No You And Me

Chapter 8

Riley's p.o.v

'Bye Mr Doe,' I sang as we saddled our horses and rode off. 'He is so nice that man.'

'He is.'

I turned to look at Michael's calm yet smiley face.

'What did that man say about me?'

'He didn't say anything.'

'That's real rich.'

'I'm serious.' He smiled and I buried my face in my hair; this boy was just too attractive.

'Hey do you want to uh... there's this lagoon and it's really beautiful and uh...'

'I'd love to.'

I looked at him again and felt this burst of electricity warm up my body. 'Great.'

***

The next morning I finished all my chores easily. As I rinsed over the bowl I used to eat soup I watched my mother walk into the dining room looking awful.

'God morning.'

'Hey Riley; how are you?'

'I'm okay? How's you and dad?'

She gave me a genuine smile while she answered. 'We're okay.'

'You're not gonna kill each other?'

'Nope.'

'You're not gonna carry on screaming round here?'

'Nope.'

'Good.'

'What's this?'

She points to a basket of food which I had so carefully prepared.

'I'm going on a picnic mum.'

'With?'

'Uh, a friend.'

'Michael Crawford?'

'Don't get no ideas mum.'

'Don't do anything stupid okay? I don't want what happened to happen again.'

'Mum, I'm not insane; trust me okay?'

Michael's p.o.v

'I'm going out mum,' I said for the fifth time that morning.

'To where?'

'A picnic, with my friend.'

'What friend?'

'Her name is Riley.'

'She's the girl from the farm mum,' Malorie said.

'Eww, why are you going on a picnic with her?'

'Because she's nice.'

'It's obvious she's gonna try and steal from us.'

'Why would you say that?'

'It's true, I've seen that hungry desperate look in her eyes she wants something from us.'

'Mum, trust me she doesn't want our money.'

'If you say so, but when she tries to mug you you'd better run back here.'

I walked out of the house ignoring her last statement and trekked to Riley's farm. She stood in front of the sables grooming a horse while balancing a basket on another horse.

'Hey,' I waved to her and she smiled.

'Hi, Michael; well come on in.'

I pushed opened the gate, locked it and ran down to help her with the basket.

'Well thank you; you ready?'

Riley's p.o.v

We rode deep into the mountains and past several fields in such a hurry until we arrived at the lagoon. The grass surrounding the pool was a green as it will ever be and te water was crystal clear and bright.

'Wow,' he said.

'I know right.'

We jumped off the horses and I led him to a good spot where we set up our picnic blanket and tucked into the food.

'Tell me about yourself, Riley.'

I grinned but forced myself to speak. 'There ain't much to tell, I'm just this poor little farm girl, I do a lot of chores sometimes, I like to cook; my mum taught me early on you know? Uh my dad, he uh left a few years back; I was thirteen and he's back now but I don't know if he's gon' sort out his shit with my mum. My sister Roland; she's eighteen and she's in university; it's NYU I think. She hasn't been home for a real long time; my mum always tells me not to say but she's forgotten us. My mum don't think it's true but it is. A year ago we were kind of rich actually; but then, all our biggest customers moved out or moved deeper into the town and that new Walmart's our competition. So that's why I can't go to school anymore but it's not so bad; I never liked school anyway. But I was real smart, real smart.'

He laughed and drank from his bottle of orange juice.

'Life is so strange you know? I keep getting this feeling that like I'm gon' see her soon.'

'Who?'

'My sister.'

He nodded. 'You might.'

His hands brushed past my elbow and I smiled deeply. I turned my attention away from his blue eyes and let out an easy laugh. He joined me and we just lay in the grass laughing.

'This place is so beautiful,' he sighed.

'I know.'

 I caught him staring at me for a while and I tried to ignore it but I started to feel really hot and uncomfortable.

'Why are you staring at me?'

He shrugged. 'You're beautiful; most beautiful girls would know that.'

I chuckled. 'I'm not beautiful.'

'Okay, and this is the part where I go along with whatever it is you're saying.'

We laughed again an I bit my lip anxiously as his eyes travelled back to my face; again.