Riverside

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Monday at lunch, Peggy and Colette walked up to the table Ronnie and I were sitting at. I thought they were just going to stand and talk, but they decided to sit down across from us. I didn't know what they were playing at and all I knew was that they were going to bother us like they always did.

Petty was what they were.

"Can we help you?" Ronnie asked. "Because if not, feel free to leave and sit somewhere else like you always did."

"Don't be silly," Peggy said. "We just want to talk."

"About what?" I asked. "How you think you're better than us? Or how well the cheerleading squad is doing without us."

Peggy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Not everything we do is to belittle you two. Get over yourselves?"

"Get over ourselves?" Ronnie asked. "You're the ones who really are trying to belittle our every move. Seriously why are you really sitting here? Because if there isn't a good enough reason, go sit somewhere else."

"Seriously, all we wanted to do was talk," Peggy said. "So, Arden, why exactly was that troubled guy with you at the mall? I would have thought he wouldn't be allowed in some places after what he did."

"Wow," I said. "How dull are you? He was proven to be innocent and someone else was convicted of being guilty."

"Not that," Peggy said. "I mean everything he did to get kicked out of high school. Beating up others, selling drugs, vandaliz--"

"None of that is true," I interrupted.

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what makes you think that?"

"Uh, probably the fact that River told me what really happened and why he isn't in school anymore," I said.

"And you believe him?" Peggy asked.

"Yes, I do," I said. "First off, Ronnie went to middle school with him and she knows what he's really like. And second, you're the one choosing to believe rumours. There is literally no proof that all of that is real, so I'd appreciate it if you stopped talking crap about River."

"Wow, someone's defensive," Peggy said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you like him."

"So what if I do?" I asked. "That is literally none of your business because we're not friends anymore, so go be petty somewhere else."

Thankfully, Peggy and Colette actually left, but not after Peggy gave me a smirk. I gave her a mocking smile back before rolling my eyes and going back to eating my lunch.

"Hey, Arden?" Ronnie said. "Do you actually like River? Because I think it's my duty as your best friend to know."

I didn't answer for a bit, mainly because I was currently chewing on my sandwich. After I swallowed the bite, I looked at Ronnie. "Maybe just a tiny bit...."

"Aww," Ronnie gushed. "You finally like someone!"

"Hey, I've liked....Actually, no, I haven't had a crush yet," I said. "Hey, River is really sweet and friendly and he has the nicest smile ever. And just yesterday, I saw him playing with Genius in the backyard. Seriously, when I see him playing with my pet duckling, I swoon. It's the cutest thing ever."

"That's still so cute," Ronnie said. "So, you going to do anything about it?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. He is coming to prom with me after all since he isn't going to school and is missing out on his prom. That's why he was at the mall with me, to help me pick out a dress and to get a sort-of matching suit."

"Okay, now I want it to be prom so I can see how cute you two are together," Ronnie said. "I still don't know him too much, but I did know him well enough in middle school to know that he really is a sweet guy. But if he ever hurts you...."

"He won't," I said. "One, like you said, he's sweet. And two, his living with my family and my dad is a police man. He's even too scared to go to the kitchen after midnight if he's hungry so most of the time, he knocks on my door and asks if I can get food for him. He's so adorable."

After lunch, the two classes went by sort of fast before it was finally the end of the day. I left the school and went to my car to go home.

When I got home, I saw River walking into the kitchen with Genius waddling along as he followed River, quacking as well. "I think your duck likes me more than you now," River said when he saw me.

"What? No way," I said before crouching down in front of Genius and holding my arms out. "Come on, Genius. Show him that you love me more."

Genius looked at me, then River, then me again, before finally looking back at River. He then waddled over in front of River, looking up and quacking.

"Okay, that hurts," I said, looking at my pet duckling. "River didn't even like you when he first moved in here. So how about that?"

Genius looked at me, then waddled out of the kitchen.

I sighed and stood up. "Yeah, thanks for corrupting my pet duckling."

"I didn't even try," River said. "I'm just a very lovable person." Oh, trust me, I know that. "Well, most of the time."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Nobody at my high school liked me," he said. "Not that I care anymore. They're all judgmental teens anyway. I mean, I know I'm not getting a high school diploma, but it's worth not seeing those jerks every day and keep getting bullied."

"You know, you can always complete high school online," I said.

"Eh, I might," River said. "It will probably be a bit too hard because I'll just keep procrastinating and not doing my assignments right away. But it will probably be better than not having a high school diploma at all. Not that I need it. Some jobs won't require having one, and I wasn't planning on going to university anyway. There isn't anything specific I want to do."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said. "I still have no idea what I want to do in university. I'm planning on talking six months to a year off of school first. I don't want to get out of high school only to go straight to university. It's hard growing up."

"Yeah, it is," River said.

_______________________

I'm stressed out today haha help me.

Seriously, I have to finish my short story for my creative writing class tomorrow, I have to write the next chapter of Riverside for Radish, and I have an assignment due at 11:45 PM for my economics class that has over 90 questions but I can't start until 9 because that's when my friend gets off of work and it's too hard for us to do it separately.

SAVE MY SOUL LOL.