Happening >>Riley Matthews<<

Chapter 7

"I'm really sorry, Riley. Will you forgive me?" He looked so weak. So helpless.

"I already forgave you. I never needed to though. You didn't do anything wrong. I understand. You have every right to be mad at me." I looked down at my lap and fiddled with my thumbs.

They honestly did have every right to be mad at me. I lied to them for so long that they weren't sure if they could trust me anymore. That literally snapped my heart in half. I guess my neighbor did that, too. He didn't only ruin my life, but he took a saw and cut my heart down the middle.

I don't deserve to live. Especially when I've lied to my best friends. Especially when I'm not gonna have any friends after today. Especially when I'm such a failure at life. And if I'm such a failure, why do I even try?

"You guys are just gonna leave me now, right? You're all just going to walk away because you realized that you can't trust your best friend. Right?" Nobody says anything. "Goodnight."

I laid down and pulled the covers tight over my body. I turned on my side, staring at the bay window. Tears started trickling like a summer rain down my cheeks. I wasn't sobbing. I had done enough of that. I was just letting the roof leak. I couldn't stop it from leaking. My roof repair guy ditched on me. As soon as I realized he was my neighbor, I was glad he cancelled.

"Riley, look at me." It was gentle. I didn't move. "Riley?" It was more expectant. I didn't move. "Riley, look at me!" Fiercer. I didn't move. I couldn't move. "Riley Matthews! You look at me right now!" It was mad. I physically couldn't look at her. "Lucas!"

I felt strong, gentle arms around me. They lifted me and made me sit up. They were forcing me to do their bidding. Once I was sitting up they were going to take their turns to spit in my face. His gentle hands and touch were still too rough and forceful.

I started crying again. "Lucas! Put her down! Maya?! What has gotten into you?! Don't you see she's hurting?!" I look up to see Farkle's mad face looking between Maya and Lucas and his arm gesturing toward me.

"Will you all just stop!" I yelled. "I trusted you! I loved you! And you treat me like I'm trash!" I ran out of that room. That room that I had grown up in. That room where I thought I had friends.

My target was my father's classroom, but I ended up not even making it to the living room. I tripped and landed on my face on the stairs leading into the kitchen. Of course I fall on my dramatic exit. Today has had too much drama included.

First, Maya isn't riding the subway, then she dies, then she's not dead, then I cry uncontrollably, then I go home, the I sleep, then I have to do chores, then I don't have to do chores, then I fall asleep again, then my dad doesn't find Lucas, then I'm comfortable, then I can't be, then it's comfortable, then it can't be, then my friends learn what's happening, then I cry, then they get mad, then they yell, then I hurt my ankle trying to leave, and then I'm crying again. Too. Much. Drama.

I hold my ankle, rocking back and forth. I'm not crying because it hurts. I'm crying because my best friends in the whole world can't see that they're making this worse.

Now they're going to come out here and pretend like they care enough about me to carry me back to my room. Then they're going to talk to me. Tell me that they love me and will never leave me. Ha. Like that's true.

Like I predicted, as soon as they heard a loud, klutzy thump, they came running to my rescue. Riley Super-Klutz rang through my head. Why do people have to be so hateful. Why do I have to have friends?

"Riley?! What happened?!" Maya.

"I fell." I said as if I were talking to a baby.

"Okay, duh!" That hurts. "What did you hurt?" I saw they boys' concerned faces as well.

"Why did you guys even come out here?" Getting mad. "I know you don't trust me anymore." Madder. "Why don't you guys just leave me now like I know you're gonna!" Furious.

"Riley! We're never leaving you! That's what I was trying to tell you back there! We will always work things out because we're friends! Remember? Ring power?" Why did she have to bring that up at a time like this? Because she loves you. No, she doesn't! Yes she does!! No she doesn't!!! Yes she does!!!! She came out here because she cares about you! Whatever.

"Now, what did you hurt?" She asked calmly.

"My ankle," I managed to squeak out.

"Lucas. Can you bring her back to her room?"

"No, no! Please no!" I pleaded, remembering the last time he picked me up.

"Riley." It was soft. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I nodded my head as he bent down. I put my arms around his neck as he picked me up by my back and knees and carried me to my room. He sat me down on my bed. Farkle grabbed a few pillows to put underneath it. Maya came in a few seconds later with an ice pack and an ace bandage.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, gesturing toward the wrap.

"Your medical closet." I didn't even know we had one of those. Maya knows my house better than I do!

Farkle had gotten on his knees and was inspecting my ankle. He took off my unicorn socks. His hands started twisting my ankle. I flinched everytime. Everytime I flinched, he looked up at me with affection in his eyes. Maya was sitting next to me, but was now facing me. Lucas sat me down in the middle of the bed so now, instead of standing next to me, he was sitting next to me. I felt sparks fly up and down my whole body.

Everytime I flinched Lucas squeezed my right hand and Maya my left.

After he twisted my ankle a few more times and started probing it, he said, "Now Riley, I'm going to bend your foot back. I know it's going to hurt but you need to tell me where it hurts. Okay?" I nodded, bracing myself for pain. But certainly it couldn't be worse than the internal pain I was feeling, right?

I held my breath as he started bending my foot backwards. "Tell me when it hurts too much. Okay?"

He didn't bend it much farther before I cried, "Farkle, it's too much! Please stop!"

"Okay." He let go and motioned for the bandage from Maya.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I think it's just sprained. But that's only coming from me."

"Well, we trust you."

"We?"

"I trust you, Farkle."

He smiled at me and came up to wrap his arms around me. I gratefully hugged him back. I looked around and smiled at my friends, knowing they would never leave me. They would always be there for me.