TW//mention of self-harm
I wake up to the house phone ringing. It's an unknown number. I'm a teen, I'm nosy.
"Hello?" I say into the phone.
"Hey Derek! It's Riley. I found your number in the phone book. I didn't even know they made those still."
"Oh hey! I was so worried you weren't going to come back over since I forgot to give you my number."
"I had such a good time yesterday that I stood up all night looking for your number."
"Yeah... let me write yours down so I don't forget"
"Okay. How have you been?"
"I've been okay. The usual has been happening. Going grocery shopping, having someone stop me because they think I'm stealing then they call me racial slurs."
"That's terrible. How about we go on an adventure today? So you could take your mind off of things."
"I'd love to. I'll meet you outside"
I go outside and knock on Riley's door. Her mom opens the door. They look identical. Same dark brown hair, bright green eyes, freckled face, and the same beautiful, intoxicating scent. She invites me into her home. While she's serving me her new recipe, Riley comes down. She's wearing a lavender tulle dress with flowers on the sleeve. She looks so beautiful.
"Look at you! So where are you two going? You know what, never mind. Make it a surprise." her mom tells us.
"Okay, mom. We'll be back in a few! Love ya!"
We walk out the door and get into her parents' 2014 Subaru Forester. In this moment, it's just her and me. Just me and Riley. Just the two of us.
"So where are we going?" I ask.
"Have you ever been to the Morton Arboretum?"
"The Moron Arbitrary?"
"So I take it you haven't. Well, today is your lucky day. We're going on a road trip."
"Haven't been on one of those since my parents got their Ph.D."
"This will be better. It'll just be the two of us."
Riley starts driving to the Morton Arboretum. Technically we can't drive in another state, but with her, I'd risk anything.
On our way there, we stop at a gas station. I pump gas and I give her my credit card to buy snacks. I think she knows what I like now since she didn't come out with bags full like last night.
"We're done. Let us go, darling." I say.
"Let us go."
She puts her hand in mine. My heart melted a little but I won't let her know that.
We make it to the Morton Arboretum. She walks me to her favorite spot. It's a little bridge in the middle of the woods. It felt magical. It was like there was no one else in the world but us. Just Riley and me.
"Isn't it beautiful? This was my happy place before I moved. Just me and nature."
"Do you mind me asking why you moved?"
"It's kind of deep. Are you sure you're ready to hear it?"
"I'm sure. I want to get to know the real you. The authentic Riley."
"Okay. But we have to sit. It gives me anxiety just thinking about it."
"Oh. You don't have to tell me if it'll make you feel bad."
"No, it'll be good to let it out."
We go sit on a bench. It was made of wood and felt warm.
"So i went to this school. It was pretty shitty. Everyone there was so toxic. I had this group of friends. They treated me so well. They invited me over, they went out with me. It was an amazing friend group. Then one of them told the friend group that I was sleeping with her boyfriend. Then they told the whole school. Then the whole school turned on me. I was called a home wrecker, a slut, a whore, a prostitute. Anything bad you could think of, they called me that. It got to the point where someone came to my house and just wrote the word slut on my window. It got to my head. I became mentally ill. So, I attempted suicide."
I felt a tear fall from my eye. The thought of someone who I know was made for me not being here, it saddens me. I know we've known each other for two seconds, but I think I found my soulmate. I found the one.
"Don't cry, Derek. I have a new start now. I'm happy and no ones knows me. I get to start over."
"But are you really happy?"
I watched as her eyes filled with tears. She cried. She was crying right in front of me. And I did nothing but cry with her. We sat there together, in tears crying about how much life sucks. We sit there in silence for the next few minutes. Until she finally asks me...
"Do you think there's someone that's more powerful than us? Not necessarily God, just someone who's more powerful. Someone who plans our life for us, makes these events happen, and make us learn from it. Someone who planned our entire life and is watching it play out."
We sit there and talk about the universe. A few deeper conversations about the meaning of life itself. We move and walk around from place to place when, eventually, we find somewhere to lay. We watch the stars and talk about life, deeper conversations than I've ever had.
Before we know it, we fall asleep. In the woods. In another state.
"A few hours" she said.
