Going Unnoticed

Soon enough the pair had finished eating, and left the canteen. Ashani looked at her watch, and saw Geography was about to start and the bell was about to toll on cue. She decided then, as she poked at her meat loaf that she was going to go to Geography for the first time in two weeks, and speak to Danny about Ryan.

She dumped her uneaten food in the bin, and made her way to the class room Geography was held in. As she approached the door, she saw Danny waiting and the bell tolled around the entire school. Danny looked up at her, wearing a t-shirt that sponsored some musical band he liked, and jeans.

"Wow, this really is a weird day. You finally coming to Geography class, never thought I'd see the day."

Danny laughed as they entered the class room together.

"Just shut up, I want to talk to you."

Ashani said as she sat down across from Danny, in the same empty seat she had sat in two weeks ago. An Asian boy with black hair sat next to Danny, but they never really spoke. She slid into her seat, as everyone else poured into class.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Ryan."

Danny smiled.

"Smitten are we?"

Ashani sighed.

"Just listen, has he said anything about me today?"

Danny took out his books and laid them out on his desk.

"Well yeah, but I don't think you want to hear what he had to say."

Ashani knew she had annoyed Ryan yesterday, when he was only trying to make friends with her.

"Well, just spit it out. What did he say?"

"Well, he told me how he tried to talk to you in the park. You got really angry over nothing, started having a big argument about something, but he wouldn't say what."

Ashani tilted her head, feeling angry at herself.

"So he's angry with me?"

"Well considering the guy is probably one of the friendliest people I've ever met, yeah he's angry. He just wanted to be friends with you, and you shoved him off. Not unlike what you did with me, when we first me."

Ashanti was stumped, he remembered how they first met. How again, trying to go unnoticed she had rejected his attempts at friendship.

"I—that wasn't the same Danny."

Danny took out his pens and sat back his chair, looking at her.

"Wasn't it? You pretty much rejected me, at any attempt to be friends. To get to know me, you weren't interested. You wanted to go unnoticed so badly, by everyone here you didn't even want to talk to me. Which is quite sad, since we sit next to each other in this class pretty much every day."

Ashani felt ashamed, and felt her cheeks redden and blush.

"I know I made a stupid mistake that day, Danny. But I want to make up for it, with you and Ryan. Please, let's be friends."

Danny looked at her hard, as if studying her face.

"Alright then, if you're genuine about it."

"I am."

Danny nodded, and as class began they began to talk about everything from school matters, to how he was finding the town now since the whole Rachel situation happened. Things hadn't improved for Danny, since Rachel rejected him and told the whole school about him liking her.

Talking about Ryan, she found out that he was quite a friendly, nice guy. Danny told her he was genuine, about going to see films and hang out when they were free from school. They even planned to hang out after school today, and that was when she got an idea in her head.

"Danny, can I come with you to meet Ryan at the park? I want to apologize to him, and try and salvage whatever he was trying to do with me yesterday."

Danny whistled low, and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Fine, just don't screw this up. He's a good guy, and a good friend. Come with me after class."

Ashani nodded, and they began to listen to the teacher as he was mid-way in explaining how Australia and New Zealand were colonized by Britain.

Eventually class came to an end, the bell tolled and Ashani and Danny left the class room, and snuck out of school and made their way to the park.

"Again, please don't fuck this up. We can all be good friends, just apologize to the guy."

Ashani nodded, and as they entered the park they both saw Ryan standing near the bench. He saw them approach and spoke.

"What is she doing here? Going to insult me again, are you?"

Ashani rolled her eyes.

"Ryan, she's here to apologize. To make amends for yesterday, she wants to be friends. She's not that bad, she sort of apologized to me as well and we've made up."

Ashani nodded, and looked at Ryan.

"Fine, if that's what you want."

The two of them approached Ryan, and he sat down on the bench breaking out some cans of soda from his bag, and a mix of snacks he bought from the Seven Eleven store, only a few minutes before Danny and Ashani arrived.

He handed Danny one, and then slowly handed Ashani one.

"Thanks."

He nodded, and opened his own can of Soda putting the bag on the bench.

"So no classes today?"

Ryan asked Ashani.

She swung her head.

"I ain't in the mood for listening to Sarah talk about Rap, and RnB music. As if I am a fucking expert on the subjects."

Ryan laughed, and slugged back some of his Soda.

"You can only keep up a facade of actually liking someone, for so long if you really cannot stand them."

Danny nodded to that, agreeing.

"I spoke to Sarah, today. She asked me if all Irish people drink heavily, are poets and if we all really wear green all the fucking time. I can't stand these people. Fucking ignorant bigots."

Ashani was surprised.

"Well you get used to it, just ask me and Danny here. We've put up with it for years."

Ryan nodded, looking around the park as the sun beat down on them.

"Yeah, I don't envy you guys there."

So the time passed, as the three of them joked, talked about everything from music to television, drank through the dozen cans of Soda Ryan had bought and snacked through a colossal bag of potato chips, and a few chocolate bars. By 5pm, well after school had finished the three of them were finishing their cans of Soda as dusk began to settle in above them.

"Well I better get going, my mom is going to freak if I am not home for dinner."

Danny said, crushing the empty can of Soda in his hand and smiling.

Ryan and Ashani laughed.

"So, we're all friends now. We hang out, have fun and just enjoy ourselves. Right?"

Ryan and Ashani agreed, with smiles on their faces.

"Good."

Ashani gave Danny her own cell phone number, so all three of them could communicate, and talk outside of school. Saying his goodbyes, Ryan told him he'd make sure Ashani got home safely. By the time he was gone, Ryan turned to Ashani who had finished her Soda.

"So, is he right? We're friends then?"

Ashani nodded, and crushed her own empty can under her feet.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Ryan. I was so wrapped up in hiding, going unnoticed. Pretending to actually like their stupid, ignorant jokes or comments so I could just blend in. I never realized you were giving me a chance to be myself, and actually be a friend to me like you did with Danny."

Ryan nodded, and for a few moments they just looked at one another in silence until he picked up his rucksack.

"Well, I think we better get you home. We don't want your family worried about you, come on. I'll walk you home, Ashani."

Ashani nodded, and slowly followed Ryan out of the park towards her house on her directions.

"So, why did you want to be friends with me in the first place? In Ms Reynold's class I mean?"

Ryan shrugged.

"I don't know, out of everyone in the class you seemed the most real, most genuine person in the entire room excluding the teacher of course. That was only proven right, after talking to Sarah. You just seemed... nice, I guess. A nice person, given time of course."

Ashani smiled at his comment, as they crossed the town square towards the quiet streets where she lived.

"You got all of that from just seeing me?"

Ryan smiled back.

"Well, I just notice some things. Even without speaking to you, I guess I got the feeling you just needed time to open up."

Ashani nodded.

They eventually arrived, outside of Ashani's house on the front lawn.

"Well, this is me."

Ashani said smiling.

Ryan nodded.

"Nice house."

They both smiled, and laughed awkwardly.

"Well I better get inside."

Ryan nodded, understandably.

She turned to face the path leading up to her front door, and turned to Ryan once more.

"Thank you, for treating me like a friend. I haven't had that in a while."

Ryan nodded, and smiled.

"No problem. Ashani, you don't need to pretend to be anything else other than yourself, around me or Danny. Especially me. Just be who you want to be, and I'll be your friend."

Ashani felt close to tears, and quickly thanked Ryan before going inside her house. Once behind the front door, she looked out and saw Ryan had left and felt tears roll down her cheek. She quickly went up to her room, and dried her face before speaking to her parents, and eating dinner that evening.

Four Weeks Later, Local Park

Four weeks had passed, since Ryan had come moved into town. Ashani, and Danny were friends with him and even Rachel had spoken to Danny in private, about being friends outside of school after noticing how the three of them were together. So a few days later, on a Saturday afternoon the four of them were in the park together drinking Soda, eating snacks and playing music from their phones as they just hung out together.

Rachel was a natural redhead, and pale but she was considered by most men in school to be beautiful, as pretty as Sarah even. Today she was wearing jeans, and a red, cropped top. Her red hair was tied into a ponytail as she drank Soda, talking to Danny on the bench together.

Ryan and Ashani were sat against a big Oak tree in the park, talking as they drank and snacked.

Ashani had her hair curled, and flowed around her face and shoulders with a fresh light brown streak through it. She was wearing a loose, navy blue top and jeans. She looked at Ryan, and then at Danny and Rachel together.

"How long?"

Ryan looked dumbfounded.

"I mean, how long until they both actually start dating?"

Ryan looked over at Rachel, giggling with Danny sat next to her.

"Fuck knows. But I think she's struggling."

Ashani turned to look at Ryan, who for a few moments was just staring at her hair and eyes.

"Struggling with what?"

Ashani asked, sipping at her can of Soda.

"With how she really feels, when he and her became close and friendly when he first came to the town. She was fighting how she really felt, stick to the in-crowd and be liked or be happy with herself, and how she felt."

Ryan broke open another Three Musketeers bar, and took a mouthful of it before offering it to Ashani, who took a bite of it.

"She's doing this in secret, I doubt Sarah or any of their crowd even know she's spending her Saturday with us, with Danny."

Ryan nodded, Ashani was right.

"Well, I'm not going to tell on her. If she really likes Danny, good for the man. The quicker they actually get things on together, the better. He needs a girl, and she needs a guy. A real guy, not some preened, fake-tan Jock."

Ashani laughed, rubbing her legs through the jeans.

Ryan slurped his Soda.

"So, how about you?"

Ryan turned to Ashani, who was staring at Danny and Rachel together.

"What about me?"

"How long until you start dating, here in town?"

Ryan spat out his Soda and laughed.

Did the notion of him dating anyone in town, make him want to laugh at the idea? It made Ashani sad, to think he was not interested at least a little in well; her.

"Ashani, I doubt I'll be dating anyone any time soon. I can't stand half of the girls in school as it is."

Ashani wondered if she was one of those girls, he'd never even thought of dating.

"There's no one? In school or town, you'd ask out on a date?"

Ryan smiled.

"Who would you consider?"

She couldn't tell him her, the idea was foolish. He was not interested in her to begin with, and it could destroy a friendship only not long established.

"Well, I wouldn't consider anyone I'm a girl remember."

Ashani said rolling her eyes for effect.

Ryan chuckled, crushing the can he had finished and opened another one.

"I'm just saying, that there are some girls in town that aren't like Sarah."

Ryan nodded.

"Well the thing is, most of them you're talking about aren't my type."

Ashani laughed.

"Oh really, what is not your type then?"

Ryan looked around, as if afraid someone was listening on their conversation.

"I can't say."

Ashani grinned.

"Just say, it's just you and me here. The loved up birds over there, can't hear us."

"Well Sarah's not my type, and neither is Rachel. Come to think of it, most of the girls in their crowd aren't my type. See the connection, of what they all have in common?"

Ryan was drinking his Soda, and waiting for Ashani to figure out the cryptic message he gave her.

"Hmm their heads are all filled with air, and they really can't do anything else except cheer and dance at a football game?"

Ryan laughed, and titled his head sideways at Ashani.

"No, although that is one of the weaker connections between them all. Come on, it's quite obvious what they are have in common."

Ashani thought about it, other than Sarah and Rachel the only other girls in her group that weren't cheerleaders were wannabe beauty queens, and all white.

White, that's what they all had in common. They didn't have an Asian girls in the group, because they were all white the girls including Rachel and Sarah.

"They're all white."

Ashanti spoke in a low voice, as if afraid what she was saying was wrong and to say it would be a rude assumption.

But Ryan said nothing, and nodded setting his jaw beneath his stubble beard rigid.

Ashani sat back, to look at Ryan closely and spoke low in hopes no one heard their conversation.

"You don't like white girls? I mean they aren't your type?"

Ryan nodded, drinking his Soda.

"Yup, pretty much."

Ashani looked at Rachel, and Danny and then turned back to Ryan.

"She doesn't interest you? And neither does Sarah?"

Ryan simply nodded, the only answer he needed to give was in that nod.

"Rachel is as safe as kittens with him, and the rest of her crowd. They don't interest me, just friends but never more than that."

Ashani played with her can of Soda in her hands, and found herself unable to look up at Ryan when she asked that fateful question in a low voice.

"Then, who is your type?"

Ryan said nothing.

"Ryan, tell me."

Ryan sighed, and put down his Soda.

"If we pass this point, I'm not sure our friendship will stay intact."

"Believe me, whatever you tell me we will stay being friends. Just tell me, please."

Ryan saw Ashani couldn't look up at him, she was either feeling awkward herself or was just unable to bear looking at him.

"I don't have a type, because there is only one woman I like since I got here. The kind of woman I've always liked, even in Belfast. You're the woman I like."

Still forcing herself to stare at her can of Soda, she spoke in a forced voice.

"Me? I'm the kind of woman you like?"

Ryan said nothing, but in the corner of her eyes she saw him nod.

Then the silence began, it was a few minutes of the two sitting side by side saying nothing to the other. Ashani had rolled the can of Soda in her hands for so long, the can was no longer cold but warm to the touch.

"I'm sorry, Ashani. I should never have said anything like that to you."

Ashani said nothing for a moment, and swung her head.

"No, you have no reason to apologize Ryan. I asked you to answer my question, and you did honestly."

Ryan stood, and spoke in a very strained voice.

"I think I better head home, the two love birds seem happy on their own."

Ashani struggled to her feet, and grabbed Ryan's hand.

"Please, don't go."

Ryan was surprised by her eagerness for him to stay, after the awkward moment between them.

They were so close to one another, they could hear the other's ragged breathing. The pair of them seemed unsure what to do, where to go after the revelation. That was until Ryan spoke up.

"Why don't we go to the cinema, you and me? We can leave the two love birds, or they can come with us."

Ashani nodded, and they walked over to Danny and Rachel who were so close to one another giggling and talking.

"Hey you two, you want to come to the cinema with us?"

Danny smiled, and then turned to Ryan.

"I think we're good, you two go on. I hear that new The Fault in Our Stars. Might be good to check that out."

Ryan didn't notice or know, it was Danny giving Ashani the idea to go see that particular movie.

He had known that Ashani liked Ryan, now more than just friends for the past few weeks. She was falling for him, but Danny was unaware now that Ashani knew she was Ryan's type of girl.

"Yeah, we'll go and see that."

Ashani nodded, and they all said their goodbyes before heading towards the local cinema with what was left of the food they had bought in the Seven Eleven.

At the front of the cinema, Ryan bought the tickets for The Fault in The Stars, and they were directed to the screen it was showing in.

Ashani took Ryan's hand, as they entered the cinema and they made their way to the screen. Ryan wasn't showing it, but in his mind he was wondering why Ashani was holding his hand, and why he felt like his heart was beating a thousand beats a second.

But either way, he wasn't yanking his hand away in disgust or fear and they walked holding hands into the screen together, and found their seats in the dim lighting.

"Are you OK?"

She asked him, still clutching his hand as they made their way along one of the darkened aisles to a pair of empty chairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Ryan said smiling.

They sat down in their chosen seats, and Ryan quietly opened his bag and handed her a can of Soda and took one out for himself.

Ashani took his hand again, and held it as the screen went dark and the trailers began to show on the screen. There were only a few people in the screen with them, but they were all sat at the front while they sat in the back aisle.

The trailers rolled on, and when they got loud for a trailer for an action movie Ryan quickly opened the cans of Soda for them both, letting the sound mask the cans being opened. He handed her open can, and sat back with his own.

Eventually the film began, and they sat back watching it. About twenty minutes into the film, Ashani went for the can of Soda she had but found Ryan's chest in the darkness by accident. But when her hand connected with his chest, she didn't pull away and stop. Instead she flattened her palm, and placed it against his chest feeling the warmth through his t-shirt.

"Ashani."

"I know."

Ashani's breathing was faster, ragged but she didn't move her hand.

"Ashani, think about this."

Ashani was breathing hard, the feelings she had for him igniting, burning hotter.

"I am."

She gently rubbed his chest, feeling his broad muscles beneath his t-shirt and down to his almost-flat tummy.

"Then you know, this is a bad idea right?"

Ashani was flustered, but determined.

"I know it is, but we know we can't fight it."

Even Ryan was now breathing hard.

"But we know we should fight it."

Ashani was smiling in the darkness, and leaned in and without warning leaning over the arm of her chair pressed her lips against his.

"I don't want to fight it."

Ryan pulled her close, and resting his hand on the back of her neck kissed her back. In the darkness she slid over her own chair and into his lap. She was facing him now, pressing her lips to his as his hands ran around her waist gently touching her warm skin around her waist.

The two kissed passionately, her hands touching his shoulders and neck and his around her waist and back.