A few days later, Ricki was walking to her car after class. She walked down the busy sidewalk and through the busy commons area and the lunchtime traffic. She heard a snicker behind her and turned her head just in time to see Susan and another girl looking at her and laughing.
Do I have toliet paper stuck to my shoe? Why are they laughing at me? She asked herself. She kept walking, trying to shake that awful feeling. It was the worst feeling in the world to know that someone was talking about you behind your back. She hurried to her car and got into it and started the engine as quickly as she could. That had just brought back memories from high school that she had just wanted to forget.
High school is a thing of the past....you only know one person here....No one knows that you were a dork in high school....no one knows who you used to be...
"Zac, stop that." Ricki said to Zac, kicking him from underneath the table.
Zac snorted, sending the paper straw wrappers flying out of his nose.
Ricki rolled her eyes. "You are soooo immature."
"And you have no sense of humor." He said. "That's why I like Susan."
Ricki's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me. That girl is such a phony." She said.
"Nah. She's cool. You gotta get to know her." Zac said, stuffing the last piece of their dinner pizza into his mouth.
"Whatever. I've met her before, and that's enough."
"You're uptight." Zac said.
"And you're too stupid for your own good." Ricki snapped back.
"Whatever. I gotta get to my bio class." Zac said, wiping the last of pizza sauce off his hands with his napkin. He threw it on the table and stood up, grabbing his back pack.
"I"ll be home around eight." he said.
"Kay." She said.
"I expect you'll be home?" He asked with a knowing grin.
Ricki just rolled her eyes. Zac laughed. "That's what I thought. See ya."
"Bye." She said with annoyance in her tone. She watched him leave, his blonde hair loosely swaying as he walked out of the cafeteria. She looked around the nearly empty room. It was only six in the evening on a Thursday in late October, and they had met for a quick dinner. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a person she did not feel like talking to.
Susan sauntered over to the booth Ricki was sitting in and sat down.
"So. Meeting my boyfriend for dinner now, are we?"
Ricki crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes across the table at Susan. "He is not your boyfriend."
"Whatever. Look, I told you to stay away. And I meant that."
"Since when do you control me?" Ricki challenged.
Susan gave a haughty laugh. "I always get what I want. And I want Zac Hanson. I don't think I need to explain it anymore." Susan said.
Ricki just glared.
"I'll say it one more time. Stay away from him." With that, Ricki watched as Susan stalked out of the room.
Ricki looked around at the cheering people. It was several weeks later, and this was the third football game of Ashton's she had been to. She smiled to herself as she watched him jog after the field. She clapped for the game. They had won, 27 to 12, and Ashton had made one of the three touchdowns.
After he had come out of the locker room, she found herself sitting in a loud, crammed to the rim diner with Ashton and his friends.
"You played a great game." She said, trying to make conversation with him.
"Thanks. I thought you didn't like football." He said.
She laughed. "I don't."
"Then why do you come to my games?" He asked. Ricki knew he was flirting, and he was so cute; she couldn't resist.
"Well now that I know you have a reason to go to football games." She said.
"Why's that?"
"Because I have a good friend on the football team." She said.
"Oh yeah? Who's that?"
Ricki laughed. She pointed over to the corner, where Big Bob sat, a 500 pound player that had been hit in the head a few too many times.
Ashton laughed. "I hope you're joking."
"Nah. I go for the big ones." She said.
"Well, Bob's a big boy, but he's a little taken."
"By who?" Ricki asked, giggling slightly.
"His mama's cookin." Ashton replied.
"So how does it feel?" Ricki asked with a smile, giving Ashton a friendly nudge.
"How does what feel?" he asked, slightly yelling over the noise.
"How does it feel to be a football star?" She yelled back with a giggle.
Ashton looked around at all of his teamates and friends at the wild diner and grinned.
"It feels pretty damn good!" He said, his accent thick.
Ricki laughed and was surprised when she felt Ashton casually sling his arm around her shoulder. She smiled at him and he grinned back at her. She felt her stomach turn slightly. What does that mean? She asked herself.
Ricki all but skipped down the hallway at three fifteen in the morning, and she had to stop herself when she got to her door. Zac was cranky when woken up, and she had had too good a night to have it be ruined by him.
She quietly stuck her key in the door, and let it swing open. What she saw almost caused her to gag. There, sitting on her bed, was Zac and Susan, engrossed in a heavy makeout session. When they saw Ricki standing gaping at the two of them in the doorway, they broke apart quickly.
"Ewwww!" Ricki exclaimed.
"Ricki, calm down, we weren't doing anything-"
"Zac! Gross! I dont' wanna know! Get off my bed!" She yelled, walking over to them.
"Calm down!" He said, re arranging his shirt and standing up. Susan followed.
"Why were you on my bed?" She asked.
Zac shrugged as he put his overshirt back on. "It was just....there."
"Ewww!" She exclaimed, throwing down her purse. She glared at Susan, who just stood there innocently.
"Um, I'm gonna...go." Susan said timidly, pushing past Ricki to get to the door.
Ricki was fuming. "Yeah, you'd better go."
Susan stopped at the door and turned around. "You know, I'm sorry. I don't know what I ever did to you to make you so mad at me." She said.
Ricki's jaw dropped. "I can't believe this!" She shieked.
"Ricki! Shhhh!" Zac said, looking around nervously.
"No I will not 'Shhhh'!" She exclaimed. "This girl has been nothing but a bitch to me, and now she's trying to make me look like an idiot!"
"I have not." Susan said calmly.
"Ricki, calm down." Zac said.
"I'd better go." Susan said. She quickly slipped out the door. Zac was furious.
"I cannot believe you just did that."
"Zac, she's a phony. I can't believe that YOU can't see that."
"Why do you hate her so much?"
"Because she only likes you for your money!"
"No she doesn't! She told me, and I believe her. If you can't handle it, then just stay away from us. She's a great girl and I want this to work." Zac said.
With that, he flipped out the lights and went over to his bed. Ricki heard him grunt with frusteration as she stood in the middle of the now dark room, unable to believe what had just happened.