Notes and Words

Chapter 8 - Date Night

Lucas had returned and she was happy, she didn't know why these feelings were so strong but she knew that he was a part of her heart and a part of the person that she was becoming. For the first time in her life she understood the role all of these people were playing in her life, and although she was still trying to get to know them all they were slowly chipping away at the wall she had put up.

It was the last day of school and although she usually stayed in her dorm throughout the summer, this summer was different. She discussed her living arrangement with the dorm mother, as well as her summer plans. The woman was happy that Riley was growing up and coming out of her shell. During the summer they usually worked together to get the dorms up to shape for the next group of students but they scheduled it around her time at the Vet's office and her trips. Riley was really good at maintenance because of this and the school paid her for her work. The money usually went into her savings account but she was going to use it for her trips that summer.

As the sky turned pink, she started getting ready for her date with Lucas, the two of them had taken the night off to go out with her Uncle Josh and his girlfriend. She knew that her mother had something to do with the sudden turn of events which made her happy because for once they were worried about her. She put on the dress that Lucas had brought her but she never got to wear, the memory made her smile but she had to finish getting ready.

A knock on her door as she put the finishing touches on her hair made her look up. The only make-up she owned was the lip gloss and she knew it would be perfect regardless because she could feel the heat in her cheeks from the anticipation of the date.

"Riley sweetie," the dorm mother said from the other side of the door. "Your Uncle is here."

"I'll be there in a minute," she said grabbing her purse and shoving her keys, her lip gloss and her still broken phone into the bag. She knew that she would have to change it but she didn't want to explain to her parents how it was broken. She walked out of her room making sure to lock it and walked towards the front.

Her Uncle Josh stood there dressed in a nice suit, making her wonder if he had just gotten out of work and hadn't had the chance to change.

"Hello my niece," he said as she stood in front of him.

"Hey Uncle Josh, how's college?"

"Pretty boring," he smiled. She knew he loved college but he didn't like to show it. "Work's harder than school but I'm getting used to it all."

"That's good," she hugged him and they walked out towards his car. "So when am I going to meet this girlfriend of yours?"

"Tonight," he smiled. "She's meeting us at the restaurant, and I'm guessing this boyfriend of yours is meeting us there too?"

Riley couldn't help but smile when the word boyfriend was mentioned. "Yes, I thought it would be nice for the two of us to talk on the way there. Since we haven't really talked in I don't know how long."

"Well I just want to say," he smiled at her. "You're doing better than the last time I saw you, but for some reason I think it has something to do with this boy."

"Well actually him and some friends that I've made in the last couple of months," she said thinking of Maya, and even Farkle and Zay who had become close with her thanks to Lucas.

"Good it's nice to hear that your coming onto your own, and now I can bug him because someone needs to do what your father is probably going to do eventually."

"Don't remind me," she sighed thinking about her dad and the freak out that was coming in a few weeks. "When mom tells him I know he's going to demand that I move back home."