Falling Up

29. Hallucinating

"I'm sorry, I just..." Riley pointed back into the crowd, which was now thinning out.

Realising what she had just done, a blush formed across her cheeks, dissipating the ghostly complexion she had only a moment ago.

The events repeated back in her mind and a sudden sense of calm washed over her. How stupid could she be? Vincent was in prison. For the next 23 years. Of course, he wasn't hanging out in Montana. Her mind had run away with her. Again. And in its place was a deep-set embarrassment over what just happened.

"Are you okay?" asked Kain, eyeing her over. The shock on his face had long since disappeared and had been replaced with a sort of curiosity, or more like concern.

"I'm sorry," started Riley, trying to think up a good excuse for her behaviour when luckily she was interrupted.

"Are you two coming?" shouted Jason over the crowd.

"Yeah sorry," said Riley, taking a step in Jason's direction before Kain's hand stopped her by gently grabbing hold of her wrist.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"Yes, I'm okay," said Riley nervously at the feeling of Kain's hand touching her skin. "We should catch up." She shrugged her hand out of his grasp as she continued walking out of the building. Kain was right beside her as they finally caught up to the rest of the group in the carpark.

"We'll take two cars," said Tyrus. "Kain and I will ride with Jason and Riley. Liam, why don't you take my car with Noah," he said, throwing the keys to his Porsche over to Liam, who caught it in one hand.

"Sick, man," said Liam as he dangled the keys in front of him with a glimmer of childlike delight dancing across his eyes.

"Scratch it and you're dead."

Liam gulped at Tyrus's harsh glare and turned away fast, along with Noah, as they headed in the opposite direction. Kain, Tyrus, Jason and Riley walked over to Jason's car.

Riley was confident that Tyrus organised the car split for the mere purpose of being close to Jason, which she found cute. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Jason so happy and she really hoped it worked out for them.

Jason got in the driver's seat with Tyrus taking up the passenger side. This left Riley and Kain to hop into the backseat.

She still wasn't sure about Kain. After the party, it appeared his iciness had worn away, at least a little, and she found herself taking a bit more notice of him than she usually did.

Trying not to stare, she glanced at him in her peripheral vision. He was staring out of the window as his right leg propped sideways, nearer to the centre console as his long legs battled for the extra space in the cramped backseat of the car.

He was wearing black jeans that were loose on him but not baggy or long enough to hide his dark grey, pristine, looking sneakers. His casual dark green t-shirt hung tightly against his muscular body and she couldn't help but be in awe of how he always seemed so confident in himself. She wished she could be more like that.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kain's voice echoed in the back seat, surprising her out of her dazed stupor. "You looked pretty shaken up back there."

Riley glanced at Jason in the front seat, glad that he was occupied in a conversation about something with Tyrus. The last thing she needed was Jason on her case again about her mental state. He already suspected she was slipping again. The last thing he needed to hear was that she was hallucinating. Vincent was not only invading her dreams, now he was invading her waking moments.

But what she didn't quite grasp was Kain's newfound concern for her. Normally, he wouldn't give two shits about her.

"This is new," said Riley cockily, trying to direct the conversation away from the freak out session she just had. "Do I hear a hint of concern in your voice, Kain? It's so unlike you."

"Much to your belief, I'm not a heartless monster, Riley. We may not get along, but you were scared back there. You were shit scared of something."

Riley couldn't be having this conversation here. Not with Jason sitting so close, and definitely not with Kain. She could have sworn she saw Jason shift his eyes into the rear-view mirror onto the backseat. The last thing she wanted was Jason finding out she was hallucinating. That was a sure-fire trip straight back to therapy and a zero percentage chance of any privacy ever again.

"I told you, Kain, I'm fine," she said, shooting him down quickly when he tried to open his mouth again.

That was when she saw it again. The flicker of Jason's eyes into the backseat, boring straight into her. He definitely heard Kain the first time, and she knew she was a moment away from having a very awkward conversation with her brother.

Shit.