Believable (r.a.l.)

Chapter Forty Nine

Justine's POV
I slowly open my bedroom door and tiptoe my way in. It's been about an hour and a half since I walked out on Riker and it's now after midnight. I've been waiting for Riker to come out to talk but at the same time I wanted him to stay in the room. I'm glad he gave me space. When he stopped me I was mostly embarrassed of myself more than angry at him, which is the way he took it. Because I did see his point. It was a very good one. I was just stuck in the moment. I wasn't thinking about our age difference. I guess, in long run, thankfully it came across his mind.

I can barely see through the dark. But I know my room well enough to know where I'm going. I find the edge of my bed and lift up the covers slowly, careful not to wake Riker. I get under and face away from him. I close my eyes and focus on his steady breathing to make it easier to fall asleep. A few minutes later I'm startled a little as he pulls me to him. I recover quickly and curl up next to him.

Next thing I know Riker's phone goes off ringing and vibrating against my desk. I open one of my eyes but don't move. Riker reaches over me and picks it up, and quiets the ring to silent. He whispers an apology in my ear, rubbing my shoulder and tells me to go back to sleep. But I'm already up. Even though I know I won't be able to find sleep again, I close my eyes once more, trying to remember what I was dreaming about.

Though a minute or so later I hear him getting out of my bed.

"Where are you going?" I ask, it being the first time I speak to him since last night.

"Home," he answers. "Apparently I am needed there. Don't know the reason."

"Alright then." I sit up and he looks at me.

"I'll text you later," he tells me, kissing my forehead. "Get some more sleep, you look like you need it." He gives a small smile and walks out the door.

When He is gone, I don't go back to sleep. Instead, I get out of bed to do my morning routine. In between tasks, I am texting Hannah about how I planned to go shopping for the dress I'll be wearing to the Sadie Hawkins dance. She agreed to come and we're meeting at the mall.

"But you have yet to ask Riker to the dance," Hannah tells me as we search around one of the stores.

"Don't worry, Hannah. I'm going to sometime this week. Though really, do I have to? We are dating again so it is obvious that we would go as a pair."

Hannah rolls her eyes. "What you're saying is that Riker wouldn't have to go through the trouble of asking you to his prom because you two are together and it's already obvious you'd be his date."

I nod, seeing her point. One dress catches my eye and I take it off the rack to show my friend. She shakes her head, not really approving. I shrug and put it back. It's not my color anyway.

"Well I can't just out and say the question. That's not right." Hannah shakes her head in agreement. "But I don't know how I'd get on the topic."

"Have it the first thing you talk about," she suggests.

"Yeah but I don't think it'd be that easy," I sigh, putting my attention to another potential dress.

"You could've asked him last night. He was over, wasn't he?"

"My bedroom isn't really the environment you ask someone to a dance. And plus we weren't really talking towards the end of the night."

"Ooh-"

"No Hannah. That's not what I meant." I pause and look down. "He didn't want to."

"Oh, Justine. I'm sorry," she places her hand on my shoulder for support.

"Nah it's fine. He's eighteen anyways. And that's the reason he said no. So yeah, I'm fine," I shrug.

Her face still looks sympathetic but I can tell she gets his point of reason. We walk on to the next section of dresses in the store. But now we don't talk as much. Just looking. Here and there we speak our opinion on the dresses. But there aren't many good choices. The good designs are only around the time of prom, Christmas time or other holidays.

I glance over at Hannah. Her head is tilted down and her eyes scanning the screen of her phone once more. A moment later her fingers start tapping the bottom half of the screen quickly. We have been here a little over an hour and she has been texting throughout the entire time. I kept myself from asking who she is talking to. But it is kind of getting annoying, it has come to the extent that she's being a little rude.

"Who are you texting?" I finally ask her.

"Oh," she puts her phone down and looks up at me. "McKayla."

"Oh." I look down but then continue looking as if our conversation hasn't even started.

"Why can't you guys get along?" She whines a little bit. "You can't get over that fight you had on Monday?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"You're holding a grudge," Hannah says. "And you said yourself it's not good to hold grudges. I think it's especially no good to hold one against your own friend."

I roll my eyes. "She's no friend to me. She thought I was a liar and a cheater. She is also rude which I can't take any longer. I have no idea how long I've put up with her freaking attitude. She is always against me whenever I say my opinion about something. For example: Monday. And she has always tried to steal you away, try to make it so you had no more time to spend with me."

I had raised my voice I was almost yelling. (Thankfully not many people were in this part of the store.) My cheeks have heated up and I find myself glaring towards Hannah as she stares back at me, bewildered by my little outburst.

"Well," she starts, "I can tell you've been holding that in for a while."

I nod slowly, still breathing slightly heavier than normal.

"Lately, Hannah, she just isn't my favorite person. I try to still be her friend and I try to deal with her. But.." I shrug, not knowing what to say anymore.

McKayla and I never really had that click. When we were younger, Hannah had befriended her so I had to attempt to befriend her too. I'd say it sort of worked. McKayla and I got along most of the time. We were best friends, yes, but she was never as close to me as Hannah is. I only was friends with McKayla because Hannah was. Though Hannah spent more time with McKayla and I felt left out. Secretly, I was happy when McKayla didn't attend our hangouts. Throughout our friendship, McKayla had always been slightly rude to me and had an attitude that she never had with Hannah. Somehow I could always take it.

But this year I can't. With all the business with Riker, McKayla didn't try as much to be on my side as Hannah did. Like when Riker and I were rehearsing and it created the rumor I was cheating on Rocky, she agreed with the rumor. Or when I decided to forgive Riker, she was all against it. And on Monday, our argument about Riker and I being together once more. She had said bullshit about how he's no good for me, he's too old for me, that I shouldn't waste my time on him because he's a cheater, that I'm a dumbass bitch for letting him in again.

At that point, I'd slapped her. My reward: detention. But I didn't care. I still don't. On Monday I finally realized that she's nothing but a bitch. I found that what I've always thought was true: she is no true friend of mine.

"Can we just get back to dress shopping?" I ask Hannah after struggling for words.

She nods and apologizes for bringing up the subject. I thank her and we continue on what we are here for in the first place.

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A/N so finally got some background information... So just a filler.

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Happy reading! -Bethany