I Can't Cope (COMPLETED)

Chapter 35 - Riley

Waking up, I feel a stiffness all over my body. Looking around, I notice I'm in my room. Glancing at the alarm clock on my bedside table, I open my eyes wide. 9.12 am? How did it get to that time?

"What time did you go to sleep?" I look left and see Emily standing in the doorway. "When I came down, it was like 4 o'clock. I made dinner for both of us, but I couldn't wake you up, so I ate on my own. I had to lift you upstairs again!" she says with a slight laugh.

"Oh, well, you know, I thought sleeping might help get rid of my cold..." I'm lying again, but what does it matter? It's not like I have any other choice. "I didn't really have anything else to do anyway..." I add, getting out of bed.

"Okay then..." Emily pauses. "Well, Mum and Dad came back, but you were asleep, so I told them what happened." Emily walks out of the room. I go over to my desk and look in the mirror. Yep, I still look awful. I'm surprised Emily didn't say anything about it, to be honest. I've come to realise that often she just tells it like it is, sometimes she's a little too honest.

I get out my makeup bag and start doing my makeup. I try and keep it as casual as possible - I mean, I'm only going to James' house and also, it's only James - but I still have to make sure I have enough on to stop me from looking pale and ugly, like am I really. After a while, I finish doing my face and get up. Picking out an equally casual outfit, I quickly put up my hair and check myself out in the mirror again.

Casual, effortless but still pretty, that's the look I was going for. Boys like that: they like things being casual, things being informal, things being like 'things' but then not even being 'things' at all, things being exactly how they want it, but with the girl having no say...

I stop. Shut up, Riley. That was just Nick. Get a grip, James is surely nothing like that... isn't he? And this is an apology from him... right? Well, I hope it is. I don't know why, but my heart's telling me to give him a second chance...

Finishing buttoning up my black jeans, I hear the doorbell. My eyes swivel to look at the time. It can't be James, it's half an hour early and James is always late.

"Em, are you getting it?" I shout from the top of the stairs.

"It's James, why would I answer it? He's your boyfriend." she says, going off into the living room, with a bowl of cereal. I rush down the stairs and open the front door. It is James.

"Hey." he says with a grin.

"James, why are you so early?" I immediately ask, slightly annoyed he's caught me off guard. The grin falls off his face.

"...Am I?" he asks.

"Yeah, you said 10.30..." I reply, looking up at him. He frowns and gets out his phone. A few moments later, he laughs.

"Oh, I did. Sorry about that. But aren't you ready anyway?"

I look down at myself and realise I basically am. I mean, apart from having breakfast, but missing it once in a while isn't really going to have any effect. I already skip dinner sometimes when I'm not hungry and I'm fine, so it's not like it's really going to matter.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I reply after a few moments.

"Let's go then." he says, smiling at me. "See ya, Em." he adds, a slight edge of cockiness creeping into his voice. I raise my eyebrows.

"How do you even know she's here?" I ask.

"Oh, I saw her go into the living room." he replies casually, getting into his car.

"And you were looking in my living room because...?" I ask, getting in the other side. He turns to me and gives me that all-too-easy-to-fall-for smile of his.