Mine *don't read: being rewritten*

Chapter Seven

(Hunter's POV)

"I knew you were a keeper." The words ring through my head for some reason. The entire conversation does, really. "You have to keep her healthy; she's my little girl." I had already made that promise to myself, after Riley told me everything.

I thought about it all as she slept. I watched her. I watched her chest rise and fall. I watched her as she curled up, her head rested on my chest.

Now, I lie on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Mrs. Parker told me to come back, that there was more she wanted to tell me. I wonder what it is. Probably keeping Riley safe.

My phone rings on my bedside table. I answer it quickly, before the sound of it wakes Alex. "Hello?" I say.

"Hunter?" Riley's voice is hushed.

"Hey babe," I reply in the same tone.

"Did I wake you up?" She asks in a whisper.

"No, you didn't. Are you okay?"

I hear her sigh. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just..." she trails off. I stay quiet. She sniffles and tries to say something, but stops.

"Why are you crying?" I say, gently.

"I don't even know, Hunter," she whispers.

"Do you want me to come over?" I offer.

"It's late," she mutters.

"I don't care. I'll be there in ten minutes. Okay?"

"Okay."

I pull into Riley's driveway, walking quickly to the door. I don't knock, I just open the door slowly and quietly.

"Rye?" I whisper, walking into her room. She sits on her bed, but she isn't crying. Tears stain her cheeks, but she just stares at her bed.

She looks up at me, jumping into my arms, almost making me fall, but I catch my balance, tightening my arms around her. Riley looks up at me, and I brush her hair from her face. "What's wrong?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I really don't know.

(Riley's POV)

I was just lying there, and something hit me. I don't know what it was, but it was enough to break me down. I called Hunter, just needing to hear his voice, knowing it would calm me down. But he had to be the amazing boy he is and come over here, probably wanting an explanation; one that I don't have.

He looks down at me, concern swimming in his eyes. "Riley," he whispers, "you can tell me, whatever it is."

I shake my head, sitting on the foot of my bed. Hunter sits too, slipping an arm around my shoulders. "I don't know. I have no idea what it is. Something hit me. Realization, maybe."

I look at him, meeting his eyes. "My mom is going to die, Hunter," I murmur. Admitting it to both myself and him.

He puts his hand on my cheek, his hand is cool on my warm skin. He moves his thumb back and forth over my cheekbone. He looks like he's trying to find something to say, but we both know there's nothing. There's nothing that can fix it; nothing that can make her better.

So instead of saying something, he leans in, pressing his lips to mine. Then something else hits me, but it doesn't bring tears to my eyes, it makes me smile. Now I'm sure of it. I can say the words with no doubt.

"Hunter," I whisper, which makes him pull back, his hand still on my cheek.

"What?" he asks, sounding worried.

"There's a chance that I'm in love with you." I smile. I've only said the three words to him once before, and I wasn't completely sure of myself. But I am now.

He smiles back it me. "Well, I'd say that's a good thing, because I think I'm in love with you, too."

Eventually, he scoops me up, lying me back down, pulling the comforter up over me. "Hey, I'll see you tomorrow, get some sleep."

I take his hand and pull him into the bed with me. "Stay with me," I mutter. He shrugs and climbs in the bed with me. "Goodnight Hunter," I whisper. "I love you."

"Goodnight, Riley Ann, I love you, too." He kisses the top of my head, and lets me curl up into him, letting the beating of his heart lull me to sleep.

(Hunter's POV)

I watch her sleep; her chest slowly rises and falls. She looks so peaceful. Riley pulls the blanket up around her and rolls over so she's facing me. She mutters something inaudibly, her nose scrunching up. I smile at her; she's just perfect.

She mumbles something again, this time a little louder and a little bit more forceful. The third time, I make out what she says. "Adam! Adam, stop!"

I look at her with confusion. I've never heard her talk about an Adam. "Stop," she says again. "Please, stop."

"Riley Ann," I whisper, not wanting to scare her. "Riley, babe," I say. "Hey, babe, wake up." I rub her arm.

"Get off of me! Adam, stop!" I pull my hand back. I calmly say her name again, trying to wake her without scaring her. "No, Adam!"

"Riley, wake up," I say in a normal tone. She sits straight up, panting, tears forming in her eyes. "It's okay, babe, it was just a dream," I assure her.

She wipes the tears from her eyes. "No," she murmurs, "no, it wasn't." Slowly, she lies back, taking deep breaths to calm herself. I stay propped up on my elbow, looking down at her.

"Who's Adam?" I ask quietly.

"Can we talk about it in the morning? Please?" she says, cuddling closer to me.

I nod. "Yeah, baby, we can talk about it in the morning. Go back to sleep," I whisper, stroking her hair softly. I kiss the top of her head as she settles down, her head buried in my chest.

~

I wake up before Riley. I want to let her sleep, so I just end up watching her again. It doesn't look like she's dreaming of Adam, whoever that is.

Her eyes open, and they land on me. Riley smiles; I wonder if she remembers that she has to tell me about Adam. Before I can even ask about him, she says, "He was my boyfriend, after my dad left." I can barely make out the words because she says them so quietly.

"He, uh, he didn't treat me well." She stares at the ceiling as she talks. "He would hit me and yell at me for no apparent reason and he..." She trails off, tears shining in her eyes.

She doesn't finish her last statement, instead she says, "I'm not really sure why I stayed with him. I just, needed someone, I guess."

"Maybe he's part of the reason...part of the reason that I hurt myself. He would tell me that I was ugly and fat and he was only with me because..." She trails off again.

She finally looks at me. "Can you promise me something, Hunter?" she asks. I nod. "Please, don't do to me what he did." Tears spill out of her eyes now.

I'm not sure what she's talking about, because I would never hit her or yell at her, she knows that. He did something else clearly. "What else did he do to you?"

"He would, uh," I can tell she feels awkward talking about this, but I need to know. "He touched me, a few times. I didn't want him to but he..."

"He didn't rape you, did he?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Riley, I'll never do anything like that to you, okay? I promise you." She nods, rolling over so her head is buried in my chest.

I rub her back, slowly and carefully. "I love you," I whisper.

"I love you, too."

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*AUTHOR'S NOTE*

Guys, I have a question for you: why do I write such sad things??? I don't even know. Like that's most of what I write. Well I hope you enjoyed this depressing chapter. Please vote and comment! I love you!!!(:

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