Settling For Less (Riley McDonough Story)

Chapter One

Peyton's POV

"It was one thing to spill paint on yourself, but it's a whole other story when you fall in a paint can," Alexandria shook her head at me, hands on her hips. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?"

I shrugged and turned my head to look at the back of my beat up cargo capris in the mirror. The deep red circle on the back was almost perfect. I bit my lip.

"I didn't really like these pants anyway." I stated briskly as I looked away from the mirror.

Alex shook her head at me. "You're the worst."

A laugh escaped my lips as she went back to painting the walls, as there was nothing else to really scorn me about, anyway. I slipped out of my messy bedroom and down the hall towards Alex's, where all my clothes were for now. As I was looking through my wreck of a suitcase my phone began to ring. I thanked God again for me not having my phone in my pocket when I fell. That would have been something to scorn me about for a very long time. I picked up my phone quickly, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello?" They answered. I froze.

"...Caroline?" I asked.

"Peyton!" Caroline yelled back at me. I laughed at her obvious enthusiasm.

"Hey, I was wondering when I'd hear from you."

"Yeah, I just got back in last night." I had arrived in Florida a week earlier and Caroline was visiting some family over her winter break, so I hadn't seen her the entire time I was there. There were a lot of people I hadn't seen my first week in Florida. "I wanted to know if you wanted to come over. I could show you around, we could have a girl's day."

"That'd be great!" I said with a wide smile. It'd be amazing to finally have a friend in Orlando other than Alex and her older friends. Even though they were all very Alex-like, which meant amazing. "Um, I'm fixing up my room right now. But, I'm almost done. I'll text you?"

"Great!" Caroline hollered through the phone. "I'll see you soon."

I threw my phone down on the bed, finally noticing Alex standing in the doorway.

"Ditching me, huh?"

I smiled. "No... I'll help you finish up. Then, I'm ditching you."

"It's fine." Alex smiled. She reached behind the door and grabbed her green towel off the hook. "The room is done for today. I'm going to go shower, and I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," I smiled. Alex was still dumbfounded by the idea that she was now technically in charge of me. She wasn't sure whether she should act like a parent, or a roommate. "I'll see you later."

Alex smiled and walked into the hallway before taking a step back. "I don't have to, like, set a curfew or anything do I?"

"I don't think so." I smiled. She nodded and made her way to the bathroom in the hall. There was one in her room, but it was being fixed.

I slid on a pair of black skinny jeans, a Glamour Kills tank top and jean jacket, and a pair of black Converse. On my way out of the house I texted Caroline while simultaneously grabbing my bag and making sure I had my keys. It was only when I was in my car, which Jack and I drove over from Baltimore, that I realized where I was going. Caroline's house was right next to Riley's and a chill ran through me for a second before I remembered that he had some shows going on and probably wasn't home. I sighed and quietly thanked myself for keeping tabs on him.

When I made it to Caroline's house I parked in front of it, even though it was only her car that was in the driveway. I checked my mirrors, making sure Mr. and Mrs. McDonough weren't out in front of their house. They weren't so I stepped outside and quickly made my way to Caroline's door. It swung open before I could even comprehend where the doorbell was.