Girl in a Hoodie: Where the Future Lies

Chapter 21

Riley's POV:

I stared at my screen blankly, sat on the recliner sofa with my laptop on my legs and reading through a website about the importance of collaboration except I wasn't processing any of the information my eyes were skimming over. James had his first day working in the school properly today and so I was home by myself. Well, with Laci too but she'll be going back to University this Saturday which is only a couple of days away and she won't be back until the wedding in March.

My mind keeps on drifting back to Emily and how I'm probably being the worst person in the world right now by not responding to her. It's not like she's even done anything wrong but I'm doing so well at the moment and I don't want things to change by something bad happening with my dad or my mum or anything along those lines. Conceivably, it could be because my life has never been uneventful but now that I'm finally settling down with James and his family, I'm afraid to let go of the good in life and I'm reluctant on just about everything.

Just as I'm about to finally make some notes on what I'm reading, the iPad beside me starts vibrating and when I look, I see a video call request from James. I pick it up, swiping the answer button and then smiling as his face shows up on my screen. 

"Hey babe," he says. He seemed to be sitting in a sort of classroom except it looked quite enclosed and tight as he was sat on a piano stall. There were drawings that little children have obviously done and I soon figure it must be a specific counsellor's room.

"Hey, how's it going?" I ask him.

"Really good actually. There are two boys and one girl I'm meant to be working with, getting to know them and all. Toby's one of them and he's six, Lewis is the same age and then Olivia is five," he tells me, nodding.

"Aw, how are you coping with it?"

"I'm okay. They're really playful except Toby has ADHD and then Lewis has neglective parents and Olivia is autistic," he tells me. I nod, smiling sympathetically. "How are you though? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," I say, forcing a light smile. He looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "What?" I ask him, sighing as I know he can tell something's up.

"I'm engaged to you, Riles. Something's bothering you, what is it?" I tilt my head to the side, biting my lip. I hate to always be the one that has something on their mind. I hate the feeling of stressing James out by always being worried or upset about the littlest things which is why I'm always so hesitant about telling him what I'm thinking despite the fact that I always end up doing so anyway. I know he just wants to know and he truly does care and wants to help me but I don't want to be a burden to him the way I have been recently. "You know you can talk to me right?"

"Yeah," I mumble.

"Then what is it, Ri?" he asks, chuckling.

"You sure you've got time to talk?"

"I always have time to talk to you," he tells me and I smile.

"Okay, well, Em texted me and said that Mum wants me to go and stay with the two of them for a couple of weeks and I haven't responded to her in ages and I just don't know what to say and I'm stressing over it because I feel like I'm being a terrible sister and-"

"You're not," he cuts me off. I blink, looking at him and scouting my eyes around. "Trust me, Ri. You aren't being a terrible sister at all. When are they thinking of us going?" he asks.

"Us?" I question, confused.

"Well, yeah. If you're going then I'm obviously going to go with you," he chuckles.

"But James, you have work, you can't just leave after getting the job-"

"Wrong. Uncle Carlos said if it's anything to do with you or the baby then it's fine," he tells me. "So when were you thinking of going?"