kenopsia | the society

16. tension

a/n: i'm back, bitches

Riley couldn't get the past night out of her mind as woke next to Becca on the other girl's bed. For the first time in a while Riley forgot about what was going on and just looked at Becca, quickly turning her head to hide her blush when Becca rolled over to face Riley. 

"Were you looking at me sleep?" Becca questioned, a light laugh escaping her lips at the thought. 

Riley's eyes widened and she turned to face Becca, "uh, no, totally wasn't doing that." The teen muttered, her blush spreading up her neck all the way to the tip of her ears. 

"You totally were, don't even try to hide it from me Riley D'Angelo." 

The use of her full name had Riley biting her lip, a sudden heat spreading through her body. It was a feeling she had experienced before, and it wasn't one she was expecting to have from the beautiful girl laying in bed next to her. It was terrifying, exhilarating even. "Oh so we're using full names now?" 

That got a laugh out of the other teen, easing some of the tension in the room. The tension dissipated more as Riley heard her phone buzz, and she felt what could only be described as a sharp pain in her heart. She hadn't had much going on on her phone besides the occasional text from Grizz asking where she was, but the phone ringing was a different story. She only got calls now when something bad happened. 

With a small shake of her head, Riley sat up, grabbing her phone, noting that it was Will who was calling her. "Will? What's going on?" She asked, knowing that he wouldn't call unless absolutely necessary. 

The next words felt like a bullet to the chest and Riley felt her throat tightening along with a sudden urge to vomit that was not caused by her slight hangover. 

"Cassandra's dead?" She whispered into the phone, causing Becca to also sit up right, eyes wide as saucers. "I, uh, I'll be right over."

The look on Riley's face was enough to show Becca that the words she had just uttered were indeed true. "I need to go, uhm, someone shot Cassandra, she's dead." Riley said, standing up, face now pale. The other teen nodded, tears welling in both of their eyes, confusion clouding them. 

The two girls stood up, and Becca grabbed a pale blue crew neck sweatshirt from her closet, "here, you didn't have a jacket or anything when you got her last night," she said as she handed Riley the sweatshirt. 

Riley gently took it from Becca, their fingers brushing against each other momentarily. "Thank you, I'll see you later?" Riley asked quietly, receiving a nod in response from Becca. 

"Be safe, Ri." 

. . . 

The teens had decided to hold a funeral for Cassandra, not really knowing what else to do. None of them understood how someone could do such a thing, and many of them were in shock and grieving, even if they weren't a big fan of Cassandra. 

Riley was seated next to Grizz, still in shock over the news. She had lost too much over the past weeks. Her home, her chance to leave this godforsaken town and go off to college and chase her dreams, and Emily. She couldn't forget about Emily, her ex that still held a spot in her heart. 

The sound of Will cursing caught Riley's attention, but she didn't move as Grizz got up, going over to make sure everything was okay. Her best friend returned and sat next to her after a few moments, draping his arm around her shoulders with a sigh. It was a lot, too much, if they were being honest. They were just teenagers, and yet they had to bury two of their friends. Had to figure out how to survive without any adults. 

Riley watched as Ally tried to give a eulogy for Cassandra, and it was painful to say the least. She didn't know what it was like to lose a sibling, not the way that Ally had. Riley knew what loss was, but not how Ally was now learning about loss. A small tremble of breath escaped Riley as she tried to choke down a sob, leaning into Grizz. It was too much, it was all too much for Riley and the others. 

Grizz however, had to go help move Cassandra's body, and Riley was left on a pew alone, tears brimming over her lashes, threatening to be spilled. She stood up as they passed, her body on autopilot at that point as she followed them out of the church. 

When they finished Riley walked with Grizz, the two of them finding comfort in each other's presence, but not talking. They didn't know what to say, and with fair reason. Neither of them were supposed to be working until the night, so at least they would have some time to process what was going on. 

"Grizz?" Riley asked after a few minutes of silence, turning to look at her best friend. 

The taller boy looked down at her, raising a brow, "yeah Ri?"

"Promise me you won't leave" Riley muttered, the tears returning to her eyes as she thought about how she could lose him too. 

Grizz bit his lip and pulled Riley in for a tight hug, "I'll do my best, Fifi."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she knew it was the truth. Neither of them could guarantee that they would make it out of this, whatever this was.