Chapter twenty-three : Pages and Pretenses

Monday morning brought the usual hum of chatter through the halls of Rosehill High. Ryan sat at his desk, arms crossed, his usual quiet stare fixed on the whiteboard as the literature teacher, Mrs. Dunham, paced slowly across the front of the classroom.

"We're doing something a little different this week," she announced, tapping a stack of papers against her hand. "You'll be working in groups for your next assignment. It's a character analysis essay. I want you to choose a novel we've studied — dissect the protagonist's decisions, what drives them, and how they change throughout the story."

She began reading off names, grouping students randomly. Ryan barely paid attention until she said, "Anna, Savannah, Ben, and Ryan — you four are together."

He blinked. Just great.

Ben leaned over from the row beside him. "Guess we're stuck together. You okay with that?"

Ryan gave a small shrug. "Sure."

Behind him, Savannah turned to Anna, whispering just loud enough for Ryan to hear, "This is going to be interesting."

He rolled his eyes.

When the bell rang, Savannah was already walking over with her usual confidence. "So," she said, tossing her dark curls over her shoulder, "why don't we do this at my place after school? My parents are out of town, and I've got snacks, space, and zero tolerance for boring group chats."

Anna smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Ben glanced at Ryan. "You cool with that?"

Ryan nodded, still expressionless. "Yeah, whatever."

⸻

Later that afternoon, they arrived at Savannah's house — a two-story, modern but warm home just on the edge of town. It smelled like lavender and cookies, which she proudly admitted were store-bought but "totally warmed up in the oven so they feel homemade."

They gathered in her living room. Anna sat cross-legged on the carpet, notebook in her lap. Ben sprawled across the bean bag chair. Savannah, of course, took center stage on the couch. Ryan chose the corner armchair, back straight, hands resting loosely in his lap.

"Alright," Savannah said, clapping once, "what book are we doing?"

Anna spoke first. "Of Mice and Men could be good."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we can talk about George's decision at the end. It's heavy, but there's a lot to analyze."

Ryan, to everyone's surprise, spoke up. "It's overdone."

They all looked at him.

"What would you pick?" Anna asked, more curious than offended.

Ryan glanced around the room, then said, "Catcher in the Rye. Holden's a mess — but he's real. Honest, even when he's lying."

Savannah leaned back, intrigued. "Didn't expect that from you."

He ignored the comment.

Ben jumped in, trying to smooth the mood. "Okay, I'm down for that. I mean, Holden is the original teenage existential crisis, right?"

Anna laughed softly. "Yeah, it could work."

And so they began. They tossed ideas around — how Holden pushed people away because he was afraid of connection, how he judged everyone else but didn't really know himself. Ryan, despite his usual quiet, had strong opinions. When he spoke, the room listened.

As the conversation carried on, the awkward tension between them softened. Savannah passed out soda cans, Ben cracked dumb jokes, Anna kept the discussion on track, and Ryan… he didn't smile, but he didn't want to leave either.

Eventually, the work turned into something more casual.

"I think," Anna said thoughtfully, "that Holden didn't really hate people. He just hated being disappointed."

Everyone was quiet for a second.

"That's kinda deep," Ben said. "Makes you wonder if he'd be happier in a town like this."

"I doubt it," Ryan muttered. "He'd call everyone phonies and run off into the woods."

They laughed.

Savannah tilted her head at him. "You sure you're not him?"

Ryan shot her a flat look. "You talk too much."

Savannah grinned, unfazed. "You think too much."

Anna watched them both, something unreadable flickering in her expression.

As the daylight faded into evening, they finished most of the assignment and drifted into lighter conversations — music, TV shows, worst teachers they'd ever had. Ryan mostly listened, offering the occasional dry one-liner. But he didn't leave early. He stayed.

When they finally packed up to go, Ben stretched. "That went better than I thought."

Savannah walked them to the door. "We make a good team. Shocking, I know."

Ryan was last to step out. Savannah caught his sleeve gently. "Hey."

He turned, brow slightly raised.

"You did good in there," she said. "I didn't expect you to be so… thoughtful."

Ryan met her gaze for a moment. "Don't expect anything. Then you won't be disappointed."

He walked off before she could reply, leaving her half-smiling behind him.

Inside, Anna lingered at the edge of the living room, staring out the window after them.