Forever Bound

Chapter 12

Chapter 7

         It was obvious Caitlin was ignoring me, why else did she magically find something to do every time I made an attempt to talk to her. She had suddenly become a procaffinator, refusing to do anything before her first cup of coffee, even though she hated coffee so she never actually had that first cup. I came to the conclusion that I had ruined every molecule of chance I ever had with her.

        Living in the same house had suddenly become unbearable, she couldn’t look me in the face, always turning red whenever we crossed paths, well as red as a black girl could turn. Anytime I tried to bring up the kiss she’d say she was busy and completely ignore me. After the first few times, I realized that she wasn’t busy half the times she said she was; she just didn’t want to talk about it. Before the kiss I could at least hold on to the possibility that maybe “us” would happen, but now I had to come to terms with the fact that I had ultimately blown it.

         One Saturday, after yet another mumbled response from Caitlin to one of my questions, I went down the stairs and sat with my mother, at least she was still talking to me.

         “Can you do me a favor and go give your brother his allowance for the month.”

I looked up from my twiddling thumbs, “are you serious?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why don’t you just let Caitlin take it?”

“She’s busy preparing for her mother’s arrival”

        “Mom I don’t have a car, how am I going to get there? This is why I need a car.”

        She stared sternly at me; “You can take the bus to your brother’s dorm just like, you can take the bus any other place you need to go, why do you need a car?”

“The bus huh?”

        She opened the fridge and searched for something, “yeah the bus Riley, big long car that takes you places.”

        I smiled and nodded taking a bit out of my cereal, “aren’t you the one who told me to never get in a car with strangers.”

        Her eyes flicked to me instantly, and pushed the envelope f towards me, “go”.

        I grabbed my coat and headed out the door dreading the wait for the bus, and the long strenuous trip to York.

        Walking through the dorm hallways, I pushed away all the thoughts that rushed into my mind of my dreams to go to school there. It had been a dream I had held tightly to until as I said before they decided to accept Jason and all my love dissipated.

I knocked on Jason’s door three times waiting anxiously for him to open so I could leave. The door creaked open, and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me.

         My throat closed up as I bestowed the sight before me; half-naked wearing Jason’s oversize school shirt.

“Caitlin?”

“Riley?”

        “Hey Cait, who’s at the door?” Jason walked over shirtless, “hey bro?” I looked from him to her and vice versa. Hands trembling I handed him the money and walked away my body numb. I walked upright till I entered the elevator, my knees buckled and I crumpled on the floor. I was so hurt that I couldn’t even want to cry; all I felt was a throbbing pain in my heart that spread through all my veins. I was hurt that she hadn’t just come right out and told me, hurt that she’d led me on by kissing me back, hurt that he would stoop to such a low level just to hurt me. I was angry, angry at myself, angry at Caitlin, angry at my mother, angry at Jason, angry at the world.