I drive home as fast as I can, wanting to confront my dad about Jacklyn. I park in the driveway and make my way to the inside of the house. My dad's sitting in his usual spot, watching TV, when I walk in.
"Hey kiddo." He smiles at me. I wave to him and stare blankly. Am I supposed to just come out and say it?
"Something wrong?" He asks, his face masked with confusion. Well, it's now or never.
"Who's Jacklyn?" He looks away in embarrassment. Why?
"She's my...girlfriend." He mutters. We stand in silence, neither of us knowing what to say.
"How long?" I ask.
"Four months."
"Why didn't you tell me? Or Jamie?" I fold my arms over my chest. It hurts that he's kept this from us. I mean, trust me I'm ecstatic that he found someone again but, why would he not tell us?
"Because I was waiting until we were more serious." He sighs. I stay silent, processing it all. "Why are you asking about her?"
"Because she's my new boss."
"Oh, so you found a job then?" He asks. I nod. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence I make my way up to my room.
Since Jamie's death it's been awkward between us. He's still broken and so am I. As much as I hate to admit, we both need fixing. We can't go through everyday feeling like a shadow's following us. Like Jamie's following us. It will only hurt more.
I lay on my bed, thinking about this, and fall asleep as fast as my brain will let me.
__________________________________________________________________
A distant buzzing pulls me out of my slumber. My eyes are clouded over as I squint to look at my clock.
7:13
The buzzing isn't coming from my alarm clock though. It's coming from my phone.
"Why?" I groan at it. I lazily answer it.
"Hello?" My voice is thick, making it seem like I was asleep, because I was.
"Get up, I'm taking you to school." A voice says from the other line. They hang up before I can get a reply out. I get out of bed and get dressed, making sure to cover as much skin as possible. I'm sick of all these visions.
I trot down the stairs and out the door, not even bothering to get breakfast. The car sitting outside my house isn't who I expected it to be.
Riley.
I stop dead in my tracks. He gets out of his car and smirks at me.
"I thought I'd take you to school today."
"I'd rather walk." I walk past him and his car and towards the road. I could have just hopped in my truck but I'm not going to turn around now.
"C'mon Autumn, just let me make up for this." He comes up behind me and grabs my sweatshirt covered arm. I freeze in his grasp and look in his eyes. Why have I never noticed how green they were? They're like two deep green forests.
"You have a lot to make up for." I whisper, getting a little emotional.
"I know, but will you give me this one last chance to make it right?" After a few seconds of thawing, I nod. He visibly relaxes and lets go of my wrist. I follow him to his car and climb in. I wait for him to start the car but he doesn't.
"What?" I ask.
"If I asked, would you skip school with me today?" He says, green eyes pleading. I feel compelled to nod, so I do. He smiles a small smile and starts the car.
After a few minutes of driving I start to recognize the scenery around us. We're going to his tree house. I smile. I love it there, love the scent and the peace I feel when I'm there. Hopefully it won't end the same way it did the last time I was there.
When he parks the car I'm out and practically running to the little place in the woods.
"Woah, slow down!" He yells, chuckling. I hear his footsteps behind me. When the tree house comes into view, Riley's already there. I look at him with confusion.
"How'd you get here so fast?" I say, panting.
"It's a mystery." He mumbles.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Casper.
C- Where r u?
C- don't say ur with riley
C- he hurt u tums
C- dont ignore me
C- ur with him arent u?
I turn off my phone and climb up to ladder. Casper can wait until the end of the day.
"So why were you gone?" I ask Riley. I look up from the floor to see his face. The tiny smile he had on his face disappears. For a second, his eyes fill with determination, like he's about to tell me something but it vanishes as fast as it came.
"We had...family issues." He looks at the ground. He exhales loudly and looks me in the eye. "And...my mom doesn't want me to be..with you." I feel a pang in my heart. He wants to be with me. And his mom doesn't even know me but she already hates me. I look at the ground, unsure how to reply. He crosses the room and tilts my face towards his.
"But you know what? I say screw her." Then he kisses me. The same reaction goes off in my head as the first time. He take my breath out of me, leaving me light and dizzy.He looks at me with an emotion so strong it hurts to look. That's when I know for sure.
I'm in love with Riley Sablo.
