A Life On The Edge

Welcome To Helmsdale

Lyle and Dylan were setting up the TV we had all pooled our money together to buy. Ethan said the house already had cable just no TV. So we found the cable box and decided to set it up. I sat on the couch we had found sitting out in someone’s yard on the way up here. Buttons had his head laid on my lap as we watched the boys fuss over where to set the TV down at.

Tina was in the kitchen making us all lunch blasting music from my iPod. Tina took the money from her savings account and bought a bed set. She wanted me to help her decorate her room today. There were three rooms in the house, just enough. There was a master bedroom, a guest room, and another room. Ethan told me that he had this house saved for Eli when he left the gang and settled down with a family…but we were using it now. I hadn’t moved the fort or the mattress. I slept in Eli’s sweatshirt. In fact I was wearing it right now. I was happy to say that I was in a happy medium today. I wasn’t spiraling into a pit of despair I was mildly content with today.

That was until I heard the next song.

“Oh I love this song!” Tina smiled as Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake started to flood through the room. She turned up the stereo and started to sing along. “All I want from you is to see you tomorrow and every tomorrow, baby let me borrow your heart!”

“Oh no Tina, don’t!” Dylan shouted and frowned when he saw me. My heart sank into my stomach. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. I stood up and headed towards the fort where I could be alone.

“Riley what’s wrong?” Lyle asked concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I just want to be left alone.” I mumbled crawling into the fort.

“What happened?” I heard Tina asked.

“Yeah, she was fine a second ago.” Lyle mumbled. I could practically hear the frown on his face. “We really need to get her, her medicine.”

“No it’s not that.” Dylan sighed. “It’s the song.”

“What?” Tina asked confused. “I thought she would like this song, I mean it’s on her Ipod.”

“Yeah she loves JT.” Lyle added sounding just as confused. 

“It’s not that. It was the last song Riley and Eli danced to…” they stopped talking but the song continued to play through the loft.

“How do you dance to this song?” Tina asked; there were starting to piss me off.

“This is a fort made out of bed sheets not actual walls! I can hear you all as if I’m still in the same fucking room, because I am!” I yelled. They all got quiet.

“Sorry.” I heard Tina mutter.

*

“Hey,” I turned to see Lyle poking his head in the fort. “We were going to go explore the town, but we aren’t going to go without you. Are you feeling any better?” I turned back around and curled further into myself. I took Eli’s sweatshirt off a while ago and was just holding it close to myself now. I held it up to my nose and took a deep breath inhaling his sent making my heart ache for one of his hugs.