A disastrous book

Chapter 15: Rings

Riley's POV

We went on with our day once the lunch period was over.

Riley was quiet through the whole thing, which was weird. She's been acting a bit distant ever since her little revelation on Saturday night. I really want to ask her what's wrong, but it's like she's avoiding the subject.

"Hey, did something happen to Riley?" Alex seemed to have read my mind. While I may have the slightest idea of why she was acting this way, he still doesn't know anything.

"I don't know, she wouldn't say." I shrugged.

His face fell and I can sense his sadness. I'm starting to get worried about him and his strong infatuation with her, while normally I would be happy for him and encourage him to take action, but this case wasn't in anyway near normal. Riley is not the person he thinks she is, and I'm scared to see him get hurt.

"Look, I know you really like her, but she has a lot on her plate. I don't think she sees you that way." I cringe at the hurt expression he wore.

I would occasionally choke Alex, wrestle him, punch him with no remorse, because I know he'll get over it in 2 minutes, but I can't stand to see him hurt like this over something I said.

Something I did.

But I was only looking out for him.

"It's not like that, Riles" he scratches the back of his neck.

"Bullshit, I know you. You have feelings for her. But Alex, I'm not so sure it's a good idea-"

"What do you know?" He snaps. "You don't know what it feels like because you've never even bothered to let someone in. You live in your own little bubble and pretend you know better, you think every relationship has to be picture perfect, just like in the books, or else there's no point in trying. But in reality Riles, you're just clueless." My jaw snaps open at his surprising outburst.

Where the hell did all of this come from?

"I'm just trying to look out for you-"

"For fuck's sake, it's not your job! You tell me I deserve better, but then again, what do you know?! You base your experience off of fantasy novels, well that's not how the real world works! You've got your head so far up in the clouds, you can't even see beneath your toes. You can't possibly know how I feel and you sure as hell can't know what's best for me." His rant ends at the same time as the bell rings. He slams his locker shut, the sound making me jump as he wastes no time to get to his next class, and away from me.

I stood there frozen in the middle of a sea of passing figures.

One by one, the figures started to disperse until it was only me left.

Just like always.

I slide down the lockers and put my chin on top of my knees.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

A sob finally broke out, then a dam of tears bursted, and there was no stopping them now.

He was right. He was absolutely fucking right. Everything he said, I already knew, already despised, but to hear that from him, the one friend I knew would never judge me for being weird, being so detached from reality, hit harder than I thought.When he said those words out loud, it was like a mean slap to the face.

But it was also like it was something he had pent up inside of him for years, and now he just snapped.

I cry harder as I realise how shitty of a friend I am. I never thought much of his love life, and always disregarded his crushes because I thought they were probably just a fleeting feeling, but I never made the effort to even ask him, to listen to him talk about how he felt.