The Problem with Forever

I looked over at Rider, and his grin was slow, but the dimple in his right cheek appeared. “Deep thoughts,” he murmured.

My nod was just as slow. “How...did you not just get in trouble?”

“I’m gifted.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “And how...does he know about your artwork?”

Hector snorted as he looked up from his paper, responding before Rider could. “Because when Rider was a sophomore, he decided to do some exterior decorating on the outside of Lands High.”

Rider rolled his eyes.

“He tagged the entrance and got busted the next day, because the dumbass wore the same shirt he’d done the tagging in,” Paige jumped in, her lips curled up in a smirk as her gaze met mine. Something in her stare told me she was happy to point out that she knew all about this, and I didn’t. “Mr. Santos was probably the only staff member that appreciated it.”

My gaze swung back to Rider. His cheeks were a deeper pink again. “I didn’t get in too much trouble,” he said, not looking at me. “It was a misdemeanor. Had to help clean it off, which sucked.”

“A misdemeanor?” I stared at him. “How is that not trouble?”

Hector laughed, turning back to his notebook. “Misdemeanor isn’t a charge you catch that you really got to worry about.”

I did not understand that at all.

A moment passed and Rider’s gaze slid toward me. His grin was sheepish. “Okay. I was in trouble, but no big deal. Santos actually went to bat for me, so I didn’t have to actually find a way to pay for the damages. That’s why I had to clean it up.”

“I bet you don’t know that Santos had one of Rider’s sketches placed in a gallery in the city, do you?” Hector asked. “That was the part about Santos going to bat for him. Told him he needed to produce something that could be on display. You know, not on the side of a wall.”

My mouth dropped open for the second time. “What?”

“Cállate, bro.” Rider leaned forward, glaring at Hector. “Seriously.”

Hector tipped his head back and laughed.

“Where?” I asked.

A sigh rattled out of Paige. “It’s not a big deal. It was just graffiti on a canvas.”

“That is still a big deal,” I stated. No pauses there.

She rolled her eyes.

Rider shook his head as he focused on his sketch. “It doesn’t matter.”

I thought it did. “That sounds amazing.”

Something in my tone drew his gaze to mine, and another long moment passed before he responded. “It’s down at City Arts. Or it was. No idea if it’s still up.”

I wanted to see it if it was, because that was... That was extraordinary.

So much of Rider was the same from before. The kindness, that unshakable protective instinct. But there was so much I didn’t know about this older, newer Rider.

Shaking my head, I looked back at my speech without seeing the words. I thought about what Santos said. It made sense. Life was like doing this speech. It wasn’t necessarily about the end result, but more about trying.

I could...I could get behind that.

* * *

As class ended, Hector announced, “I’m hungry.”

“Okay,” Rider responded as I shoved my notebook into my bag. “What exactly do you want me to do about it?”