Arranged marriage : I hate you

Chapter 10

"Mr and Mrs Smith, good morning," Riley greeted politely. The couple looked at each other then back at the two in confusion.

"Uh, morning," Joshua responded, confusion audible on his voice. Seeing the tension, Jennie took it upon herself to clear the air before everyone suffocated.

"Dad, This is Mr Brown's daughter, Riley. Also, being my wife. Well, fiancée for now," Jennie introduced, turning for a second to look at Riley who was already looking at her.

"Wife?" Joshua asked, his mind still finding it hard to process the news.

"I thought-" Murrieta stepped in. They were both clearly expecting Riley to be a man, and not a woman. There was a moment of silence between them all, and Riley was starting to get impatient. She knew how everyone reacted upon hearing that Peterson, a wealthy and dangerous man, has a lesbian for a daughter. It was starting to annoy her.

"We just came here to get Jennie's school things, after that, we'll be out of your hair," Riley spoke then, irritation loud on each word.

Jennie turned to look at her wife, concern and worry building up inside of her. She could feel that the older woman felt rather offended by her parents' reactions to her gender and sexuality.

"Why don't you two stay for breakfast?" Murrieta asked sensing the change in atmosphere, but Riley wasn't having it.

"That won't be necessary. My fiancée and I already had something to eat before coming here. Plus, time is running out. I have to get her to school on time," Riley said, her features suddenly darkened.

Jennie didn't know why she started feeling warm. It felt weird to have someone dominating her in this way. Although she had a boyfriend, Jimmy was always so nonchalant when it came to her. He didn't even stand up for her when she got bullied for dating a soccer player.

"She's right. I uh, I'll just hurry up and get my things," Jennie backed up, her eyes looking at Riley then at the older couple.

Jennie left the room and quickly rushed to her old room to get her remaining books.

Riley looked at the older couple, her features dark and intimidating. Joshua felt fear on his chest by just looking at her. Looking at her, he saw her father, just a more feminine yet still intimidating version of the man. No words were said among them as Riley just turned to face the pictures, her hands buried deep in her pockets.

Jennie soon joined them in the room, her school bag in hand.

"I'm done," she said, making Riley turn to face her. Riley walked to the girl and gently took the bag from her. Jennie smiled up at her, her heart warming up at the act.

"Mr Smith, Mrs Smith, thank you for this. We have to go now, enjoy your day," Riley spoke, her tone cold and strong as she took Jennie's hand and led her out of the house before the older couple had a chance to respond.

Jennie kept quiet throughout the whole interaction. It was only after Riley drove out of the compound that Jennie felt the need to speak.

"I'm sorry," she spoke, her eyes looking at the road but would occasionally steal glances at the older woman.

"Huh? For what?" Riley asked, turning to glance at Jennie before returning her gaze to the road. She knew Jennie's school and where it was so it was easy for her to get there.

"For the way my parents acted upon seeing you," Jennie added, her eyes now fully looking at Riley.

The older woman sighed deeply before relaxing into her sit, her body losing it's stiffness.

"It's not your fault. I just-," Riley spoke, sighing as she tried to continue without showing anger. "It's irritating how people always look surprised to know that my father's child is a girl, a gay girl at that," she spoke truthfully. "But I'm fine, it's really no big deal," she added, laughing slightly.

Jennie didn't laugh. She felt that the older woman was just trying to make herself feel better by using humour, which worried her. Although she still wasn't convinced that her fiancée was okay, she didn't push any further.

Minutes later, Riley was driving into Jennie's school. There were students littered outside. Some where playing, others were probably gossiping, while most were just couples. Many pairs of eyes stayed glued to the beautiful expensive looking car driving into their school.

Their stares made Jennie uneasy, but she pushed the feeling down as Riley found an empty spot and parked her car. The guards didn't enter the school compound, and Jennie was grateful for that.

She held her breath when Riley turned to face her, lowering herself to unbuckle her seatbelt again before exiting the car to open the door for her. The stares widened, whispers and gasps lingering in the morning breeze.

As Jennie left the car, Riley closed the door for her and they walked towards the school entrance, Jennie's bag hanging on Riley's shoulder.

"So, I'll come and get you once school is out. Is that okay?" Riley asked, stopping and turning to fully look at the girl. Jennie also stopped and looked at her. She worried. How would she explain the sudden appearance of a lesbian woman bringing and fetching her from school to Mia and Jimmy?

She looked around for a while, before turning to face Riley. She nodded slowly, unsure of what she was agreeing to. Riley smiled then, the air suddenly becoming awkward.

"Please, call me if you need anything," Riley said as she handed Jennie her bag and a business card. The younger girl took it with a smile as she pretended not to be bothered by the stares.

"I will. Drive safely,"

Jennie watched as Riley walked back to her car and drove out of the school. Students were still looking at her. Strangely, she felt happy and at peace. She turned on her heels and walked inside, a small smile on her face.