Runner Runner

Chapter 20

Just as I'm looking at the photo, the bell goes off.

I shoot up to my feet.
"Riley?" Skye says.
I glance and see Miles on the Soccer field.
But Adam's walking towards us. His team mate.
"Adam!" I call out and get his attention, he turns and shouts back.
"Yeah?"
"Give it to me." I ask Skye.
"Riles-" She starts as she stands up but I cut her off.
"Now. Please." I say and she hands it to me.
"Heads up!" I shout out to Adam who's a good 90 feet from us. I pull my arm back to throw it Skye says, "Riley, No!"
But it's too late. Just as the phone leaves my hand Adam's facial expression says it all.
I see him mouth Holy Shit.
But he manages to catch it.
He exhales in relief.
"Reynolds, you're f**king crazy!" He shouts.
"Get it to Miles." I shout back and then I look at Skye who looks ever so lost.
"I need a ride." I say.

We're in her car and she hasn't said anything yet. She letting me cool off. The questions should begin any sec-
"Riles?" Skye says, interrupting my thoughts.
"Shoot." I say.
"Who was she?" She asks.
"The ex girlfriend who f**ked his brother." I say.
"Oh." She says and look at the road.
"But it's just a picture." She says.
"Are you sh*tting me! Yeah. Just a picture next to the one where I'm f**king kissing him!" I say.
"Calm down. Hear what he has to say. And why am I giving you a ride?" She says, cooly.
"This is you. You forgive too easily. You give everyone, including Brooklyn, the benefit of doubt. And you know who's going to get hurt? You." I say and she remains silent.
"Miles picked me up today. He's staying at my place for a couple days so that he doesn't have to stay there with his brother." I add.

She pulls up my driveway. No comment.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. Thanks for the ride." I say and get down and start walking but she speaks.

"No person is unworthy of second Chances. I say 'Chances', and not Chance."

I turn and look at her and raise an eyebrow, making her laugh as she drives off.

Skye has always been this way.
Whether it's homeless man, a bird with a broken wing or the simplest, a freshman who can't find their way to class. She wants to be the one who Helps each and every single one of them.
She's also always seeing the Good in people. But what I fear is that, at times she's trying so hard to see the Good, and she sees it, when sometimes all there is, is Evil.
She forgets that sometimes, she might need help too.

I sigh as I walk inside.
I have no idea what I'm going to say to Miles when he shows up.
If he shows up.
I push the thoughts to the back off my head. I'll deal with it when it happens.
Meet Riley Reynolds. Queen of Procrastination.

I decide to soak in a nice Bath.
I get some water on and bubble in and I undress and I put my hair up in a messy bun as I walk in to the pristine white bathroom. Again, my mother's choice.
There are fresh flowers all in a blush shade.

I get in and close my eyes. I'm all most asleep, but as my eyes droop, I hear the front door slam.
"Riley!" Miles's voice booms through the house.
"Here we go." I whisper to myself.

He doesn't even knock and barges in.
"Miles! Get out!" I say to him, but it's to avoid talking to him.
The bubbles have my modesty covered.
Ha. Puns.

He pinches his eyes shut and whips around.
"F**k! Riley I was so bloody worried!" He says, his back facing me.
"Well, I'm fine." I say.
"Why the hell did you leave without me?" He says.
"You can pick any of the guest rooms, all to the left side of my room." I say, shutting my eyes again.
"Riley." He says and I open my eyes and I see his jaw clench from the back of his head.
"I also want my Phone back." I say, cooly.
"Riley!" He says and turns around to face me.
I fold my arms.
"What?" I ask, with an arched eyebrow.

I'm not this Girl. The Girl who refuses to admit that something is clearly wrong but won't say what is and drives the significant other insane. I'm not. But today, I have no idea how to say what I want to say.

He sits down and crosses his legs.
I know I have to say something, I need an answers to questions I'm not yet sure I have.

He just stares at my face, his expression overflows with concern and anger at the same time, his eyebrows furrowed.
I exhale.

"Just tell me what I did and I will fix it." He says.

He's still in his soccer clothes, his sweaty hair is matted up and sticks up in weird ways.
"Could you please stop studying my face and explain?" He presses, intelligently pointing out what I was doing.
"Why the f**k do you have a picture on your phone of you kissing Aria?" I say as calmly as I can.
"You went through my phone?" He says, his words laced with irritation and a pang of surprise.
"Answer the question, Miles." I say.
"Why on earth would you go through my phone!" He asks, still dodging the real issue at hand.
"Answer me." I say, nonchalantly.
"I'm not dismissing the fact that you went through my phone, but, I'm entitled to photos and privacy just as much as you're entitled to spending time with Keegan." He states, throwing Keegan at my face, probably expecting to faze me, trying to hide the anger in his voice, failing to do so.
"The feelings I have for Keegan are nothing to do with Romance. You were in motherf**king love with her and I still don't have an answer!" I say, or rather, shout, now.

"You know what?" He says and chuckles, an empty chuckle.
"You're exactly like those prissy, over sensitive, calculative, insecure women who look through their boyfriends' things, search pockets, oversee credit cards, out of fear, lack of any trust and doubt that the person who they so dearly love is doing something that's going to muck up what they have, who think that he's not really at practise, or that he may be screwing the cheerleader, the exact women who you despise and are ever so determined to deny that you aren't." He says, ever so cooly.
My eyebrows shoot up.

"Get the f**k out of my house."