Mr. Lewis

Hey there, readers!

I just want to take the time to thank those of you that have followed Danica and Ryan's story from the beginning. Those of you that picked up in later chapters, I thank you, too! I am seriously nothing without my readers and fans; that being said, I need you guys' help.

This part of the series is about to come to a close (I figure I have three or so chapters left) and I want you guys' opinions on what to do for the next part of the series. Do you want to see Danica and Ryan succeed? Do you want them to call it quits? What about my writing style? What would you like to see from me as an author? I will be taking suggestions from now until the last chapter from this installment is posted.

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Happy Reading!

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Senior week was upon the class of 2014; liberation hung in the air for every senior, except me.

What would I be free from? Sure, I wouldn't have to sit in Ryan's class and rerun the scene of him and Malibu Barbie at Bridal Elegance, but we would still be in the same town. We were bound to run into each other eventually. Yep...me, "Ry Ry", and his fiancée.

Even after six days, the word still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Why wouldn't it? After all, the man took my virginity while being engaged to another woman.

I shook my head before running my fingers through my almost nonexistent hair, producing a slight chuckle. Everybody flipped about my new lack of locks, especially my mom.

"Danica! I thought you were going out to get some highlights!" she about fell out of her chair at the sight of me.

My father's grin should've hurt his face it was so wide. "You don't like it? I find it to be...fresh."

When I went to school the following Monday, nearly everyone did a double take—some did a triple take. Ryan's mouth fell open, but he didn't say much to me. It wasn't until Thursday we actually had any interaction...mostly because that was the day of the final and I couldn't skip without failing. It wasn't as if he didn't try to contact me, because he did. I ignored all of his calls, texts, and emails after I figured they said same thing: "Danica, I am NOT engaged."

How could he

not

be engaged? I collected all the evidence I needed in Bridal Elegance. Her new last name was to be Lewis, she was in the bridal store hanging all over Ryan...she had a ring on her finger. Did I need anything more? He couldn't explain this away, and I wouldn't let him.

He placed a final exam on my desk, but lingered for far longer than necessary. His fingers drummed against the packet, drawing attention to a neon blue post-it note attached to the exam. I sighed and nodded slightly. It read:

Danica,

I know you've been ignoring me, and I know you don't believe me yet, but I AM NOT in any relationship. Watch for this Saturday's edition of the Pantagraph for your proof.

I rolled my eyes.

What the

hell

am I gonna be reading the newspaper for?

I thought to myself before crumpling the note and tossing it into my backpack.

I already put the note out of my mind by the time Friday rolled around. It was the day of the senior trip and I had no time to worry about Ryan Lewis and his fiancée.

"Nice day to be lounging about in the sun," Cori commented as I shut the door to my house.

My head fell to the side. "Why didn't you come in? How long have you been standing here?"

"I was getting outta the car when Beth-Ann ambushed me."

I rolled my eyes. "So she's still hounding you for information?"

"Well yeah...you kinda stole her boy toy."

I snorted in derision. "Right, because Dustin Hoffman was

all

Beth-Ann's. She needs to get over the fact that he doesn't want her. Ever since she found out him and I are going to prom together she's been a little witch—using every opportunity possible to give me the stink eye and mumbling about me under her breath. Petty, fifth grade bullshit."

"She's so shallow. Everyone knows she wouldn't have touched Hoffman with a ten-foot pole if he were still that chunky, Star Wars-loving freak."

"Exactly! He's mine now and she wants to get upset about it."

"Yours?"

"Well, we're going to prom, aren't we?"

"As friends," Cori said, opening up the passenger side door. "Or were you thinking about going for more?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

Cori shook her head. "Just be careful, Dani. I know you got an ugly truth last Saturday, but that doesn't mean you need to go out with Dustin."

"I know, I know," I huffed. Hearing this speech again bored me. If Ryan was with someone else, why shouldn't I be? And Ryan was

really

with someone else.

Engaged.

I shuttered as I continued to weave in and out of traffic on the way to school. When I pulled into the parking lot, buses were lined up, waiting to be filled with rowdy seniors.

"Look, there's Erin," Cori pointed to the petite blonde standing by her Prius.

"Mhm."

"Dani," Cori whined. "Don't be upset."

"I'm not. I just want to have some fun. I don't think that's too much to ask considering how screwed up my senior year has been. I was relocated across the country because of a rumor; I came back and lost my virginity to my engaged history teacher and he dumped me...multiple times. I wasted most of this week feeling sorry for myself, but now this is my chance for something other than sadness and borderline depression."

Cori nodded. "I get that. Just don't have too much fun. It could come back to bite you in the ass."

I didn't respond, but instead put the car in park and exited.

"Hey guys! Are you excited?" Erin skipped toward me, her face bright.

"As I'll ever be," I said. "Are the guys here yet?"

"Yeah, they're checking in with Mr. Lewis about the carpool thing. The teachers still have to take attendance and all that."

"Mr. Who?" I asked, hoping I heard her wrong.

"Mr. Lewis," she giggled. "He's a last minute chaperone. Mrs. Bouty's gout flared up, so she couldn't make it."

I turned to Cori whose face had fallen into a deep frown. It didn't go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" Erin stopped bouncing, her eyes probing.

"The idiot thought I cheated on my final because I was done so quickly," I lied. "I'm still annoyed about it."

Erin shook her head. "You'd think he'd know you better than that. You're top in his class...."

"Oh well...not much I can do about it now. Maybe he was just having an off day," I said. "Do we have to go check in or what?" I asked, eager to change the topic.

"Yeah, just to make sure we're not skipping school altogether, you know," Erin said as we made our way over to Mr. Fox. He checked us as "present" and gave us a warning to not speed or make any pit stops on the way to King's Action Park.

I spent the better half of that morning annoyed and frustrated. Annoyed, because nearly everywhere I turned, there was Beth-Ann—barely clothed. Her spray on tan and hot pink bikini was the talk of the trip; but it appeared to have no affect on Dustin. He was faithfully by my side, asking about my welfare, constantly trying to involve me in conversation. The more attention he paid to me, the more irritated she became.

I was also frustrated by Ryan's presence. When we were together, I pictured this day much different. I saw Cori, our mutual friends, and me lousing about, snacking on all the food in sight, and me sneaking off to the bathroom for a quickie with Ryan every now and then. Not now, though. With him around, the thought of what could have been tripped me up—it was making it hard to enjoy the day.

A series of giggles interrupted my internal brooding. They came from none other than Beth-Ann and her terror squad. I didn't know why the giggles started but I gathered the gist of it when I heard one of her cronies mention a "Miley Cyrus haircut".

"Dani, let it go," Cori said, rising from her lawn chair as I did.

I ignored her. "Excuse me? Do you have something you need to say to me?" I would have added her name to the end of my sentence, but I couldn't remember it.

"Not really." Her voice was high pitched, which contrasted her butch-like face.

"Then maybe you could take your conversation fucking elsewhere."

"No need to be hostile," Beth-Ann crooned. "We were just looking for Dustin."

I motioned to him with my hand. "You see him sitting over there. I don't know why you had to stand here and flaunt your plastic ass chest to try and flag him down."

Her smile faded. "Dustin. Can I have a quick talk with you? Alone."

"What about?"

"Last night," she said, not looking away from me.

"Oh, that...we don't really have much to discuss," he said. The chill in his voice was unlike him.

"But, I think we do."

Dustin shrugged. "Then talk to your friends. As you can see, I'm spending time with my friends and prom date."

"Right. She's just your prom date.

Not

your girlfriend," Beth-Ann crossed her arms and planted her feet.

I walked to Dustin and sat on his lap. "Who says I'm not?"

"You two are together?" Beth-Ann's face turned the color of a ripe tomato.

"Are you

dying

to know? Is it killing you, Beth-Ann?" I smirked.

By this time, our rift accumulated an audience, and I was ready to give a damn good show. I placed my arms around Dustin's neck just as Ryan walked over.

"You think you're so hot!" Beth-Ann snarled, her fake southern drawl lost. "But if you were, you would've fucked him already. Guess I beat you to that."

My face faltered, and she saw it, but I recovered. "That's fine. Now when I fuck him, he'll know what it's like to be with a

real

woman."

The crowd erupted in gasps, "ohs", and a slew of curses. I won, all I needed was for Beth-Ann to walk away and I could get off Dustin's lap. A lap she had already been on, apparently.

She didn't budge. "I don't know why you're after him anyway. Isn't Mr. Lewis more your type? Everyone knows you're in love with him!" What was she

doing?

She already lost the fight, now she was ambling about in hysterics...?

I put her out of her misery. "Oh, are you mad you're not woman enough for him either?"

"As if that were even imaginable!" She threw her head back and laughed, missing the fact that Ryan was standing close enough to touch her shoulder. "He may be decent for a couple fucks, but probably pales in comparison to your prom date, though."

Ryan shook his head and groaned. "Okay, I've heard enough. Miss Norris, Miss Matthews, come with me."

I shrugged, got off Dustin's lap and left with Ryan and Beth-Ann. Ryan didn't say a word to us as we wove through students and faculty, but I could tell he was pissed. Beyond pissed. He pulled his phone out and typed something at lightening speed, but did not return his cell to his pocket. Every now and then he checked it and typed something new. We walked to the opposite end of the park before he spoke.

"Beth-Ann, Principal Fox is over there," Ryan pointed to the putt-putt course.

"Why doesn't

she

have to go see him?"

"Because all I heard was your grotesque sexual assault on me and Mr. Hoffman. If you could take off, please. And don't lie to him. He already knows everything."

"She's not even going to get in trouble! I knew you two had something going on!" Beth-Ann's lips trembled as she followed through with the rest of her tantrum.

"Don't make things any worse, Beth-Ann. Get going." He waited until Beth-Ann was out of earshot before rounding on me. "You. Follow me. Now."

"Excuse me?" I took a step back. "I think I'll pass."

"Follow me now, or I'll send you to Fox right along with Norris. Now is not the time for your shit, Danica."

He started walking and I had to jog to keep up. "What the fuck's your problem?"

He didn't answer.

"If you're gonna drag me away from my friends, at least tell me why!"

He didn't respond.

"Asshole."

He responded.

"Be quiet, Danica!"

"Why?!"

He stopped in front of a brick building whose sign boasted, "bathroom". He threw the door open and stomped inside. I followed.

"Are we really doing this again?"

"Doing what?" I crossed my arms.

He knocked the corner of his phone against his forehead. "The whole using Dustin thing. It's old."

"Old? It obviously got a rise out of you."

"Yeah, and it got a rise out of him, but in the sickest of manners. What are you playing at?"

"Oh, so we're gonna question me when you're the one fucking students while your engaged? That's rich."

Ryan moved past me, locked the door and walked toward me. He moved so swiftly, I was forced against the stall's wall. He slammed his hands on either side of my face, causing me to gasp. "Danica," his voice was barely above a whisper, but he might as well been yelling. "You are trying my patience. Kara is

not

my fiancée. End of story. Like I said, read the paper tomorrow and you'll see the truth. Even more than that, you'll see how stupid your little stunt with Dustin was. And you're not going to prom with him tomorrow."

I laughed. "Who says?

You?

"

He cocked his eyebrow, signifying a "yes".

"You messed up my senior trip, and now you're gonna try to mess up my prom night, too? Get over yourself, Ryan. I'm going."

"You can go all you want. Just not with him."

"And why not?"

"Because it's all a game to him!"

"What makes you think you know anything about him?"

"The kid is a sleaze. He

did

sleep with Beth-Ann, and he's trying to take you next. Him and his buddies have a bet going; in short, he has to bed you by graduation."

"What buddies?" As far as I knew, Dustin only hung out with a reluctant Cori and me.

"The ones he talks to when you're not around."

I shook my head. "Whatever, Ryan. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah? So when I confiscated Bryan Cross's phone yesterday, it didn't show Dustin plowing through Beth-Ann and saying 'challenge completed'? You know what? Okay. Go ahead and go to prom with him, and you'll see for yourself."

My stomach turned queasy, but I couldn't give Ryan the upper hand. There was no way I could let him see I thought he told the truth. "Okay, are we done now?"

"No. We're not."

I sighed. I was exhausted. Between Beth-Ann, Dustin, and Ryan, my nerves were shot. "What do you want, Ryan?"

He backed away from me and leaned against the opposite wall. "Dani. I love you."

I shook my head, hoping it would help clear it. "What?"

"I really do, and this entire relationship has been a mess. We made dumb decisions, we've both been immature in a lot of areas, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. I'm tired of us being apart. I have to have you in my life, even if it has to be a secret. That's what I was trying to tell you last Friday, Dani. I just couldn't get it out. I was afraid that you'd reject me. I didn't know what you'd think about us being together with everything that's happened."

His palms pressed on his temples as if he were trying to hold his thoughts together.

"I came on this trip to protect you. As soon as I heard what Dustin was up to, I volunteered for the open chaperone spot. I know you may not believe it, but I do care about you. I really do, and if Dustin ever did anything to hurt you—I'd lose my job. I would make the kid suffer."

"Ryan, I—"

"No. No...you don't have to say anything yet. Just wait until you find out the truth about Kara in the paper tomorrow, okay? Just...don't make any decisions based off heightened emotions. I know this day has been rough for you...this entire week probably has been rough, but please, just listen to me for once. And if you do decide, against my warning, to go to prom with Dustin,

please

be careful."

All I could do was nod. What in the great fuck was going on today?!

Ryan left the bathroom first, and I followed shortly after. We said nothing as we parted ways.

"What happened?" Cori asked when I arrived back to our hang out spot.

"Beth-Ann was sent to see Fox. I'm off the hook."

"Wow. She could be in jeopardy of not graduating," Erin gasped.

"I doubt it," Dustin said. "Her mom and dad will pay the school whatever they have to so she can stay out of trouble."

"So, is it true, man?" Liam asked.

"Is what true?" Dustin didn't meet his eyes.

"Did you sleep with Beth-Ann?"

Dustin looked uncomfortable as we all waited for his answer.

"That's all the proof we need," I said, grabbing my bag from the ground and heading toward my car.

"Dani, Wait!" Dustin called after me.

I flipped him the bird and kept walking. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I continued to make my way to the car. Was it

really

that hard to find a man that told the truth... to be loyal and honest? Would it really kill a man to say, "hey, I'm talking to another girl, just so you know"? Now the entire weekend was messed up. I was not going to prom with Dustin after this, and now I wasn't going to graduate in the company of both my best friends.

After checking that I hadn't been followed, I opened the driver's side door and climbed in the car. Tears spilled down my face in warm torrents. Time ceased to exist as I sat in the car, as I recalled the whole of my senior year: going to California, coming home, Ryan taking my virginity...Ryan breaking up with me. I took inventory of all major and minor events: not much good had come from this school year.

Except for Ryan's recent declaration of love,

I thought before I could stop myself.

No. This time, I

really

couldn't dare to dream. I did last time and he ended up engaged! What would come of hoping this time? He'd end up having five kids with five different women. I cracked a smile and knew I had officially lost my mind—the idea of Ryan being some type of womanizer should

not

have been so entertaining. Students began to move like a herd toward the buses and cars, so I stashed my bag in the trunk and prepared for an awkward, hour-long car ride. Much to my relief, no one tried to make conversation until we arrived back at the school. "See ya tomorrow, guys," Erin said, the bounce in her step gone.

Liam said his goodbyes and gave Cori a kiss on the cheek. It made my heart swell to see a guy she liked actually smitten with her. It made me forget my misfortune until Dustin came to my side of the car and started speaking.

"Are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Why would we be? I'm sure Beth-Ann is itching to take you to prom. Go find her."

"Danica. Don't be like this. You know we've been friends for a long time. I've liked you as more than a friend for a long time."

"And that obviously meant jack shit to you while you were shoving your cock into Beth-Ann. Get away from my car."

"Danica!"

"Get the fuck away from my car, or I'll run you over."

Dustin's eyes were hard as he glared at me, but I didn't back down.

"I think you heard her correctly, Dustin," Cori said, leaning across me. "Back the fuck up."

"This is between me and Danica, Cori. For once in your miserable life, stay out of this."

"Whoa, now I'm gonna have to get involved. You're crossing so many lines right now, Dustin. You better walk away. Now," Liam's chest puffed out some as he approached Dustin.

"This isn't over. I'll see you tomorrow, Danica." I watched Dustin walk all the way to his car and waited for him to drive away so I wouldn't be tempted to follow up on my threat to run him over.

Cori and I continued with our plans for the night—manicures and pedicures, dinner at our favorite spot, and a slumber party...though, there was less of the "party". My heart wasn't in anything we did, and she could tell. The good thing about Cori was that she knew when to pull conversation from me, and she knew when to let me be. She let me be that night, but I was questioned promptly as I entered the kitchen the next morning.