Girl in a Hoodie: Where the Future Lies

Chapter 40

Riley's POV:

"I was only three when my parents gave me up. In fact, Maria is my mum's best friend. They said they'd take good care of me when my actual parents were considering what to do with me with the whole custody issues. My mum basically gave birth to me at a young age and couldn't handle it, especially when my dad left her on her own. She originally wanted my nan to bring me up but she couldn't 'cause she'd been diagnosed with Dementia. My family's kind of battered you could say," she smirks but behind that was a different side of Alexa I don't think I've ever seen before. I could see legitimate clouds in her eyes, blocking the tears threatening to fall.

"So you know who they are? Your parents?" I ask gently. She nods.

"Kayleigh and Bryce. They're my biological parents," she confirms before bringing the cigarette to her lips once again.

"So... Damien and Maria... They did that to you?" I gesture towards her arm, causing her to take a brief look as well before nodding in confirmation.

"Every single fucking night."

"Did you ever seek help?"

"Isn't that what I'm doing right now?" she inquires giving me a good enough answer.

"Okay... but... why are you telling me this though?"

"I'm trying to get us to start over and that begins with me being honest. This is the truth about me. That's what you want, right?"

"Why though? Why now after so many years of contagious bullying?" I interrogate, ignoring the vibration of my phone inside of my pocket.

"Because I can't deal with the guilt anymore. I just need someone who will understand me. Please, Riley," she practically begs, throwing the cigarette into a pedal bin she had kept under her desk. "I just want someone to talk to who actually gets what I'm going through."

"Okay," I breathe, settling down a bit by releasing my shoulders and repositioning Ellie on my lap. "Let's talk properly then."

James's POV:

"Okay, so I was checking your stats as of this week earlier but I noticed that you haven't gone through any one of the PDFs I sent you or responded to the emails. You were supposed to fill in the spreadsheet I forwarded to you on child support and then your Weekly Mentor Meeting but you still haven't done any of it," Desirée rambles onto me as we leave my uncle's room, walking down the hallways of the office and past several of our co-workers who were currently answering recipients' calls.

"Uh, yeah. It's 'cause my wife just gave birth, remember?" I scoff. 

"Wait, really? You never told me!"

"I didn't think you really needed to know," I respond awkwardly. "She was born a couple of days early anyway."

"How long do you have off work then? And if Riley just gave birth to your daughter then why did you come to the meeting today when you could have just done it from home?" she inquires. I shrug.

"Just felt like coming in today. Riley and Ellie are both healthy and we need money somehow. I can't keep on relying on my parents now that I've got a child of my own," I state. 

We walk around the corner before reaching the lifts which just so happened to land on the current floor we were on, opening and revealing two workers from the other side of the department. They walk past us rather airily, neither of them speaking a word as they polished their dress suits before both Desirée and I walked in, her thumb pressing the round metal button indicating to the ground floor.

"Right, well, if that's the case, then I guess I should let you off, but I am required to come to the current school you're at to observe you and just a reminder that you have to complete your hidden identity essay of the child you're currently working with. You said he has ADHD?"