Chapter 44//"Conner, you're a bit confused so I'll enlighten you. I'm a female"
I loved car, bus, train, and any sort of journey especially long ones. I found it relaxing as you slowly moved forward and you could be comfortable watching the plants pass by you.
"Hey Em you ready for this boring museum trip" I ask her as I fix my bag strap on to my shoulder.
For some reason coach was the one taking us on this trip, I didn't know if he knew anything about History. Actually he didn't know anything about it, he just offered to take the class because there was a huge pay bonus if you were the teacher taking a class of 20 to a boring museum of History.
"Here" I call out my name as coach goes through the list in his extremely loud voice. Does he not realize that we're not on the field anymore and he doesn't have to keep blowing his whistle to get our attention?
"At least I have you to keep me company" I smile at Emily.
It was a thing people did, where the only way we make conversation is by pretending we hate something we love.
Like people who love English pretend they hate it, when actually they love the subject. It was something you have done once in your life. Or pretend to like a certain food just cause someone else doesn't like it.
"Yeh about that..." she begins and I give her a hard look. There was no way she was ditching me.
"Mate what do you mean your sitting next to Melanie, can you not be without a fuck buddy for 15 minutes" Conner shouts at Aiden.
"My name is Emily and we're not fuck buddies, we're friends, ever heard of one Conner, you should get some" Emily puts her hands on her hips and leans towards Conner angrily.
I give Aiden a death stare, oh I knew what him and Emily were up to and it was not happening. I was not going to ask Conner Ryder out.
If only winter took history she would slap some sense in to Emily right now.
By the look on Conner's face he didn't looked thrilled about the idea of sitting next to me which makes my heart sink. Really what was so bad about sitting next to me? It's not like I smelt bad. I smelt like a mix of vanilla and coconut. Thank you Victoria secret for not only creating the greatest underwear but also the greatest scents.
I didn't want to sit next to him, because I may or may not pretend to faint on his lap. Or pretend that I was going to be sick unless he wrapped his strong arms around me.
"What are you smiling at, you can't be happy about this arrangement?"
"Of course I'm not happy Conner" I make my face expressionless.
There it was again saying the opposite of what you actually meant. If only people were honest, the world wouldn't contain so many stories about heartbreak.
"See you at the museum Quarterback, catch you later Cress" Aiden winks at Conner, who's face was currently unamused.
For some reason it felt like a heartstring was being pulled inside me. He called Conner the quarterback. That was Elliott's position. Sometimes if felt like Elliott was a memory I still didn't understand how people were moving forward.
"We have shit friends" He sighs running a hand through his hair.
Agreed.
"Yeh I know they're so stupid for thinking that we could like each other" I laugh but even I could here the nervous tone in the back of my laugh.
He turns to look me in the eyes with his light blue eyes.
Did I say something wrong?
My eyes divert away from his and my gaze runs along his strong jaw line.
I force myself to look at the floor, I hold my breath trying to stoop myself form blushing.
Did I have to check him out so bluntly?
There was an awkward moment of silence.
"Ah two of my favorite people" I jump at the sound of that voice. I turn around to see coach standing behind us.
"You two are sitting at the front of the bus together" He announces.
"Why" Conner and I shout simultaneously.
"The Football Captain and the head Cheerleader both represent our school. You have been given these rolls and this is another responsibly that comes with it"
I continue to listen to coach talk a whole load of bullshit.
The only reason I could understand why he was doing this was because he wanted to embarrass us.
"You never made Aribella and Elliott sit together" I point but then again coach absolutely hated Aribella.
"Elliott Grayson, never listened to anyone, and Aribella is a airhead. Ryder and you are a perfect representation of this school"
Oh god, coach ships Conner and me together.
I shake my head not even bothering to argue any longer and walk towards the entrance of the coach.
"You first blondie" Conner says like a gentleman, as we were both about to climb up on to the coach.
"Don't call me blondie," I shout at him. I try and kick my leg backwards in a donkey like motion. Instead I nearly fall backwards off the bus.
Smooth Cress.
I take the second set of seat from the front and sit beside the window as Conner drops himself beside me.
Our shoulders were just centimeters from touching and his lemony musky scent was everywhere? Does this boy not realize the effect he has on girls?
Yet I don't know a single girl that has kissed Conner before me. Though he's probably had many, he just doesn't flaunt them around.
I shuffle in my seat trying to get comfortable. You know that feeling where your bra is practically falling off under your school uniform. Yes, well that was the horrible thing I was experiencing right now, and I was trying to subtly fix it.
My shoulder knocks in to Conner's and he raises an eyebrow at me.
"Do you have a problem?"
Yeh, can you fix my bra for me like just tighten the strap.
But I obviously didn't say that.
"No" I mutter
Students climb on to the coach, Ryan looks in my direction and winks at me with his blue eyes. I bend down to unlace my shoe ready to throw it at his face. I never miss.
That was until Conner grabs my wrist stopping me from doing anything stupid.
"Don't let him get you to you, you don't need to retaliate, everyone already knows you have standards higher than him"
"I dated his half brother, my standards are currently very low"
"It was obvious you and Elliott weren't meant to be. Elliott needed someone just as insane as him and so far I have never met anyone that's fit that bill"
That's when the coach takes a sharp right and I practically launch in to Conner. My shoulder hits in to his again and then I place mistakenly place my hand on his leg trying to stop myself form falling out this seat.
Who the hell is the driver and here did he get his license?
I quickly compose myself and sit straight again and mutter a sorry.
"Look at this cute couple" Aiden says. Why the hell was he walking around on a moving Coach?
"Aiden, get back in your seat you bloody idiot"
"I'm just stretching my legs" He replies ignoring coach. "So Conner have you asked her ou..."
That's when the bus goes over some rocks, well I think it was rocks, it was probably just the driver's shitty driving.
Aiden collapses on us, I let out a squeal of surprise and Conner is even taken aback.
Aiden was lying on top of our laps; he places his hands behind his head getting comfortable.
"Ask her" Aiden demands.
"No" Conner replies, his voice was steady but I could see the angry look he was giving a smiling Aiden.
"Well, Conner here wants to ask you..."
Conner cuts him off " to a guys night we're having tonight at mine"
A guys night, why would I be invited to a guys tonight? I look between them confused and at Aiden who was currently laughing.
"No that came out wrong" Conner explains.
For some reason I though Aiden was asking Conner to say something different and this is the first thing that popped in to Conner's head. But what can I say I'm usually wrong.
"Conner I think you're a little bit confused so let me enlighten you. I am a female" I say the words slowly like I was talking to a child. Aiden bursts in to a fit of laugher, still lying on my lap.
And I think that was the first time I saw the bad boy blush.
"Aw look he's blushing. I have never seen anyone have that affect on Conner" Aiden says, making Conner even more embarrassed.
"Oh look it's 11:11 let's make a wish" I say trying to change the subject.
I close my eyes and cross my fingers.
Please let Conner Ryder like me. Let someone fill that gap in my heart that Elliott left behind.
*
"And here we have this monumental item from the late 1800's called..." And then tour guide with a thick accent goes on to say some French words to describe the boring sculpture.
"Stick together kids" One of the museum workers who was showing us around cooed at us.
Excuse me Miss, I can drive, that means I'm not a kid anymore.
We enter a dimly light corridor, some people squeak in surprise but we continue to walk through it.
The museum worker describes the darkness as adding to the experience.
Suddenly I feel myself being tugged aside. I let out a little gasp in the frantic crowd.
When I finally open my eyes again I am back in to the damp light of the museum.
I snatch my wrist out the stranger's and rub on the area of my wrist where he was tightly gripping on to me.
"You don't need to man handle me" I spit at him.
"Yeh Elliott probably man handled you very well" he smirks. I don't even want to know what he was thinking inside his dirty mind.
"Will you stop talking about Elliott? I am so over him, okay. No feelings"
"Well that's exactly what I want to hear," he breathes to close to me. Will Ryan not take no as an answer?
"Ryan, what do you want from me?" I sigh.
"I want you" He says taking a small step closer. Someone pass me a bag because I think I need to barf in it.
Ryan had everything on his side the cute voice, the attractive body, but it goes to show if you have a shitty personally then it flaws everything.
"Well Ryan the feeling is not mutual" I roll my eyes unaffected by his words.
"I spoke to Elliott the other day"
This time I look up at Ryan seriously.
"Now I've got your attention. He's dating some brunette I heard she models" He shrugs watching me carefully.
"I can help you forget everything about Elliott. Or is it that you want Ryder, I see the way you act around him, like a nervous schoolgirl" He was adding a sweet tone to his voice and for a moment I wanted to be comforted by someone. Then I push away the thought as quickly as it came.
I raise a eyebrow at him "Ryan, you dumbass, I am a nervous schoolgirl"
I don't think Ryan has understood what personal space is yet because as per unusually he had me nearly pressed up against the wall.
"Yes Ryan, I want Conner I have wanted Conner from the day I met him when I was a kid. I spent my whole life crushing on him. I crushed on Conner before I developed feelings for Elliott. Conner is my childhood crush and that in a way is something you don't get over. There will always be something inside of you that likes them" I tell Ryan.
I didn't know what brought along my little speech, maybe the fact that it infuriated Ryan ad I loved the expression on his face when he was annoyed the way his light blue eyes narrowed in to slits.
"Really Ryan when is it that your going to take no for a answer from a girl"
I felt the voice ringing in my ears.
Oh god why do you hate me so much?
Conner's eyes blinked between Conner and me and I know instantly that he heard.
Ryan takes a step away from me and I break out in to a run. Conner heard me call him my crush. Oh my there is noting more embarrassing than that. I already knew my face was bright red and I felt so uncomfortable in my tight shirt.
"Crescent, Cress" I hear my name being called. When I reach the elevator I continuously hit the button.
Stupid old thing.
Conner comes down the corridor and walks in my direction. I bite the inside of my cheek in complete embarrassment.
The more I ran away the more I was making this situation more awkward but I couldn't help it.
As the old metal doors force itself open I slip inside, praying that Conner doesn't make it in to the small confined space with me.
But of course nothing is on my side and he makes it in time.
Well then, Conner and me in a small metal elevator. How awkward.
"Why are you running away from me" he asks in his sexy bad boy voice.
He was playing dumb of course he heard what I said.
"Because...I.... did you hear what I said to Ryan?" I stutter trying hard to stop myself from melting in to a puddle.
That's when his expression changes and he tries to hold back a sort of grin.
"You mean the part about you wanting me or the part about how I am your childhood crush?"
Why do boys have to make everything seem dirty?
That's when the elevator jolts slightly and I lean back against the mirrors in the elevator and Conner sort of fall on top of me.
I use my arm to flip my hair out my face and see him looking directly in to my eyes.
"I knew you liked me" He says which surprises me.
"What?" I say which makes him he laughs at my surprise.
"Here's what you girls don't understand. That when you steal glances at us in class we do notice, you know we have eyes and then when we to catch you looking at us and you quickly drop your eyes to the floor. We're not dumb you know you like us. Finally you laugh a little louder when we're around or you walk a certain way just to see us, we may be guys Crescent but we still realize these things"
I gulp and here's me thinking boys were stupid and didn't notice anything.
Everything was quiet for a moment in the elevator and I couldn't help but feel myself cringe at how 50 shades of gray this was.
Conner glances down my face and then brings his eyes back to mine, as though he knew he shouldn't have been looking at myself.
"If you knew. Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you embarrass me with it or use it against me"
That's when I se that sort of anger in his eyes. "I'm not that kind of guy Crescent and if you must know growing up Daniel always told us if anyone of us even came near you he'd kill us. You were forever out of bounds. That was until Elliott decided he wanted you"
My heart was drumming in my chest and he was so close to me and the heat was rising in this cooped up space.
"Well it's not his decision" I mutter under my breath.
His blond hair was a mess and his school shirt was slightly untucked. The heat was practically radiation of his muscled chest making it hard for me to think straight.
"Daniel is one of the funniest and craziest people I have ever met and you're just like him. You both have your occasional mood swings, but all around everyone likes you. Well expect from Aribella"
Be confidence. Be confidence. Be confidence.
"What about you. What do you think of me"
That's when his tanned skin turns ever so slightly a tinge of pink.
He scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. Conner was the bad boy that got his way in nearly every situation, yet he was still nervous almost like he'd never told a girl that he like them.
"I guess I sort of have a... crush on you too. But we're different Crescent. Your too good for someone like me, I've done things that you wouldn't want to know "
"Well as we know from my past I sort of have a thing for bad boys" I put a hand over my mouth embarrassed that I just called him a bad boy out loud.
"Bad boy eh?" he cocks a dark blonde eyebrow at me.
Does he even know what he does to me by being so close to me? God Conner why do you have to smell so good. I think my heart was having some sort of seizure?
"I do like you Crescent but we don't go together"
I hated it how people thought I was some sort of good girl when I wasn't.
It was now or never.
"Tell me you don't want to kiss me" I tell him as he was so close to me. I knew he did. It was obvious but I know he also wanted to back away. I was trying to taunt him. The elevator does another jolt and Conner places both his hands on either side by my head holding on to the mirror.
"Tell Me," I emphasize.
There was complete silence.
Conner grabs my waist; he pulls me closer to him and looks deep in to my eyes. He purposely looked down at my lip and then back in to my eyes, finally he places his hand on my chin and takes his dear sweet time in leaning in to kiss me.
I smash my lips against his making me hold on to the mirrors behind me.
He was as close as physically possible as I tasted his lips and they burned against mine. Every cell in my body was lit with electricity.
One of his hands moves down form my check then to brush the small hairs away form my neck. I moan out loud and cringe.
I have kissed both Elliott and Conner a number of times in a number of different places. But for some reason I felt really weird kissing someone in an elevator. Probably because it felt like I was in 50 shades of gray.
I run my hands down his chest and grip his shirt trying to pull him closer.
Suddenly I hear a ping sort of noise and realize the elevator has opened. I peel open my eyes and in front of me is the entire class standing there look sat us, Daniel standing at the very front.
Daniel's face looked like he walked in on something he should never see in his life. His face wasn't even pale, no it was green.
Peoples mouths were hanging open in shock.
"Get on it" Aiden whoops.
Even the museum guide looked startled.
One person that looked happy was coach; actually he had a beaming smile on his face
"Perfect this is going on the front of the school website. Smile Quarterback"
Author note:
I know it's been like a month but I have had my prelims, next week is they're final week so ill be updating as normal form now one.
How do you think things are going to workout between Crescent and Conner and the countdown begins for Elliott's return!!
I feel kinda bad for Daniel though.
Anyway next update will be next weekend !! xx