February 11th 1987
It had been a couple of months since River, I guess, 'cheated' on me, but I had moved past it. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. I had gone through the motions of forgiveness, convincing myself that we could rebuild what had been broken. River seemed genuinely remorseful, and in the following weeks, he turned into someone who felt almost like a stranger—someone desperate to prove his loyalty and love.
Sure, I had forgiven him, and he seemed like a different person now, but there was always this nagging feeling that something was off. It was like a shadow lurking in the corners of my mind, whispering doubts that I tried to ignore. When Eric joked about what happened, it brought back all those awful feelings I thought I had gotten over. The laughter felt like a cruel reminder of the betrayal, and I could feel my heart sink as I recalled the pain of that moment. I had thought I was strong enough to brush it off, but the truth was, the wound was still fresh, and the scars were just beginning to form.
River was super clingy, like he was glued to my side. At first, I appreciated the attention; it felt nice to be wanted. But as the days turned into weeks, his constant presence began to feel suffocating. I couldn't figure out why he was acting that way. Was he trying to make up for his past mistakes, or was he simply afraid of losing me again? The uncertainty gnawed at me, leaving me restless and confused.
He was also really quiet and seemed upset about things, but he wouldn't open up to me about it. I would catch him staring off into space, his brow furrowed, lost in thoughts that I couldn't penetrate. I wanted to reach out to ask him what was bothering him, but every time I tried, he would brush it off with a half-hearted smile or a change of subject. It was as if he was building a wall between us, and I was left standing on the outside, peering in, desperate to understand what was going on in his mind.
Today was Rain's birthday! I've gotten really close to her lately, and it feels great to have a girl friend. I can talk to her about anything, even though she's two years younger than me. It's amazing how our connection has deepened over the past few months. We share so many interests, from our favourite movies to the music we love, and it feels like we can truly be ourselves around each other.
As I planned for her birthday, I wanted to make it special. I remembered how she mentioned her love for chocolate cake, so I decided to bake one from scratch. I spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, trying to get the recipe just right. The smell of chocolate filled the air, and I couldn't help but feel excited about surprising her.
When I finally arrived at her house, I was a bundle of nerves. I had also picked up a small gift—a delicate silver bracelet that I thought would suit her perfectly. As I walked in, her warm smile greeted me. We spent the evening laughing, playing games, and reminiscing about our favourite moments together.
"Hey, where are your mom and dad and River?" I asked, even though I was really curious about River.
"Oh," she replied, and I could tell she was a bit anxious for some reason. "They went out shopping." I couldn't figure out why she and River seemed so uneasy about their parents; I needed to get to the bottom of it.
"I'm going to the bathroom; I'll be right back," I said. She turned away from the couch. "Should I pause the movie?" she asked, referring to our favourite film, 'Back to the Future.' "Nah, I've seen it a million times," I grinned before heading upstairs to River's room.
I had to locate River's diary; there might be a clue about why he was acting so strange. The tension in the air was palpable, and I could feel my heart racing as I approached his room. I knew I had to be careful—if anyone caught me snooping around, it would raise all sorts of questions.
