Riley's Box

Part 35

I was beginning to believe that the answer to the question regarding me hating Susie might have been a resounding 'yes'. However, perhaps I didn't hate her entirely. 

The next day of school I found out that she was sick with a cold and probably wouldn't be in for a few days, yet. 

That meant that I would be able to indulge in a few days of uninterrupted Jason time, and believe me when I say that they were definitely necessary. 

At least, I was planning on spending time with Jason, until one of the senior leaders of the school said they needed to meet with me. 

"Riley Ruby, yes?" they asked me, as the two of us walked down the hall and sat down in their office. 

The Seven Deadly Sins had gone to locate another shadow spirit, leaving Ira behind so I wasn't all alone. 

I didn't actually mind his company anymore. Ira was relatively okay, now. He didn't seem to include me in his list of things that he hated, anyway, which I greatly appreciated. 

I offered them an amiable smile, but they looked so serious. Lighten up, have a KitKat? 

"I sure hope I am," I said. 

They exhaled in what I could only imagine to be discontentment and then a few moments later, my father wandered into the office. 

"Riley," he greeted me. He managed a small smile, but it wasn't quite bright enough to indicate to me that everything was peachy-keen. 

"You're excused from school early, Miss Ruby," the senior leader said. 

For? What on Earth for? 

Was this because I didn't finish my history homework? Probably. 

"What for?" Ira asked, whispering the question that was on my mind. 

"I'm taking you home, Riley," my father explained. 

I looked towards him and raised one arched eyebrow in inquisitiveness. 

What was this? 

I mean, I loved my free time as much as the next person. However, I couldn't understand why I needed to leave the school, all of a sudden. 

"Why, though?" I asked. 

"I'll explain everything in the car," he said. 

I exhaled and then turned to him. I gave him a small nod and then followed him out of the office. 

Alright, none of this really made any sense, but I supposed that there wasn't much that I could do about that just yet. 

Simply put, I was going to have to count on my father to offer up some answers, as to why I had to leave school so early in the day. 

Had I known, I wouldn't have got the bus. The bus fare was not cheap in this area. 

The senior leader bid me farewell with a small smile. I could register some sympathy reflected in their gaze.

I waved 'goodbye' to them and then followed my father out of the school and towards his car. 

"Alright, then," I said, as soon as my father and I were seated in the car. "What's happening? What's crack-a-lackin?" I asked. 

Ira had sat down in the back of the car. 

Fortunately, my father didn't notice the back door of the car swing open, or the belt buckling. 

Perhaps he needed a hearing test. 

Maybe he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to even notice. 

"Riles," he said, in that much-too-serious tone that told me that something that wasn't necessarily very good was happening. "I need to be honest with you," he said. "It's about your grandmother." 

"Yeah? Is she auditioning for the next talent contest? Is she going on a baking show? Ooh! She's going to become a master detective..." I trailed off, as I found that the ordinary hopeful light in my father's eyes was absent. 

"Riley," he said. 

I rested my back against the car seat and sighed, as my father started to drive on. 

"She's in hospital. That's where we're going," he told me, once we reached a red light. 

We didn't have time for stupid red lights! I needed to see my grandmother. 

"I hate red lights!" Ira said in the back seat, prompting my father to slam down on the brake, stalling the car. 

The light went green. 

My father turned to me and raised an eyebrow. 

"Dad...The light's green," I said. My throat felt uncomfortably constricted. 

My father un-stalled the car, drove on and then parked in the hospital car park. 

"Who...the hell are you? What are you doing in my car?" he asked. "You asked for me to be honest, Riley, and I was. Who's he?" he added. 

"This is my friend, Ira. I'm surprised you didn't notice him enter the car," I said, with a nervous smile. "In all of his six-foot glory," I continued. 

My father wasn't smiling. 

I offered him a friendlier smile. It didn't work. 

"He's just a friend," I said. 

"Does he go to your school?" he asked me. 

"No. Yes. Kind of. It's a long story," I said. "Like, really long. One that would take me way longer than we have to explain. Point is...I opened the box and he came out of it- along with six others." 

"Six? You mean to tell me there's six emo-looking guys running around town?" he asked me. 

"Hey! I am not emo-looking. It's not my fault that you cannot appreciate good fashion when it is right in front of you..." Ira trailed off, when he noticed me glaring at him. "My apologies, Mr. Ruby. Please continue." 

My father gave a shake of his head in a lack of credence. 

"This can't be happening," he said. 

"Hey, Ira is my friend. I'm allowed to make friends with emo-looking guys...with impeccable taste in fashion, of course," I said and promptly added the last part, as my eyes flitted towards Ira fleetingly. 

"No. I mean. This whole situation is unrealistic. People came out of your box. And how old are these people, exactly?" he asked me. 

Ira looked down at his black-polished nails, seemingly bored. 

I cleared my throat to get his attention again. 

"Uh, Ira- how old are you?" I asked him. 

My father stared at me wide-eyed. 

"You mean you don't know?" he asked. 

Some people heard him yelling from outside of the car. Fortunately, they couldn't see Ira.