Amority

Laurel

Riley was here? He was early?

I took that as my que and ran back to my room. I closed the door-only to hear footsteps pounding up the stairs.

Riley was coming.

I locked the door and started dragging everything I could push, carry, or toss in front of the door.!

"Jace! I know you're in there! Let me in!" Riley demanded, his fist banging on the door.

"Jace, really. We do this every time." He sighed.

I didn't answer. I couldn't face Riley's demands on what I've done, who I've been with, and what I did wrong. The worst were the accusations of Theo. Always saying something horrible about him-one of my best friends.

I grabbed my blankets off my bed, knotted them together, tossed open the window, tied my rope to my bedpost, and tossed out my makeshift rope out the window.

I glanced back at the door.

Riley was still yelling and pounding.

Hopefully he didn't hear me get ready. I tugged on a dark green jacket and slid out the window onto the roof. I loved climbing onto the roof when I was sad-it was so peaceful. I slid down my rope and sneaked around the back of the house to a clump of bushes near the road. I cleared away the bushes, revealing a shiny red motorcycle. Wendy would never, ever let me have one. But, Harry, my dad, disagreed with her. He help me secretly save up for one once I turned seventeen and helped me hide it from Wendy.

I stared at awe at the beauty. I've only ridden her a couple of times-all for emergencies like this one. Harry had promised we would ride for joy when he got back from his business trip.

I kicked a leg up and over the leather seat and kicked the baby to life. It reminded me of all the times I had done this with Harry's motorcycle.

I would need to hurry. There was no way Riley couldn't hear the roar of life.

I pulled onto the road, just in time to see the door burst open from the corner of my eye. A flash of green appeared in the doorway-I knew in the bottom of my heart it was Riley. He wouldn't stop until I was his.

I hit the gas and my motorcycle lurched onto the road.

"Come on, come on." I muttered.

I looked back.

Riley was running towards me at full tilt. His shoulder-long brown hair flowed behind him gracefully, his face was its usual calm expression. His green T-shirt hugged his slim body.

"Jace! Get back here!" He roared.

I smiled and drove onto the street.

"Jace! Jace! Jace!" He kept screaming my name; I didn't look back.

I was tired. I needed to go to Laurel's, try to get a hold of Theo and explain what was happening. I couldn't go back there. Not to Riley.

I was relieved when I pulled into Laurel's driveway. The drive to Wilson wasn't long, but it was tiring.

I parked my motorcycle and knocked on Laurel's door. Her house was nice, it had an air of country charm. A steer skull sat on the porch, a tree stood in her front lawn, potted pansies almost glowed in the dark, and a cute cat doormat sat where it was supposed to be-in front of the door. Laurel's sister, Rychel, opened the door.

"Oh, it's you." She huffed.

"Hi, Rychel."

"Do you know when your brother will be back in town?"