We spend the rest of the day talking. Well, talking and kissing. For the first time in a long time, I feel like the pieces of my heart are whole again.
I lay with my head in his lap as we talk. Every time he laughs, my head shakes. After a while he starts reading to me. Man, this is cheesy.
My eyes get so tired that I close them as his voice fills my thoughts.
"Am I boring you?" I can hear the smile in his voice. I smile a small smile and shake my head.
"No, I just haven't gotten much sleep lately." I say quietly.
"Sleep Autumn." He leans over and kisses my forehead. I smile. He hums a song I recognize as The Reason by Hoobastank. I fall asleep, and it's the best sleep I've had for awhile.
__________________________________________________________________
When I wake up, Riley's gone. I sit up and look around, spotting him outside sitting on the deck. I get up and walk towards him. That's when I realize he's on the phone.
"No, I don't think she's who you say she is." He says into the phone. I stand in the door frame and he turns to look at me. He smiles. "Can I call you back?" He hangs up, not letting the person on the other end answer.
"Who was that?" I ask.
"My mom." He says immediately. I nod and don't question it further. He pats the space next to him and I sit there, leaning my head against his shoulder.
"I should get you home. It's almost the end of the school day." He says.
"Do I have to?" I ask. He laughs quietly.
"No."
"Fine. Let's go." I say, getting up and holding out my hand. He looks at me, confused. "What? I'm giving you help, ever heard of it?" I say, smiling. He shakes his head and stands up by himself.
When we get back to the car I turn my phone back on to look at the angry text messages Casper sent. Trust me, there's a lot of them. My phone rings and I answer it.
"Casper, don't worry I'm fi-." I get cut off.
"Not who you think it is, Miss Priss." Mary says.
"What do you want? And how'd you get my number?" I ask, no emotion whatsoever. Riley looks at me with concern but I wave him off.
"I want to talk to you. Meet me at Applebee's." Before I can answer she hangs up the phone.
"Can you drop me off at Applebee's?" I ask Riley.
"Yeah, sure." He says, his face still painted with confusion. He drops me off and I go in, not looking back.
It doesn't take long for me to find Mary. Her tall, blonde head peaks above the booth seat in a mocking way. Like she owns the whole town. If you ask me, she has way too much confidence.
What I don't notice until I get closer is there's another person sitting with her. A small, blonde, maybe nine year-old is sitting with her. I move slower now, not wanting to think about who this little girl might be.
"Hello, Autumn. It's nice to see you again." She says to me. I sit down in my seat cautiously. "I don't think you two have met, this is my daughter, Ivy." My heart drops and fills with an emotion I know all too well when I come in contact with Mary. Rage.
"I just thought you'd like to meet the person that I left you for. Obviously, she's a lot more enthusiastic than you are." She smiles evilly, her eyes glistening at my being uncomfortable. "She's just so east to love, unlike you and, what was his name again? Oh right, Jamie." She sips on her drink in front of her.
"I'm not taking this." I say, getting up. She grabs my arm, forcing me to a stop.
"I'm not done with you yet." She hisses. We glare at each other as she takes her hand off of me. "You're making a scene." I sit down slowly.
"So, how's Rufus? I hear he got a new girlfriend. How long did it take him? 11 years?" I don't answer, just stare.
"You know, I'm happy that I left. If I wouldn't have, who knows where I'd be right now? Being a stay-at-home mom that never leaves the house? Who would want to do that?"
"Well, obviously you do now." I mumble.
"Did I say you could speak?" She says harshly. I roll my eyes. When did she turn into some snooty rich person? We sit in silence, Ivy looking between the both of us with confusion.
"Tell me, how does it feel to know that not only does your whole school hate you, but so does your own mother?" She says with a wry smile. As much as I hate to admit, it stings. Tears cloud my vision and I get up to leave.
"It was nice to see you again, Autumn."
