Roommates with a Player

Chapter Thirty Six: The Choice

            I could see the grave look in his eyes and knew that this was for real. Aunt Joyce might actually be able to take me away from the Stephens.

            “How would you support Emma?” Michelle said, her voice quivering. “How would we know she would be in a good place?”

            “Over my travels, I’ve made a small fortune and have been living off that while working as a school teacher. I’ve been able to pay all of my bills, while still having money left over. I know that if Emma were to come with me, I could support us both,” Aunt Joyce replied.

            “Well, we could send you money if you’d like,” Michelle was near tears.

            “No!” I interjected. “Michelle, you can’t be serious. You’re not actually going along with this. I’m staying here. That’s all I want.”

            “It’s not your choice,” Henry backed her up. “It’s not any of ours. It’s your Aunt’s choice.”

            “I refuse to go!” My voice rose and I could feel a tantrum coming on. “I want to stay-,”

            “Stop it!” Ricky’s harsh voice cut me off and the whole table grew silent. I’d half forgotten he was sitting next to me; he’d been so silent. “Just stop it, Emma. You’re making this difficult for everyone.”

            His face was distorted with pain, so much that I could see it emanating from his dark eyes. Ricky was hunched over slightly, his mouth pinched tightly closed. It looked as if he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.

            “I…I don’t understand, Ricky. What do you mean?” I mumbled, my voice sounding hurt.

            We met eyes then, and the feelings that washed over me were indescribable. There was so much pain and sorrow in those chocolate eyes that I wanted so badly to look away, but I couldn’t bring myself to. For the first time, I could see past Ricky’s cocky façade and peer into his real thoughts and inner workings. It was absolutely magnificent.

            “I see now,” Aunt Joyce’s words were just a muffled noise. “I see what keeps you here, Emma. If it’s true, then I will give you the choice to stay or not.”

            Her reluctance made me turn. “You will?”

            “Henry, Michelle, I think we should give your son and Emma some time alone,” Aunt Joyce stood up and walked towards the front room.

            Henry and Michelle stood as well, but gave Ricky a hard stare before scooting off to follow Aunt Joyce.

            We were alone now. It was just Ricky and I. We were still sitting, facing each other. I reached for his hands and he took them, rubbing mine against his. I wanted to return to my favorite spot in his shoulder, but I knew it wasn’t the right time.

            “Ricky…” I trailed off, unable to form the right words to say. This was a tender subject and the decision to it was what would bind me to the Stephens or not.

            “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” he muttered.

            “Do you think I want this?” I cried. “I don’t want things to be difficult between us. But, I think…I think I love-,”

            “Please! Don’t say anything else,” Ricky stopped me, leeching his hands from mine and using them to shake my shoulders. “I can’t, Emma. I just…can’t.”

            “W-what do you mean?” I asked. “I thought…you felt the same.”

            The sting of rejection shot through my body.

            “I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to be under all of this pressure.”

            “What pressure?” My voice was hitting new octaves I never thought I could reach. “You’re the only reason I want to stay!”

            “Then…” Ricky was basically choking the words out of himself. “Then you should leave.”

            I was so taken aback; I nearly fell out of my chair. Could it be true? Were my ears playing tricks on me? No. No, they weren’t. Ricky had told me to leave. He hadn’t returned my feelings.

            I felt the crushing weight of depression start to press back on me. It still seemed cold and hard like it had when my parents had died. I never thought I’d have to feel it again, but it was back. The tears were already spilling over and every cell in my body vibrated with misery. I wanted to curl up in a ball. I wanted to drift away in a heavy sleep and never wake up. I wanted to run away and never return.

            “Goodbye, Ricky.”

            Those were my last words to him before I agreed to leave with Aunt Joyce.

END OF PART ONE

These are the kind of chapters that make me wonder why I ever put RWAP under Humor.

            Yes, Emma’s leaving. No, that’s not the end of RWAP. I’ve decided to divide it up into two parts. I’ve already marked Chapter 1 as the beginning of the first part. I hope you’ve enjoyed it so far! AND DON’T THINK IT’S THE END!

            But I will be stepping back from RWAP for a bit, until I can get my mind going on part two. We still have a ways to go; so don’t shove this away to collect dust.

ALSO, DON’T BE A GHOST READER! COMMENT, VOTE, DO WHAT YOU MUST! I WANT TO HEAR YOUR FEEDBACK!