I'd always had trouble waking up.
First I would register that I could hear what was going on around me, and then slowly my consciousness would begin to string itself back together. It never happened fast enough for my liking, because that's when I was vulnerable. I knew what was happening in my surroundings, but I couldn't open my eyes or say anything quite yet.
The only thing was I had no idea what my surroundings were. The ground was hard and damp, and the air was fresh and cold. I could hear birds, and someone next to me, shifting their position on the wet ground. That was what woke me up faster than normal. Remembering what happened the night before, I mean.
"Oh shit," I moaned, lifting myself off the ground, only vaguely noticing I was covered with wet peaces of grass and leaves. I looked up, desperately wishing that I was alone.
My stomach dropped. This just wasn't my day. Or my week. Hell, this wasn't my decade.
Ian O'Hennesy was sitting against the large oak tree that sheltered the bench I had been on the previous night. He was still asleep, by the looks of it, so maybe I could leave without him seeing me.
But where would I go? Home? Fuck no. I didn't want to stay here on the wet ground, but I sure as hell wasn't going to go home. I just couldn't face my fucking sister. Not yet.
But I had to find out where to go. Hell, maybe I didn't even care. Maybe...
My thoughts were cut short as Ian shifted in his sleep. Unfortunately, this made him loose whatever balance he had on the side of the tree, and his body toppled over onto the ground.
If I weren't so horribly mature for my age, I would've laughed at his rude awakening. His blue eyes were wide and he rubbed his head where it had hit the dirt. Then he looked at me.
He did a double take before breaking into a grin. Oh Lord.
"G'morning, Sleeping Beauty," He said cheerfully, yawning, "you feeling better?"
My face formed a scowl, I was sure of it, but that didn't seem to affect him.
"My, you're cranky." Ian's tone was a chastising one, and I glared, "what crawled up your ass and took a bite?"
I stood up, but I felt him tug on my arm to keep my from walking away, "come on. I'm just kidding."
For some reason that made me sit down again. Maybe just to get him to shut up.
"So..." He began, more awkwardly this time, "are you okay?"
I nodded. It was a lie.
Ian shook his head, "no, you're not, are you?"
"I'm fine."
"If you were fine, you'd say so without sounding forced. And then you'd probably make fun of my hair."
I bit my lip to hold back a smirk. I probably would make fun of his stupid hair.
"Don't smile, you'll break your face." He teased.
There was along pause as he waited for me to say something. "I should go."
"How pissed do you think your mom is?" He asked bluntly, before stumbling over an apology, "sorry, I don't know your mother, I shouldn't talk about her like I do--"
"You probably have better things to say about her than I do." I muttered.
He raised his eyebrows, "I'm assuming you don't get along?"
I inwardly winced at how comfortable he seemed to be around me, how much he already knew about me. He'd been slowly unraveling me all night, I realized. He was actually trying to figure out what I was thinking about, and he was actually trying to hold a civil conversation with me. Why would he do that? Why did he even give a shit?
I decided to ask him, "look, when did you suddenly start caring about my life?" That was harsh, I know.
He looked at his feet, wringing his hands nervously, "I don't know," he murmured, "it's like math."
....Say what now?
He obviously noticed that his words hadn't made any sense at all, so he took a breath, "I like math. I like looking at a problem and then trying to solve it. I like challenges, but this is different. I...with you I have no clue what the answer is."
"Answer?"
"What makes you so fucking irritable." He seemed exasperated, "what makes you hate everyone on sight, what makes you think you have to do everything alone."
"I do things better when I'm by myself." Why was that so hard for everyone to understand?
"How do you know if you haven't tried relating to anyone else?"
"How do you know if I haven't tried?"
Ian looked at me wide-eyed, "I've known you sense kindergarten. I've been in the same school as you since then, and you've only really met me this year. Did you know that?"
I really hadn't known that. I really never paid much attention to who was in what classes with me. It had never actually mattered to me.
He chuckled dryly, "if I'd have known that all I had to do to get you to know my name was piss you off, I would've done it a long time ago."
If he was going to say anything else, it was cut off by his cell phone ringing. I sighed at the annoying beeping that everyone seemed to covet so much this day and age.
He answered it, "yeah?" The person on the other line seemed to have quite a bit to say. He smiled, "I'll be there." He looked up at me, as I slowly backed away towards the direction of my house, and he went back to his conversation. My heart sank as I heard the next words.
"Can I bring a friend?"
Oh please no, no, no, no...
He grinned, "kay!" I started back away again as innocently as I could. But he ran past me quickly, grabbing my hand without stopping.
"The fuck are you doing?!"
"Bringing a friend!"
I was annoyed at the situation, not scared at all.
Though I think I should've been, because I'm pretty sure I was being kidnapped.


---

"Let me go."
"No."
"Let me go."
Ian shook his head, laughing. His hand still gripped my wrist tightly as he pulled me along the sidewalk to...wherever we were going. Wherever I was being forcibly taken.
"I'm not going to say it again," I hissed.
"Bet you will."
"Let me go." He was right.
"No ma'am. You don't want to go home, I can figure that out. You should do something productive with your day!"
"How is this productive?" This kid's logic had some serious flaws.
"It's better than sitting around all day."
"Some would beg to differ."
"Differ all you like. You're still coming with me."
"Going with you where?"
He turned and smiled at me, "it's a surprise. I'm not taking you to meet strangers, though. You know her."
"Who?"
"You'll see!"
Now I remembered why I hated people.
Soon he dragged me up to a brick house at the end of the road. It was one of those houses with the extraordinary talent of looking exactly like the ones next to it. I seriously think the Grayview founders built all of the houses in town exactly alike just so they could laugh when you pulled up to the wrong one in your car, not being able to tell if it was yours.
He started up the dirt path leading to the door, and I realized this was my last chance to escape. I pulled and pulled, but he still held on. I was seriously his hostage.
He knocked on the door and I tried to look as off-putting as I could, and maybe whoever it was wouldn't let me in.
But the door opened, revealing a tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She gave Ian a small smile, and she looked surprised to see me.
"Riley?" Claire sounded shocked.
Ian didn't give me a chance to say anything as he jumped into the conversation, "sorry I'm late. Somebody was being difficult."
"Why are we at Claire's house?" I ignored his jab at me.
"She needs help with geometry," he said, and he pulled me into Claire's house before saying more, "and you know what? So do you! How serendipitous that we're all here at this exact same point in time!"
"Can I go now?" I asked boredly.
"Nope! You'll be hanging with your friends today, missy."
"I don't have any friends."
Ian pouted, "that hurt. Stung me right in the heart."
"What a tragedy."
Claire looked a little lost, "er...Are we doing this math lesson?"
Ian looked at her, "'fraid not, Claire. We've got some work to do."
Claire looked relieved, actually. I raised an eyebrow.
"Work?"
Ian nodded, "today is the day that Riley Frasier is granted a social life!"
They both smiled, and I looked between the two, trying to find a weakness, an excuse to just leave, but my mind just stopped working.
Son of a bitch.