Her face wells up in anger. “Heditchedme because he felt bad for you. He saw you sitting alone and told me he felt bad for you. So he asked you to dance.” She leans close. “He really wants me.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever, Brianne. I don’t care. If you don’t mind, I need to be somewhere.” I push her and her friends out of my way and head for the art room.
Ryan’s at his usual seat, and I notice he doesn’t have any food. Good thing I got enough for both of us.
“Hey,” I sit down. “Ugh. You have no idea what Brianne said to me.”
He’s staring at his empty canvas like he doesn’t know what to do with it. I know exactly what he needs—fuel to get his juices flowing. “Here.” I push my tray to him. “Eat something. It might help.”
Without looking at the tray, he grabs a grilled cheese sandwich and stuffs it into his mouth. “What did Brianne say?”
“That you danced with me at the Ball because you felt sorry for me.”
He turns to me. “That’s BS.”
“I know. You danced with me because you didn’t want her, and I was the only one without a partner.”
He squints his eyes.
“Kidding,” I say. “You danced with me because I’m awesome.” I meant that as a joke, but he’s not laughing. Or even cracking his teensy smile. Nope. His face has gotten dark, almost like he’s bothered about something.
“What?” I ask. “What did I say?”
He faces his blank canvas, shuts his eyes for a few seconds, then turns back to me. “Youareawesome. I don’t think you realize just how amazing you are.”
My heart stops pumping. “What?”
He goes still, like he didn’t mean for that to slip out. “What do you think we should draw today?”
His words aren’t going into my head. All I’m thinking is that he called me awesome and amazing. Why? And what does it mean?
Ryan grabs another sandwich and I wish I could eat, too, but I’ve lost my appetite. No one has ever said that to me, except for my parents, brother, and Jenna.
Why would he think I’m awesome and amazing? I wish I could ask, but I’m worried he might shut down.
“So…the drawing?” I nod to the canvas. “How does inspiration strike you?”
He shrugs. “Usually, I just draw, but I can’t bring myself to do it.”
“Why?”
He looks at me, then averts his gaze. Is it just me or is he hiding something?
Chapter Twenty-One
Ryan
Artemis looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. And I think I might have. No, truth is I lost my will to draw. Because honestly? If I let myself go, I’m worried her face will end up on the canvas.
She’s been invading my sketchbook lately. The only thing I find myself drawing is her face. And I was so pathetic this morning in history class, when I accidentally almost let her see it. The girl she thought was my ex-girlfriend? It was her.
The minute I shut my eyes in bed every night, she enters my head. When I open them, she’s still there. And as soon as my pencil hits the paper, I’m drawing her beautiful eyes.
And then only a few minutes ago, I called her awesome and amazing. I saw the way her face lit up—it made something shift inside me. And all I want to do is add more light, more glow, to her face.
I can’t fight it anymore. My heart is fixated on her, and no matter how much I try to sway it, it won’t budge.
I’ve never felt this way about a girl before, and it’s a little scary, to be honest. Yet, a part of me—a huge chunk of me—wants to explore this with her.
