Riley has spent her life surrounded by boys - that's what happens when your twin brother is Jaden Henline, one of the best baseball players around and the most popular guy in school. As a result, they shared most of their friends, so Riley had almos...
The next morning, Raegan decided it was the first day of the plan to help me move on from Cole. And, according to her, the first step was making sure I looked my best. So when I came out of the bathroom wearing a t-shirt and running shorts, she immediately went over to her own suitcase and pulled out clothes for me to wear, while sighing dramatically. A minute later, she stood up and threw the outfit she'd picked out at me, shoving me back into the bathroom to change.
I came out five minutes later wearing a black t-shirt with a red flannel over top, denim shorts, and black Vans. I actually really liked the outfit - it wasn't too girly, but was still cute.
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Raegan broke out into a grin when she saw me. "Oh my gosh, Ry, you look amazing!"
I blushed and thanked her, and followed her into the bathroom so she could do my hair and makeup. Normally I didn't wear much makeup, and I pretty much always had my hair in a braid or ponytail. But Raegan insisted I needed to "change up my look", even if it was just for today. So first she did my makeup, putting on concealer, powder, and blush, then did my eyeliner and mascara. Then, since my hair was naturally wavy, she just sprayed some product in it and left it down instead of styling it.
"Ta-da!" she exclaimed as she turned me toward the mirror. My eyes widened when I saw myself. It wasn't like I looked completely different, but it was more like a new and improved version of myself.
Raegan saw me staring at the mirror and grinned triumphantly. "Those boys aren't gonna know what hit them."
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Fifteen minutes later, we had just gotten our breakfast and were sitting down at our designated table. We were the only people at the table, since the boys were still in line to get their food.
As I was eating, I overheard two guys talking at the table behind us. I looked beside me at Raegan and subtly nodded toward them, trying to hold back my laughter when I realized what they were talking about.
"Dude, check out that girl over there," one of them said.
"The brunette?" The other boy laughed. "Yeah, you wish you could get someone like that."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the first guy hit his friend on the shoulder. "Shut up."
"I'll bet you ten bucks you can't get her number."
"Yeah? Watch me."
I heard the sound of his chair scraping against the floor as he stood up from his table. Raegan smirked at me as he walked over to stand right in front of our table. "Hey," he said with a lazy smile. "This seat taken?" He gestured to the seat to my left.
I shook my head, since the other guys were still in line. He sat down next to me and shifted his body so he was facing me. I had to admit, he was pretty cute. His floppy brown hair hung over his eyes, and he had the cutest dimples when he smiled. "I'm Mason," he said.
"Riley." I smiled and started to go back to eating my breakfast when Raegan cleared her throat, raising her eyebrows and silently telling me to keep the conversation going. I glared at her but put down my fork and turned to face Mason. "So what team are you on?"
"Jackson Township, from New Jersey," he replied. "What about you?"
I laughed. "Oh, I'm not on the team, my brother is. We're from Pennsylvania."
"Oh, the famous Red Land team, huh?" He said, chuckling. "I heard they're supposed to be really good."
I couldn't help the proud smile that stretched across my face, though I tried to cover it up with a smirk. "I guess you'll find out on Thursday."
"I guess so," he replied before changing the subject. "So, Riley, here's the deal. I didn't come over here to talk about baseball."
I raised my eyebrows, pretending to be surprised.
"I just wanted to talk to you because I think you're cute, and I, uh, was wondering if I could get your number." He smiled hopefully, the dimples appearing once again.
I opened my mouth to say no when I saw Raegan out of the corner of my eye. She raised her eyebrows and send me a knowing look, trying to tell me silently to give him my number. I sighed. I had just told her yesterday that I wanted to move on from Cole, and here was my chance.
So I put a smile on my face and nodded. "Sure."
He grinned and took his phone out of his pocket, handing it to me so I could put my number in. When I was done, I handed it back to him, and he put it back in his pocket.
"Well, I'd better get back to my table," he said as he stood up. "I'll text you later?"
I nodded as he started to walk away. "Hey, Mason?"
He turned around. "Yeah?"
"Let me know what you buy with the ten bucks."
Mason looked confused for a second. Then realization spread across his face, and he blushed in embarrassment. "Uh...right. Yeah."
I laughed and turned around to face Raegan, who was grinning from ear to ear. I rolled my eyes and started to go back to eating when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone standing right behind her, motionless.
I froze as Cole stared at me, a look of disbelief and disappointment on his face. I knew he had seen everything that had happened with Mason - and part of me wished I could disappear.
But the other part of me knew I had to move on, no matter how much it hurt. And to be honest, what hurt me the most wasn't the fact that I had to move on, but the look on his face when he saw me flirting with another guy.
I tried to look away from him but couldn't. My entire body felt frozen.
And then, in a flash, Cole's expression changed from heartbroken to pissed. He clenched his jaw and walked over to our table, slamming his tray down at the seat farthest away from me.
I wanted to go over and talk to him, but the other guys came back from the line and surrounded him, cutting me off.
I sighed and turned back towards Raegan. "I know it hurts, Ry," she said sympathetically. "But trust me, this is what's best for both of you."
I looked at her doubtfully. "How?"
"Look, you love him, right?" She asked. I nodded in response. "Then don't you want him to be happy?" I nodded again. "He can't be happy while he thinks he still has a chance with you, because he doesn't even know why you guys can't be together. Don't you get it, Riley? The only way for him to be happy is if he moves on. And watching you move on, no matter how much it hurts for him to see, is what's going to help him finally let go of you."
I closed my eyes as I took in what Raegan was saying. She had a point. Cole was just making himself miserable by telling himself we could be together, when I knew it could never happen. If I really loved him, I'd give him a chance to be happy.
Because love is caring about another person's happiness more than your own - no matter how much it hurts.
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so i know this is probably really confusing, but basically riley's logic is so twisted that she doesn't even fully understand it herself...does that make sense? lol
and sorry for not updating in so long, i wasn't lying when i said march madness would mess up my writing schedule lmao
anyways, i hope you guys liked this chapter :) (even thought a lot of you probably really hate me rn)
