kenopsia | the society

3. am i tripping

Riley had decided to  join in at the party that Harry and the others decided to throw. If she wasn't going to be able to get a good night's sleep, she might as well get drunk.

"Ladies, ladies, who do you think can shotgun a beer quicker, me or Grizz?" Riley questioned with a broad gesture of her arms, clearly past the point of being buzzed, but not totally drunk yet.

Gwen looked at the girls in question, a flirty smile lighting up her face as she glanced at Grizz. "I'd have to say Grizz, sorry Riley." She told them, earning a groan in response from Riley.

"Alright fine, how about I prove to you that I can shotgun a beer quicker?" Riley responded, excited at the challenge.

Grizz shook his head in response, the girls all agreeing that they should just shotgun to see who could drink it quicker. "Fine, countdown from three?"

Riley nodded, and Gwen counted down to one, both Riley and Grizz lifting the side of the can to their lips and drinking the beer as fast as they could.

After a few moments, Grizz lifted his beer, Riley following a moment later. "Damn, I really thought I would beat you." She grumbled, a small frown on her face.

The frown didn't last long, however, as she heard one of the boys screaming that the church was open. Cheering soon followed as tons of the teens ran into the church, Grizz and Riley raising their brows at each other in slight concern, but following them in nonetheless.

The two split up on the inside, Riley having gone off to dance with some girls.

. . . .

Riley sat next to Harry, her head resting on his shoulder, groaning softly. Harry's voice sent a wave of pulsating pain through her head as he debated with Cassandra as to why she was who should go to Greenwhich to get help.

"I'll do it." Harry told her, nudging the sleepy Riley so that he could stand up.

Cassandra turned around, "You're sober?" She asked condescendingly, rolling her eyes.

"Fuck you,Cassandra." Harry replied, clearly irritated. "Luke, Riley, you want to see if we can get some of the guys to come with?"

Luke and Riley both groaned in response, not into the idea of having to talk to anyone or go anywhere while hungover, but they complied. Riley called Grizz and told him to get ready to head out and Luke called Clark telling him to come along too.

. . . .

"Okay, so as a rule, the more bizarre a thing seems, the less mysterious it is." Grizz explained to Riley and Clark who were sitting in the back of the car with him.

Riley nodded, the phrase sounded familiar to her, but Clark just gave him a confused look, clearly not getting it.

"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?" Riley suggesting, thinking that maybe it would jog some of Clark's memory as to what they were talking about.

All the other guys agreed that they had no clue what Grizz or Riley were talking about, causing Riley to roll her eyes. "I'm surrounded by idiots" she mumbled under her breath, closing her eyes once again as Grizz explained that it basically meant that there was an explanation for everything.

Riley's eyes opened as she heard Harry curse and step on the breaks of the car. "What the fuck is going on?" Luke questioned, and Riley agreed with him.

"I'm not high, right? There's a fucking forest growing out of the road?" Riley questioned, the others mumbling that no, she was not high, and yes, what she saw was really there. "Well fuck." She muttered as Harry turned the car around and sped to the other side of town to check the bridge that led out by the railroad tracks.

The tires screeched as Harry slammed on the breaks, the same thing happening at the bridge. Everyone hopped out of the car, panic setting in for real now. As far as any of them could tell, the town was surrounded by a thick forest.

"What the fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck." Riley mumbled, standing next to Grizz, starting to hyperventilate a bit. Everything she thought she knew was quickly turning upside down.

Grizz pulled her tight to his side, hugging her as an attempt to comfort her. "Hey, we're gonna be okay." He said, but she wasn't sure if it was to try and convince her, or if it was meant to convince him.

Riley wasn't really paying attention as the rest of the crew pulled up, her mind was somewhere else. How was she supposed to get to her house? All of her stuff was there besides the bag she had packed for the trip and some clothes she had stashed at Grizz's house. Tears welled in the teen's eyes as it really set in that something was seriously wrong with whatever situation they were in.

Harry cursing out Will brought Riley's attention back to what was happening. "Back off, Harry!" Riley retorted quickly, gaining looks from the others who had almost forgotten she was there since she was quiet during the whole conversation.

"Fine. Who gives a shit?" Harry responded harshly, throwing his hands in the air before hopping in his car and speeding off.

Will looked at Riley, kind of surprised, "You didn't have to do that, you know?" He told her.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, but us fosters have to stick together." The words were quiet, but Will heard them and appreciated it greatly. It was true, the others didn't get what it was like to not have a family, or parents.