Strawberry Syrup [Camp NaNo April]

29

Riley’s POV

                I pulled away, feeling breathless. The only thing keeping me alive right now was having Ryan here, with me.

                Then everything came rushing back. My parents, the syrup, everything.

                “Hey,” Ryan said softly, his hands sliding around my waist. I noted that my arms were still wrapped around his neck, and our faces only inches apart.

                I was snapped back into reality, that I had just kissed my enemy.

                Wait, did I just refer to him as my enemy? Since when did my parents’ fight become mine.

                “You okay?” Ryan asked, his eyes just filled to the brim with concern. He kissed me, and it seemed that it was the key to opening my emotions. They flooded me, drowning me in their depths. Some were of the warmth I felt around him, others were the pain of the betrayal I knew I was bound to cause. I couldn’t do this to him. I liked him a lot, hell, maybe even falling for him. But I couldn’t do this. I’m not this person. Someone who uses another person.

                My lips thinned, and I retracted my arms. “I’m fine,” I said, scooting back. “We should work on the syrup,” I said quietly, nearly a whisper.

                He looked at me confused, and I bit my lip. It was probably best not to bring up the kiss, ever.

                “Uh, yeah, okay,” he said, finally breaking his intense gaze. He got off the couch in one swift movement, but paused once he was upright.

                I also stood up, but slower. Making my way to the kitchen, I heard him following behind me. Again, I felt his eyes watching me, and it made my heart wrench.

                I went to the fridge, pulling out the strawberries. The scent was so sweet, and so powerful, the fridge now smelled of it.

                “So, what am I supposed to do with this?” I asked, my voice still in a quiet tone. This has officially become extremely awkward.

                “Just.. throw it into the blender, including the juices,” Ryan said hesitantly, just as quiet.

                Silently, I did what he said, the kitchen absolutely silent except for the whirring of the blender. After I was finished, he took the bowl, combining the strawberries with the base.

                He stirred it for a while, and I watched as the liquid magically became thick, like actual syrup. He poured a bit into a small bowl, taking out a spoon.

                “Here, taste,” he said, holding out the spoon. I cautiously approached him, before taking the spoon and licking it clean. I felt as if my taste buds exploded, it tasted amazing.

                “It’s really good,” I told him, and he then took a spoonful for himself.

                “You’re right. It is. Alright then, I guess we’re finished,” he said, and I nodded.

                “I’ll wash these clothes and return them to you tomorrow, kay?” He nodded and I went to the living room, grabbing my bag.

                Just as I had set one foot out the door, his voice stopped me.

                “Are we going to talk about this?”

                I didn’t even respond, just bit my lip to keep the tears from falling. I truly, honestly felt terrible. A terrible person, a bitch. That’s exactly what I was now. With a shake of my head, I stepped fully out, letting the door slam behind me.

                Then I left, walking towards my house. I couldn’t stand thinking about this though, thinking about Ryan. It made my gut twist and my heart ache, knowing that I betrayed him.

                Yet I couldn’t help but think, why me? What made me so special? He was Ryan, he could get any girl he wanted. He’d be better off without me anyways.

                I ignored the pang in my chest as I thought that, and resolved to just think about nothing. It was better this way, that’s all there was to it.

                Eventually, my house came into view, and I felt my teeth digging into my bottom lip as I prepared to face the parents.

                Maybe… I wasn’t ready to face them yet, I wanted to think about this a bit more.

                I reached down, planning on retrieving my key from my pocket. Then I realized I was still dressed in Ryan’s clothes. I groaned when I remembered never putting my clothes in my bag. My key was still at his house. There was no way in hell I would ever go back there, especially now.

                Taking a deep breath, there was only one thing left to do. Raising my left hand, I curled it into a fist before knocking on the door.

                My heart was drumming a tune that only it knew, and soon enough, my parents answered.

                “Riley!” they exclaimed in unison.

                Then my mother’s nose wrinkled. “What are you wearing?” She didn’t approve of me going out in public with sweats on, claiming that they were ‘lazy clothes’ and nobody would take me seriously if I were to wear them out.

                “Mine got dirty, I borrowed these from a friend,” I told her honestly. She nodded, moving aside to let me in. I started making my way towards the stairs, when they started the interrogation.

                “Did you do any spying today?” my father asked, as soon as I crossed the threshold.

                Another deep breath. “Yes.”

                “And did you find out anything?” my mother asked, and I could picture her with her hands on her hips, my father looking at me intently.

                I allowed a long pause to stretch, wondering  whether or not I was really going to do this. Then I thought about my college fund. It was either a college fund that would help me with the rest of my future, or pursuing a petty relationship that probably won’t last more than a month. If that.

                “Yes,” I finally answered.

                I could hear excited chatter between my parents, and I closed my eyes, feeling the emotions starting to bubble.

                “Well? What did you find out?”

                “Strawberries,” I whispered, “they’re making strawberry syrup.”

                The emotions welled up and went over, tears starting to drip. I know I said that it was useless to try and not  tell them, but I still couldn’t help but feel as if I was letting Ryan down. He loved that competition so much, at least from what I could gather from how much he talked about it.

                He trusted me with it too, allowing me to help him with it.. Yet I was just digging his grave and pushing him in.

                Knowing that I was a traitor, not only to him, but also to myself, hurt more than anything.

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*cries* nuff said