Chapter Fifteen Artemis
Chapter Fifteen
Artemis
Jenna spends the whole morning gushing via video chat about the Ball as we help each other choose an outfit to wear.
It’ll take place Friday night in the town ballroom.
That place is set aside for such fancy occasions, where, like I said, there will be a ton of food and dancing.
She keeps squealing about what she’s going to wear and how fun it will be to dance with Jason.
I’m trying to listen, I really am, but I’m a bunch of nerves. I’m anxious to ask Ryan? Why? I mean, it’s not like it will be a date.
Gosh, but he might think it is.
“Art, hello?” Jenna says. “This outfit or this one?” She holds two shirts up.
“They look the same to me.”
She frowns. “You’re hopeless when it comes to this stuff.” Shrugging, she chooses one and tosses the other on her bed. “You didn’t tell me how the art thing with Ryan went.”
“I think we’ll be late for school.”
“Nah, we have, like, half an hour. I know you still like him, so stop pretending like you don’t. Does he like you?”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure he even wants to be my friend. And I stupidly want to invite him to the Ball.”
She blinks a few times. “What? You’re thinking of asking Ryan? Don’t you think you should give the guy some space?”
I give her a hurt look. “You think I’m too much in his face?”
She tilts her head from side to side. “Maybe? Look, Art, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but…”
I sit forward. “What?”
“Jason and I went to Ocean’s Deep yesterday and I heard girls talking about him.” Ocean’s Deep is a diner where most kids hang out after school.
“And?”
“They said Brianne asked him out and he said yes.”
My head spins as I think back to the cafeteria today, when they talked and she touched his arm. And then he left and she was so pissed.
“That can’t be,” I tell my best friend. “Ryan hates Brianne. He keeps pushing her away.”
She’s quiet for a second or two. “Or maybe he’s pretending to hate her. Or maybe they got together after school or something. After you guys hung out, I mean.”
I don’t know what to say. It doesn’t seem possible, but anything is possible with Brianne Crawford. When she wants something, she’ll punch through a stone wall to get it.
“I’m sorry, Art.”
I shake my head. “I don’t care.” I don’t know who I’m convincing more—her or me. “We’d better get ready for school.”
I don’t pay attention to the clothes I grab, just make sure they’re clean before throwing them on. I tie my hair into a ponytail and join my family in the kitchen. They’re all talking like they’re the happiest people on the planet.
I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. It’s not like he’s my boyfriend. He can date whoever he wants.
But it doesn’t make sense. Why reject her in front of the whole school? Is that part of his game or something?
I manage to stuff some food down my throat and wash it down with orange juice before Jason and I climb into his car. He turns on rock music and I let it distract me as I stare out the window.
We pick up Jenna on the way and she’s still gushing about the Ball. I force a wide smile on my face so she won’t think I’m bothered about Ryan. I tell myself to just forget him, but I can’t for some reason. Maybe because none of this makes sense?
As soon as I enter the school building, my eyes sweep around the students for the guy in question. He’s not here, always manages to come a few minutes before first bell.
I grab my things, then take off for first period. I freeze at the doorway as my eyes latch onto the dark-haired guy sitting at the back of the room, face buried in a sketchbook. He’s early.
Without having control over them, my feet take me toward him and I plop down in the seat across from his.
“Want to go to the Ball with me?” I blurt.
His eyes lift from the sketchbook. I can’t see what’s on the page because he’s covering it with his hand. “Huh?”
I laugh awkwardly, my fingers tangling in my hair. “Do you want to go to the Ball with me?”
He looks at me like I have two heads. “The Ball?”
I laugh again. “Sorry. I sound like a character from one of Jane Austen’s novels.”
He continues to look at me that way. “Artemis, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I lightly slap my forehead. “Oh, you probably don’t know what the Winter Ball is, do you?”
“Should I?”
I give him a quick explanation. “So this year, my parents decided to drag me and my brother along. And we need dates. I mean, we can bring someone. Like a friend or whatever.”
He squints like he’s still confused.
“Are you interested in going?” I go on. “With…me?”
His eyebrows knit. “A ball?”
I shrug. “It used to be this grand ball like hundreds of years ago. Really, it’s a charity event, not a ball, but I guess the name stuck.”
He’s quiet. I’m about to say something, but Mrs. Lee comes in and starts the lesson.
We don’t get to continue our conversation until lunchtime. I find Ryan in the art room, where he’s studying our painting.
It’s completely dry and looks amazing. I admit, my shark is pretty darn cool. A little less sophisticated than the rest of the painting, but it still looks awesome.
I poke him in the ribs with my elbow. “We make a great team, don’t we?”
“Yeah.”
We even got some extra points on our history project because we finished it early. Mrs. Lee was so impressed with us, she’s letting us skip tonight’s homework.
“Are you going to work on another drawing?” I ask him.
He shakes his head, dropping down on a chair. “Not really in the mood.” He rubs his eyes. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Oh, sorry. Are you okay?”
He doesn’t say anything, but from the hollow expression on his face, I know he’s definitely not okay.
“Anything I can do to help?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Thanks. I’ll be fine.”
I squeeze my fingers together in my lap, my gaze moving to him, the painting, then back to him. “I heard you and Brianne are a thing now.” Shoot. How the heck did that slip out?
“What?”
“You and Brianne. Everyone’s talking about it.”
His eyebrows dip so low they nearly reach his eyes.
“So it’s not true?” I ask.
“No.”
I don’t know why a relieved sigh seeps out of me. “It’s so like her to lie about that. Just to show off.”
“Show off? I’m sure Brianne can have any guy she wants.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Sure, but she wants you. I already told you that, didn’t I? She won’t stop until she has you.”
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to talk about this.”
“Okay. Want me to leave?”
“No.” He faces me. “Why do you think I want to get rid of you?”
My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. We sit quietly until I say, “Because you don’t want to be my friend. And that’s cool,” I quickly add. “But that won’t stop me from being your friend.”
His eyes hold mine. “Why? Why does it matter to you whether I have friends or if I sit here alone?”
I can’t answer because I don’t know. I mean, sure the crush has a lot to do with it. I want to spend time with him and get to know him. But it’s deeper than that.
“You never answered my question,” I say after a few minutes. “About the Ball. Want to go with me? You’ll have to dress up and everything, but the food will be worth it.” I throw him a smile.
“When is it?”
“Friday night.”
He shakes his head. “I have plans with my grandmother.”
My heart might as well ooze out of my body and spill all over the floor. “Oh. That’s cool.” I avert my gaze, squeezing my hands in my lap some more. “Have fun.”
“You have fun, too.”
I won’t, not if he’s not there. Even if we’re not a thing, it’ll be so hard for me to see Jason and Jenna twirling around on the dance floor. I can still remember how warm Ryan’s hands felt on my waist at the school dance last week.
Ryan gets to his feet. “Can I walk you home?”
“Uh, sure. I was going to ask my brother to pick me up, but sure, we can walk.” It’s cold out, but something tells me I won’t feel it.
We gather our stuff. Ryan packs the canvas for me and then we leave the art room. The school is basically empty, except for a few students in their clubs and other kids working on projects or whatever.
I press my algebra textbook to my chest as Ryan and I start the trek home. It’s about twenty minutes by foot, and he doesn’t seem to mind. He also doesn’t seem to mind that my house is farther from school than his is. He’s going to walk extra? Why?
“Are you sure you want me to keep that?” I nod to his hand, where he’s clutching the canvas like it’s his most prized possession.
“Yeah. If you want, you should hang it on the ceiling, over your bed. So you can look at it before you go to sleep and when you wake up. You’ll feel like you’re in the ocean.”
I smile. “That’s cool. Thanks.”
We reach my house and bid each other goodbye. I watch him walk off. He’s still hunched over like he’s carrying the world on his shoulders, but it’s different now. Lighter.
“So did you ask him?” Mom says the second I enter the house.
Shrugging my jacket and backpack off, I say, “He has plans. It’s fine, anyway. He probably would have been miserable there.” Like I’m going to be, but I’m doing this for my dad.
She pats my arm. “It’s just one night, sweetie. You’ll survive.”
I force a smile. I never fit in with other rich people, but she’s right. I’ll survive. “Hey, at least there will be good food.”
She laughs, wrapping her arm over my shoulder and steering us toward the kitchen. “Speaking of food, come help me with dinner.”