Before I Leave

We Need to Talk

"Riley? What's wrong? It's five in the morning."

"Lucas, we need to talk."

"What happened? Is everyone ok?" Lucas asked frantically. Something had to be seriously wrong for Riley to be awake at this hour, let alone calling him. "Is someone in the hospital?"

"Everyone is ok. I just really need to talk to you. Now." Before its too late.

"Sure," she heard him yawn through the phone. "What's up?"

"This shouldn't be over the phone. Can you meet me somewhere?"

"Riley, its the middle of the night. Tell me now."

She took a deep breath, "I... I'd really rather do this in person."

There was a long pause, "You're breaking up with me aren't you?"

"How - ?" Riley started before she was cut off.

"I got a text last night that made no sense at the time. Putting the pieces together now." His voice was emotionless as he spoke. Riley had no idea what he was feeling since she couldn't see his face, but she could only assume he was trying to cover up his pain. "It was two words 'You win,' Maya sent that to me. I tried to text her back but her phone was shut off. She told you last night didn't she?"

"You knew too? Did everyone know?" Riley could feel herself starting to cry.

"We all figured it out, Riley," Lucas responded coldly.

"Except me," she added, her voice weak and barely audible.

"Yeah, Riley, except for you. Can I just go back to sleep now?" Lucas sounded more aggravated than she had ever heard him.

"No, please. Talk to me. I... I need to talk to you. I'm so confused right now."

He was quiet for a long time until he finally asked, "Do you still want to be with me, Riley?"

"I... I don't know."

There was more silence, "Do you want to be with her?"

"I don't know that either." Riley began to sob into the phone, "I-I'm s-sorry."

"I don't know what you want me to say then. I'm not going to convince you to run off with someone else, Riley. I can't do that. You know how I feel about you!" It was the first ounce of emotion he had shown.

"I... I just need time. I have to figure this out. I... I need to see her. I h-have to figure this o-out."

"You love her, Riley. Quit lying to me. Quit lying to yourself," another pause. "I should go."

"I am s-so s-sorry, Lucas. I didn't wa-want to talk about this ov-ver the ph-phone," the words came out between sobs. "Y-you are s-so imp-important to m-me. B-but - "

"But Maya has always been the most important."

-

Riley came running down the stairs, dressed and phone in hand. "Dad, I need a ride!"

"Riley, the sun isn't up yet," Cory motioned to the windows.

"Maya's phone is off. I have to talk to her before she gets on that flight. Please!" Riley yelled.

He nodded, "Let's go."

-

"You'll need to buy a ticket to get through security, miss."

"Dad?" Riley pleaded to him with only one word.

"I've got it. Come on."

Cory bought her the cheapest ticket available, but it got her through security and to the gates. "14A... 14A...." Riley said over and over, as if it was a chant. She had started in the 40s, the numbers were counting backwards as she ventured deeper into the airport. "16A... 15A... 14A."

Then she saw her, buried between Katy and her Uncle Shawn. Maya was crying, and it was her fault. This was all her fault. If only she had said something, anything the previous night, her best friend wouldn't be sitting in a crowded airport bawling her eyes out.

"Are you sure you lost her?" Riley heard Shawn ask Maya. She thinks she's lost me. I've destroyed her. "Then why is she standing behind you?"

"Wha-? Riley?"

-

"How did it go?" Cory asked as Riley crossed back past airport security. "Did you tell her what you needed to?"

"No," Riley said somberly.

"What? Did you miss her?"

"I saw her. I... I kissed her," Riley sounded guilty, ashamed even, as she admitted this to her father.

Cory was slightly taken back. His daughter just ran through the airport to find the girl who had just confessed her love, but he was still surprised to hear it. "Then what's the problem?"

"I'm not sure if I should have."

"What? Isn't that why we rushed to the airport this morning?"

"I had to see her. I had to tell her I ended things with Lucas... that I needed to figure this out... When I saw her she was broken. She was sobbing into Uncle Shawn's arms. I couldn't bare to see her like that." Her eyes filled with tears, something she was used to happening all too frequently since the previous night.

"So you kissed her?" Cory was confused. He had thought he drove his daughter here to go after her true love. Not to make things more complicated.

"And told her I felt the same way she did..." Riley's voice grew softer as she said the words.

"Riley!" She could tell her father was outraged at the way he said her name; she was outraged with herself.

"I know! I'm a horrible person, Dad," she cried.

His voice changed from aggravation to concern instantly, "You don't feel like that though?"

"I d-don't know h-how I feel! I...I'm so confused right now! Noth-nothing makes s-sense..." Tears poured down her face. She felt awful. All she wanted to do was to make Maya happy, and instead she may have inadvertently ruined things completely.

"Why did you do it?"

"I wanted her to be happy. That's all I ever want... and in that moment I knew I would make her happy."

"You have to figure this out... now. It's not fair to Maya."

"I have one week to figure it out. One week until she's back. I'll know by then. I have to know by then."