Ryan wanted so badly to punch Ward right in his maddeningly perfect eyes. They stared up at him like little chips of blue ice set into Ward's narrow, angular face, unblinking and arrogant, and the only thing stopping Ryan from hauling off and swelling them shut was the way that Ward looked at him. Ward just kept right on staring at him, totally unafraid, like he already knew what Ryan was thinking and he wasn't worried about it one little bit.
That kind of weirded Ryan out. Because he knew he was stronger than Ward-way stronger, like 'captain of the football team and already had his letter of intent signed for Auburn the day he turned eighteen' stronger-but even when Ryan slammed his hands against the wall two inches from either side of Ward's head, Ward didn't even flinch. He just turned around and looked at Ryan with those freaky blue eyes of his, and said, "Yes?" And that pissed Ryan off, but it also kind of freaked him out, because Ward was this scrawny little pale guy who maybe weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet and he wasn't frightened at all.
Like, he really wasn't frightened. He wasn't faking it-Ryan had been on the other side of the line of scrimmage from a bunch of offensive linemen, he knew the difference between a guy who was trying to act tough and a guy who really thought he could take you. And Ward was staring at him without any fear in his eyes at all. Ryan didn't know what that meant, but it made him nervous about just decking him, even if he did pick a time and a place without any witnesses. Instead, he just growled out, "Stop fucking staring at me," hoping that he could intimidate that icy calm out of Ward's expression.
Ward only seemed amused. "I had my back to you," he said drily, the corner of his mouth quirking into a crooked smile. "If you don't want people staring at you, Ryan, maybe you shouldn't do things that attract attention to yourself." He still didn't seem frightened, or even upset that Ryan had cornered him in the back of the men's locker room without anybody even in shouting distance. He looked like...like he was expecting it. Like he did his make-up hours for gym class hoping Ryan would find out about it and come after him.
Ryan slammed the locker again with his open palm in irritation. Ward still didn't flinch. "That's not what I meant and you know it," he shouted, a little unnerved that Ward wasn't reacting the way Ryan expected. He just stood there, not even reaching for his clothing, watching Ryan with those piercing cold eyes of his. Just like always. "Every time I see you, you're always staring at me. Like I'm some kind of, of bug, or a slide on your nerd microscope or something. You got a beef with me? You think I'm dumb or something? If you have something to say, just go ahead and say it."
The smile faded from Ward's face, leaving an expression of quiet contemplation for a moment. When it returned, it was less amused and more coldly confident. "You want me to say something?" he said, leaning back against the lockers nonchalantly. "Okay, I'll say it. I
know."
Ryan furrowed his brow in confusion, but that seemed to be everything Ward had to say. Just that cryptic phrase and more of that icy, penetrating stare that felt like it went straight through Ryan's head.
"What do you mean 'you know?'" Ryan said, fury in his voice. "What does that mean? What do you think you know?" He knew Ward was just trying to rattle him-this was like that old movie with the kids who did the phone call and said 'I saw what you did', trying to get people with a guilty conscience to admit to something. Ryan wasn't going to fall for it. He was going to call Ward's bluff, make him tell what he thought he knew, and then maybe Ryan would shove him into one of the lockers if he didn't like the answer and see how the smug little asshole handled that-
Ward laughed. It was a short, barking laugh, the kind of laugh you let out when something surprised you. "You mean-oh, man, you mean you
don't
know?" He laughed again, his mouth curling up in that crooked smile once more as he rubbed his chin in amusement, but the smile and the laughter faded away at the sight of Ryan's expression of bewildered rage. "I guess you really don't," he said at last. "You don't have the slightest clue. That's going to make this a little bit tricky. I knew you would come to me sooner or later, but I thought you might have figured out at least some of it."