Transition

10

*** TRIGGER WARNING FOR USE OF HOMOPHOBIC SLURS (just one but better safe than sorry, right?) ***

Days passed since my outing with Dylan and Maddie in the park, but nothing quite changed. Kayley was still as nosy as ever, Riley and Jade were just as curious as ever, and Maddie was having the hardest time keeping her cool. You see, with Kayley's prying came Maddie's defensiveness, only creating more and more tension in our little group. But there was a positive- Riley and I had been getting much more time to speak to one another one-on-one. She hadn't brought up Savanna ever since the day she had brought up that we shared the same eyes.

Riley:
are you busy?

It was Sunday, and I couldn't think of a single thing I was supposed to do that day. My mom and I had gotten all of our household chores and grocery shopping done the day before, and Dylan and Mads had a date so I figured that they wouldn't be inviting me out. Noah and Parker's nightly Skype sessions with me weren't until the late hour of 9, and it was only noon. So, of course, against my better judgment, I replied with a resounding "no."

The right answer, apparently.

Riley:
good, now u have no excuse to tell me u can't come over.

She had sent her address with about a dozen exclamation points. Without hesitation, I jogged downstairs, quickly wishing my mother well as I grabbed my keys and jumped into my truck and turned the key into the ignition. I didn't need her address, but she didn't need to know that. It would raise suspicion if she did know that I knew where she lived. Of course she'd more quickly assume that I was a stalker rather than her old best friend who had... well... transitioned to male. But if she ever did ask, I'd probably have blamed it on driving Maddie home the one day. They were only a block or two away from each other.

It only took ten minutes to get there and I saw two familiar figures sitting out front, and I regretted driving over immediately.

Why didn't you ask if anyone else was there? I berated myself, gripping the wheel as if it were my lifeline. I glanced back over to the girls as I turned the truck off, and they were started toward me. I cursed inwardly but put on my best "everything is fine" face and opened my door. Riley looked as elegant as ever, even just wearing a simple pair of jeans and a tee shirt. When her eyes met mine, my heart sped up and I gave her a nervous smile, one of which she returned happily. But beside her stood the one person that I could have gone my entire life without. I didn't know why I thought that Riley wouldn't have Kayley over on the weekends, but I tucked away this information for further notice. I gave the other girl a polite smile, one that she could only fake back. Her eyes were scanning me as if I were some science project and I faltered under her glare.

"Sawyer I'm so glad that you came!" Riley exclaimed, and for the first time since I'd been back, she pulled me in for a hug. It took me all of three seconds to wrap my arms around her in return. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours- but in the best way. Riley smelled sweet, like fruit mixed with vanilla.

"Alright, lovebirds. I'm still here."

No one knows how to ruin a moment quite like Kayley Desai.

We broke apart quickly, and I could see the color of Riley's cheeks darken. I grinned and put an arm around her, gaining enough confidence to tease her, "What is it, Rodriguez? You're turning into a tomato!"

"Shut up, Sawyer! God you're so mean!" she whined and tried to cover her face. I let out a laugh, my head falling back.

"Oh yeah I'm so mean, I know," I agreed jokingly with a chuckle. "I'm the absolute worst."

"At least you admit it."

I heard a scoff from beside us as we began to walk toward the front steps of Riley's house. Hanging out on the steps was something that they hadn't changed since I left. I waited for them to sit first, as to not let on that I knew that that was their hang out area. As Riley went to sit, I followed. Kayley grumbled, "You guys are fucking disgusting."

"Shut up, Kay-Kay," Riley giggled, leaning into my arm. I smiled to myself and tightened my grip only a little just to let her know that I was comfortable.

Kayley's eyes turned to me and she smirked, "So, Sawyer... your guard dog isn't here. Mind if I ask you a couple questions?"

Yes I mind.

"I... I mean I guess not...?"

"Where did you grow up?"

"The town I moved from," I replied easily, but my voice was soft. I wasn't making eye contact.

Her voice became a little more demanding, "Have any cousins near by? Second cousins? Sisters-"

"N-No. Just me and my mother-"

"Why don't I believe you, though, Sawyer? I mean Crosby isn't a totally abnormal last name, but it's not one that you hear every day-"

Riley said nothing, so I cut her off, "I don't know but I really don't have any family nearby. Honest."

As stealthily as I could I pulled my phone out.

To Mads:
SOS @ Riley's

To Mads:
You can bring Dyl just hurry pls

To Mads:
Kayley is here

Within seconds I had a reply.

Mads:
Ok we're just around the corner.

And that wasn't a lie. A minute passed and I saw two figures walking toward the house, their hands were intertwined and the closer they got, they put a distance between the two of them. It didn't take much for me to gather that Kayley couldn't know about their relationship and it was dangerous to be lovey in front of Riley's home. Kayley looked up and saw the shape of Maddie and muttered, "Oh of course she shows up. And who the hell is that with her?"

Maddie saw me and quickened her pace, a big, forced smile gracing her features. Dylan followed closely behind, hiding behind the younger girl. She saw me and sent me a quick wave and smile, her eyes showing her caution. I looked at Riley who smiled genuinely at the two, and I could tell she wanted to say something nice about the couple but held her tongue in Kayley's presence. Maddie greeted us, "Hey Ri, hey Crosby," she turned to Kayley and an open look of distaste graced her. "Desai."

Kayley sneered, "Ramos. Who's the girl you have with you? A girlfriend maybe? I always took you for a dyke."

Maddie's face paled, Riley let out a gasp, I felt my heart sink. But I never thought in a million years that Dylan would do what she did. It took seconds, but the small girl whipped in front of Maddie and let out a sharp snarl, "You don't talk about her like that, do you understand me, bitch?"

Kayley stood up, towering over Dylan but the small girl didn't falter. The younger of the two snickered, "Or what, short-stack? You gonna step on my foot? Kick me in the shin?"

"I'll beat your ass into next year," Dylan bit back darkly. Maddie put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back, whispering something softly into her ear to try and calm her girlfriend. Her voice became softer, but she still glared and replied, "You fuckin' watch your mouth."

Kayley grinned maniacally and I knew she counted that as a victory. But the day was still young, and our time together as a group was far from over. And by the looks on everyone's faces, it was gonna be a long one.

...

Author's Note:

It feels like forever since I've written but give me a break alright? I had surgery a little over two weeks ago, I'm still recovering. So worth it though.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll be updating more.

- Mason