Happy Everly After

Chapter 9

My body froze in fear, but my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it trying to escape my chest. Adrenaline surged through me, and I instinctively took a step back, hands held up defensively. He stood there, looking as guilty as sin, and I could see the shame carved across his face. He didn't dare come any closer.

"Can we talk, please?" he asked, sounding desperate.

My initial fear quickly turned to anger, searing anger. "There's nothing to talk about", I spat out.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, the intensity of my glare conveying every bit of hatred I felt towards him. He took a step towards me, and I took two steps back.

"Don't you dare come any closer, Riley. I'll scream. In fact, I'll kick you where it hurts and then I'll scream", I threatened, my voice shaking with rage.

"Please, Everly", he pleaded in a hushed voice, looking around anxiously. I couldn't understand why since there was no one else around.

He started rambling, "I was drunk, I made a mistake". He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I fucked up, I know I did".

I offered him no sympathy. "You did a lot more than just fuck up, you piece of shit".

My anger was about to boil over. It took all my self-control not to physically attack him. "You should be in jail right now, but no, you manipulated your way out of it. And now you feel bad? You make me sick, Riley".

I pulled the strap of my bag tighter against my shoulder and prepared to walk away, but he sidestepped me and held his arms out like he was herding me back.

"Get out of my way, Riley", I demanded.

"Not until we talk", he insisted. "Just please, hear me out".

"No, now fucking move before I make good on that threat", I warned.

As his jaw twitched, I could see the muscles in his face clench and release. His eyes narrowed in frustration before he quickly stepped aside. I eyed him warily as I walked away, the thought of him grabbing me flashing through my mind. As I distanced myself from him, I turned to make sure he wasn't following me.

He wasn't. He watched me for a few seconds before turning and walking back towards the school. It was then that I realised I had been holding my breath, and as I let it out, the sobs started to wrack my body.

Coward, I thought infuriated.

I had been bottling up all these emotions for far too long. It was time to let them out. Enough was enough.

As I stood there contemplating not going back into the school, a thought crossed my mind. What if I just got on a bus and went somewhere else? Somewhere hours away where I could waste the rest of the school day without having to face anyone. But then I realised that's exactly what Riley would want. He wanted me away from everyone so I couldn't tell anyone about what he did.

This secret was coming out, no matter what Riley wanted.

With a steady hand, I pulled out my phone and sent Owen a message, asking him to meet me. The seconds ticked by as I paced back and forth, anxiously waiting for a reply. He was probably stuck in his math class with a strict teacher who wouldn't let him leave. After almost fifteen minutes of no response, I gave up and decided to head home. I couldn't bear the thought of running into him again.

Just as I turned to leave, a familiar voice called out my name. I turned to see Owen sprinting effortlessly towards me, his athletic form moving with grace and ease. I was out of breath watching him, but again Mr Fit was fine.

"What are you doing out here, King? Aren't you supposed to be making macaroni pictures or something?" he joked.

"We actually make real art in that class", I retorted.

"Uh huh, I've seen your 'art'. That one that was just a bunch of colours that looked like a toddler had gone crazy", he teased back.

"It was abstract", I defended myself half-heartedly.

He gave me a questioning look before continuing, "So why aren't you there?"

"I can't go back", I replied, feeling panicked.

I must have failed at masking my fear because his expression changed from teasing to concerned in an instant.

"Why? What happened?" he asked seriously.

He glanced around us as if searching for some unseen threat and then stood protectively in front of me. Suddenly, he surprised me with what he said next.

"Have you seen Riley today?" he asked abruptly.

I gasped involuntarily before quickly covering it up with a fake cough. He looked at me curiously but didn't press further.

"No, I haven't. Why?" I tried to sound casual.

His eyes flickered with worry before he shrugged it off. "Nothing, really. I saw him before coming out here and he seemed just as jittery as you. He wouldn't tell me why, but he's not coming to Charlie's now", he explained with a small laugh, running his hand through his hair. "Actually, it seemed like he couldn't wait to get away from me, especially when I mentioned coming out here to see you".