Hated, Dated, Fated

Chapter 25 - Dated

RILEY

- FLASHBACK - 

“Live with that guilt bitch. Live with the fact that you killed a person, a person who was so much better than you, and you’re too scared to even look down the barrel of a fucking gun!” I shouted, my calm façade crumbling fast.

“Where’s your high and mighty attitude now, huh? HUH?” I demanded, hands gesturing wildly and pink hair flying angrily.

“Pathetic.” I spat, looking disdainfully at Samantha before turning around and walking right out of the hall.

-END-

I stormed out, fuming. How dare that bitch, that manipulative, selfish, lying snake nearly kill my best friend? Twice? I wrung my hands furiously, slamming open the gym door

Release. I needed release.

I sucked in a huge lungful of air, trying my damnedest to calm down. I was angry with her but mostly angry with myself. I should have known she’d try something like this. Hell, I was even warned. Taking out the crumpled piece of paper I re-read the one line written in Samantha’s spidery handwriting.

I’m coming for her.

I should have told her, told her to sit nearer the back of the hall. I just thought Samantha was messing with me, trying to rile me up. She knew my hatred for plastic bitches like her, but I never thought she’d be so scheming as to do this. Hot tears of anger and frustration rolled down my cheeks, ruining my dark smoky makeup, but I ignored it, too wrapped up in my self-loathing to care.

“Riley?”  Josh called out, stepping into the gym, silent except for my sneakered feet pounding on the treadmill.

“Riley please, come on, stop. You’ll kill yourself on that thing!” He tried again, but I ignored him, again, pushing myself harder and running faster, letting the frustration run free.

Josh tried coaxing me into stopping, but I kept on sprinting like my life depended on it. Just when I thought I was going to collapse, I hit the emergency stop button and hopped off, or tried to. Dizziness swept over me and I staggered, landing on the floor with a dull thud. I put my head between my knees, trying to stop the dizziness before I went to the punching bag. Josh was holding me, rubbing my back gently, and telling me it was okay, but I knew it wasn’t. Nothing ever was.

In my mind’s eye I flashed to a time when violence and torment were all I knew, and the amount of trouble it got me into, but I shook it away before it took over like it had back in the hall.

I stood up shakily and walked over to the punching bag, swiftly landing a hit. I rained blows upon the punching bag, using it as my anchor to get a fucking grip and letting go of all the hatred and anger I held in me. I raised my fist to land another punch when I felt a pair of arms holding me back, pushing me into the wall.

“Riley! For fuck’s sake, stop it! Don’t do this to yourself,” Josh said, pinning my wrists to the wall and crowding on me so I was effectively trapped.

“Let me go! I need this! It’s my fault she nearly died! It’s my fault that I couldn’t help her,” I yelled, struggling to break free, when suddenly all the strength just left my body and I slumped, loud sobs echoing through the empty gym.

Josh just stayed silent, holding me tight while I cried and yelled and just let go.

It was a while before any sense of normalcy returned. I rubbed harshly at my eyes, before remembering I still had my makeup on and probably had smudged it across my face.