Beautiful Things - Evan Buckley

Two

"The power will be back on in a couple of hours. Maybe try lighting some candles? Or use flashlights?"

Riley sighs as the person hangs up. The last few hours have been crazy, with the earthquake and what not. A lot of the callers have legitimate concerns, but there are still some nuisance ones. My dog ran away. The server tried to give me onions. The power is out and I can't complete my crossword.

She hears Maddie groan beside her. "I shouldn't be doing this." The woman frowns at her. "How do you stay calm during this?"

"I thrive on chaos." Riley shrugs. "You'll get there. The first couple of weeks are difficult, there's a lot of second guessing yourself. But eventually, it'll become second nature. And you'll know what you're doing is right."

Their lines start ringing once more.

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By the time her shift ended, Riley had helped with more emergencies than she had the last 2 weeks combined. As soon as she disconnected one call, another popped up.

Days like today are her favorite. Not in a creepy, enjoy people getting hurt way. But because it kept her busy. There was no time to do anything else. No time to stop. No time for her brain to focus on anything but the everlasting situations that came to her. It was soothing.

And it carried over while back at her apartment. It kept her mind calm so she could focus on her nighttime routine. But she knew it wouldn't last. Not with the semester and volleyball season officially over. It would be weeks until practice resumed and even longer until her last year of classes began. Riley had tried to secure more hours at the service center, but was unable since she's listed as part time.

So, Riley found another way to occupy her mind: meaningless hookups using the one and only tinder.

Jess, a girl who was on the team when Riley was a freshman, had been the one to give her the idea. Jess wasn't shy, and would tell any who asked about her weekly escapades with random people from the app. Some used it for dating, but Jess liked the thrill she got when hooking up with strangers.

Riley liked it because for just a little longer, it occupied her mind. She wouldn't say she's addicted by any means. She only used the app on nights like this. When her thoughts were racing through her brain and making it impossible to rest. She wasn't sure how it exactly worked, but meaningless sex with strangers temporarily paused those thoughts. And she would take a pause over having to hear them.

Loren was sitting on the couch when Riley returned from her latest hookup, watching reruns of Guy's Grocery Games. "Back so soon?"

"His girlfriend showed up." Riley throws herself next to her friend. Pausing the episode, Loren gapes at her, silently begging for more details.

Truth be told, there's not much to tell. Riley had met up with the boy at a club a couple of blocks away. They danced and drank for an hour before leaving for his car. His hand was barely under her skirt when the girlfriend banged on his back window. Riley was able to sneak away while the girlfriend whacked the boy with her purse.

"This is like the fourth couple you've broken up."

Riley points her finger at Loren. "Hey, it's not my fault the boyfriends are dicks."

Loren sighs, and Riley tries not to roll her eyes at her friend's next comment. "You should really stop doing this. It's unhealthy." They've had this conversation before. Mainly during the summer season when Riley's escapades are more frequent.

"I'm just having fun."

"You're avoiding your feelings."

Riley shuts up at that. It's true. No matter how much she denies it. But she'll never admit that. It's easier to deny than accept.

"I just think you need help. You should talk to someone about what happened. It's been five years."

Riley knows Loren means well, that she wants to help. But she can't help the anger that swarms inside her mind. "If I had known you would be using that against me, I wouldn't have told you about that." She ignores Loren calling her name and slams her bedroom door closed.