white boys (river phoenix)

8

*originally published 08/25/16*

Chapter Eight

(Friday) The next day, Robin found herself walking over to River's house unannounced, as if they were casual enough to do that. River didn't mind, obviously, but Robin felt uneasy the minute she walked through the doors of his house. River seemed solemn when he opened the door, and told Robin to be very careful with her words. Robin wondered why until she walked over to the sight of Corey Haim crying with Feldman's arm slung around his neck.

"What's wrong?" Robin whispered, nudging River's arm.

But River didn't have to answer, because Corey was blubbering already.

"Amandla broke up with me!" he whined, dragging out the 'e' in 'me' as he continued to sob helplessly.

Though Robin wasn't exactly friends with either Coreys or Amandla, even she felt that sad little pinch that her heart gets when something absolutely heart wrenching occurs in her personal life. Watching Corey just sitting there with his head in his hands and his legs all sprawled out made her want to shed a tear - but it wasn't her situation to cry in.

"He's been crying for hours, Robin," River whispered from directly behind her, and Robin felt chills down her back despite the hotness of his breath exactly on her neck.

"I wouldn't be surprised," she replied back.

"He came over here totally drunk at like four in the morning, mumbling about how he'd never find another girl that he'd be good enough for, and how he'd never find a girl as good as her. He kept referring to Amandla as her, so I found out real fast. But I also knew because he told me that if Amandla ever broke up with him, he'd drink so much that he'd pass out and hopefully lose all memory of that entire day."

"That doesn't sound like a healthy relationship to me," Robin scoffed, thinking that Corey was really just wasting his time with this girl, even though she seemed likable.

She looked over at the situation in front of her again, at Feldman trying to console a forlorn Corey with words of consolation.

"I don't know, Robin, they were knit together," Feldman croaked.

Robin couldn't take it anymore - she hated seeing people in pain, and although both of the Coreys generally annoyed her, she could see how much love Amandla and Corey used to have for each other. So being the good Samaritan she was, she walked over in front of Corey and instead of sitting beside him and rubbing his back, kneeled down on the floor in front of him and pat his knee. He looked up from his hands, face red as ever.

"Hi, Robin," he managed to choke out, although tears still streamed recklessly down his face.

"Hi. Look at me, Corey, you're okay. Stop crying, alright. You look like you're about to pass out from all the crying." She chuckled, trying to lift the tension in the air. "We'd have to take you to the hospital."

Robin rubbed his knee in an effort to calm him down. The crying slowed down, but his breaths were still choky heaves of the chest.

"It was the soccer game that did it."

Robin remembered when they all went to the soccer game, and when Amandla seemed distanced from Corey afterwards.

"Yeah? What happened, Corey?" she frowned, setting her elbows on her knees and gazing up at him to look at him.

He explained the whole thing,

"Well, I was watching the game, she was more into me than the game. And I love her, so of course I paid attention to her. But then, I just got uncomfortable. This is real personal so don't blab to anybody alright? I've never done it, not with anyone before. And I wanted her to be my first. She was supposed to back in sophomore year when we played Seven Minutes in Heaven, but I got all nervous, Robin. So all we did was talk. And everyone thinks we've done it."