Bucket List: A Girl Meets World Story

Chapter 7

I've been reading Matheo fanfics for 87 years now. I SHIP IT TOO DAMN HARD.

Riley had been thinking about the events that had taken place for hours now, laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, not even bothering to throw her blanket over herself - and of course, listening to Megan Trainor. Her hands were folded on top of her torso, her hair was a mess. She looked like the human configuration of a party-gone-wrong.

          Luckily, it was summer, so she didn't have to go to school and see her so-called friends. Unluckily, her family was coming home in about a half hour, and she really wasn't in the mood to play boards game with her dad, or go on a pirate adventure with Auggie. At least she had these last thirty minutes to herself.

           Or until the door opened five minutes later.

"GUESS WHO'S BACK!" Her father's voice erupted through the hallways of her room, the vibrating sound waves succeeding in making it into Riley's ears. She covered her face with a purple pillow in response.

"Sweetie?" This voice was quieter, closer, and belonging to her mother. Topanga stood in her daughter's doorway, grinning at her as she lay in bed.

Riley groaned rather than saying anything, and rolled over onto her stomach.

"Honey? You okay?" Topanga was now sitting beside Riley, her hand on the small of her daughter's back.

Riley managed a muffled 'Absoultely,' through her pillow and covers, sticking her face farther into the cushion of her bed.

"Are you sure?" Her mother tilted her head, honey-colored hair falling loose. "Because you're buried in bed, listening to Title on repeat."

Riley sat up, pushing the pillow she'd been pressing against the back of her head aside and looking at her mother.

"Yeesh!" Topanga exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of her daughter's less-than-aesthetically-pleasing eyeliner. "Are you 100% positive nothing's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Riley frowned, folding her arms over her chest in a semi-dramatic fashion. "Stop bothering me." And with that, she stood up, walking to her bay window and plopping onto it, avoiding avid eye contact with her mother.

The corners of Topanga's mouth turned downward slightly, and she slowly lifted herself from Riley's bed. "Alright." Her words were slow, almost dangerous. "Well, once you feel like talking, dinner's ready."

Riley turned her head to find her mother had left. She was hungry...and dinner did sound great... Oh, fantastic, she'd somehow managed to walk all the way down the hallway, and into the kitchen, without even realizing. If only she hadn't been thinking about her goddamn dinner...

Auggie grinned widely and threw his hands in the air upon realizing his sister's arrival. "It's Smiley Riley!" He announced in, likely, the most childish voice possible.

"Careful, Augs," Riley grunted, planting herself in her usual chair. "I'm not very smiley tonight. I'm just here for food," she said, poking her fork at the slice of store-bought chicken pot pie, then, strangely enough, dropping it right as the forkful she'd gathered was about to enter her mouth.

Topanga raised her eyebrow, watching her daughter closely as her goon of a husband rambled on about mashed potatoes. Meanwhile, Riley attempted to get a mouthful of food in her mouth again.

She closed her lips around the metal fork, and slid the bit of chicken pot pie she'd gathered off it's prongs. However, rather than chewing it, she spit it back onto her plate, then aggressively wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin and stood up, glaring at no one in particular. "I'm excused," she said, escaping from her family, into her room.

Topanga and Corey shared a concerned glance, while Auggie stared at Riley exiting, confused for a second before shrugging it off and continuing his story about Ava and him riding into the mountains on a fairy-unicorn.

Meanwhile, Riley sat on her bed, her head in her hands. As hard as she tried to cry, she couldn't bring herself to. Too many tears had streamed down her face this weekend. It was almost as though she had none left.

Topanga sighed, after putting Auggie to sleep. She felt terrible not knowing what was going on with Riley, like she'd failed as a mother somehow. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she heard gagging noises, coming from the kids' bathroom. She walked a little closer, discovering a nausea-inducing smell, then peeked into the small room.

"Riley?" She said quietly, finding her dark-haired daughter on her knees, hands holding the sides of the toilet, as she threw up stomach acid into it, having nothing else to offer. "You okay?"

Riley jerked her head up from the bowl, then looked back at Topanga, tears brimming her brown eyes. "Does it look like I'm okay?" She asked in a scarce voice, mental collapse visible in every aspect of her.

"Oh, sweetie," Topanga fell by her daughter, wrapping her arms around her torso and pulling her into a hug. Riley forced herself against her mother, pushing her face onto her shoulder. "I think..." Topanga said hesitantly, "I think you should see a doctor."

And though she couldn't see Riley's face, she felt the rapid motions of her daughter nodding in agreement.