Riley's Box

Part 8

When I got to school the next day, I soon found Jason in the art room. 

I should have expected as much. If he wasn't at chess club, then he tended to get on with some painting. 

He was incredibly talented, too. He always had been. Jason just had this method of creating works on canvases that truly felt alive and I had always admired him for it. As my eyes glanced over his river painting for a moment, though, I had to remind myself of the reason why I was here. 

I opened my mouth to explain to Jason what had been going on, but then promptly closed it again. 

April hadn't taken any convincing, but then again, she had actually seen a weird shadow being with her own two eyes. 

The same could not be said for the boy who currently sat in front of me, with an expression of curiosity on his face. 

"Hey, Riles. I was about to leave, actually. I was going to go and draw some manga," he told me. 

I gave a nod in response, as I tried to work out what exactly it was that I wanted to say to him. 

Unfortunately, I was coming up empty, or rather, my mind was coming up empty for a decent way of breaking into a rather complicated conversation topic.

Jason's eyes flickered with some concern, then. 

"Are you alright, Riles? You don't have a migraine, do you? You sort of have your migraine face on," he said to me. 

I knew that he was being caring enough, but I couldn't help having the urge to roll my eyes at him, in response to that question. 

No, I didn't have a migraine. I had made sure to drink enough water every day to prevent that very thing from happening. 

 "I understand if you need a moment before you talk to me about whatever it is that's going on. You do know that you can talk to me, though, right? It's like I always say, when I give advice-" 

I cut him off, then. I knew where this was going. 

"A problem shared is a problem halved?" I asked. 

It was unfortunate that I had never been especially good at division. 

Jason smiled. 

"That's the one. I wouldn't keep it all in, if I were you. No matter what it is, you can talk to me about it," he said kindly. "And you know that I'll always try to understand, too." 

"Because you're important to me," he probably would have added. He had said those very words to me before, often enough, when we were growing up together. 

"I think I just need a friend right now," I said, as I sat down on the chair beside him. 

Think, Riley. What are you going to tell him? 

"My grandmother has-" I started to say. 

"Is Rachel okay? Is she alright?" Jason interjected. 

I felt my forehead crease a little. 

"What? Oh, yeah. She's fine!" I said, to dispel any of the concerns I knew would imminently bubble under the surface of an ordinarily calm Jason. "She's started driving again, though.

"Ah, good. There was me worrying that she had go to the hospital for a hip replacement procedure. For a third time." 

Yeah, my grandmother hadn't exactly had it easy. 

"So, I'm a little worried," I said. 

Jason nodded his head. He had completely fallen for it. 

Wait a moment- that meant that I had lied successfully? Was this real life? 

"As you can imagine," I continued. 

His eyes grew a fraction larger at that. 

"Oh yeah, of course! I can understand if you just need a friend right now. Your grandmother out on the roads again...that's great!" he took a moment to rethink his response somewhat, as he caught sight of my worried expression. "I mean...terrifying?" he said, though it sounded more like a question. 

Regardless, I was glad that he was trying to help me out. 

"I believe that it's a good thing that you told me what's going on, Riles. This sort of stuff isn't the kind of thing you should bottle up! You know what I say, we're best friends so it's important that we can always talk to eachother. About anything," he said. 

As he said that, I felt some guilt settle in my stomach. 

However, I managed a nod in agreement. 

"Yeah," I said. "Of course." 

"Your grandma is amazing, Riley! I'm sure that she's going to be an amazing driver...you know, better than she ever has been," he quickly rectified his statement. "You'll one day be a great driver, too! I'll give you tips for the theory exam." 

It was good to hear some inspirational words, considering I was still worried about being eaten alive by shadow people. 

God, I really needed to stop watching so many horror shows and movies. 

I knew that I should have just come clean and told Jason that I was concerned for my own safety, but the last thing I wanted to do was worry him, especially over something that could have been a lot more like nothing. 

Nonetheless, April had seen a similar being. That had to count for something, right? 

If I did tell him, he would probably advise me to not travel anywhere by myself, to get the bus home with him or to stay at his house for the afternoon, as though there was some villain out to get me. 

Much like April, Jason had always occupied an over-active imagination. That was one of the reasons why he was working on his own manga novels. 

Right now, though, that was besides the point. 

Was I going against my better judgement if I tried to work out what these shadow people were? It was a possibility at that. 

Nevertheless, I couldn't shut down the curiosity that had come alive inside my brain. 

"Let your grandmother know I say good luck. I should probably get to my maths class now, before Mr. Stuart throws a calculator at me." 

"Oh yeah. Sure. See you soon, Jason," I said. 

He smiled, as he walked to the door of the art room, but concern registered in his gaze fleetingly, before he turned and walked away.