I slowly opened my eyes before being forced to close them again, seeing that the light from the sun was attacking my vision.
I pulled one of the spare pillows over my head before I felt it being pulled off.
I glanced up to see Asher with a smirk on his face, eating my peach yogurt. I then frowned, remembering the events from last night. I remember him leaving the bed early in the morning, around 5:30. I wanted to beg him to stay but I was too tired and he probably didn't want anything to do with me anymore.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he noticed my frown.
"You're eating my yogurt," I told him. It wasn't a complete lie. Sure, it wasn't the main reason but my peach yogurt is something to get mad about.
"Oh," he said. "Here then," Asher said, sticking it out to me.
"Ew, no! I don't want your cooties!" I screamed at him as I rolled over and got out of bed.
"Seriously, Riley? If anything, you and I share the same cooties. I don't think it's possible to kiss someone without getting their cooties. You know, I'm-"
"Okay, Asher! I get it. But I want my own," I told him as I walked over to the mini fridge and pulled one out before supplying myself with a spoon.
"Where's the rest?" I asked, noticing that it was only us.
"They went to breakfast. I knew one of your friends would wake up around six so I left the bed at around 5:30 just so they didn't suspect things, especially if you didn't want them, too. Then I told them that they could go to breakfast and I'd stay here with you. I still wanted to sleep a bit, too," he told me, explaining.
"Oh," I said nodding. He had a reason to get up. And his reason was because he didn't want to annoy me. Well, he wouldn't be annoying me but everyone else would and I certainly did not want them getting the wrong idea.
"Yeah, sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly.
"No, it's fine. I get it," I told him as I waved my hand around in the air, dismissively. "Plus, I still slept like a baby," I said, smiling.
"Oh, is that so?" Asher asked with a smirk.
I lightly blushed as he stepped closer to me, wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me against his chest.
"I have to go get dressed," I told him as I dumped my finished yogurt in the trash and my spoon in the sink, before running off into my bedroom.
I grabbed a pair of white shorts, black sandals, and a cute, patterned tank top. I walked into the bathroom and pulled them on before brushing my hair out and fixing it up. I then placed a set of bangles on my wrist and put in hoop earrings to complete the look.
When I was finished, I stepped out of the bathroom and put my pajamas away, before grabbing my cell phone and my wristlet with money.
I stepped out of the room and headed towards the door.
"Bye," I told Asher.
"Wait," he said, quickly getting up from the couch where he had been watching TV. "Where you going?"
"You think I'm going to come to Malibu and not go to the candy store down the street? You're hilarious!" I told him as I walked out the door.
A few seconds later, I heard footsteps following me. I turned, not surprised to find Asher trying to keep up with me. When I want candy, I can walk really fast.
*****
"How can you eat those?" Asher asked as I shoved a sour cry baby into my mouth.
"You're such a wuss," I told him. "You're such a cry baby."
"Well I must not be that bad because you're eating me," he retorted.
I glared at him before continuing to look through the candies, eventually stopping to try one or add one to my bag.
I stumbled upon the blue raspberry twizzlers.
"Oh my gosh! I love these!" I said, picking up the thing you used to transfer the food from the container to your bag. Or in this case, my tummy. In Malibu, they really didn't care. The employees here just worked for a discount on the candy. Nothing else, really. I then took a few more, stuffing them in my bag that was about to burst.
"You need a new bag," Asher told me as he grabbed another and handed it to me.
I took it gladly. "Thanks."
"I thought you hated twizzlers," he added.
"Yea, regular twizzlers. But I can't hate blue raspberries!" I told him as I took another bite of the licorice.
"You like everything blue," I heard a voice say.
I turned around to see Gabe staring at me, a smirk on his face.
"Do you just go to places with candy hoping I'll show up?" I asked him.
"Seems to work, doesn't it?" he asked with a smile.
I shrugged as I continued to look through the candy.
I took a ring pop- blue raspberry obviously!- and shoved it in the bag.
"Remember these?" Gabe asked as he handed me a pixie stick.
"YES!" I practically screamed as I grabbed five.
We always used to have contests to see who could finish theirs the fastest. I won most of the times. I loved sugar. But sometimes Gabe won. Most of the times he won, I'd let him win but other times, it was just pure luck.
I grabbed two boxes of milk duds, one of reese's pieces, another of sour patch, and a bag of neon sour gummy worms, and a bar of crunch, and hershey's chocolate before walking up to the cash register.
The worker looked at me and smiled. "Five dollars."
I almost choked. Five dollars for all of this? I freaking loved Malibu!
"I'll be right back," I said before hurrying away and grabbing tons of other candies.
In the end, I spent fifteen dollars and had a huge bag full of sweets and cavities waiting to happen.
Asher and Gabe had gotten some candy, too, but obviously not as much as me.
Asher had only spent about a dollar and Gabe had only spent about three bucks. Like I said, the employees really don't care whether or not they get a lot of money. And neither would I if I had that job! I'd just go around eating candy all day long. Then again, I'd probably get fat and end up throwing up a ton for eating so much candy in one day.
I then decided to set a limit for how much candy to have in one day. Then I decided against it and figured I'd just tell myself when to stop.
Walking out of the candy shop doors, I popped a blue raspberry jolly rancher in my mouth and grinned. "Mmm, blue."
Gabe rolled his eyes and laughed as Asher continued to give him death glares.
"I'm so not buying plane food! It's a good thing I have two suitcases and one of them is only partly filled. I made sure to leave room for whatever I bought on the trip. Boy, am I smart. God must've known I was coming here. But I swear, airport security better not take this candy away from me."
Gabe laughed again and this time Asher gave a slight chuckle before wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off. Boys are way too competitive.
"Boys," I muttered before I headed off down the street, back to the hotel with a huge bag from Dolly's Candy Shop, filled to the rim with candy.
*****
"Riley!" Logan screamed at me.
"Nope!" I told her.
"You're kidding right?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips, one eyebrow raised.
I cocked my head to the side in a thinking matter, placing my finger on my chin. "Hm.... Nope!"
Ever since I had seen Logan and she found out I had gotten tons of candy, she wanted some of mine.
"Please? Please? Please? Please? PLEASE?" she asked, annoying me.
"Here, now shut up!" I said, throwing her a box of snow caps that I'm not even sure why I got them. I don't even like them. I probably just wanted anything with sugar.
She caught it and grinned as I turned back to the TV I was watching.
After a while, Claire walked in the room. "No more candy, Riley," she told me, taking away my bag stash.
"What?!" I whined, pouting.
"You've had enough for one day. I don't need you getting sick," she told me.
Asher walked over to her and whispered something in her ear.
When Claire pulled away, she gave her son a disapproving look before saying, "Why don't you just grow some balls?" before stalking off to hide my stash, leaving Asher red.
Ashley, Logan, and I, couldn't help it. We just burst out laughing. Asher left soon after, too embarrassed.
After a while, we called room service for dinner. I ordered lobster baked macaroni and cheese. It was actually really cheap for the quality it was. It tasted like heaven and yet it had only cost ten bucks.
After that, we all decided to watch 'The 5th Quarter'. It was a movie, based on a true story, about a son that gets killed when his friend drives recklessly. In his honor, his brother's college football team calls the 4th quarter, the 5th. It was really sad. Logan, Claire, and I were all crying by the end. Asher had his arm around me, comforting me.
"You guys are all a bunch of babies," Ashley commented after the movie when she saw us crying.
I stood up and left the room, locking myself in the bedroom. How can she say that when I know what it's like to lose a brother? My whole family in fact!
A second later, I heard knocking on my door but I just ignored it, hoping whomever it was on the other side would just go away.
"Riley, I'm sorry," Ashley said.
"Go away," I told her, my voice muffled by the pillow my face was shoved in.
I heard her sigh before slowly walking away.
A minute later, someone else knocked on my door.
Before I could say go away, the voice spoke.
"Riley, it's me, Claire. Just please at least let me in!"
I sighed before getting up and unlocking the door for Claire. I shoved her into the room quickly before shutting and locking it quickly behind her.
She let me lay on her lap for a while, just crying. And that's how I fell asleep. Crying.
*****
I woke up when I heard the bed shift next to me.
I opened my eyes to see that it was dark and the digital clock told me it was 12:43.
I almost jumped when I felt an arm move around my waist, pulling me closer to them.
"I love you," Asher mumbled into my hair as he played with it, before reaching for my hand and holding it.
I squeezed his hand and suddenly, he was propped up on one elbow, looking over my shoulder.
"Riley?" he asked.
Too afraid to talk, worried how my voice would come out, I just rolled over and faced him in response.
He stroked my cheek with his thumb as I leaned deeper into his touch, burrying my face in his chest. He kissed my head and then, I was back off to sleep, my mind off everything bad that had happened, again. Somehow, he just had that affect on me.
**************************************************************
Author's Note:
Please don't hate me! I'm sorry I took forever to upload. Sunday was my cousin's communion, Monday I had a soccer game, Tuesday we went shopping after school and by the time I came home and finished hw it was late. Yesterday, I went to school, then to my mom's work and then I had a lot of homework and I was kind of stressed. Today, I thought I wouldn't be able to but then I remembered : I don't have school tomorrow! So I wrote you this chapter. You will get another chapter tomorrow. Whether you get it in the morning, afternoon, or late at night, I'm not sure, but you'll get one. Haha.
Btw, off topic but anyone else sad Skylar Laine went home on American Idol? I'm also really depressed that Holly went home, too. I really wanted one of them to win and I was positive Skylar was going to win :(
Oh well! I'm pretty sure she'll still get a record deal.
Anyways, see a mistake, point it out.
If you like candy, this chapter, a guy, or anything else, press that vote button up there-----------^
Also, comment, fan, vote, and all that good stuff. Thanks! :]
Peace, Love, and Blue Raspberry Twizzlers ( the only twizzlers I really like ;p ),
~writingfreelyxoxo~