Outcasts

by B. D. Fresquez

  Aiden rubs his face with his hands. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. You’re already pissing me off.”

  “Let’s just turn around. This isn’t going to work,” I say. Aiden is annoying me now and I just want to go home. I turn around and start to walk away.

  My eyes widen when two arms wrap around me and lift me up. Aiden throws me over his shoulder and continues to walk.

  “Aiden!” I shriek. “Put me down now!” I yell as I hit his back.

  Two people walk past us and give us weird looks.

  “Sorry. She’s not all there right now,” Aiden says to them.

  I smack him again. “You are mean and careless and rude and…and mean!”

  “You said that twice, Riley.”

  “I don’t care. Put me back down this instant.”

  I hear him sigh. He sets me down carefully and chuckles when I cross my arms over my chest. I’m not happy with him right now and I’m not going to take this.

  “You aren’t scary when you’re mad, you know.” Aiden continues to laugh at me.

  “Aiden, I’m going home,” I say to him.

  Aiden purses his lips. “Okay, okay, just calm down,” he says. “Maybe we can do this another time. You’re obviously not going to cooperate with me right now, so let’s go back.”

  I start walking ahead of him with my arms still crossed. I hear him chuckle behind me. “Are you mad at me, Riley?”

  “You aren’t my favorite person right now.” I huff.

  “You aren’t my favorite person either, if that makes you feel any better.”

  I frown and turn towards him. “How is that supposed to make me feel better?” I ask him. “Don’t answer that. I don’t care if I’m your favorite person.” I notice my house come into view and I sigh in relief.

  “Well, I’m going to show you my idea of fun one way or another Led Zeppelin girl.” He smiles.

  “It’ll have to be another day,” I say as we walk.

  We end up at the end of my driveway and I face him. “Well, this was an interesting attempt at having fun.”

  Aiden grins. “Just wait for the real fun.”

  “Can’t wait,” I say sarcastically. I start walking backwards.

  “Hey, before you go,” Aiden starts to say. “You’re going to that photo shoot crap tomorrow for the wedding, right?”

  I really wish we don’t have to. I’m not like these other girls who are photogenic. I tend to look awkward in every picture I’m in. Especially school pictures, which are the worst. “Yes, I am. Why?”

  Aiden looks down and kicks a rock by his foot. “My dad said I could go if I wanted to. I told him no though…”

  “And your point is?” I ask, not seeing where he’s going with this. He shouldn’t just trail off like that and assume I know what he’s talking about.

  “I’ll be there if you’re there,” he finally says.

  “Oh,” I say, sounding surprised. “Okay.”

  He takes a few steps towards me and I take a few steps back. But he’s faster than me, so I almost trip on his foot. He grasps my waist. He starts leaning towards me, and my breath catches in my throat. His eyes sparkle when he glances at me. He leans closer and my eyes involuntarily shut. I feel his cheek touch mine as he speaks into my ear. “Goodnight, Riley. And watch where you step.”

  It’s suddenly cold as he pulls away from me with an evident smirk on his face. He gives me a small wave and starts to walk down the sidewalk.

  Dammit, he did it again!

  I told myself not to let that happen again. That incident in the kitchen had left me feeling weak and powerless, and I hate the feeling. And here I am in the same position, letting the same thing happen.

  Damn Aiden.

  I turn and trudge towards my front door. I pull out my house key and unlock the door. I feel on edge again, so I slam the door as I walk inside.

  “Who was that?” My mother’s voice nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I whirl around and see her smiling at me.

  “Jeez, Mom.” I put my hand over my heart. “Way to give me a heart attack.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You’re such a drama queen, Riley, I swear.”

  “Well, don’t scare me like that,” I say, walking around her. I head off to the kitchen to get a water bottled water. My throat is dry and I need something cold.

  “I was just asking who that was with you outside.” I hear her behind me.

  I open the fridge and grab a water bottle. “Aiden Callaway,” I answer. I take a big drink from the water bottle.

  “Callaway?” She frowns. “As in Anna’s fiancé’s son?”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  “I haven’t heard many good things about that boy.” She continues to frown.

  “Mom”—I rolled my eyes—“haven’t you always told me not to judge someone until you actually know them?”

  She shrug. “Yeah. But I don’t know about you hanging around him.”

  “He’s just going through a hard time,” I say. Whoa, am I defending Aiden Callaway? “This wedding isn’t settling well with him.”

  “Why? He should be happy.”

  “That’s what I told him,” I mutter. “It’s not exactly my place to tell you his personal stuff, but it’s been rough for him.”

  “I just don’t want you being with the wrong crowd, Riley.”

  “Oh please.” I roll my eyes at her again. “When have I ever hung with the wrong crowd? When have I ever even hung out with a crowd? If I knew he was someone I shouldn’t be friends with, then I wouldn’t be talking to him.” I snap.

  She looks slightly taken aback by my outburst. I’m stunned too. I don’t think I’ve ever snapped like that at my mom and it’s clear that she’s a bit hurt over it.

  I sigh. “I’m sorry. Today was just a long day, and I’m tired and I’m ready to go to bed now.”

  She nods. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I take that opportunity to run up the stairs to my room. I shut my door behind me and squeeze my eyes shut.

  Why am I acting like this?

  I quickly change into my pajamas and get into bed. But I’m having trouble falling asleep. My heart is pounding in my chest and it isn’t stopping. I sit up in bed and rub my face.

  It’s that whole thing with Aiden. I hate that I felt weak when he came close to me. I hate that he has that effect on me.

  I hate not knowing why I’m acting like this.

  ***

  I have to say, sometimes sitting in the library during lunch gets boring after a while. Of course, I can help our librarian, but she never wants to put me to work. So here I am sitting at a table by myself, with absolutely nothing to do. And obviously, I have no one else to hang out with.

  Maybe I should start socializing more.

  Ha! Like that will ever happen. I hate everyone in this school.

  I put my head on the table and sigh. There are about twenty minutes left of lunch and I know I’m not going to last. I hear someone sit in front of me and I look up immediately.

  Ryan smiles at me. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” I say, sitting up. I look around then look back at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I can’t visit my best friend?” he asks me.

  I roll my eyes. “I know that’s not the reason you’re here.”

  “You are right about that.” He points at me. “You’re leaving with me today.”

  When was this decided? “Can I ask why?”

  “We’re doing that photo shoot remember?” he says. “Anyways, we’re going to have to miss our last class so we can get ready and take the pictures. Don’t worry. Your mom already knows.”

  “Okay then,” I say. As much as I don’t want to take these stupid pictures, it’s all for Anna and the wedding. I have to repeat that to myself because I can be selfish sometimes.

  He stares at me for a moment. “You don’t want to be in the wedding, do you?”

  Where had that question come from? “What makes you assume t
hat?” I ask him.

  “You never look happy when someone mentions the wedding,” he tells me. “Like right now when I mentioned the pictures.”

  I shrug. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in the wedding. I’ll admit that I didn’t want to do it in the first place, but then I met all of you guys…”

  Ryan smiles. “And then you fell in love with all of us.”

  I laugh. “I wouldn’t say I fell in love. I guess you guys kind of grew on me.”

  He laughs too. “Oh please. You did fall in love.” He leans forward in his chair. “You love Aiden.”

  My smile drops as soon as he says that. “Excuse me?” I ask him. If I had heard him correctly, I think he said I love Aiden.

  “Don’t deny it, Riley,” he says as he grins.

  “I am going to deny it!” I exclaim. “Aiden and I are barely friends. How can I possibly love him?”

  “Fine,” he says as he leans back in his chair. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Then he loves you.”

  I laugh at that. “You’re either delusional or just plain stupid. Why are you even suggesting these things?”

  He chuckles. “I’m a very observant person and I’ve noticed that you’ve been spending some time with Aiden lately.”

  “So?”

  “So, what I’m saying is that he doesn’t hang with a lot of people and he told me himself he doesn’t go around hanging out with girls like you—” He stopped suddenly.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Go ahead and say it, Ryan.” I snap, feeling angry. “Guys like you and Aiden don’t ‘hang out’ with nerds like me. Guys like you and Aiden only make us nerds feel invisible and use us to do your homework.” I stand up and grab my bag. “Which is fine with me. I don’t need friends like you. I’ve been fine on my own.” I walk away from him.

  “Riley! Come back!” I hear Ryan call out. I ignore him though. I don’t know why I’m so upset. I know I’m a nerd.

  You know why you’re mad. Ryan just said that Aiden said he especially doesn’t hang with nerds like you.

  I walk out of the library, shove my hands into my pockets, and start down the hallway. I need to move as quickly as possible, or Ryan will catch up with me. I decide to head towards my locker, since lunch is almost over anyways. I look down at the floor as I walk. A few people give me weird looks as I pass by them, but I just continue to look at the ground.

  I round a corner and run right into someone. “Sorry,” I mutter, not bothering to look up.

  “Led Zeppelin girl?”

  I glance up and see Aiden standing in front of me.

  “Hey.” He smiles. “Do you always run into people in the hall?”

  I disregard his comment and start to saunter around him. But he grabs my arm and pulls me back in front of him.

  “Is everything okay?” he asks slowly.

  I squint at him. “Oh yeah. Everything is just great. Don’t worry about a nerd like me. Sorry for running into you. Next time, I’ll just make myself invisible,” I say as I walk around him.

  “Riley!” I hear Ryan behind me. He approaches Aiden and me. “I didn’t mean what I said back there, I swear.”

  “What did you do?” Aiden asks Ryan.

  I step away from them. “You know what? Just stop pretending to care about me. I’m nobody compared to you guys. I’m fine with no friends. I always have been.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Aiden asks incredulously. He reaches out to touch my arm, but I flinch.

  “Just leave me alone.” I snap at him. I turn and make a run for the girls’ restroom. Once I’m in, I walk into a cubicle and start to cry.

  I feel so angry right now and I can’t keep it bottled in any longer. So many emotions run through me before I finally calm down. I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands.

  I open the door to the stall and walk towards the sink. I look at myself in the mirror and sigh. I look like I just got hit by a train. The restroom door opens and I see Nicole and one of her blonde friends walk in.

  Nicole smirks when she sees me. “Aren’t you the one who’s in Anna’s wedding?” I don’t respond to her. “You are, aren’t you?” She walks closer to me. “You know, because of this stupid wedding, I haven’t had much time with Ryan.”

  And that’s my problem how?

  “I should have been in the wedding,” Nicole states. “Not a pathetic loser like you. I mean, look at yourself.” Her blonde friend snickers. “And I bet you’ve been spending a lot of time with Ryan, haven’t you?”

  Don’t let her get to you, Riley.

  She now stands next to me and looks down at me. She’s a few inches taller than me in those heels she’s wearing. “You better stay away from him, bitch. He’s my boyfriend, not yours.”

  “Why would he go for her anyways, Nicole?” the blonde asks. “Like you said, she’s a pathetic loser.”

  They both chuckle and I sigh.

  Nicole raises her eyebrows. “No comments? Not so confident now that Ryan isn’t here, are we?”

  Say something, dammit. Don’t let them talk like this to you.

  “Let’s go to the other restrooms,” Nicole tells her friend. “I don’t want to be in here with this waste of space.”

  And with that, they leave.

  Now I really have an excuse to stay away from Ryan and Aiden. Before I talked to any of them, I had been fine. Nicole never acknowledged me; I didn’t feel so on edge, and people left me alone. Which is exactly how I like it.

  Chapter 13

  I convince my mom to pick me up from school instead of leaving with Ryan. I’m not ready to talk to him quite yet. My mom doesn’t ask any questions as to why I’m not going with Ryan, and I’m thankful for that.

  She tells me that we are going to Anna’s house so all the girls can get ready. Which is okay with me. As long as I don’t have to see Ryan or Aiden, I will be fine.

  We drive into Anna’s driveway and I sigh. “Do I have to do this?” I ask my mom.

  “Yes, you do,” she answers. “Now, go on. I don’t want you running behind.”

  I groan and get out of the car with my dress in my hands. Why do we have to do the pictures now? Don’t normal people do them right before the wedding so everyone is already dressed up?

  Whatever. This isn’t my wedding so I can’t go around telling people what I do and don’t like about it.

  I walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. It opens a few moments later, revealing Kelly. She smiles at me.

  “Hey, Riley. Long time no talk,” she says as she opens the door wider for me.

  I walk in and smile in return. “I’ve been busy.”

  “So, the girls are getting ready here and the guys are going to get ready at Robert’s house,” she explains as I follow her into the living room. The other girls are already here. I also notice three different girls sitting on one of the couches.

  Anna sees me and grins. “Now we have everyone here!” she exclaims. “Okay, so three of you will get your makeup done while the other two are getting their hair done, then you’ll switch. Understood?” We all nod. “Okay, so Jenna, Halle, and Riley, you girls get your makeup done first. Just follow Lynn and Sarah to the other room,” she says, also referring to two of the other girls. She turns towards Holly and Kelly. “You two follow Gabby to get your hair done.”

  And we are off. It all goes by in a blur. I actually start dozing off while my hair is being curled. We aren’t allowed to look in a mirror until we’re completely finished getting ready, which is kind of frustrating. I’ve never curled my hair before and I want to know what it looks like.

  After slipping on our dresses, everyone is finished getting ready. That’s when we can look in the mirror at ourselves.

  “Riley,” Kelly says, “you look amazing!”

  I glance at myself in the mirror and my eyes widen. “Holy crap…”

  I look like an entirely different person. I actually have makeup on, but it isn’t caked on. My hai
r is in soft curls that fall past my shoulders. I actually look like…a girl.

  Jenna smiles at me. “You look great, Riley.”

  “I’m so jealous of your hair!” Holly exclaims.

  I feel myself blushing from all the attention everyone is giving me. “Thanks,” I mumble as I look down.

  Anna walks in and she just looks stunning. Her dress is…different. It’s a knee-length white dress. I expected an actual dress.

  “Before anyone freaks out,” Anna starts. “My real wedding dress is being saved for the wedding day. I don’t want Robert to see it yet, so I’ve decided on wearing a replacement for right now.”

  That’s smart.

  “Now, let’s get going. The boys are already making their way to the park,” she tells us. We all shuffle out of the front door and get into Anna’s Expedition.

  We arrive at Apodaca Park, which is a huge park filled with big trees. The grass is green and some trees have small white flowers covering them. It’s a nice park. Nicer than the one I live near.

  Everyone gets out of the vehicles and I notice Lucas right away. He smiles at me and approaches. “Hey,” he says.

  “Hey yourself,” I tell him.

  He looks down at my feet, then his gaze meets my eyes again. “You look great. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

  I shrug. “This is the only time I’ve actually dressed up.”

  “Well, I like this look on you.” He grins.

  I see Ryan talking to Jenna off to the side. I instantly remember Nicole’s words from earlier. She actually thinks I’m going after Ryan when we’re just friends. I tell myself not to let her words get to me, but being called a pathetic loser and a waste of space isn’t exactly comforting.

  At the corner of my eye, I see Aiden standing near Kelly. She’s talking to him with her hands and he’s just standing there looking uninterested.

  “Okay, let’s go, everyone! The photographer is here!” Anna exclaims.

  We all make our way to where the photographer is. I’m walking along when someone grabs my arm and holds me back.

  “What the—” I turn and see Aiden standing next to me. “Oh. It’s you.”

  “What do you mean it’s me?” he asks. “I just wanted to ask you what the hell your problem is.”