I Can't Cope (COMPLETED)

Chapter 12 - Riley

I know James is waiting in the car, but I can't decide what to wear. I want to look nice, for James. It's also a celebration, so I've got to dress nicely for wherever James is taking me too. But everything I try on makes me look weird, or it doesn't fit properly or it just doesn't go. I sit there on my bed, waiting for something. I don't know what for, it's not like anything's going to magically appear. In the meantime, James is sitting waiting in the car. I can't keep him waiting, he's the one taking me out after all.

I go to my wardrobe again, and rummage around at the back, searching for something, anything. I consider calling Emily up here, but decide against it. She's down there with Steph and Giselle - I wonder what they're saying - and anyway, I don't want her to have to come up here unnecessarily, because she doesn't need the extra strain on her knee. Ugh, why can't I find ANYTHING? There has to be SOMETHING.

Then I remember something. We still have boxes of things still not unpacked since we moved here. There must be something of mine in a box somewhere that I can wear. Oh yeah, I vaguely remember Mum saying something about a box in Emily's wardrobe. I walk along the landing to Emily's room. Her room is a mixture of messy and organised. Her desk is scattered with papers and stationery of some kind or another. I assume the papers are from her course or something. Walking over to the desk, I realise I actually don't really know what she does when I'm at school or rehearsals. I examine the papers. It's not like I'm invading her privacy, because it's only work that she would show me if I asked anyway. She wouldn't have anything to hide... would she?

I lift up each sheet, skimming each one quickly to get the gist of what they say. I pick up the last one, then suddenly put it down guiltily. It's different to the rest and it's something Emily probably wouldn't want me to read. It's a letter she's written, pretty recently by the looks of it, and it's to Hunter. I try to stop myself from reading it, but once I start, I find I can't stop, until I reach the end.

I can't believe she hasn't mentioned this at all. I could have helped her, would have helped her. I feel really bad. I didn't know she liked him that much...

I'll have to ask her when I come back because I have to look through the box for something and then go (after finding something to wear, of course). I open her wardrobe and crouch down. Almost instantly, I see a cardboard box squashed in the back and drag it out.

In the box, there are a few items of clothing from years ago. Old shirts, tiny shorts that would no way fit me now, vest tops. There's even this long black dress that was my mum's that I used to dress up in, when I was younger. It used to be massively long, but to be honest, it might be shorter and actually fit now - I've grown quite a bit recently.

I take the dress back to my room and try it on. Looking in the mirror, I smile. It's perfect. It's not baggy like it used to be, it's actually now quite flattering - well, at least it doesn't make me look like a sack of potatoes. I look around for my mascara, and quickly reapply it before dashing downstairs to get my shoes on.

I poke my head around the living room door and see Emily, Steph and Giselle sitting on the sofa, talking. That's kind of surprising. I thought she'd be ripping their heads off, to be quite honest. But I thought that if that happened, they'd sort it out because they've been best friends for so long. Perhaps she did lose her temper, but I just missed it because I was upstairs, I don't know. It's another thing I'll have to ask her later.

"Bye, guys!" I say, smiling.

"Bye, Riley. Have a nice time!" Emily replies.

"Tell James that he'd better celebrate properly!" Giselle says.

"Yeah, we'll sort him out if he doesn't!" Steph adds, laughing. I laugh and make my exit, bringing myself back into the hallway.

"Wait, did Riley get the solo?" I hear Emily ask Steph and Giselle as I open the front door.

"Yeah!" Giselle says. "She was AMAZING, believe me!" I smile and step outside, closing the door behind me.

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There's chapter 12! Hope you enjoyed it :) What do you think it says on the letter? Do you think Emily will tell anyone about it? Comment below! As always, please continue to read my story, and feel free to vote too! :D The next chapter will be up within the next few days...