The Boy In the Basement (Completed)

~Bands and Bathrooms~

Everyone was elbow to elbow, making their way to the lunchroom to get first in line. I was going the opposite way of traffic- therefore, getting shoved, back, forward, up, and down, like a giant moshpit. Hey, you, with the football jersey. Step on my foot one more time and I'll murder you with my bare hands.  I spotted Riley leaning against the teal lockers and sighed in relief.

"There you are! I thought I was going to be stomped to death," I said, approaching Riley with a grimace. She released her girly, sweet  ringing laughter that caused a couple people to glance over with curious eyes.

"I would have rescued you and given you CPR if that happened," she replied, flipping that to-die-for hair behind her shoulder,  "So where do you want to eat? We have to talk." Wonder what that means. We arrived at the luchroom and strolled to the middle, scanning the tables on each side.

"How about that one?" I offered, nodding torwards an opening on a long table full of girls. We went and dropped our bags off, then scurried into line for lunch. The lunch lady glared at me when I chose a salad and apple slices. What? I need my nutrition. You want the future generation to be fatties incapable of walking? Yeah, didn't think so.

I was careful not to bump into anyone on the way to the table, like I did my first day of freshman year. I still remember the details of that bittersweet moment. One of the jocks slammed into me, causing my spaghetti meatballs to go flying all over my brand spanking new school outfit. Most everyone saw and started laughing and pointing, and I could feel tears forming. Then this gorgeous blonde stood up and pulled me away from the mess. I recall being a little intimidated, because she was a Sophmore and had a cajillion friends, who were associated with the "popular" crowd. But she didn't act like them. In the bathroom, she helped me scrub the red sauce mostly out of my clothes, and told me her name was Riley. I didn't have anyone to sit with, so she invited me to sit with her at lunch. Hence, our inspiring friendship adventure began.

"What's up?" I asked while stuffing my mouth with chocolate pudding, as any lady would. Riley sat up a little straighter and turned towards me, obviously itching to have this conversation all day. I'm pretty sure I could predict what it was about.

"Look Riley, I know you're bummed about this new babysitting job, but just think of the opportunities! You happen to have 5+ hours with this guy a week. This could be really good for you!" Riley beamed, holding more excitement in that sentence than I've expressed in all sixteen years of my life.

"No no no," I denied, "Trust me when I say absolutely nothing will come of this. Me and this Jaxon you speak of don't exactly get along."  I stabbed at my salad, hoping she would drop the topic. But this is Riley we're talking about.

"Oh really?" She said ever so slowly, chewing her meatloaf with slow plodding motions. There it was, the 'I'm going to get to the bottom of this' tone. Riley was amazingly cunning and persuasive; she could get anybody to spill their secrets in a matter of minutes. I always tell her she needs a job as one of those police interrogaters that sits in a black room with the single lamp and stares the suspects down until they tell her what she needs to know. It's practically her calling in life.

"It will be a phenominon if I don't kill him by the time my babysitting trial is over." I stated bluntly. Riley raised her eyebrows in suspicion and pulled out her phone. I saw her click the facebook icon, causing me to shift nervously in my seat. There was no way to argue out of this one.

"If that's so, then how do you explain this?" She waved her phone in my face, displaying the horrendous picture. I snorted, almost spitting lettuce chunks all over.  It just keeps getting better and better.

"Uhm," I choked from my supressed laughter, "Do I have to?" She slapped my arm, as we tend to do to each other whenever we feel like it.

"Alright Alright! I'll tell you." I filled Riley in on all that had happened so far, from the blowdryer prank to the final warning words he said to me. She about died of laughter when I mentioned lulling him back to sleep after taking the picture.