Third Person POV
Finding Sia crying out in the rain, Hannah felt bad for her friend. The car ride back home was silent, too silent. The only noise being made inside, was the occasional sniffle Sia would let out. Her head was turned away, but Hannah knew she was crying, it was too obvious.
After watching everything that happened, Hannah was certain she knew what she had to do for her friend. She had a plan and was determined.
All she needed was a little help....
***
"Hannah, why are we rushing to lunch?" Sia whines to her friend, as she is being tugged towards the cafeteria against her will.
Since the day at the Hospital, Sia hasn't heard anything from Ryder. She knew she was the one who told him to stay away, but she couldn't help but feel a slight tug in her chest that she was no longer going to be able to have those phone calls with him.
Sia knew herself that she undoubtably fell in love with Ryder through their phone calls, and she was still in love with him. But she couldn't help but think, did he still feel the same about her now that he knew who she was? Did he still feel the same as he felt, when he left her that voicemail? She knew she didn't really give him much of a chance to speak a the hospital, but if she had, would he tell her, he loved her too?
As all these questions begin to pile up and weigh on her heart and mind.
"Because I'm hungry, and you have the speed of a snail," Hannah replied, snapping Sia out of her thoughts.
Just before they can both enter the cafeteria, Hannah abruptly stops, causing Sia to bump into her.
"Ow, Hannah" Sia winced. "Why are we stopping? I thought you were hungry?" She questioned.
Instead of replying to Sia's questions, Hannah simply turns around to face her.
"I'm sorry, Sia, hope you don't hate me for this." Hannah apologised, before opening the door for Sia to enter.
Sia just gives her friend a weird looks, not understanding what on earth she was on about, and why she would be apologising. As she enters, her eyes widen, understanding why Hannah was sorry.
In the middle of the cafeteria, stood Ryder Daniels, in all his glory, on one of the cafeteria tables, holding a microphone in his hand. In that moment, all Sia could see was him.
Rather than turn to Hannah and question what was going on, Sia walked towards Ryder, as if in a trance.
As she took her first step, Flynn came into her vision, handing her a bouquet containing Yellow Tulips. As she took it from his hand, he offers her a smile and backed away.
Sia once again continues to walk towards Ryder, and this time Brandon, began laying yellow rose petals as Sia takes her steps.
When she looked at him, he offers her a wink and she thinks to herself, this is probably the 'Hans Gruber' guy from last time.
In the same moment, Sia began walking towards him, Ryder began to serenade her...
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms,
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,
And I hung my head and I cried,
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are grey,
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away,
I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same,
But if you leave me to love another,
You'll regret it all some day.
Ryder stepped down from the table, and stood right in front of Sia, as he sang the last verse...
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy, when skies are grey.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away...
Ryder then took Sia's free hand as he said the last line again, this time not into the microphone, but directly to the girl in front of him.
"Please don't take my sunshine away," his voice almost pleading.
Sia stared into Ryder eyes, as she heard his words.
She always found Ryder to be good looking, a fact that she used to dislike, because no matter what he did, she always knew he had good looks.
However, right now, she was noticing more.
Like the way his eyes sparkled in the light, how his hair was always the right kind of messy and when he smiled, he had a dimple on his left cheek. All things, that made her seem to melt away.
Breaking away from Ryder's intense stare, Sia looked around her, and now noticed the crowd that was in the cafeteria.
Everyone was watching the scene unfold in front of them and this was causing her to be uncomfortable. Ryder noticed Sia looking around her, he then placed two finger by her chin, and moved her head back towards him, so she would focus on only him, as if it were only them two in the room.
"Ryder, I..." Sia began to speak, but now it was Ryder's turn to cut her off.
"No, this time I speak," he told her.
"First of all, I'm really sorry." Ryder said, this surprised Sia.
"Sorry for everything I've done, that made you feel like I hate you, that made you hurt, that made you cry and that made you angry. I'm sorry for all of it. I was an idiot. A big idiot. A drick even," He chuckled, and this caused Sia to smile as well, remembering the made up word.
He then continued. "When I first met you, you basically told me off. All I could think to myself was, 'who is this girl?' Since the moment I met you, you gave me this weird feeling, one that I never felt before. After that, every time I teased you, picked on you, it was only to feel that same feeling. You were the only one that could make me feel that way, the only one. So I did all those things to get a reaction out of you and feel that same way."
Sia's eyes widen slightly at this. 'All this time, this is why he behaved this way?' she thought to herself. That's stupid.
"It's stupid, I know. Hell, half of what I do is stupid, but this, this feeling I felt, was so weird and so wonderful that I didn't want to let that go. I was so blinded by it, I didn't even think I was being such a massive jerk to you."
"Something which you did not deserve. So I'm sorry for making you feel like that, for making you cry, for hurting you for my own selfish reasons." Ryder gave her an apologetic look.
Sia felt the prick of tears, and she tries her best to hold that back.
Ryder gives Sia's hand, that he was still holding, a squeeze before carrying on. "When I first called you that night, I had no idea that it was you on the other end. But hearing your voice, I knew that I had heard it before, but I had no clue it would be you."
"Every time I spoke to you, whenever you called me weird, a dork, a giant, you gave me that same feeling. I was so confused, the only time I ever felt that way was with you and only you. Now suddenly some random girl on the other the line is also making me feel this."
"Everyday I looked forward to talking to you. Hearing your voice gave me a sense of happiness and calm, I never felt before."
"With you, I didn't have to be Ryder Daniels, I was just McClane. Your McClane. And that was the real me. I didn't have to hide who I really was with you. I could chat utter crap and it would still make you laugh, and I knew I wanted to hear that sound forever."
"I'm sorry. I lied, calling you to the hospital. But when you stopped talking to me, I felt like my world went dark, like I had lost my sunshine. I wanted you back. I needed you back. You said you had to stop talking to me and I panicked, I didn't understand."
"So I made Flynn call you there. When I saw you in that hospital room, it felt as if time froze, and all I saw was you. My heart knew it was you on the other end, it just knew. That's why I always felt that weird feeling within me."
"Seeing you cry because of me, every part of me wanted to make you stop. I hate that you ever cried because of me."
"Remember when you said you'd feel bad if I was hurt?" He asked her, and Sia nodded.
"Well I felt like someone was piercing my heart when I saw you hurt. Every drop of tear that fell from your eye was another dagger to my chest. I hated it. Only thing I wanted in that moment was for you to smile."
A lone tear had dropped from Sia's eye, unnoticed by her, and Ryder just wiped it away with his thumb, keeping his hand cupping her face.
"So all of this-" Ryder says, looking around him, "-is to make you smile." He told her. "To make you be my Sunshine again. To make you realise that what I feel for you, is genuine."
"Thanks to Hannah I realised, that you probably doubted how I felt since I was your Voldemort at school and McClane on the phone," he smiled.
Sia mentally groaned, of course her best friend would be in on this.
A slight blush grew on her face, realising that Ryder now knows that when she told him about her own Voldemort, she was referring to him.
Ryder notices her blush, and knows it is because of the Voldemort comment.
He ignores it for now and continues, "So all of this, is to make you realise that I'm your McClane."
He then looks down at the bouquet in her hand. "I needed to get you flowers and I thought what's the best one I can get, to show you how I feel."
Ryder then softly touched one of the tulips, before looking back at Sia. "These yellow tulips in your hand represent happiness, sunshine and warmth. All things that are you and all things that you make me feel. Things that I never want to let go of."
Shoving the microphone in his back pocket, he places both of his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks, and lowering down, to look her straight in the eyes.
"That the weird feeling I felt whenever we interacted, whenever we spoke, whenever you called me McClane, the one I could never put a name on? I finally realise I have a name for it."
"Another thing these tulips symbolise is a sentiment of perfect love and affection. And that's what I feel for you," he told her.
"Sia, I'm madly, irrecoverably, undeniably in love with you. You're my Sunshine. The light in my life. The best part of me. I love you so damn much. With every part of my being, I love you."
By now the dam had burst, and tears began streaming down Sia's face. She listened to every word Ryder said, every single one.
'He loves me' she thought.
There was a chorus of 'awws' and other supportive comments, escaping from all the girls and guys in the cafeteria.
Both Ryder and Sia ignored all the voices and just looked into each other's eyes.
Ryder was searching her eyes for an answers, he was so nervous that this might not work, that at any moment she could run away, and he would be left alone in the darkness.
The silence between them was killing him, and he really wanted her to say something.
Sia, on the other hand, was searching his eyes for even a shred of evidence that what he said was a lie.
When she found nothing but sincerity, she knew her answer. Sia knew her answer long before any of this, but now she was certain, there was no doubt or second guesses.
"I love you too," Sia said, her voice soft.
Anyone else in that room may not have heard it, but Ryder definitely heard what she said.
A shit-eating grin made its' way on his face and he couldn't hold back any longer. He pulled her into him, sealing her confirmation with a much-awaited kiss, causing a massive round of cheers to echo in the cafeteria.
Pulling away slightly, they rested their heads against each other.
"My Sunshine." Ryder said proudly and Sia could only laugh.
What started out as a stupid prank, brought them closer than either of them could've imagine.
He became her McClane, a dorky jock and she became his beautiful Sunshine...