The Change

The Change ~Chapter 50

A few more days went by, and everything remained the same. Peculiar, confusing, and abnormal. But that's when I asked myself this one simple question: Why aren't I doing anything about it? Without even thinking, I sat up and rolled out of my bed. After fidgeting in my purse, I retrieved my cellphone and searched my contacts for Kevin's number. SEND-

Wait no! As fast as I had started the call, I ended it. What am I doing, calling Kevin? No way. Figuring that calling Kevin was a bit too extreme, I settled for someone less harmless. Rider. SEND....

"Please pick up. Please, please pick up..." I mumbled, while tapping my nails against my desk in anticipation. "Come on, pick up!"

"Hello?"

"Rider?"

"Holly?"

"Of course it's me!" I snapped, feeling the urge to hang up the phone already. But I didn't- or more like I couldn't. If I wanted to get anywhere with this guy, I would have to control myself and be nice. That meant, no being snappy, no yelling or shouting, no mouth talking, grumbling or groaning, etc. Wow this is going to be one hard phone call, I thought. Taking a deep breath, I sat down and reclined in my desk chair, breathing heavily. Just relax, Holly. Talk to him as if he were...Lacey. "I mean uh, yeah it's me. How are you doing, hm?"

There was a very long pause. Too long of a pause.  I pulled the phone away from my ear to see if he had actually hung up. But he didn't. "Rider?"

"What's gotten into you?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know. What do you mean?"

Another long pause. Okay, this is just getting plain awkward! "Stop making me nervous, alright? Now I asked you a simple question. Can you please just answer it?"

Silence.

Is he seriously doing this on purpose? "Rider!"

"Ok, sorry. Uh, I'm doing great, Holly. How about you?"

"I'm doing fine..." I began, shifting in my seat uncomfortably. "So I was wondering, want to um, like, go out tonight?" What is this? Me pretending again? Last time it didn't work out too well, but hey, I just had to give it another shot. And who cared anyway? Everyone pretended with me; Rider, Dillon, Gabriella, Kevin. So why couldn't I? Yup, there wasn't a reason. And perhaps this way was in fact the only way of getting what I needed. And what I needed was the truth. Why was it so hard to figure out? Quite honestly, I'm still searching for that answer... But I hated doing it. I hated being like the lot of them. Coniving, decieving, liars, pretenders. It isn't fair. But like the old saying goes... Play fire with fire.

"This is a joke, right?" Rider laughed, but I could tell it was the farthest from happy. "Very funny, Holly."

"No, I'm serious. I'm not saying like a date, Rider.  I just need to talk to you."

"Yeah, that's the only time you want to go out. Is when you want to get something out of me. So I think not. I'm tired of you messin' with me and-"

"What have you been doing to me this entire time? That's all you do! You never stop messing with me. So stop acting like I'm so terrible to you. Just take a look at yourself and then you'll realize you're not that far off from-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked. His voice was low and irritated. Each word was like a knife. I was getting him angry now, that was for certain. 

"Ok, I'm sorry. Just..." I sighed, resting a hand to my forehead. I bit the side of my lip and thought quickly about what I should say. And it came that fast. "meet me at the beach, ok? Right in front of the pier at six. Be there? Please, Rider..." I waited for his reply, but nothing came. Sounding as desperate as I could possibly get, I added another- "Please?"