I'm 22. Living in a small aparment with two bedrooms, one kitchen, one bathroom and a small living room in Sydney. I've got a job at Starbucks which gives just enough money for me to be able to make it through the days.
When I was 19, I became a dad. I turned my current girlfriend pregnant when I was 18, and nine months later we had a daughter. It wasn't planned at all, of course. We, me and Anna, was at a party, getting ourselves drunk. We ended up having sex in the bathroom to whoever owned the house the party was throwned in. Not that romantic, I know, and not at all how I planned it to be when I actually created a life.
Anyways, we had a baby girl on February 6th, 2011. Riley Jennifer Hood. Jennifer after Anna's grandmother, and Hood after me. And why did we name her Hood, you may ask. Well, at the time Anna got pregnant, she was sure she would end up marrying me, and since it was in my plans too, we decided that we should name her Hood, since that would be the lastname we would have when getting married. Anna's plans changed, though. She was one year younger than me, and way too adicted to what she called having fun. She wasn't ready to be a mother. She stayed with me and Riley for two months after the labor, before she ran off with some french dude to somewhere in Europe.
So now it's just me and Rory. I don't mind though, she's a great company. I love her more than anything, it would just be great to sometime hang out with someone else than a three year old girl who loves pink and hello kitty more than anything in the wholde wide world.
She could use a female rolemodel, not just me or her so called 'uncles'. My three best friends, Michael, Luke and Ashton are great with her, so is their girlfriends, but I wish I could give her someone to grow up with. A mother who will help her through her teenage years, her first period and first boyfriend. Someone who can go shop with her, someone she will be comfortable to tell everything to. A mom.
No mom is better than Anna though...
To describe Riley - she's the most adorable kid you'll ever met. She has my dark brown hair - only a bit lighter - but her mom's big, ice blue eyes. Her hair is slightly curled, and she loves it when Luke or Michael helps her to style it. Ashton is in charge of her clothes. Without him, I would probably have dressed the poor girl in all dark and band t-shirts. She loves shopping with Ashton, mostly because he buys her everything she wants. Ashton has a quite good payed job at a record label here in Sydney, and it breaks his way too nice heart to say no to Riley's face.
And what do I do? Well, she begged me for months to buy her the same Vans I'm wearing. When I finally gave in and got her a pair, she refused to take them off for a whole month. She even slept with them. She was so proud over the fact that her shoes looked exactly the same like her dad's ones. It made my heart melt over the fact that she wanted to be like me. Her dad.
Riley is the sweetest little girl. I'm blessed. She can drive me crazy sometimes, of course, but at the end of the day, when she cuddles up in my arms dressed in her pink Hello Kitty pyjama with Flapoodle pressed against her little chest... Gosh, I have no idea what I would do without her.. She's the best thing to ever happen to me.
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"Hey, sweetie, can you go and get Flappodle?" I ask, glancing over at Riley as I search for a clean t-shirt.
"Why?"
"Because you're going to uncle Luke and aunt Chloe's place" I say, trying to sound as positive as possible.
"But I want to be with you" she whines, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You know I gotta work, honey" I say, slipping on the clean white plain t-shirt. I pick her up in my arms, putting her on my hip as I rush through the apartment.
"Do you think my hair can be red just like Michael's?" she asks, studying my face with hopeful eyes.
"Not today, Ri" I say, putting her down on her bed before grabbing her pyjama, pressing it down in her backpack along with her toothbrust.
"Why?" Riley's in this phase when she needs to question everything I say. It's better than the one when she wouldn't listen to Riley, and only to princess Padoodle (she wanted to have a matching name with Flapoodle and was angry with me for a whole week for not naming her Padoodle in the first place)..
"Because" I say, handing her Flapoodle. "C'mon now, we gotta hurry"
"But why?"
-
"And she told me that she had a headache earlier today so I brought some of her aspirin just in case..."
"Calum" Chloe interrupts me with a small laugh. "It's okay. We got this"
I nod, looking at Riley in her arms. "Be nice"
"Are you leaving, daddy?" she asks, slipping her arms around my neck as Chloe hands me her to say bye.
"Yes, but I will be back again, don't worry, honey" I say, hugging her back.
"I love you, daddy" she giggles.
"Love you too, Ri" I smile.
"Hey, Riley" Luke says. "Aren't you giving dad a kiss before he has to leave?"
"I almost forgot" she squeals, quickly giving me one of her famous kisses (she gives them to everyone, always causing everyone to burst into laughter).
"Well, thank you" I say, chuckling before giving her back to Chloe. I look over at Luke, who's leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "Just call if she's any trouble and I'll come right away"
"Calum" Luke laughs. "She's never any problem, man"
"But just in case she all of suddenly becomes just as annoying as she is at home, then call"
"I won't call. It's fun to have her here, don't worry" Luke smiles, watching as Chloe helps Riley towards the kitchen. "I bet Chloe would like to keep her forever if she could"
"She can"
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A/N
CHAPTER TWO AND IT WAS KINDA SHORT BUT GUYS IT'S JUST THE START OK
you've got some Riley fact yay. Any thoughts so far?
Please spread it to everyone guyss - your friends and enemies, parents and siblings. Tweet about it, talk about it.. Lol, it would mean the world to me :)
xx
