When she came around, she was in the same position she passed out in, lying down next to the back of the black leather couch. It couldn't have been that long since she hit the floor, a few minutes at most. The noise from downstairs was still beating through the fraternity walls and she could still feel the weed and alcohol in her system.
Pushing herself off the floor, back into a seated position, she focused on her breathing, like her therapist had told her to, and clutched her knees back into her chest.
"It wasn't real," she mumbled to herself. "It's the weed and the alcohol. It wasn't real." It couldn't be real. Vincent was in prison and he wasn't getting out anytime soon. Her mind had played tricks on her before, but never to this level.
She repeated the mantra over and over again that it wasn't real. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the presence of someone in the room.
"What's not real?"
Riley's head spun around so fast that she heard her neck crack in the process as she scrambled even further into her tiny corner of the room.
"Whoa," said Kain, putting his hands up in a defensive stance.
"What are you doing here?" Riley panicked.
"What am I doing here? The question is, what are you doing here? This is my room," responded Kain with a gesture of his hand around the room.
For the first time since she entered the room, she looked at her surroundings and noticed she was in a bedroom. A neatly made bed with a wooden frame and linen black sheets, a light wooden desk off to the corner and the large black leather couch she was hiding behind. The most surprising element was a bookshelf adorned with draping pot plants that spilled over the edge and created a somewhat natural setting for the room.
Her thoughts were short-lived though as she heard her name being called from down the hallway. "Riley! Riley, are you up here?" called Kendra before there was a knock at the door.
The door opened, with light spilling into the room, and in popped Kendra's head. "Sorry to bother you Kain, but have you seen Riley?"
Kain merely pointed to the corner of the room where she was huddled. "Riley! I've been looking for you forever! Where have you been?" she said, inching closer until she took in the sight of Riley.
There she was, huddled on the floor, her hands wrapped around her knees. She was pretty sure she looked like a drunken mess, but she didn't care. She was safe in this room and she wasn't leaving. If Vincent was outside, there was no way she was going out there again. No way in hell.
"Oh my god, what happened to you? Are you okay?" Kendra asked as she leaned down in front of Riley.
"It's not real," repeated Riley again, trying to encourage herself to move. It wasn't real. Her step father wasn't here. He was in prison where he belonged.
"Yeah, she keeps repeating that," chimed in Kain. "Probably had a bit too much weed."
Kendra and Kain continued to talk while Riley barely paid attention, instead trying to collect her thoughts and get out of the spiral she was in.
"She had weed? When?" asked Kendra.
"I don't think she understands the concept of pot brownies."
"Well, that explains a lot," said Kendra. "With the amount that she had to drink as well. That pot you guys have would mess with anyone's mind."
Kendra reached out her hand to Riley, but she flinched, pulling it back out of Kendra's grip. An unfortunate reaction she still had from time to time. Less so with her brothers, but they understood the limitations she still had because of him.
"Riley, it's okay," said Kendra, a concerned look crossing her face. "I'm going to take you home."
Riley's eyes shot up, panicked. "You can't! I can't go back home like this."
Kendra's eyes softened as she saw the panicked look in Riley's eyes. "Riley, my parents will kill me if I bring you home, especially like this. Look, we can call your brothers. They'll be able to help."
"Please Kendra," begged Riley. She couldn't go home like this. She just couldn't. "They'll lock me in a tower for the rest of my life."
Kendra paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. "Damn it Riley. Fine. We can sleep it off in the car."
The car, thought Riley. That was even worse than going home. If Vincent was out there, then there was no way she was sleeping out in the car, on the streets where she last saw him. Her heart started beating loud again and her thoughts became muddled.
Did she really see Vincent? Maybe it was just the pot. Even she could tell she was high as a kite. Someone soon distracted her muddled thoughts as Zac burst into the room.
"Kennn doll!"
"God damn it Zac. Now is not the time," shouted back Kendra.
Zac immediately shut up, as he casually held onto the doorknob looking over the room. No wonder he looked confused with Kain sitting on the bed, Riley backed up into a corner and Kendra kneeling down next to her.
"Please don't tell me I walked in on the start of a threesome," said Zac. "God damn it, Kain. Why do you get all the girls?"
Kain slapped his hand against his face in frustration. "Can't a man get one moment of peace around here. Zac, get out."
"But.. but..." whined Zac.
"You too Kendra. Go crash in Zac's room tonight. I'm not having you sleep in your car. He's got a pull-out sofa. And don't you dare try anything with her, Zac. I'm warning you."
"I'm not leaving her," Kendra said, standing her ground.
"Well, it doesn't look like she's moving anytime soon. She can sleep here. I'll take the couch," replied Kain, getting up off the bed and ushering Zac and Kendra out of the room.
"But what if she..." started Kendra.
Kain's voice softened. "You know me, Kendra. Even if Riley and I don't get along, I'll look after her. She will probably just pass out, anyway."
"Well, yes... but..."
"She'll be fine," said Kain, ushering Kendra out the door. "Now go, I'm tired and I want some peace."
Riley was still lost in her thoughts, not even realising that Kendra had left the room. "It's not real. It can't be real. He's not real."
"Look at me, Riley," said Kain, kneeling down in front of her. "Whatever it is, it's not real. You're as high as a kite. Those pot brownies are likely making you hallucinate. They're really strong. Whatever you saw is not real, okay?"
Kain lifted Riley's chin gently, directing her gaze into his bright blue, piercing eyes.
"Whoa!" said Riley.
"What is it?"
"Your eyes are really pretty," Riley slurred before passing out in Kain's arms.
Kain sighed, picking Riley up in his arms with minimal effort as her head lulled onto his chest. Her breathing was steady as he walked over to his bed, placing her on top of the black linen bed sheets. He was gentle as he lay her down, careful to disturb her as little as possible.
Once she was settled, he unzipped her thigh-high boots and pulled them off, placing them next to the bed. He shouldn't have stared, but he couldn't help notice her cuts over her thighs and legs and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He was almost tempted to touch them, just to make sure they were actually real, but he turned away and walked to his closet. Reaching the top shelf, he pulled down a blanket and with it came fluttering down an old photo.
Leaning down, he pulled the photo from the floor and turned it over. It was a photo of him and his ex-girlfriend.
"Emily," he mumbled with a hint of anger under his breath.
There was serious temptation to rip up the photo right there and then, but he stopped and stared at the photo as a range of emotions coursed through his body. Emily was an exquisite woman, with long flowing blonde hair, wearing her usual white lace summer dress. She was your typical girl next door type, or that's what he had thought.
Yet the closer he looked, the more he could see them. The scars that covered the top of her arms. The minor cuts on the top of her thighs, right where the dress ended.
His fist clenched on the photo, crushing it in his hand as he tossed it into the corner of his closet on his way out. He almost slammed the door until he remembered Riley was asleep on the bed.
Walking over to her, he placed the blanket over the top, noticing the same cuts on the top of her thighs and legs. Not wanting yet another reminder of Emily, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Pulling out the phone, he pressed on a number in his contacts, then placed the phone next to his ear.
“Hello,” said a man on the other end.
“How long do I have to watch her for?” Kain asked swiftly.
“Is everything okay?” responded the man, his voice perking up at the sound of Kain’s voice.
“It’s fine. I just want to know how long I have to watch her for.”
“As long as I need you to, Kain. Remember, you owe me one. It's late. We can discuss this more tomorrow.”
And with that, the line went dead. Kain lowered his phone, staring at the blank screen before placing it back in his pocket. He walked back into the bedroom with Riley still fast asleep and headed over to the couch. Taking a seat, he became lost in his thoughts as he watched Riley sleeping.
Authors Note:
Three chapters this week. I'm on a bit of a roll but don't expect it to last. I've actually had a couple days off from work this week, hence why there has been more chapters than usual.
Hopefully they make up for the absence in the past month. Enjoy!