white boys (river phoenix)

29 - Skin

Chapter 29

(Saturday). She wiped her palms against her sweatpants, then leaned back on the heels of her feet as she stuck her hands in her pockets. She'd already knocked, then realized that was stupid and no one would hear her, so then she rung the doorbell. She waited and waited until she heard feet shuffling towards the doorstep, and the door swung open.

"Hi!" Rain beamed.

Her eyes were bright and vibrant, and in her arms she was cradling a fat, fluffy and white kitten who was grooming itself mercilessly. Robin smiled back, noticing how pretty Rain was. Her face was chubby but cute, and her hair clung to her forehead in frazzles, the rest of it tied back into a bun.

"Hi," Robin smiled warmly.

September twentieth marked the fall solstice, and it was today. The air was chilly and nipped at the nape of Robin's neck. It had been getting cooler overtime, but now Robin was really noticing it. She practically stayed in her pajamas, but changed from her night blouse to a UCLA hoodie.

"Come in," Rain stepped aside, holding the door open wider and dropping her cat down to the floor, who scampered ahead of her. Robin nodded and walked in, wiping her feet on the rug in front of the door and drifting into the front room. "How are you?" Rain asked.

"I'm good," Robin folded her arms and prepared herself for a plethora of small talk.

"Great, that's great. Uh, are you- here to see River?" Rain asked, leaning against the wall near the staircase.

"Oh, um, actually, yeah. Project for school... gotta get something from him," Robin lied, not looking at Rain as she spoke, her eyes instead wandering up the stairs.

"Right," Rain smirked, but it disappeared instantly. She knew better. "He's in his room, just up there, third door on the right."
Robin furrowed her brows,

"He won't mind?"

Rain just shook her head,

"He doesn't do anything except play guitar and listen to music in there, it's not like you'll be interrupting anything."

Robin pursed her lips and gave Rain one last nod before heading up the stairs. She looked around and turned to her right, three doors down.

She stood in front of his room with her lips between her teeth, trying to think of what she'd say to him. The rest of the day yesterday she kept thinking about what River had said to her, telling her she wasn't dumb, that she was better than Dennis, that Dennis didn't actually care for her no matter what he said. It stung the most because she knew he was right, because all of his points were valid. She was being blinded by it all and was starting to have feelings for the image she wanted Dennis to be rather than who he actually was. And, really, she was being an airhead, which was so not herself.

She still didn't know what she was going to say, but she figured it was too late to plan out a whole conversation in her head. So, she took in a deep breath, knocking three times afterwards, and lacing her hands behind her back. She sighed deeply and waited, the sound of River strumming his guitar ceasing.

"Come in," River called out, then continuing to play soft chords on his acoustic guitar.

Robin bit her lip and turned the knob, stepping into the room. She looked from a little boy with shaggy hair that was sitting on the edge of River's bed to River, whose shockingly blue eyes gazed up at her, confounded. The little boy stared emotionlessly at Robin, knowing exactly who she was from all the times River had made such a fuss about her. While Robin was having a staring contest with River and the little boy, they were having a staring contest with her, and it did not make the tension in the air any less thick. Finally River spoke up and turned to his little brother.