"Do you know Ryder already? Doesn't he go to your school?" My mother asked as she combed through my damp hair.

I sighed. "Yeah I know him. Sadly we have to work on a project together that will last about the whole year."

"He's very handsome, I would go for him if I were you," my mom suggested.

Disgusted, I scrunched my face. "Mom! No! He's a first class jerk. He wont even cooperate on the assignment with me and I called him an idiot in class and now he won't work with me." Sometimes I really need to think before I speak.

She stopped brushing my hair as she began to think hard about this. "Maybe tonight you should talk to him and tell him you're sorry. An apology goes a long way you know."

How is it fair that I have to apologize for calling him an idiot but he doesn't apologize for the mud incident? It just doesn't seem fair.

But maybe, just maybe, if I do this, he might be nicer to me and help me with the project.

But I gave in. "Ok. I'll try talking to him."

I looked into the mirror and saw my mother smiling. "That's a good girl," she kissed my cheek and started to walk out of my room. "Please wear something semi-nice. We need to be over for dinner in ten minutes."

"Alright," I replied as she closed my door. I went over to my closet and picked out a nice black top and a dark blue denim jeans. The thought of putting on makeup was a no go, so I put my hair up in a bun and slipped on some converse. The smell of roses fulfilled my nose as I sprayed myself with perfume.

After eight minutes of finishing up, I hurried down stairs to see my mom already waiting at the door. She looked up at me and a smiled, "you look very pretty Autumn."

Returning a smile, I thanked her as we walked out of the house and over to the Becker's house.

***

Ryder's mom opened the door seconds after my mom rang the doorbell. Her hair today was down, not looking as full as I thought it would be when she had it in a bun the other day. Her brown, thin hair barely reached her shoulders as she stood tall in the doorway.

Her bright red lips contorted into a pleasant smile. "Lydia and Autumn, welcome!"

My mother and Lisa hugged then she turned to hug me.

Lisa stepped aside, "please come in."

I followed after my mother and right when I walked into the house, it smelled like thanksgiving dinner. All the flooring was hard wood except the stairs, which were carpeted.

"What are we having? It smells very good in here," my mother asked as we walked through the spacious living room.

"We are having chicken, mashed patatoes, green beans, salad, and other things. I know it's not even thanksgiving but I wasn't sure what you guys would want, so I made a thanksgiving dinner because everyone likes thanksgiving food, right?"

My mother laughed and I fake laughed to make myself not seem like an annoyed teenager. Am I the only one that fake laughs when a adult tries to say something funny? Probably.

We walked into the kicthen and sat ourselves at the kitchen bar, watching Lisa continue to prepare the meal for us.

"You have a beautiful house, Lisa," my mom commented.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Say, uh, where is Ryder?" Ofcourse my mom had to ask.

"He's upstairs in his room." Lisa stopped stirring the mash patatoes and looked up and me, "Do you want to go and hangout with him? I'm sure he would want your company."

I wanted to laugh out loud. Yeah right.

"I um I dont kno-''

My mother cut me off. "She would love to." I glared at my mom but she smiled back at me.

"His room is upstairs, the first door on the left."

Scraping my chair against the wood floor, I hopped off the chair and smiled. "Ok. Thank you."

My feet skidded against the floor, not wanting to move. I walked over to the stairs and looked back at my mom to see her talking and laughing along with Ms. Becker, not paying attention to me whatsoever.

I turned my attention back to the stairs and begun stepping up each step, one by one. Every step I took, I could feel my body heat up.

Dammit Autumn, why are you so nervous?

So caught up in my thoughts, I didn't even realize I was already standing outside of his bedroom door.

You can do this.

I knocked a couple times.

No response.

After knocking for another minute or so, I realized that wasn't going to get him to open his door. Twisting the handle, I cautiously pushed the door open. Inside, Ryder sat at his desk chair with headphones on, a controller in his hands. His attention was focused on his TV as he tapped furiously at his controller.

I walked further into his room and he still didn't notice. As I walked in, I took notice of his room. The bed was pressed up against the black wall with a walk-in closet on the opposite end of the room. On his dresser, football trophies stood proudly. Next to the trophies was a frame with a picture of him and his mom. He looked around the age of thirteen and he hugged his mom and they smiled.

Hmm, I wonder why his father's not in this. Maybe he's taking the photo?

"Why the hell are you in my room?"

I froze as I felt Ryder's breath tickle my neck. Too afriad to turn around, I continued to face his dresser.

When I didn't respond, he clasped his hands around my wrist, pinning me up against the wall.

I shuddered. "Y-you're hurting m-me."

His dark brown eyes shot knives through mine, making it hard to continue looking into his eyes. "I don't think you heard me. I said, what the HELL are you doing in my room!" Ryder pressed his body hard up against mine.

My voice became shaky. The feeling of being this close to him was too much. Closing my eyes to avoid his intimidating ones, I answered. "I um...your mom invited me and my mom over for d-dinner and...um...she told me to g-go up to y-your room. I shouldn't of uhh...I shouldn't of walked in. I'm sorry."

He didn't respond and I was afraid to open my eyes. His grip on my wrist loosened a little but hardly at all.

After a silence of what felt like forever, I finally gathered up the courage to open my eyes. He was no longer looking at me, but at my arm.

I looked at my arm then back at him over and over. Am I missing something? "What?"

"Those scars....what happened?" He whispered.

Looking at my arms, my eyes widened when I noticed what he was staring at. My sleeves had slid down my arm, revealing what was capturing Ryder's attention. There were multiple scars, cuts, and bruises all along my arms. Just looking at the injuries made my body ache and shake in terror.

I gulped, "it's n-nothing. Let go of my wrist p-please."

His eyes flashed with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher at the moment when he looked back at me. Suddenly, his hands released from my wrist and he walked back to his desk chair and sat in it. Ryder didn't say anything as he resumed to playing Call of Duty.

I stood by his dresser for a couple minutes just watching him play his game. "So umm..." I tried breaking the silence.

Ryder looked at me with an annoyed expression. "You're still here?"

"I think you knew I was still here," I scoffed, crossing my arms.

Twisting to face me in his twisty chair, he stared at me. The stare Ryder was giving me made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up so I scratched the back of my neck and looked anywhere else except at him.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

He rolled his eyes. Did I really bother him this much? "Do you have something to say or are you just gonna stand there."

Remember the apology.

Oh right!

"Yeah actually I do. Look," I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm really sorry that I called you an idiot today. It wasn't right and I was just upset at the moment and I...I'm just sorry." I looked down at my shoes. "Please forgive me."

Ryder ran his fingers through his chocolate brown hair and sat silent for a bit, contradicting if he should forgive me or not.

Out of nowhere, a laugh escaped his lips and I looked up at him, confused. "What's so funny?"

"You seriously think I'm upset about that?" His chuckles continued, "I couldn't care less! You think I'm pathetic, don't you?"

"No no not at all! But when I called you an idiot you stormed out of the classroom."

He shrugged. "I didn't feel like going to class after all."

"You're lyi-" I stopped myself from finishing my sentence. If I said he was lying, he would probably get upset and I won't have a chance to convince him to work with me.

Tucking a strand hair that fell from my bun behind my ear, I sheepishly smiled at him. "Oh, ok," I whispered but loud enough for him to hear.

Silence filled the room as he went back to playing his video game.

"So um," I looked around his room, trying to find something to say, "will you work on this project with me? Please, Ryder. I need you as my partner."

"Get a different partner," he recommended without taking his attention off the TV screen.

"I can't, everyone else is taken. And I think we could be good partners."

That's a lie. I just need him to think that so hopefully he says yes.

Now he looked at me. "Fine! Ok, I'll be your partner! Happy?"

"Really?" I squealed.

"Yeah, whatever," he rolled his eyes but I could see a sly smile creep onto his lips.

I jumped up and down. "Thank you thank you thank you!!!"

"Ok ok, calm down. Sheesh."

I stopped jumping. "Sorry."

After being in Ryder's room for about thirty minutes, I had a feeling that dinner was finally ready. "I think dinners ready. I'm going to go down. Are you coming or..."

He flopped onto his bed. "Nah, not hungry."

Walking out of his room, I looked back at him one last time. "Ok. See you at school tomorrow."

He didn't reply so I walked down the stairs.

I can't believe that he agreed to be my partner. How could this get any better?