Green Eyes

-Four-

The next day wasn't easy, but then again, it wasn't ridiculously hard. I woke up, Riley woke up, we pretended that we didn't fall asleep in the same bed, and life commenced as usual. Just the way it was supposed to be, just the way that made being mostly invisible easy.

Lunch rolled around, however, and things got a bit different. It wasn't quite the same "easy" as it had been that morning.

First of all, we were eating something new for lunch. They called it spaghetti. It was good, but the fact that I'd never had it before threw a wrench in my schedule.

Yes, it sounds ridiculous, and maybe it was, but that's just the way I was feeling. I didn't know how to work with unexpected situations, like trying new food, no matter how delicious.

Riley Grace came and sat at my table. I smiled at her. She smiled back, wiggling an eyebrow.

Inwardly, I laughed. I was happy, and I didn't need a tangible reason, because I had Riley Grace.

She looked up again, wiggled an eyebrow, slurped a spaghetti noodle, crossed her eyes at me. For now, we were friends. Just comfortable.

I twirled my fork around in my noodles like I'd seen her do, and didn't do a very good job of hiding my disappointment when they all fell off into a red, saucy heap on my plate.

Riley laughed.

Everyone else looked up, the louder and the quieter ones alike, wondering what her outburst was about.

One guy in particular—the guy who was covered in tattoos—looked from her smiling face to mine several times, frowning, before voicing a question.

It chopped up my happy-quiet into a thousand sharp, sparkling shards.

"Why don't you ever talk?"

Silence gaped almost as wide as Riley Grace did.

"I... um—"

She sent the guy a rather hostile glare. I felt chilled just seeing it.

"It's none of your business what he does and doesn't do." Her voice was low and she leaned forward, only to have him lean backward at the same time, eyes wide.

I almost intervened. But I didn't.

He frowned, obviously taken aback. "It's none of your business, either."

"I say it's my business when you make it yours. Leave him alone."

"What'll you do about it?"

She narrowed her dark eyes. "I have relatives in the biggest mob in Puerto Rico, bambina—little girl. You better just leave him alone. Got it?"

He looked as though he was ready to faint, and I had to try hard not to laugh, or something crazy like that.

But, despite how insane Riley was acting, the guy nodded.

She smiled, and sent me a wink.

I smiled back. All was good.

She leaned over until her mouth was mere inches from my ear. "Nobody talks to Green Eyes like that unless they want their head bitten off and sent to the Puerto Rican mob."

I turned my head, chuckled. "I'm Danny."

"Whatever."

We were friends for the rest of the afternoon. Just easy, comfortable friendship. And for most of the hours that we spent together, I thought that I really knew her. Even though no one would ever really know Riley Grace. She didn't have the same system of existence that seemed to have taken over the world and everyone in it.