Chapter 11

I didn’t see Ty for the rest of the day. It was a relief not to be around him and yet he still managed to distract me.

Ripples of guilt plagued me as I shared small talk with my friends at lunch. My frustration with him spiked when Mick mentioned something about his having to speak to the principal instead of being at lunch. It was just more evidence of how little he cared about the prestige of being at Oak Brook Academy. 

On my way to my last class, Candy followed after me. 

“Apple, are you okay?”  

“I’m fine, why?” I quickened my pace to get to class on time. 

“You just don’t seem like yourself. I know that yesterday you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but are you ready now?” 

I stared into my friend’s eyes. I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to ask for her help. But the truth was, I didn’t know how. It embarrassed me to think that I had a crush on Ty. 

“I’m fine, Candy, really. I’m just a little grumpy.”

“If you say so.” Candy pursed her lips. 

"You’re mad at me now, aren’t you?” I frowned. “Don’t be mad.”

“I just don’t know why you’re hiding so much from me. It’s not like you. It’s not like us. Don’t you know how much I care about you?” 

“I do.” I smiled at her. “I do and I’m so grateful for it. But right now, I guess I need a little space to figure this all out. I promise, as soon as I get a handle on it, you’ll be the first one I come to.” 

“I hope so.” Candy stared at me. “Whatever it is, I’ll find a way to help you.” 

“I know you always do.” I gave her a brief hug. “But I really have to go to class. I’ve just got something on my mind and as soon as I’m ready to talk to someone about it, I’ll let you know.”

“Alright. I don’t like it, but alright.” Candy walked off down the hall. 

I rounded the corner and nearly walked into Ty. He’d been standing so close to the corner that it struck me that he’d probably heard every word I’d just said. He stared at me, his eyes seeking deep into mine. 

“Excuse me.” I started to step around him. 

He shifted in the same direction. “Apple.” 

“Excuse me, I said.” I frowned as I observed the empty halls around us. I didn’t want to be alone with him. I wasn’t afraid of him, but I didn’t like the flutter I felt deep within me every time I saw him. My words tangled in my mouth and I didn’t know whether to yell at him or apologize to him. 

“Just trying to get out of your way.” He scowled at me as he shifted in the other direction, then continued past me and around the corner. 

I turned toward him and opened my mouth to say something, but anger silenced me. He didn’t have to be so rude every time I saw him. It was probably for the best that I didn’t speak to him at all. 

Throughout my last class, I thought about whether he would show up for the art club. After the way he’d spoken to me, I guessed that he wouldn’t. But a part of me still hoped that he would. I told myself it was for Patrick’s sake, since he enjoyed Ty so much. But I didn’t think we would be able to work together. We couldn’t even bump into each other in the hallway without having a problem. How could we get through almost two hours of art club?

After class, I took my time walking toward the bus stop. Maybe he would ask to join me. Maybe he would at least give me an idea of whether he would show up or not.

But of course, he didn’t show up. In fact, I didn’t see him at all. Not in the courtyard, not buzzing past on his skateboard—nowhere. 

As I reached the bus stop, I decided that it was for the best. I couldn’t concentrate around him and clearly he couldn’t stand to be anywhere near me.

The bus arrived and the doors swung open. I stepped up onto the bus and paid, then froze when I heard someone behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed Ty, his eyes locked to the windshield instead of me as he waited to board. 

“Ty.”

“Take your seat please, miss.” The driver gestured toward the rear of the bus. 

“Yes, I will. Just one second.” I turned back to Ty. “I’m not sure that it’s a good idea for you to participate—”

“No, don’t.” He suddenly met my eyes, his voice low but determined. “You’re not going to do that.” 

“Ty, be reasonable.” My heart raced as he continued to stare into my eyes. 

“Time to go.” The driver closed the doors and shifted the bus into drive. As we pulled away from the curb, the bus lurched and I stumbled forward at the edge of the steps.

Just before I would have fallen, I reached out and caught myself on Ty’s shoulder. 

His other hand landed on the curve of my side in an attempt to steady me. For an instant our eyes met and I felt my pounding heart skip a full beat.

Why?

“You should sit down.” He let his hand fall away. His palm drifted along my side and coasted across my hip.

As I realized that my hand still rested on his shoulder, I took a step back and sat down in the first available seat. 

Ty stood at the front of the bus and surveyed his options. More crowded than usual, there weren’t many seats available. 

I slid over in my seat and sighed. “Ty, just sit here.” 

“I’m not sure I should participate in that.” He shot me an annoyed look. 

“Just sit down.” I grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him down into the seat beside me. 

The moment he sat down I turned quickly to look out the window. Could he tell that my cheeks were hot? 

“Thanks.” He muttered the word. It could have been a curse, by the way he’d said it. 

I bit into my bottom lip as tension flowed between us. Mrs. Ruby would expect me to keep Ty on as a volunteer and I needed him in order to add more kids to the club. If we were going to be stuck together, we had to at least be able to speak to each other. I tried to think of a way to open up a conversation.

As I shot down a few options in my head, Ty shifted closer to me. 

“So, what’s weighing on your mind?” 

When I looked over at him, his gaze met mine. 

“Huh?”

“I heard what you said to Candy in the hallway.” He lowered his voice but continued to stare at me.

“You mean you spied on me.” I stared back at him. “You were listening, weren’t you? You had no reason to be there.”

“Not everyone is out to get you, you know.” He shook his head. “I had to get something from my locker.”

“Okay.” I frowned as I felt even more foolish. Was he right? Was I just being paranoid? 

“So, what’s bothering you?” He glanced at the road ahead of us, then looked back at me. “We’ve got some time, and like you said, I’m a good listener.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. “I didn’t exactly say that.”

“I am.” He shrugged. “It’s just a fact. Try me out.”

“Why do you care?” I slid a little closer to the window. It seemed that every bump the bus hit caused him to scoot toward me. 

“Let’s see, we have to work together and you seem to have this unreasonable hatred of me. I thought maybe you just don’t like skaters, then I overheard you talking in the hall. So maybe the reason you’re being so hateful is because something is bothering you. If that’s the case, then there’s still a chance we could be friends. Isn’t there?” 

“You want to be my friend?” I watched as he slid his hands along the material of his jeans. Was he nervous?