Riley's P.O.V.
Tonight was gonna be a disaster.
I could already tell.
You know why?
Because River hated snobby, rich people.
Max hated French people.
Jordan hated self-entitled people.
And Stormy just hated people.
And you know who Kevin's parents were?
Snobby, self-entitled, rich, French people.
And you know what River, Max, Stormy, and Jordan all had in common?
They were all extremely outspoken.
I tried to warn Carlisle and Elizabeth that this was a bad idea but nope... No one ever listens to Riley.
We sat around the dinner table and made small talk as we waited for Giovanni to bring out the main entree.
"Good evening everyone." He said as he walked in and placed it in the middle of the table. "I will present to you now a famous dish from my home country that also happens to be one of my favorites."
"The last time you made food from your home country i had nightmares for three weeks..." Said Jordan.
"Make that two of us..." River added.
"I assure you the entree is actually dead this time." Gio stated.
Well he was right, thank god.
Everyone was fairly quiet within the first 5 minutes of eating because the situation itself was very uncomfortable.
Some of us just weren't talking because we were afraid of what might come out of our mouths if we did.
For that reason River banned Rome and Gray from talking at all.
"So David, Katherine..." Carlisle began, referring to Kevin's parents. "What's your line of business?"
"We are the owners of Christian Dior." David answered.
"Dude half of my wardrobe is Christian Dior." Said Sonny. "But wait- doesn't Christian Dior own his own company?"
"He did at a point in time but he lost his way." Said Katherine. "Pauvre garçon.... Now he's just the face of the company. My husband and I own it."
"I don't have to ask you what your business is." David began, talking to Carlisle. "Pretty sure everyone in France knows who you are. So tell me, what's it like being the owner of the France National Football Team?"
I had to keep reminding myself that football was something completely different in Europe.
"Oh its splendid. The fans are amazing, the players are amazing, the organization itself is amazing."
"Father, Antoine Griezmann comes over every now and then!" Kevin stated. "I nearly fangirled the first time I met him."
Antoine Griezmann was one of the soccer players. And one of the best on the French team. He comes over from time to time which I hate. Don't get me wrong, he's a cool guy its just that the girls always gawk over him the ENTIRE time he's here.
"Wow. Very nice." Said David. "I'll have to catch a game sometime. I send Kevin to all of them because he basically begs me. I haven't been to one in years. Though I should start going again, it'll give me a way to get rid of some of this money i have since I don't know what else to do with it." He laughed.
"You know there's a little something called charity..." Jordan mentioned.
"We don't donate to charity." Katherine began. "We feel as though if they really needed money they'd work their butts off like we did to get it."
"That's so-"
"River stop..." Candice warned him as she grabbed his arm.
"No let him speak. I want to hear what he has to say." Said David.
"Trust me... You don't." Candice nervously laughed.
"Oh but we do." Added Katherine. "Please tell us."
"I was gonna say that that's so ignorant of you." River stated.
"Elaborate." David insisted.
"You and your wife didn't have to work hard to get rich. You both were born into families of wealth and got everything handed to you so you have no idea what its like to start from the bottom and make your way up."
"From what I recall you were born into a family of wealth as well so I'm sure you don't know what its like either." Katherine shot back.
"Actually I do." River replied. "Just because my parents are rich doesn't mean I've gotten shit handed to me my entire life because I haven't."
"Oh is that so?" Asked David. "I can almost guarantee you went private schools and have never known what it's like to get things by earning them."
"As a matter of fact, I never went to private schools as a kid because my parents insisted that I attended public schools so that I wouldn't grow up thinking I was better than everyone else."
"Okay so you didn't go to private schools but I'm willing to bet you grew up not once having to worry about your parents not giving you whatever you desired."
"Whenever I wanted something I had to work my ass off to get it myself. I started working when I was 14."
"With your father?"
"No it wasn't with my dad it was at a mechanic shop in the suburbs. And with the money I'd saved up from working there I bought my own car. My parents didn't even pay my way into college. I got a baseball scholarship from Harvard- which was the first private school I ever went to and I hated it."
"What's your profession?"
"I'm a doctor."
"Ah and being a doctor requires going to medical school- which also happens to be fairly expensive."
"When it came time for me to go to medical school I didn't call up my parents and ask them to help me pay for it. Hell they could've paid for the whole thing without a problem but I didn't want them to. So I got a job again to take care of the expenses. After years of working my ass off I finally became a doctor and a college professor.... While I was only in my mid 20's. I'm not rich because my parents handed everything to me. I'm rich because I worked for it. So yes, I do know what its like to have to do things for myself."
"Just because I'm wealthy doesn't mean I'm obligated to donate my money." Said David.
"That's not what I'm saying. You're not obligated to do anything. But when you say things like 'I spend my money on unnecessary shit just because I don't know what else to do with it' it makes you sound extremely snobbish when you could be doing other things with the money you don't need such as giving it to people that actually need it."
"So that they can keep begging me for more? I don't think so."
"Oh my god...." River mumbled. "I hate rich people."
"Its not worth it River." Said Max. "Trying to change the mind of a French person is like talking to a brick wall..."
"You're French yourself are you not?" Asked Katherine.
"Nope." Replied Max.
"But you're Carlisle's grandson so you must be."
"Yea he's my grandpa but I'm not French. French is a nationality, not a race. Meaning in order for me to be French I would have to have been born in France or I would have to apply for French citizenship. I am however Italian. My mom was born in Italy, I visited often as a kid, and ultimately gained citizenship there. My dad's family is French but my sister and I never visited enough to need dual citizenship here. Therefore I'm Italian and American... Not French. Please don't ever call me French again...."
"I believe us French people are the most romantic and charming people in the world." David smiled.
"Yea romantic and charming jerks." Max shot back.
"Okay that's enough bickering for now." Elizabeth insisted.
"No way, I'm enjoying this." Lindsay stated.
To be honest I was too.
"So Kevin how did you like your first year of college?" Asked Carlisle, changing the subject.
"Oh it was wonderful."
"Yea when you weren't on the verge of getting your ass kicked." I mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Kevin asked.
"I really don't think you want me to repeat it." I chuckled.
"No, I do."
"In that case, I said yea it was wonderful when you weren't on the verge of getting your ASS kicked."
"Riley!" Cassidy exclaimed.
"Not once did I get my ass kicked!" Kevin argued.
"Kevin!" Katherine called out.
"Yea because I always had to save your ass!" I retaliated.
"You didn't have to save my ass, you chose to!"
"Because I knew that if I didn't you were gonna end up getting your damn head kicked in!"
"You're getting picked on in college son and you didn't tell us?" Asked David.
"No he's not getting picked on he just thinks he's better than everyone else which leads to him saying dumb shit and me having to interfere before he loses a tooth."
"Riley leave him alone!" Elise snapped.
"Oh shut up Elise you're always defending him because he can't defend himself."
"Why is that a problem to you!?"
"Because as your boyfriend he should be defending you not the other way around..."
As soon as that came out of my mouth I'd realized what I'd just done.
Elise, Kevin, Madison, all looked at me in shock.
"Fuck..." I mumbled.
"Boyfriend?" River asked.
"Riley!" Elise yelled.
I lowered in my chair out of guilt. "Oops..."
"Since when?" River continued.
"Two months ago." Elise lied.
River looked at Kevin with sternness.
"We never broke up." Kevin confessed. "We've been together a little over a year...."
"Kevin!" Elise yelled.
"What!? I'm not going to lie to your father he scares the hell out of me!"
"Riley why would you say that! You promised her you wouldn't tell!" Madison shouted at me.
"It was an accident!"
"An accident!? How would you like it if I told everyone that you spent your first year of college screwing the girls' swimming team!?"
She froze after realizing what she'd just said.
"Riley Easton!" Cassidy yelled.
I couldn't believe Madison said that.
"Maddy!" Elise exclaimed. "Just because Riley told my secret doesn't mean you can tell everyone his! You wouldn't want them knowing about George sneaking into your room every night while everyone's asleep!"
Elise's hands shot over her mouth.
"Madison!" Max yelled.
"Elise you promised!" Madison shouted.
"It slipped out I swear! I'm sorry!"
"Oooo are we spilling secrets now?" Asked Ryan. "AJ used to have a crush on Lindsay!"
"What?" Asked Lindsay.
"Ryan what the hell!" AJ yelled. "Oh so you wanna play that game? Fine. Ryan's not gay, he's actually bi!"
"Legend has a kid on the way!" Sonny stated.
"Dude what the fuck I told you to keep that between us!" Legend fussed. "Sonny slept with Anna!"
"Gross!" I exclaimed.
"You think that's bad?" Asked Jordan. "Cassidy slept with Stormy two months ago."
"JORDAN!" She yelled.
"Oh that's messed up...." Said Lindsay.
"We were drunk." Stormy calmly replied. "At least she didn't try to get in my pants while she was sober unlike someone..."
He made direct eye contact with Lindsay.
"Really Lindsay..." Said Max.
"Oh whatever at least I'm not a pothead like you!" Lindsay yelled at Max.
"Max! You smoke weed!?" Asked Madison.
"Every single day." Lindsay remarked.
"At least I'm not still in love with with my ex..." Said Max, looking straight at River.
Everything got eerily quiet.
Candice looked at River, her eyes full of disbelief.
"I should get going." She said as she stood up and pushed her chair in.
"Candice wait." Said River as he grabbed her arm.
"Let me go!" She demanded as she yanked her arms away.
"Are you not even gonna ask me if its true?"
"Is it River? Is it true?" She asked as a tear made its way down her cheek.
"No, its not."
"For some reason I don't believe you."
"Candice, its not true."
She shook her head then walked out of the dining room and out of the house as he got up and started to follow her.
"Lying to her isn't gonna fix this." Cassidy said to him.
"I'm not in love with you!" He snapped. "I don't know where the hell Max got that from but its a lie! I'm not fucking in love with you anymore! Any feelings I've ever had for you are gone Cassidy! I don't want you anymore! I know I'm coming off as an asshole right now but its true! I'm not even sure if I was actually in love with you or not! I know I'm being extremely harsh and I know you're probably gonna hate me after this but you deserve to know. Our entire relationship was a mistake and I don't know what the hell I was thinking... The only good thing that came of it was my kids."
"I know I meant something to you. Just like you meant the world to me." Cassidy softly said as tears escaped from her eyes.
"What we had wasn't real." He replied. "I'm truly sorry for wasting your time."
Then, without saying anything else, he left out of the house to find Candice.