Pieces of Me

Chapter 3

Spencer

Randall and Kiara had headed up to bed an hour ago, and Anna was slumped against the arm of the chair she was sitting in. "I think she's asleep," Riley said quietly.

"Looks that way," I agreed.

All the lights were turned off around us, leaving the television's blue glow as our only source of light. There were pizza boxes scattered around the living room because Anna had proclaimed that a video game tournament demanded pizza. I had noticed that whenever Anna said she wanted something, her parents scrambled to make it happen. And I wasn't the only one who knew it. When Randall went to call in the pizza order, Riley had leaned in and whispered something in Anna's ear. Then she said, "How about cheesy bread too?" and Randall tacked it onto the end of the order without even a flicker of hesitation.

Riley had winked at me, then, and turned my stomach into a fluttery mess for the next several minutes.

"Are you ready to head up?" Riley asked.

"Not really. It's only ten PM back home." Here in New York, it was eleven, which wasn't very late. I was a little surprised Annaliese had already fallen asleep.

Riley nodded his understanding. "Yeah, time zone changes can be a real bitch."

"Have you done much travel?" I asked.

We were both sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch that my father and stepmother had vacated. Riley slid down a little, which I took as a sign that he wasn't going to go up to bed just yet. "Some," he said. I could feel him studying me, but I looked down at my hands. "My parents are from Mexico. They're not citizens, but I am since I was born here. They were deported years ago and haven't been able to come back. I go visit them when I can."

"Oh." And now I felt like a bad person for being jealous about my father taking him in. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but it seemed likely that Randall had taken Riley in so he could stay in the country without having to go through the foster care system. "That must be hard."

It was a stupid thing to say. Of course, it was hard. But Riley just smiled a little. "Yeah, sometimes. But I've got a good life."

Oh, no. He was an optimist. That was like catnip to me. As if I didn't already want a taste of him.

A comfortable silence fell, and I tried to push down what was possibly the stupid question I could ask him... but it came out anyway. I'd never been good at self-restraint. "Um, Riley? Just tell me if this is insensitive or whatever. I swear I don't mean any offense. But, um, if your parents are Mexican, why is your name Riley?"

He laughed and clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound, though he didn't look very concerned when he glanced back at Anna to make sure he hadn't woken her. "I'm not offended," he assured me. "My legal name is Riley Roberto Antonio Sanchez. My parents call me Roberto. They made my first name Riley because they thought it might give me a social buffer. People can be pretty cruel if you're too Mexican. I can't tell you how many people have assumed I'm not a citizen until I introduce myself. They hear my name and my lack of an accent, and their whole demeanor shifts."

"I'm sorry. People suck."

He shrugged.

Silence fell again, broken when Riley asked, "Have you? Traveled?"

"Not really."

More silence.

Was everyone this awkward with new people? What were you even supposed to say? I wracked my brain for something that wouldn't sound inane or forced, but the harder I tried, the more words fled me. Come on, Spence. If you're this boring, he's going to leave.