- Jesus Christ, are you okay?
A deep, worried voice asks. The boy bends down beside me and, taking my arms, helps me stand. Breathing blink and trying to focus. I face a beautiful pair of blue eyes and soon I come across the face of Ryder Taylor.
- Ah! It's you! - I say frustrated. - Why am I not surprised?
I clean my clothes under Ryder's watchful eye. He was the most popular idiot on the UNY campus and perhaps from other colleges as well. He was even more popular than Aron. Ryder studied philosophy too, but I never found him in classrooms, only on trial days. He went out with practically all the girls and lived in parties promoted on the beaches with his friends, who were the total opposite of those of Aron. Ryder had a habit of taking the girls to the closet, where the janitor of the building kept the brooms and cleaning items during class hours. He liked to go to the club where I work and we used to bump into each other, since I was a lane waitress.
Ryder was very handsome with his short brown hair that covered the back of his neck and lived messed up, always falling on his eyes. His arms were strong and muscular as if he spent the day working out. The legs were long and well turned. Ryder had a time to be jealous of any model. He was always wearing a T-shirt, leather jacket, pants and boots, because he rode a motorcycle. He was the typical bad boy. I look at him from top to bottom when my view stops blurring and I make a face. Tears of pain stubbornly blur my eyes, but blinking them in again. The black shirt was all crumpled up like he was in a fight. There was a cut on the bottom of his perfect lips and a small cut on the left eyebrow. That was a big mystery, because Ryder was hurt like he was constantly getting in and out of fights, which I didn't doubt, but nobody knew the reason. I found him pedantic and hated the way he treated girls. It was disgusting the way he treated them, as if they were his private little toy. The worst thing was to watch them queue up to find out who "Mrs. Taylor" would be at the time, and that was just for one night. It was amazing how easily the girls fell into his trap and liked to be the subject among people, for having sex with Ryder Taylor. It was as if they carried that as a trophy and were proud to show it off. Disgusting! Simply, disgusting!
Despite being one of the popular girls because of Aron, I was keen to stay away from Ryder. He was always the troublemaker type and liked to break the rules. I didn't draw attention, even on account of my parents who always hated scandals.
- My head! - I mean, putting your hand under the place where the door slammed. A rooster was already forming on my forehead. - Are you crazy? What were you doing in the broom closet?
- If I said I was looking for a broom, would you believe me? - he asked with a debauched smile on his square face.
I turn my eyes with grief.
- I think it's better if I don't know! - I answer.
- Why were you running? - he asks by frowning. - It's not fire training, is it? Because I didn't hear any alarms.
He argues, lowering to get the books that were lying on the floor.
- I'm late for one of the classes. - I say making a face and then I smile ironically. - Do you happen to know what this is?
- Of course I do! - he answers in a funny tone, making me snort. - I've been late several times and I'm not dying for it.
- Is that so? - I say in a debauched voice. - Because of you, I'll have to go to the infirmary and miss my class.
He makes a face and puts his hand on the square chin. A thick silver ring shines on his thumb when he raises his hand, attracting my gaze to his long, thick fingers. He slowly bypasses me, like he's doing a slight evaluation, so, Ryder, to my back.
- Relax, princess! - he says smiling and sighing in my ear. - Have you ever thought about being anything other than the nerd you're trying to be?
The whisper of his soft, deep voice causes chills in my skin when his hot breath touches my neck. Usually I wore my hair loose, but today I didn't have much time to comb it right, so I had it stuck
