Scandalous Love

34. | James

TW: sensitive topic (sexual violence and abuse)

I didn't think I'd have to wait as long this time around.

The only thing they had to get through was the final dance, that was the main point of the ceremony tonight. After that, they would have just been taking photos and making conversation with one another.

If I knew Riley the way I thought I knew her though, she wouldn't care to stay behind for photographs and would sneak out, most probably to come and see me. She did that and ran out on the first night I met her so I don't doubt she'd do the same this time around.

I sat on her bed, going through my phone out of boredom. There wasn't much I could do in here without getting caught by anyone.

Riley's Nan, who I had recently learnt the name of, was supporting us through and through. She could understand why Riley and I were doing what we were doing and she didn't mind if we were together but she did warn us to be careful.

She's seen this sort of thing happen before with Riley's mother. She knows what she's talking about and I'm willing to listen to each one of her instructions no matter what. I can't lose Riley the way Hunter's dad lost Riley's mother as much as himself.

I look around her room while I lay sideways on her bed but I don't find anything that would have entertained me anyway.

Sighing, I lean back and my head crashes against her pillow.

I could hear the music starting up from downstairs, meaning they must be welcoming everyone inside the hall now. The time couldn't have been going more slowly.

As my head lay against her white cushion, there was a hard object resting underneath, making the position rather uncomfortable.

I sit up and lift up her pillow to find a book underneath but it wasn't a reading book like I thought it would be. I knew Ri had been into reading, especially romance novels, but this book was different.

It was decorated with feathers: pink, purple and blue. The pages were slightly crinkled up and were far from the usual beige colour of book pages. It was more darkened. Like mustard.

I frown, slightly intrigued by it and I open it up to flick onto the first page. Something tells me I shouldn't have but I wanted to. It felt like I needed to.

For you, Mum
I miss you ❤️

Riley's Diary ✨

She had a diary. I don't know why it comes as a shock to me because she definitely seemed like the type of girl to have one of those.

It seemed private and personal but I keep reading. I flick over onto the next page and I read over each one of her words written in a cursive font.

Her handwriting was beautiful. Neat. Tidy. She crossed her 't's with a wriggly line, the dots of her 'i's were circles, each tail on the end of her 'y's and 'f's glided up to the next letter. Her handwriting was posh, like her, and unique, like her, but different. Secretive. Just like her.

I don't choose to read all of it. I skip a couple pages when I realise some of the things seemed too private. I wanted to know but I couldn't dig that far deep into it. If she trusted me enough, she would eventually tell me in her own words in her own time and I was willing to wait until then.

I get to the middle of the book and skim through the next couple pages but the rest of it was empty, no words scribbled inside at all. I had reached her last diary entry and it was dated two years ago next week.