Living the Life of Riley | ✔

Chapter One

"I... I don't know about that.  She seems to be ripping up pictures and... and throwing pictures away?  What is she doing?!  I don't get this....  Look, I'll call you back later.  Have fun with Uncle Liam!"  She cried and I could hear her trying to reason with my over-dramatic mother in the background.  Well at least now mum could pretend she didn't have a third child.

"Have a smashing time with mum."  I told her before hanging up.  Rubbing my eyes, I groaned.  Liam was downstairs, cooking something gross (the smell was wafting upstairs) and I was up here thinking about how to change this room.  It was bland and wasn't me.  I hated the colour white, it was just so boring.  So plain.  I was so not like that.  My life was like a mesh of bright colours.

Although it was times like these that I didn't care that Cassie had forced Liam to paint everything white.  It gave me a good base to paint over but it also meant that I had to redecorate everything.  Thankfully I had a bit of money on me and Liam was dirt rich.  I just needed someone with good taste to come and buy things with me.  I guess Liam could come... but I didn't know if he'd have time.  I might as well go on my own.  Maybe even if I made some new friends I could go with them... (I wasn't planning on being a loner for the rest of my life).

I hadn't bothered to even unpack yet.  It seemed spoilt (and probably was) but I wasn't going to live in a room with stuff that wasn't mine or didn't represent me.  If I was going to live here I wanted my room to be personalised.  It wasn't going to be the same as everybody else's.  And until it was how I wanted I wasn't going to unpack.

Walking down the stairs I was happy that there were more pictures of my dad's side of the family than of Cassie and Veronica.  She and Liam had only been together a few months but she'd been acting like they'd been together for years.  I was actually surprised Liam had settled down.  He was known for being a player... even though he was nearly reaching his late forties.  I just thought he was going to be a bachelor all his life.  He hadn't seemed to mind or I'd never witnessed him depressed about not being a bachelor for the rest of his life.  I bet inside he was screaming and crying and having a breakdown about it.

"Liam," I scrunched my nose up as I walked into the kitchen.  "What the hell are you cooking?"  Whatever it was smelt rank and from what I could see looked rank too.  I had a feeling he was cooking something fancy.  The kitchen was a complete mess.  Flour layered the counters, splats of meat and ketchup were all over the wall.  Cutlery was thrown everywhere.

"Chorizo...stuffed pork tenderloin?"  He said, as he looked at some book.  I don't think he even knew what it was.  He shouldn't have expected me to know.  I could barely cook.  I lived on take-outs.  They were the bomb.

"Which is...?"  I waved my hands, indicating for him to expand.  How was I supposed to know what it was?  I mean I could guess it was cheese stuffed into some pork but that was about it.  It sounded way too fancy for me to have eaten it before.  I stuck to cheap food or fast food restaurants like Maccy D's.

"I don't even know what it is."  He admitted, looking sheepish.

"Yet... you're cooking it?"  I questioned.

"It's for Cassie.  She's going on a business trip in a few weeks time and I promised I'd make something nice beforehand."  I just shrugged at him, not really knowing what to say.  A promise was a promise and it was sweet of him to make Cassie something.  He must have really liked her.  My uncle never ever cooked.  Even when I stayed round either dad had cooked something or he ordered out.  Liam had never cooked for me.

"Since when did you become a chef?"

"Since Cassie refused to cook all the time.  She hates take-out too."  Oh what a joy!  I guess it just meant if I ordered it, then I'd have it all to myself.  I mean I was eating for two now...

"You haven't told her about my, uh, situation, have you?"  I felt a little worried.  I didn't know what Cassie would be like but I was not having her baby me and act like a mother to my child.  I refused to have her do anything for me or have her change my diet.  This pregnancy was something I wanted to do myself.  Why should I expect anyone else to do it for me?  Well.  They couldn't exactly do anything for me.  They couldn't carry the baby.  Unless we were seahorses.  I heard they could do that weird swapping babies crap.

"No.  It's your business although you really should tell her."  He rose his eyebrows at me.  He knew my answer already.  "Especially since you're living here now."

"I'll tell her..."  I told him trailing off, giving a little dramatic pause, "when I go into labour.  Or if she asks."  I shrugged.  Liam came and sat at the table with me, I guess he'd given up on trying to make Miss. Fancy her fancy food.  To be honest, I'd have given up when I read the name.

"That's not gonna work, kiddo."  He chuckled.  "Plus you've still gotta tell the college you've got a little one on the way.  It's important.  I didn't tell them in case you changed your mind about having the baby."

"I don't want their pity and I'll tell them when I get to five months or something."  I shrugged.  "I mean, I might drop out of the school.  I don't like school and I failed my exams.  Who's to say I won't do it again?"

"Mars, you seriously can't do that."  Liam sounded shocked.  "You need to tell them.  It's safer for you and the baby and for them!  And young lady, you are not dropping school.  It won't work."

"Sure it will, Uncle."  I grinned evilly at him, the serious conversation that happened seconds ago forgotten.  I knew he hated being called 'Uncle'.  He despised it with a passion.  Said it made him feel old and Liam always rejected becoming older.  In his mind he was in his twenties still.  No, actually, he was still my age.

"You call me that one more time and I will force you to watch the Gremlins."  He warned.  I narrowed my eyes at him.  He wouldn't dare!  I may have done a lot of brave and illegal things in my life but everyone had a weakness.  And in my case, E.T, Gremlins and Furbies.  Those were the two worst films I'd ever seen and Furbies... Furbies were just horrendous.  Kaya once had a Furby and I swear I had never screamed as much as when I saw the damn thing.  I've never been near one since then.  Scarred for life.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, wouldn't I?"  He said, pretending as if he'd never done it before.  He had, and let me tell you, I never went against him ever again.  This time I wasn't going to call his bluff.  As much as I loved Liam he could be cruel to me by forcing me to watch those damned movies and would hide a Furby somewhere.  I don't even know how he managed to find one - I was sure they never made them any more!

"Yeah, yeah.  Whatever."  I brushed him off.  "Given up on the dinner then?"

"I'll do it another time, unless you fancy trying your luck.  I'll just order a take-out for us all."  I grinned at the sound of take-out.  The sweet, sweet sound!  I guess it was my favourite word.

"No... no, I'm okay."  I told him, laughing slightly.  I couldn't cook to save my life.  It was why I relied on take-outs and others to cook for me.  "Doesn't Cassie hate take-outs?"  I reminded him.

"Well... she... I don't think she'll care for just one night."  He said, a little unsure.  I laughed at him and his expression.

"You don't think?"

"Okay, so she'll mind.  But it'll have to do.  I'm not cooking and you're eating for two people now."  I high-fived myself mentally.  Being pregnant would have a lot of cons but using it as an excuse to get take-outs... now that was my number one advantage and pro.

"Cool."  I grinned.  "I'll go get the menus.  Still in the same drawer?"

"Yep."  He told me, and I started to chuckle.  I don't see why he just didn't label the drawer.  It contained nothing other than take-away menus.

"Some things never change, huh?"  We laughed and talked for a while until Cassie came in and then whole atmosphere changed.  Oh, what a joy!