stomach drop. Kansas is by my side in an instant, his hand on my lower back. I look up at him, and he nods reassuringly.
Kansas is dressed in an expensive gray suit with a blood red tie, and he edged up the sides and back of his hair this morning so his undercut looks fresh. I'm in a simple black lace dress, and I pinned my hair back out of my face. Dad still doesn't know I have dyed hair, and I have no idea how he'd react if he did, so I’ve got my hair twisted inwards into a pinned bun. From how we're dressed, you'd think we were going to a funeral.
We're standing a few feet from the front door when Dad walks in, and my breath catches a little at the sight of him. It's been...7 months, I think, since the last time we saw him.
"Welcome back, Dad," Kansas says, smiling softly.
"Kansas. Koraline." Dad swings the door open wider, setting his briefcase down onto the ground. He's in a sharp black suit, and he looks tired. His emerald eyes land on me for a moment, assessing me. "You two look well."
Dad's the only one who ever calls me Koraline. I honestly think he hates it, but my mom insisted on naming me after her grandmother, so it's kind of stuck.
"How was the flight back, Dad?" I ask.
"Fine. I won't be here long. This is strictly business." Dad steps between us, walking further into the house. "I'd like to speak with you before dinner, Kansas."
Kansas hurries after him. "Of course."
I watch them go silently. That's usually how conversations between us and Dad go. He’ll look at me for a little, like a farmer inspecting whether or not an apple is ripe enough for picking. Then, he looks away and talks to Kansas, like he’s given up on deciding if I’m worth his time and moved on to a better, sweeter fruit altogether. Honestly, I think he just doesn't know what to make of me.
Dad and Kansas are probably up in Dad's office talking now. The house smells of roasted chicken and cornbread. I’m supposed to finish up the green beans and macaroni in a little. And then the three of us are going to sit and eat.
And then I remember that it's Wednesday. And that I told Ryland to come over today.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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Ryland crashing the Merrick family dinner would be an interesting scene.
-Zuffy <3
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