I Can't Cope (COMPLETED)

Chapter 44 - Emily

It's the second week of being in charge of the house, and, like I predicted, it's been awful. Constant rows with Riley, no breaks from schoolwork, housework - you name it, I have to do it - and overall just a combination of draining things have led to me begging for Mum and Dad to return. Not to them directly though, of course, I don't want to cause a disturbance in their fancy business trip. So instead, I've just been trying to manage. The only breaks I've been getting have been rehearsals - and they're the only times I've seen Hunter face to face, which isn't often.

At least I have James' mum's birthday to look forward to, at least then, everyone might be happy for a bit. But to be honest, with the amount of catch-up schoolwork I've been getting, I probably won't even be able to go.

I'm in the middle of biology revision when Riley walks into the kitchen. She's wearing leggings and a dark blue jumper, too baggy to be called the right size for her. Then suddenly a wave of realisation hits me.

"Oh my god," I say, dropping my pen. Riley glances over at me. "Riley, are you pregnant?!"

Her face registers alarm and she stares at me, bewildered.

"What the hell?! No!"

"But it's the logical reason!"

"Reason for what?"

"You acting weirdly. Wearing baggy clothes, barely going to rehearsals... barely seeing James." I fire at her: by the look on her face, I know every word has hit her hard.

"I'm not pregnant, that's ridiculous! Just drop it!"

"Have you taken the test?" I persist.

"Emily," she says, clenching her fists. "I'M NOT PREGNANT! Why do you think I'd want to do anything like that?!"

"I don't know, maybe because James doesn't seem like a guy who wouldn't want to?"

"Well, even if he is, I'm not a girl who ever has or ever will want to. So he'll have to do things with Michelle." Then suddenly she stops. I frown, then gasp.

"Have you and James... broken up?"

She hesitates for a moment.

"No... I was just saying Michelle would be up for it." she mutters.

"Oh, okay..." I answer, deciding to try a different approach to get the answers out of her. "So are you and James auditioning for the duet?"

"No." she replies instantly. "He's doing it with Michelle." I can hear the despising tone in her voice when she mentions her name, no matter how much she tries to hide it. "And anyway, I don't really feel like it." she continues, then bites her lip. "Because I might get another cold, of course." she quickly adds. "Anyway, enjoy dance." she says, going out of the room.

I get up from my seat and follow her out into the hallway.

"Hey, Riley, you know it's an A Troupe rehearsal today too, right? So that means you have to go." I say, grabbing her shoulder gently and making her turn around.

"Oh, um, yeah... I was totally going to go." she mutters.

"Because if you don't, I'll have to tell Mum and Dad when they come back. Plus you'll lose your spot in A Troupe. There are plenty of people eager to take that place, you know."

"Don't tell me, you're one of those people?" she replies, folding her arms over her chest.

"Umm..." I say, suddenly finding myself caught off guard. I guess she's right. I mean, I'd love to be on A Troupe, go to Internationals... even though I'm just a B Troupe dancer. But I don't think I can tell her that I'll be eager to replace her - I just don't think it'll help. It's beside the point anyway.

"No, I was just saying." I reply eventually.

"Whatever." she snaps. "Just don't talk to me."

"Fine." I say, going upstairs, checking behind me as I go. Luckily Riley seems to be staying downstairs, so I head towards her room.

I scan her desk, looking for something that would give me a clue on what's up with her. A diary, maybe? No, she wouldn't be so obvious. But sometimes when something's up, you don't always think about hiding it. I mean, Riley managed to just 'come across' my letter to Hunter, so I evidently didn't try that hard to hide it.

Is her phone anywhere? There must be something in her conversations that would give me an idea of what her problem is. Looking on her bookshelves and her dressing table, I continue to search with no luck.

"What are you doing?" I hear Riley suddenly. I straighten up, my face extremely guilty.

"Oh, um, nothing." I say quickly. She glances towards the bathroom briefly before looking back at me.

"Then why are you in my room?" she questions. "You can't just do that."

"I just wanted to... never mind." I mutter. "I still think there's something up between you and James, even if you're not pregnant, and I'm not giving up." I say, brushing past her. "I just wish you'd tell me what, because seriously, now it's getting ridiculous."

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There's chapter 44! Sorry it's pretty short, I'm trying to get to an exciting bit ;)

Will Emily's guesses get more accurate? (Because atm, she's kinda a bit off... 😂) Will they all go to James' mum's birthday? What will happen there? Is there something more happening with Riley that I've only hinted at? (Hmm... 😏)

I've finally caught up uploading all the chapters I've written! So that means I need to get writing again... Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon!

Please carry on reading, commenting and voting, love you all :)