Forever and Always His

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

                Going back to school after the homecoming dance had passed wasn’t easy for me. Everywhere I looked, from either down the hall, or to my left corner, I saw the newest addition to Everett and his group of friends, Maria Lopez. She seemed to fit in like a charm, because she was making great friends with everyone. Every time I happened to glance over at them, Maria was either laughing, or making everyone laugh. Maria was the epitome of a perfect girl. She was absolutely stunning, and from what I’ve heard, she was extremely nice. And now, she was funny, as well. What else could we add onto the list of Maria Lopez’s good traits?

                Well on the brighter side of things, Max and Cassandra have been around each other more often since the homecoming dance. I’ve seen them flirt one too many times during lunch hours, and I’ve even caught in on them swapping spit. But, whenever I ask, Cassandra tells me that Max hasn’t asked her to be official, yet.

                “You’re doing it again, Riley.” Max nudged my elbow, as we walked down the hallway towards our first class the next morning at school.

                My eyes flickered up to him, as I frowned. I clutched my books tighter against my chest, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

                Max pointed to the group of Everett’s friends, which were down the hallway, laughing. In the center of the clique was Maria, who had a wide, pearly white smile across her face. My insides fumed, as I shot daggers with her with my eyes. “Why do you hate her so much?” Max asked. I stayed quiet, as I sulked. When I didn’t say anything, Max let out a deep breath of air, as he shook his head. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

                A red hot blush crept up my neck, as my palms suddenly became sweaty. I dipped my head low, staring down at the tiled flooring. Okay, I must admit that I was the slightest bit jealous of Maria Lopez. I mean, come on, who wasn’t? She has everything I want, and is everything that I want to be. Oh, and not to mention, Everett had his sight set on her.

                “I’m not-“ I started off, as Max shot me a look. I licked my lips, as I sagged my shoulders with defeat. “Okay, I’m jealous.”

                Max rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of air. “Of what?” he started off. “I mean, sure, she is incredibly hot, and she would look pretty fucking amazing in a tight-“

                “Shut up, Max.” I hissed, cutting him off. Max chuckled, as he reached over my head to ruffle up my hair. I gave him an unimpressed look, before trying to untangle the mess he made on the top of my head.

                Max chuckled, as I waited for his uncontrollable laughter to die down. When it finally did, he gave me a grin before throwing an arm around me. “But honestly, Riley, what exactly are you jealous about?”

                I cringed at the word, jealous. I’ve never been the jealous type of girl, but when it came to seeing Everett with another girl, the thought just made me angry. At one point in our young lives, Everett did make me swear to him that I would be forever and always his. “Maria has Everett.” I whispered finally, sighing dramatically. “I don’t.”

                Max’s face was blank and pale, before it turned bright red. A muffled chuckle escaped his lips, as he clamped his hand over his lips to cover his laugh. I suddenly frowned, as Max’s face turned pink from trying to hold in his laughter. Groaning, I punched him in the ribs, as he jolted back with a wince. “What the hell is so funny about that, you jerk?!” I snapped, punching him once again, this time in the arm.