Chapter Thirty Nine
**UNEDITED, SORRY!!!
"So, what's the plan for tonight, Robin?" Robin's dad asked.
It was about an hour until her friends would be coming over to take her to the Halloween party and go trick or treating. Within those few hours, Robin had been lying around thinking and consuming herself as per usual. River was now her actual boyfriend- and she thought maybe the realization didn't hit until now. On one hand, it got rid of the fact that she was denying her feelings, and would probably get rid of any romantic tension between them, but on the other hand, it just opened up the door to a whole new chapter of problems, the biggest the parents. And now, she didn't know what to make of herself- it was like she had decompressed into a pile of yucky, sticky, icky goo, and it was clinging to her like super glue.
She had been sprawled out on the couch when they came home, absentmindedly watching TV, and she looked up at the both of them, who were taking off their hats and coats,
"Oh, hey- my friends and I are going to this Halloween party and then afterwards we're going trick or treating."
"Aw, that's nice," Robin's mom looked up at her dad with an endeared smile on her face. "Well, you kids have fun. We'll be up all night, watching horror movies and handing out treats to kids."
"But mostly tricks," Robin's father shrugged, and Robin's mom rolled her eyes and dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"You ever crave sweets?" Robin's mother asked suddenly, her face going blank.
Robin furrowed her brows,
"I dunno, I guess. Usually when I'm on my period. Why, are you?"
Robin's mom laughed and shook her head,
"Oh, please, Birdy, I haven't had my period since-"
She paused suddenly, her eyes going wide. Robin waited for her mother to come back to earth, but she just stood still as if she were in shock. She raised a questioning brow.
"Since?" Robin prodded.
Suddenly, her mother laughed and shook her head,
"Nevermind." She switched the topic intermittently. "You should call Ariella, ask her how she's doing, if Christmas is still on."
Her mother walked away unsteadily and Robin made a face, not sure what was wrong with her. But she did realize she needed to call Ariella and give her an update, because she hadn't yet told her that River was her boyfriend.
Even though he probably won't be in a couple of weeks, since you're so impulsive.
Shut up, me.
So she lugged herself off of the couch and made her way up to her room, closing the door and locking it shut. She definitely did not want anyone to hear her.
"Mom, dad, I'm about to get on the phone!" she called down the stairs, and she heard some murmur of understanding.
She plonked down on the bed and rolled her body out, laying on her side across the bed. She dialed the number she knew best and sat through the ring. When Ariella picked up, there was loud music playing in the background- Halloween party, Robin knew. Ariella's mother sometimes threw a Halloween bash, although not every year. In fact, Ariella's mother threw a lot of parties, mostly to fill in the void still left from Ariella's deceased father. But Robin tried to divert her attention away from that.
"Hello?" Ariella said into the phone, her voice slightly muffled because of the loud music.
"Ari, it's me," Robin answered.
Ariella squealed immediately,
"Hey girl! I feel like it's been forever."
Robin smiled- forever was right. They hadn't spoken since right before homecoming, when Robin had first informed Ariella of River and their almost exclusivity.
"I know. Me too."
"So, what's the sitch?" Ariella asked nosily.
Robin chuckled,
"I'll tell you, but I only have an hour. I'm about to go to a Halloween party with my friends and my... boyfriend."
Robin did the pause on purpose, because Ariella was notorious for pausing whenever she was telling a story or sharing a secret (whether either belonged to her or someone else.) There was silence on the other end of the line for a minute, and subsequently, screaming and yodelling and howling.
"OH MY GOSH ROBIN INDERA SKYE YOU GOT YOURSELF A BOYFRIEND?!" She screeched loudly into the phone.
Robin shushed her instinctively. There was more than one b-word, and she was more afraid of her parents hearing her say this one,
"Shh! Don't be so loud, the world does not need to know."
Robin could see Ariella rolling her eyes even on the phone,
"Girl, shut up. No one can hear me over the music, plus it's not that bad."
"Uh... here's the thing- yeah, it is."
Another pause filling the line with silence, then slow realization as Ariella's eyes widened and mouth dropped,
"No... way... Robin. I know you did not get yourself un maldito guero."
"I did," Robin frowned, scrunching her eyes shut as if expecting a strike- aware that Ariella was saying "a fucking white boy."
Ariella practically yelped into the phone,
"Oh my god are you serious? I remember you telling me about some white guy but I never thought you would actually go through it. I thought you were just joking! Robin. Oh my god, Robin."
"I know," Robin groaned, biting at her nails and rolling her eyes, desperation clinging onto her voice. "And I don't know what I'm gonna do about my parents."
"Oh my god, and your parents! Robin, girl, if they find out about this you're dead. I feel like they'll ship you off to boarding school," Ariella blabbered.
Robin frowned instantly- she had never thought of it that way. She'd never thought her parents would take this misdemeanor so seriously that they'd send her off to boarding school. It wasn't that serious, was it? Or maybe it was. If this were a play, her family was Capulet and River's family was Montague.
"Great. I didn't think of that," Robin said, and her disdain was obvious.
"I feel like they won't!" Ariella exclaimed suddenly, stampeding over her words. "I mean, I was just exaggerating. You know me, always telling tall tales. Okay, but really Robin, I wouldn't be so worried. I mean, I would, but really, I don't even know what to expect from your parents. You don't do anything that gets you in trouble, so you never get in trouble! So how are we supposed to know how they're gonna handle this?"
Robin sighed,
"I dunno. But I really just called to tell you about it. I just don't know how I'm gonna keep it a secret."
"Well," Robin could hear Ariella shifting. "It is senior year, and, you are going to be eighteen next summer. I guess, then, technically, your parents can't do anything to you. I mean, you're almost an adult! Legally, at least."
But this was of no consolation to Robin. She only sighed even deeper.
"I guess. But, I dunno. I just feel like, maybe I shouldn't have. But, it felt even worse when I knew I should and I wasn't. You know?" Robin asked, inferring to the fact that she knew this was the right thing to do, but the consequences were the only thing making her think it was the wrong idea.
"Yeah, I know. Well, you could keep him a secret, you're good at hiding things," Ariella noted. She was- feelings of insecurity, stress, tiredness, desire- she was good at hiding all of those. "But, I guess that is pretty tiring."
"I know. So what am I going to do?"
"Honestly, Birdy, no clue."
"Should I break up with him?" Robin nearly choked on the words, and Ariella shook her head fiercely from 1,340 miles away.
"No. It's what you want right? Really, truly, deep down in your soul? Like, de veras?" Ariella questioned, raising her brows.
"Yes," Robin nodded solemnly, Ariella looking for any indication of doubt in Robin's voice.
But there was one, and so Ariella said,
"Then it's what you deserve. Do what you feel is right. Don't worry about the rest."
Robin smiled, feeling a little bit of relief, but not much,
"You're right. Thanks, Ari."
"Alright. Love you, bye sweetie."
"Bye."
Robin was definitely not in Georgia anymore. Her white boyfriend was across the street along with all her other white friends who she would be going out with soon. River had called a while after Robin got off the phone with Ariella, informing her that he would be there soon and to get into her costume. After all, just like a real, true couple, they were going as matching costumes- Dorothy and the Scarecrow. She stood in front of the mirror, taking a look over at her costume.
"I should bring one of you," Robin cooed down at her dogs, who were doing circles around her feet. "Bad idea."
"Robin, come down, we wanna take pictures!" Robin's mom called out.
"Mom, I don't really want-"
The doorbell rang, and Robin immediately cut herself off, grabbed her purse full of makeup items and other necessities, and charged down the stairs at lightning speed. She caught a glimpse of her mom and dad dressed as Sandy and Zuko from Grease. She groaned at her dad's leather jacket and sunglasses.
"Dad, why?" she asked with a scrunched up face.
"I'm a greaser, that's why," he said, kicking his toe behind his foot. "You wish you could be this fly."
"Huh. Surprisingly, I don't. Bye, guys," Robin started for the door, and her mother stopped her.
"Wait! I wanna give out candy to your friends, they're technically our first trick or treaters!"
Robin's face flushed in a moment of anxiety- caught- and then she regained her composure, rolling her eyes briskly,
"Ugh, mom! I don't think my friends wanna see you two dressed as teenagers. I gotta go, see ya, love ya, bye!"
Robin rushed out of the door and stood in front of it, standing face to face with River, who was dressed as an appropriate scarecrow would be. He actually kind of looked adorable. Childlike. The costume made him look a little smaller, and he looked like he really was supposed to be matching with Robin, with her ruby red shoes.
"Hi," River quipped, and Robin smiled.
She looked behind her, knowing her parents were likely to bust out at any minute and force feed River a chocolate bar because he was their first trick or treater.
"Hey. Okay, come on, let's go."
"Don't you want me to say hi to your parents first?" River asked, pointing at the door.
Robin gave him a faux smile,
"Nope, I'm okay! Come on, let's go!"
She hurried with River towards the car, which wasn't his. It belonged to- Dennis? He was in the front seat, driving, with Amandla on the front passenger side. It was a different car than the one he'd took Robin in, more spacious, with extra seats in the back so everyone could fit in without any struggle.
"What the-" Robin started, glaring at Dennis.
"I know," River interrupted with a vicious eye roll. "It sorta just... happened."
"Well how does that happen?" Robin asked, pointing two fingers between Amandla and Dennis, then back to Corey and Elizabeth.
Amandla was still an open wound for Corey despite the fact that they had obviously gone their separate ways, and quite separate ways at that. And Elizabeth knew little to nothing about Amandla, and she certainly didn't know how Corey still had feelings for Amandla even while she was with him.
"Long story short, Feldman- dumbass- asked Dennis to give us a ride to the party since he didn't wanna go in my car because of the whole problem with space. Feldman called saying he would get himself to my house so I didn't have to go pick him up, but he failed to mention the fact that the reason for that was because he was going in Dennis' car."
"Well couldn't the rest of us just go in your car so Corey doesn't have to suffer so much?" Robin asked, noticing how Corey was seething in the back seat while Elizabeth told him something he clearly wasn't listening to.
"Well Dennis picked Corey up on the way to my house. I'm assuming he also had no idea."
"Dammit," Robin scoffed.
"Hey, it's okay. He's over you and stuff. So I don't have to worry- I mean, you don't have to worry," River corrected himself, although it was clear what he meant.
At that moment Robin wanted to stop River from getting into the car and tell him that he meant a lot to her and that he didn't have to consider Dennis a threat. She wanted to tell him that Dennis had never been a threat to River in the first place, and so there was no reason to see him as such. She wanted to tell him that he didn't even have to think about her leaving him for Dennis. But time was precious, and Robin did not want to risk getting caught.
River opened the car door for Robin and they got into the way back, where the three extra seats were, sitting next to Heather who was separated from Feldman.
"In you go," River said.
Dennis looked up into the mirror up front and his tongue flipped onto his top lip as he eyed both River and Robin in the mirror,
"Alright, we're all set. Let's bounce."
He sped off, just the way Robin thought he would, and they streamed into the night- Halloween.
The party was interesting to say the least. Everyone was dressed up in their costumes, ranging from what Robin guessed was supposed to be (Playboy) bunny to superman. Music was playing, and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" had played three times already. Unlike the last time, River didn't have to be enticed to dance, he just did, and Robin encouraged him heavily. She remembered not to drink too much, but it was sort of unavoidable, especially as the game time started.
"Okay, everyone gather 'round," said Angela Moore, who was throwing the party.
Her boyfriend, Shawn Hunter, was also white. Robin wondered how she handled it so smoothly, but then she remembered not everyone's situation was the same as her's. She gathered the attention of everyone in the living room,
"We're playing never have I ever. I know some of you are pretty lightweight, so instead of liquor you can choose candy, alright?"
There were murmurs of agreement around the room. Everyone assembled into a circle on the ground with a shot glass and a small bowl of a variety of candies in front of them. The winner was either "whoever got drunk first" or "whoever finished their candy first."
"And please, keep it PG-13," announced Shawn, Angela's boyfriend.
Everyone laughed at that, and then Angela said the first statement,
"Okay. Never have I ever... hm... gotten a detention for talking back to a teacher... go on, take your drinks!"
A couple people took a shot of Fireball, most especially Heather and Feldman, who really were a perfect match if you think about it. Five or six questions later and Robin still hadn't done anything, so she left her shot glass and her bowl of candy unattended, although the shot glass was looking a lot more appealing now. River on the other hand, had eaten two pieces of Snickers. Some people took both a shot and a piece of candy, enough to get you a sugar high and drunk, which Robin was not so sure was a good combination.
Dennis was next, and he was drunk, like the annoying drunk Robin had been- which was concerning seeing as he was supposed to be driving them all back home. But Robin merely shook it off and smiled as he asked his question.
"Never- have I ever-" he belched, "kissed Dennis."
Amandla swigged down a shot as quickly as possible and practically shoved a mini snickers into her mouth, while Heather reluctantly drank, cringing both at the taste of the fireball and because she was bitter that she ever had kissed and been in a relationship with Dennis in the first place, the slimeball. Dennis chuckled sleazily and cupped Amandla's cheeks, giving her a sloppy smooch on the cheek. His eyes were watery and slightly red, and he gazed at Robin, who was sat across from him. She cleared her throat nervously and looked anywhere but at him- the deal was that no one would hear of what they'd done and that he'd never tell a soul.
"Pretty hasty there, Amandla," Feldman sniggered, and she stuck her tongue out at him, while Corey side eyed her.
Dennis' eyes were still boring into Robin, and River, being the only other person in the room who knew, cupped his hand over her hand as a sign of comfort.
"Robin, why so hesitant?" Dennis slurred, smirking at Robin.
She glared at him, her eye starting to twitch. She wasn't sure if Dennis was doing this because he was drunk or if Dennis was doing this because he was Dennis. The secret had been kept secret for long enough by him, if he really wanted everyone to know he would tell it sooner. Robin desperately wanted to believe Dennis wasn't really a bad guy and this was just the liquor talking, but no matter what it was, she doubted he'd come to her senses.
She grit her teeth,
"You wish, Dennis."
"Oh come on, you remember. It wasn't that long ago," Dennis said, swaying a bit.
People started looking at each other with raised brows and hushed whispers, and Corey, Feldman, Amandla, Heather and Elizabeth all looked at Robin with confused expressions. Meanwhile, River was giving Dennis the evil eye.
"Remember what?"
"You kissed me! Actually, I kissed you, but you kissed me back, yeah? So go on, take your drink."
"Robin," Heather warned, her voice dangerously low.
River leaned in and whispered in her ear,
"It's okay, you don't have to. He's drunk, people will think he doesn't know what he's talking about."
Robin could feel everyone's eyes burning into her, and she swallowed spit to ease her dry throat. It came out as a loud gulp that she was sure everyone heard. People were whispering even more now and looking at her with expressions of shock, disgust, and amusement.
"Wait- didn't you crack his jaw?" asked Claire Standish, making everyone erupt into laughter.
"Take your drink, Robin!" Dennis urged loudly.
"Yeah, come on!" multiple others urged, excluding River and her friend group.
In the midst of being egged on, laughed at and practically humiliated, Robin couldn't help but think of what had happened back in Georgia. This feeling thumping in her throat and pounding at her chest was quite similar to that feeling she had when she was being humiliated. Rushed, Robin lunged across the circle to the middle and grasped the entire bottle of Fireball. She started to pour it into her shot glass, but then stopped abruptly, some of it trickling onto the floor. She shook the bottle over her open mouth, tilting her head back, and puffed up her cheeks.
But, instead of drinking it, she spat it out directly on Dennis, drenching him in sugary, syrupy, cinnamon tasting Fireball whisky. He barely had time to scoff loudly before Robin ripped up and stormed out of the room, eventually out of the house, standing on the steps to the house with her arms folded and tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She was scoffing and murmuring to herself, the taste of fireball still fresh in her mouth. It was pretty gross.
Not long after, as she had expected, she heard the front door of the house open and close, and River appeared next to her, holding her purse in one hand and a bag full of snagged candy in the other. He stepped in closer to her.
"Hey," he said dryly.
She sighed loudly and breathed out through her nose,
"I wanna go home."
"Okay. We'll get a taxi," River said.
"Mhm," Robin nodded, looking away, anywhere but at River, who was gazing intently at her in concern rather than in spite, like Dennis had been.
"Wait. Robin," he said carefully.
"What?"
"I don't think you should go home. Just not yet."
She chuckled wryly,
"Yeah? And why's that?"
"Because the night just started. It's only... eight o' clock. And plus it's Halloween. We're supposed to be out, trick or treating, having a good time. You know?"
"River, for once can you not try to give me one of your motivational speeches? I'm really not in the mood to-"
"Hey," he said softly, still able to interrupt her. He turned her around and put both his hands in her's. "It's alright. You're okay, Robin. This isn't the end of the world."
She'd never thought about that. Now that she was, she realized she did sort of take every misunderstanding or poorly resulted event as the end of the world. She tended to mope over it and dwell over it. But River was more of the understanding type- the one who knew life would go on so long as he persevered. Perhaps that was what deemed them such a compatible pair.
She sniffled,
"What do you feel like doing then?"
River smiled, his dimples showing,
"Trick or treating."
And that's what they did. They trick or treated at every house on that block, and then some. And when they got tired and their pillow cases got too full, they hopped onto a cab that took them straight to River's house. When they arrived, it was almost ten thirty, and everyone in River's house was awake.
"Robin!" Rain exclaimed as soon as she saw Robin standing in the front hall with River.
"Hi, how are you?" Robin asked with a smile.
"Good. How are you?"
"Perfect," Robin simply replied, glancing over at River.
She didn't even notice they were holding hands until Rain's eyes widened at the unification,
"So it's true! You guys really are boyfriend and girlfriend."
"River told us, but we thought he was lying," River's other little sister, Summer smirked- she had to be about nine.
"She's really pretty," cooed Liberty, another one of River's sisters- eleven at best.
"I know, right?" River's eyebrows furrowed and he made a face as if he was shocked.
They all giggled, and Leaf pushed through them, his face stuffed with candy. He held out his hand and Robin shook it. They'd already met, but not quite formally.
"Welcome to the family," Heart, River's mother, said warmly.
The rest of the night was spent on River's bed, where everyone sat, all his siblings and Robin and River himself, pouring their candies onto his bed sheets and comparing sizes and shapes and sweet levels and sourness and all the rest. Sharing, and ultimately, caring.
In the midst of the excitement, while Summer and Leaf argued over whose jolly rancher was whose, River turned to Robin with a cunning smile and whispered gently into her ear,
"Now that you're my girlfriend, expect this regularly."
He gestured to the situation going on in front of him. Robin chuckled,
"What, this craziness?"
"Exactly," River nodded matter of factly, the both of them smiling at each other.
It was crazy, but it was everything. It was all Robin ever wanted. She wanted to spend every minute of being with River like this. It would last.
heyo
ay y'all think dennis said those tings cos he was drunk or did he have every idea of what he was doing?
imagine if i just ended the book here and made it like a "interpret it however you want to about robin's parents" like LMAOOO
but im not going to bc i love u guys 2 much for that
anddd also things might go awry!
but who am i to say
peace outtt