“So, how do you survive Mrs. Johnson’s class? She really doesn’t like me,” Ryan asked. He was sitting across from me. I twinged in pain as a nurse cleaned my cut, pressing kind of hard, in her office.

“Bring in cookies,” I told him.

“For her or the class?”

“First the second one, then the first one.” I cringed away again from her applying a little more pressure on it. The nurse then bandaged my arm, and placed it into a sling.

“Now, don’t move it, and your elbow should be okay in a few days, all right?”

I nodded, and the nurse packed up and left. “Does your dad know you’re here?” he asked suddenly as the door clicked shut.

“Yeah, but he’s probably occupied with work right now.”

Ryan suddenly flashed me a smile, which made me a little nervous. I frowned. “What?”

He shrugged, suddenly trying to look nonchalant. “I don’t know. You look nice today.”

I frowned again. “I always look like this. Minus the sling,” I said, lifting my arm. I stopped, because obviously, it hurt, and put it back into the resting position.

“Stop,” Ryan said, taking my hand in his. “You’ll just hurt yourself.”

I sarcastically laughed loudly, pulling my hand away. “I know. I just need to get used to it.”

Ryan smiled, and got up. “Why don’t,” he began, sliding his chair around and sitting next to me, “I be your arm?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Just for now, or forever?”

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. His nose simultaneously pulled up, like he smelled something funny. “Either one works. Or I could just follow you everywhere.” Somewhere in his mind, I feel like he knew how creepy that sounded.

I looked at him quizzically. “Yeah, follow me everywhere.”

There was a long pause before Ryan sighed. “You know, we could at least pretend to be friends.”

“I thought we were.”

He shook his head. “No, you’ve been acting distant and, and you’ve been, like, pushing me away.” He sighed and added, “I shouldn’t have told you that I like you.”

It was my turn to sigh. “I just don’t know what I’m doing, Ryan. The last person I liked, I…” I sniffed, and continued, “I’m in uncharted territory and I am so lost.” I looked at him. “I’m really sorry if this is all really…discomforting for you.”

“Stop apologizing, Adrian. It isn’t your fault.” Ryan shrugged and looked at me. “I…just, shouldn’t of told you that I like you.”

“Well, you did,” I told him. “I’m still sorry for the awkward – ”

“I happen to like your awkwardness,” he told me bluntly.

I looked down, blushing slightly. I shook my head quickly and decided to circle back. “I just want to protect myself.”

Ryan grabbed my hand. I felt tired, so I allowed it. “You know that I’m not like Tyler, right?”

I attempted to pull away, but found no strength in my hand or arm. “I know you’re not, you’re better than Tyler.” Ryan smiled. “I’m just trying to protect myself.”

“I know.” Ryan frowned this time, and looked me straight in his eyes.

I got distracted. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

He blinked. “What?”

“Your eyes.”

“What about them?” He was still holding my hand. “You like them?”

I shook my head. “No, I can tell when something is going on.”

“Okay, Adrian. What is going on in my eyes?” He looked right at me.

His green eyes, being the defining feature that made me notice him from his walks, were different than when we first actually met. Those cold, angry eyes that I was familiar with were still there, but they had changed very slightly. “They seem warmer.”

Ryan blinked. “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

I smirked. “It’s a good thing, obviously.” His hand fell to my cheek, and I panicked. “What?!” I asked, hastily swatting away Ryan’s hand.

“There’s still a little bit of dried blood on you.” He got up, grabbed a napkin and dipped it into my water cup.

“Oh, thanks,” I told him sarcastically. “Way to ruin my water.”

Ryan smirked. “Shut up.” He turned back and reached out with the wet napkin.

“I-I can do it!” I spluttered, attempting to grab the wet cloth from his hands.

“Trust me, okay? Besides, you can’t see where it all is.” I sighed and nodded, allowing him to move forward. He cautiously rubbed the cold wet napkin across my face and towards my ear, wiping away the dried blood. When he finished, he took the back of his hand and wiped away the wet on my face.

Ryan threw the napkin away. “Adrian, can I be honest with you?” he asked suddenly, sitting down next to me again.

I sighed and nodded again. “Go ahead before my judgment gets the better of me.”

“No, I mean, like, seriously honest with you.” I nodded again, and he quickly grabbed my hand. “I really, really want to kiss you right now. Can I?” My stomach dropped into my legs. Please tell me I misheard that.

“What?” I turned to see Alyssa walking in from the hallway. Her mouth was half open, the corners turned up into a smile. I slipped my hand hastily from his. “Did you just say that you wanted to kiss him?” Before Ryan could speak, she shushed him and looked at me. “Can I ask, please? This is literally killing me.”

“Where’s Dad?” I asked almost desperately.

“He’s doing business. He sent me.” Alyssa leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “Pleeeeeeeese, I’m dying here.”

“What’s happening?” asked Ryan, lost without the context of the conversation.

I sighed loudly and told her, “Fine.” I immediately looked to Ryan and whispered, “I’m really sorry for what’s about to come.”

“What?”

“He’s really cute, who is he?” Alyssa whispered way too loudly.

“Alyssa, I’m not – ”

“No, Adrian,” she told me. She leaned down to my ear and whispered, again, loudly, “He’s really cute, who is he?”

In my peripheral vision, I saw Ryan look down, clearly embarrassed. “Alyssa, this is R – ” Nope, not going to say his name yet. “ – the guy who’s walked down our street for the past two years. And, who I’ve been walking with for, like, five months.”

She grinned and asked, specifically, “Adrian, what is his name, and why does he want to kiss you? And why aren’t you letting him kiss you?”

I buried my face in my hands, and just prayed that it would be over soon. I heard Ryan swallow his spit loudly and finally speak, “Hi, I’m Ryan Anders. You, uh, you know my sister.”

“You know, Adrian likes you.”

I sat up and glared at her. “Nope! No, I do not!” I looked to Ryan and said, “She just likes to think it.”

“Well,” Ryan began, his voice softening, the corners of his mouth dropping somewhat, “it’s a nice thought to entertain.”

Oh, God, that hurt.

They then proceeded to talk about me. While I sat between them. Which wasn’t necessarily as painful as I thought it would be. Ryan defended how he felt about me while Alyssa tried to produce evidence supporting her theory that I liked him. “We should start a fan club about Adrian!” Alyssa suddenly exclaimed. Jesus Christ, I just wanted this night to be over. “Okay, now kiss!”

I sighed, and said, “I feel sick, Alyssa. I’m definitely sure he’d love a kiss with me vomiting in his mouth.” I looked to Ryan, who was shivering in disgust from the idea. “Yeah, I thought so.”

She walked over, turning on her heels, leaned over and grinned. “I told you you like him.”

I scoffed at the idea. “I don’t like him. I’m just dizzy.” I noted Ryan’s gaze dropping slightly in my peripheral vision. I looked at him and asked, “Oh, God, are you okay? I said something stupid, didn’t I?”

He grudgingly shook his head. “I guess I just feel kinda stupid for liking you when you clearly don’t like me at all.”

“Nooooooo,” whined Alyssa. “This is the sibling thing I’ve been waiti – ”

“Alyssa, shut up!” She stopped talking, but didn’t move. I looked to Ryan and sighed. “I give you the right to back out of liking me, I hope you know that.”

Ryan nodded, while Alyssa protested, which we both ignored. “I kinda want to. But…I also don’t.”

I frowned. “Well, I did say there were no promises in similar feelings being returned from me.”

“You promised what?!” Alyssa shouted.

I shushed her. “Alyssa, can you, just, go?” She began to speak in objection, but Ryan butted in.

“Please? I…want to talk to your brother. Alone.”

With one goddamn word, she left. Without any complaints. I then mentally decided that Ryan needed to babysit her or something. “So…what is it?” I asked nervously.

He licked his lips, now fiddling with his fingers. “That was…” Ryan trailed off, sliding his hand up onto his forehead.

I chuckled. “No kidding,” I answered, glancing to the door and seeing Alyssa’s face through the thin window, eyeing us suspiciously. “That’s Alyssa for you, though.”

“No, I…I meant…” He trailed off. I waited for him to finish, but he didn’t. He looked at me, eyes clearly upset over something, and whispered my name through his teeth. “Adrian…”

Oh, God. Something’s going to happen. I could feel that lump forming in my throat again. Ryan quickly took my head in his hands and went to give me a peck on the cheek. “Stop,” I said quietly, pushing him away with my good arm.

“Oh my God, what?” shouted Alyssa, fists pounding on the door.

I exchanged a look of exhaustion and sickness with Ryan (though the sickness may have still been just me), then turned to Alyssa, whose face still squeezed through the door’s thin window. “I want your help first.”

I then got up, and promptly threw up a little in the nearest trashcan.