Hello my lovelies! So Ponyboy knows, shocker. Hahaha! Anyways, the major question is who is this 'Riley' person. Well stop reading this, and find out!
Review!
~Missy
"Do you know why she's running away?" Steve asked Jeanette as the DX came in sight. Jeanette shook her head,
"No." she answered. Steve glared at her,
"How can you not know?" he demanded. Jeanette frowned, her stare turning icy,
"I said I don't know, alright? She wouldn't tell me, so I thought at least you guys might be able to talk some sense into her. But if you don't want to help, you can just leave." she said. Man, that girl had some guts. Steve glared at her, looking like he was about to say something really rude.
"I don't see what the big problem is. So she's running away, big deal. At least she'll be happy." Dally said shrugging. Jeanette's frown deepened,
"I thought you would be worried, but I guess I was wrong." she said. Dallas looked at her bewildered,
"And what would make you think that? Who cares?" he said aggravated. I saw a gleam of happiness in Jeanette's eyes,
"Exactly, without me, no one does." she said, a little sad. I raised an eyebrow like I had seen Sodapop do so many times.
"What about her parents?" I asked. I knew they let her run around wild and stuff, but no parent would allow their child run away right in front of them. Well, unless you're like me, and your parents weren't there.
Jeanette looked a little stiff,
"Her parents don't care, OK? Enough about why she's leaving, lets focus on stopping her." Jeanette said. There were some grumbles (mainly from Steve and Dally), but we all quickened our pace.
"Hey! Look! It's them!" Two-Bit shouted a few seconds later. I saw in the distance, a girl with dark hair, holding a kids hand with a red baseball cap. That must be Riley, her brother at least. No way Sabrina would be dating a kid that young, he looked about the height of a ten year old. The gang started shouting Sabrina's name, and with one look at us, she took off running. She didn't run that fast, since she was dragging Riley, but at this speed, we would never catch her!
"I'll get her!" Ponyboy said, dashing after her. Man could that boy run!
"I'll get Riley!" I said, running ahead of the guys. Ponyboy could run fast, leaving a trail of dirt and gravel behind him. We were running so fast, when Sabrina stopped abruptly, we ended up slamming into them, and falling on the grassy ground. I had knocked down Riley and his hat, when I had fallen. I saw his red hat next to me, and grabbed it, about to handing it to him.
"Ow, sorry man, I didn't mean to… You're a girl?" I gasped astonished.
From the distance, Riley had seemed like a little boy with his head covered up. But without the hat, Riley's strawberry blonde hair was actually tied in a messy ponytail, with some falling out. She had hazel eyes, and really long eye lashes that seemed long enough to touch her cheeks! She couldn't be Sabrina's sister, let alone related to her! They looked nothing alike, aside from their eye color, but other than that, nothing! Riley frowned at me,
"Of course I'm a girl! Now what are you supposed to be, It?" she spat. Yup, she's Sabrina's sister alright. I was ready to tell her off and all, when I realized that she was struggling to hold back tears. I may had not known it, but I had really hurt her when I had asked her if she was a girl. I knew how it felt like, getting the Gender Look, people addressing you as a boy, girls flirting with you because they think you're a guy (hasn't happened….YET.). Oh yeah, it hurts. Like you're so ugly, that people don't even know what you are. But this girl wasn't ugly, I just couldn't tell! "I'm sorry, I just didn't see you…" I apologized, as she snatched her hat away from my hands.
"I know, it just bothers me." she grumbled, wiping away tears. She didn't have to act all strong for me, I knew it hurt. But now I also knew how it felt like to have to give the Gender Look to someone else. You're afraid of hurting their feelings, because of the way they look and dress. Riley is dressed unisexual (like I do), in a burgundy hoody and jeans ripped at the knees from years of wear. She had tattered, mud stained Converse that sung out 'Throw me away!'. This girl definitely didn't have much.
I helped her up, slowly and gently, not wanting to come out like a creepy man.
"Thanks…" she whispered, fixing her backpack, which was falling of her shoulders. We walked closer to where the gang was arguing with Sabrina.
"I can do whatever I want! Now leave me alone!" Sabrina shouted. Jeanette looked close to tears as she begged Sabrina,
"Please, we can work this out, what's wrong?" Jeanette pleaded.
"I said no!" Sabrina said. Dally looked like he had enough,
"You know what? We tried, she doesn't want to stay, fine. I'm wasting my time here with some brat who doesn't want to change her mind. I have better things to do than play mommy and daddy with her." Dally said, with slight irritation in his voice. Soda looked like he was about to give up too,
"Sabrina we can-"
"No!" she shouted again at him.
"Sabriiinaaaaa, I'm hungrrry…!" Riley whined. Sabrina looked at her little sister, and glared at us,
"What do you think you're doing to my sister, It?" she hissed at me. I looked at her confused.
"Huh?" I said. She pointed to my hand, which was intertwined with Riley's small, warm, hand. I blushed, I must've not let go when I helped her up! "Uh…sorr-" Sabrina pushed me away, and took Riley's hand,
"She's only eleven, can't you find someone your own age? Or do you dig little girls now?" Sabrina said coldly. I glared at her, let me see if I'm getting this right: I come here, to save her sorry little butt, and now she's making me out as some pedophile? This chick has problems, that not even Einstein could solve.
"Look Sabrina, I don't know who you think you are, but stop acting like you can take care of yourself, because you can't. But if you want to try, be my guest. But don't drag your little sister in this, because I'm a hundred percent sure, she did not wake up this morning, and told you 'Hey Sabrina! Let's run away'!" I snapped at her. Everyone was staring at me, this was probably the most I've ever said since I got here. But I was impressed with myself, I hadn't whispered it, or said it in a girlish tone either. I never knew I had such confidence…
Sabrina glared at me, with her piercing hazel eyes, but I held my ground. She could threaten me with her lighter, or throw all the popcorn she wanted at me, but she is not going anywhere with this child. Sabrina finally sighed.
"Fine. I won't leave, but I'm not going back home either." she said. Steve seemed pleased that she was staying,
"Sure, we'll work out the details back home." Sodapop said, turning away. Sabrina shot me a glare, and tugged Riley away.
"I'm not going back." Sabrina said, for what seemed like the millionth time. We were all in the Curtis's living room, trying to find solutions for Sabrina and Riley. Well at least most of us were, Dally was spinning a gun in his hand, which fascinated Riley.
"I swear if you shoot us, I will come back from hell, and drag you there with me!" Sabrina threatened. I secretly wondered how she was so certain she was heading to heaven. But at least that threat didn't involve her lighter…..
"Then hurry up and make up your mind, before I shoot myself!" he said. Sabrina crossed her arms across her chest,
"My decisions already been made." she said. Jeanette groaned, obviously getting tired too,
"OK, look Sabrina, I have to be home for my dad's dinner party and I need to get ready, so how about you come home with me, stay upstairs in my room until the party's over, and then we have a sleepover?" she suggested. Dally snorted,
"Dinner party? What, are your folks a bunch of Socs?" he said. Jeanette waved him off,
"So what do you say?" she pressed. Sabrina hesitated.
"Well… your parents are pretty lame, but I guess it's better than nothing. Besides, Riley can't sleep outside." Sabrina said. Jeanette bit her plump bottom lip,
"Uh, about that… I don't think my parents will be willing to let Riley stay too." Jeanette said, playing with her fingers. Sabrina's eyes widened,
"What? Where is she going to go then?" Sabrina said exasperated.
"I don't know! Maybe if you told me the reason why you two were running away in the first place, I could think of something! But my parents are going to be suspicious if she comes too! Not to mention, they already think you're a bad example." Jeanette pointed out. That just about did it. Sabrina and Jeanette were at each others throat, fighting like mortal enemies, rather than best friends. That's when I couldn't take it anymore.
"Why doesn't Riley just stay here?" I asked. Everyone stared at me, and I regretted ever saying it. This wasn't even my house, and I was making choices!
"That's a pretty good idea, can she stay Sodapop?" Jeanette asked, still looking rather annoyed. Sodapop looked unsure,
"Um, I'm not sure… I'll have to ask Darry, since Alex is already staying here…" he trailed on. Sabrina took a deep breath,
"Soda, please, just for one night. I promise I'll pay you back for this, please?" Sabrina said. I didn't even know please was part of Sabrina's vocabulary. Steve looked at Soda with pleading eyes, of course he would do anything to get on Sabrina's good side. Soda sighed, and smiled,
"Sure, why not?" he said.
"Well since that's all settled, can we go now?" Jeanette said impatiently. I was just surprised she was still allowing Sabrina to stay after their little argument.
"Wait, I have to do one more thing," Sabrina said, turning to Riley who was following Dally's every move.
"Riley, you're going to stay here for the night, OK? Behave, got it?" She said sternly. Behave? I think Sabrina should really take her own advise instead of giving it. Riley rolled her hazel eyes,
"Yeah, whatever, later." Riley said unconcerned. Sabrina shook her head, and headed out the door,
"Thanks you guys, really…" I heard Jeanette whisper to us. I simply smiled at her,
"Wait," Sabrina said stopping to face us, her face cold.
"If any of you dare touch my sister, you will wake up in a ditch in Cuba." she said seriously. Ditch in Cuba? I don't want to know how she'll get us there…Jeanette shook her head,
"Come on Sabrina! I'm going to be late!" Jeanette said, dragging Sabrina out the door,
"Don't touch me! You're spreading your innocence!" I heard Sabrina shout as they left.
When they were gone, the tension in the room left also. We all sat there, dumbstruck, unsure what to do now. Riley looked up at me,
"Hey Alex, is there any food?" she asked softly. I thought about it,
"Uh, I think we have chicken, are you allergic to anything?" I asked, trying to figure out the time. It was eleven when we left, and when we came back it had to be around twelve.…Had she eaten all morning?
"Nope!" Riley said eagerly. I stood up,
"Well you can help me cook, Ponyboy, Johnny, want to help too?" I asked. Johnny nodded,
"Sure Alexandra…..uh, der?" Ponyboy said, turning pale. I wanted to slap my hand against my forehead, I knew I should've just knocked him out, and made a run for it. No one seemed to notice though, well no one other than Riley, who narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Umm, lets get started than!" I said, changing the subject.
Later...
By the time we had all eaten lunch (I couldn't eat it, but Riley eats a lot), and made a light salad for dinner (my dinner...), I had set up a makeshift bed on the couch where I used to sleep for little Riley. She was exiting the bathroom when I had finished,
"Here, I hope this will do…" I said smiling at her, trying to make her feel comfortable. Her hair was in wet tangles from her shower, and she was wearing a giant, gray, t-shirt the fell off her shoulder, and reached her knees.
"Thank you…Dinner was delicious." she said , smiling, showing a gap where one of her front teeth should be. Aww! She's so cute!
She sat down on the couch, and opened her orange backpack, removing a black notebook and pencil. She moved to a corner on the couch, and started jotting something down inside. I swayed on my feet, and waited for something to do. Riley finally looked up,
"Can I help you?" she said sweetly. I blushed,
"Oh, sorry… So what are you writing about?" I said, sitting next to her. Maybe I could get some information on why they were running away. Riley shrugged,
"Stuff. Look can I have some privacy?" she said. I smiled,
"Uh, sure, 'night." I said, walking away slowly. She rolled her eyes,
"Uh-huh…" she mumbled, as I ran to Ponyboy's room. Inside, Pony was already asleep, so there was no awkwardness of sleeping together until morning, when we woke up. I crawled under the covers, to a light breathing Pony, he looked so peaceful while he was asleep…Is that creepy of me to be staring at him? I started closing my eyes, but I could not fall asleep, something didn't feel right about Riley…
I woke up a couple hours later, still not able to shut off my brain from worry. I sighed and sat up, taking my arm off from Ponyboy's body (how does it always end up there?). I walked out of the room, and into the kitchen for a glass of water. I got a cup, and chugged down the water, cooling my parched throat.
"Ah, better…" I said, noticing the living room lights were still on. Was Riley still awake? I entered the room, and saw Riley, sleeping in fetal position, shivering. I shook my head laughing, and went next to her, draping the covers on her. She immediately relaxed, absorbing the warmth. I sighed, she was so lucky to be blessed with beauty. I turned away, beginning to walk back to the room, when I tripped on her orange backpack. I fell on the floor, hurting my injured ribs even more, which throbbed in pain. I quickly looked at Riley, she hadn't awaken from all my noise. I sat on my knees, and began picking up the contents of her backpack from floor, halting at the black notebook. I rubbed my fingers against the spine of it, maybe this could answer my questions… Should I open it? It was invading her privacy… Oh what the heck! Just one page! I opened up to the middle, and began reading: Dear Notebook,
Today was a pretty bad day. Mom was still gone, on something I like to call "I'm-a-depressed-psychotic-single-dependent-mother-who-doesn't-care-for-her-children-and-vanishes-for-five-days-straight. Yup, that's my mom. Anyways, when I heard the door shut, I immediately jumped to the door,
"Mom…?Oh it's just you." I said, seeing Sabrina, as she kicked off her boots.
"Glad to see you too Riley." she said sarcastically. I frowned,
"Sorry, thought you were mom…" I mumbled sadly. Sabrina raised an eyebrow,
"Five day dissapearance acts?" she guessed. I nodded at her, she knew mom. She rolled her eyes,
"Please Riley, that women is crazy, I wouldn't be surprized if she woke up in some ditch in Quba." she said. (So that's where she got that whole Cuba thing) Sabrina headed to our closet sized room to change into her work uniform at the diner. She had taken up double shifts and all since summer beegan
"Sabrina, have you heard from dad?" I whispered… How stupid of me!
"What was that, Rye?" she asked me. She was my sister and best friends, so I told her everything. But dad was an off-limit topic with her.
"No…nothing, I was just wondering what's for dinner." I lied to her. I had to. She already didn't have such good memoryes with him because of the whole 'not my daughter' thing. But hair color does not determyne whether or not someone is your child, it's the connection and love. Something he seems to be lacking…
Yours Truly,
Riley
That was so sad! Their father didn't believe Sabrina was related to him, and their mother disappears randomly? I felt as if I was close to finding out the truth, so I skipped a few more pages to a more recent entry. One that was dated yesterday.
Dear Notebook,
I don't have much time to write at the moment, but I'll include the details later! Dad came home tonight, after six years! You see, I was sleeping (after my small dinner of jelly from a jar), and I heard lots of yelling outside my room. I sat up and opened the door, peeking my head through. And there he was. Dad was shouting at a red faced mom. I couldn't help gasping.
"Dad…?" I whispered, stupidly. He was right in front of me! He smiled,
"Riley, how are you my son?" he joked. I frowned at him,
"I'm a girl…" I said softly. He shrugged,
"Sure, sure, playing dress up, I get it. Perfectly normal for boys your age." he said. I wanted to glare at him, but what good would that do? He still would never acept me unless I was a boy. But that's not hapening anytime soon. Mom looked annoyed at me, she's still blamed me for dad leaving. But in case she doesn't know, it's the boy who picks the child's gender. So if there's anyone to blame, it's him.
"Useless child…" I heard her mutter. At least she was sober enouf to speak.
"Useless wife, cheats on you and can't give you any sons." dad told mom cruelly. That's all it took, to get mom to snap.
The words they used were bad, really, really, REALLY bad. And it didn't just stop at words, Notebook. They started throwing stuff at each other, and me! I can't say everything right now, but let's just say, I woke up underneath a flipped over couch. That's when Sabrina found me and- Oh she's telling me it's time to go. I don't know where we're going yet, but I'll finish telling you the rest lat-
Her entry cut off there, so I'm guessing Sabrina must've dragged her out. So that's what happened last night to make them run away. I slumped down, the next page must have all the details, since it was the one she was writing tonight.
"Have you found what you were looking for?" an icy voice said behind me. I almost jumped right out of my skin, as a chill ran down my back. I turned around, embarrassed, to a calm looking Riley. What should I say? "Uh… um, I'm sorry." I said quickly, remembering to keep my 'manly' tone. She held out her hand, and I gave her back the notebook slowly. She didn't seem mad, but it was hard to tell. We didn't speak for a second, if it was because she was mad, I don't know, but it was scaring me.
"So now you know." she said quietly, sitting crossed legged on the couch. I couldn't meet her eyes,
"Look, I had no idea, it's just… I needed to know why-"
"You didn't need anything. You could not contain your curiosity, and read my private notebook. Do you know you could get arrested for such crimes?" she said. Woah, this girl sounded much older than she looked. I looked down,
"I'm sorry." I repeated. She sighed,
"It's fine, I mean it's not your fault my family is messed up." she said, sounding a little more relaxed. I swallowed and looked up, seeing tears welling in her eyes.
"Don't cry…" I whispered to her, taking a seat next to her. She quickly wiped her tears away,
"I'm not!" she protested, her voice breaking. Why did she have to act so tough? She sniffed,
"OK, maybe I am… But how would you like to have one of your parents gone half the time, and drunk the other half, and another parent that disappeared from the face of the Earth, just because you weren't a boy?" she asked me, pitifully. I thought about, it sounded a lot like my family, except one parent is gone half the time, and working the other half. And another parent is just plain old gone because… well I never knew exactly why mom left without leaving an address. That's something I may never know.
"I wouldn't like it, not at all." I finally told Riley. She nodded, smiling through tears,
"I mean, you only have two options then: Become hard and cold, like Sabrina, or become weak and pathetic, like me." she said laughing, trying to hide the pain in her voice (not very well if I might add…). I rubbed her back in small circles, hoping I wasn't acting too feminine. But what could I say? I'm a sucker for kids.
"You are not pathetic! You have lots of options, like being smart, or being athletic…" I said with false happiness. Riley rolled her eyes,
"And what good would that do? Dad still would never accept me, even if I married a billionaire, and even if I did marry one, mom would just take all the money to feed her alcohol addiction." she said, not in a joking tone. I laughed though, trying to play the humor card (I should really leave that one to Two-Bit…),
"What about marrying a prince like Cinderella? Anything is possible if you believe." I told her smiling. Mom always told me that when I was little. Riley snorted,
"What are you? Some stupid princess storybook? You need to wake up, 'cause life ain't just some fairytale." she said, resting back in the couch. It was funny how Trisha had said the same exact thing to me, that day I ran away, which seemed like weeks ago. But it was also strange how Riley knew this, but I still didn't. Maybe I was stuck in some imaginary fairytale, and had to stop dreaming, and get on with life.
"Why doesn't your father think Sabrina is his child?" I asked. Riley smiled,
"Apparently, he based it off her hair color. In case you haven't noticed, my hair is awfully lighter then Sabrina's…" she said, twisting a strand of her hair on her fingers. It was true, Riley's light strawberry blonde hair was no match against Sabrina's crow black one. I could see why he wouldn't believe it.
"So why did you guys run away?" I said. Riley raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you read my last page?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Well, he started throwing things at mom and me. Pretty soon we were all fighting, well they were, I was struggling to get out. I don't know what happened afterwards, I woke up under the couch, and when Sabrina came home from her night shift at the diner, she had enough. We took everything we could fit in our bags, and left. But she wanted to tell Jeanette goodbye first." she explained. I smiled,
"Aw, she must really love Jeanette!" I said. Riley shook her head,
"No, Sabrina doesn't love anyone. She just tolerates Jeanette." she said in a matter-of-fact tone. I was caught speechless,
"Oh." was all I could say. Riley shrugged her thin shoulders,
"If you don't believe me, ask them tomorrow. But she'll tell you she doesn't love anyone, I don't know if she loves me." she answered, a little sad. I looked at her, puzzled,
"If she didn't love you, would she run away with you? She could've just left you." I pointed out. Riley simply shrugged again,
"Maybe, I don't know. But we vowed off love years ago." Riley said. I looked at her, alarmed.
"What? Why?" I asked. She exhaled,
"You don't understand , do you? Love ruined our family. Love can bring people together, and tear them apart. But if there's no love, there's nothing. So that's why Sabrina will never get married or date." she said. I raised an eyebrow again. Sabrina? Not having a boyfriend? I just cannot believe that.
"I know, I know, hard to believe, right? She's a big flirt and all, but it's all talk. She won't go anywhere with you. She's tougher to get than Jeanette!" she said. I guess Dallas was wrong, maybe Jeanette is easier than he thought. I laughed,
"Well maybe you're right," I said, getting up, "Riley, it was… nice talking to you, but we should really get to bed." I was heading off to 'my' room, when Riley snorted,
"I told you about my life, now it's your turn." Riley said. I raised an eyebrow,
"My turn for what?" I asked confused. Riley snorted again,
"Please, I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I know you're a girl." she said. I froze, unsure what to say. She knew. But how? Had I been to opening with her? I don't know how she figured it out, I just needed to know.
"How do you…know?" I whispered. She rolled her eyes, "Like I said, I'm young, but not stupid. Honestly, I don't know how you fooled any of them. I knew you were a girl from the moment you fell on me at the DX." she said casually, like it was no big deal.
"But how?" I asked again.
"Your face, it was too…soft, and so were your hands. And you were too gentle with me, I knew it. And who sleeps with a hat? By the way, can I have my hat back?" she asked. I looked at her, stunned.
"Your…hat?" I asked. I remember the 'magic' coming to me, and leading me to the DX station.
"Uh-huh. I was exploring the neighborhood, and it was really windy. My hat fell off, and I couldn't find it! But when I saw it on you, I was sure it was mine." she said, smiling. I blushed, I felt like a thief, stealing a little kids hat.
"Oh… sorry…" I said, about to remove the hat. She laughed,
"Just kidding, you can keep it. I have hundreds in my room. Besides you need it more than I do." she said. I smiled at her, as she got under the covers,
"Well goodnight!" she said. I looked at her confused,
"Wait, didn't you want to know about my life, and why I'm pretending to be a… you know." I said. She shrugged,
"Nah, I got bored." she answered. I laughed,
"In twenty seconds?" I asked. She laughed with me,
"No, I was just playing. I didn't get bored, but… I figured you must have a good reason for pretending to be a boy, and I don't think you're ready to admit why. I know I sometimes dress like a boy, wishing I was one. But I don't like explaining to people why, but it's easier for me to tell you because… because you're doing the same." she said smiling, showing her oh-so cute gap. I couldn't help but smile back,
"Thanks Riley, you're a pretty cool kid, but I think you should stop dressing so much like a boy. It's taking away from your real beauty." I told her. She rolled her eyes,
"I think you should take that advice yourself." she said, snickering. I grabbed her pillow, and threw it at her face,
"Go to bed. Oh and mind keeping this a secret, between the two of us?" I asked, as I stood up. She frowned,
"You told Ponyboy. But sure, why not." she said. How does she know this stuff? I paused halfway,
"Hey Riley?" I said. She looked up at me,
"Yeah?" she responded.
"Where were you and Sabrina planning on going?" I asked. They might not have a solid plan, but they must've had an idea.
"Uhh, we were thinking about going to our uncles house, Uncle Kenton." she said.
I think I just died. I spun around to look at her, it can't be.
"Alex? Are you alright?" she asked, sitting up, looking worried. I gulped,
"Your uncle… wha-what's his first name?" I said, hardly able to breath. Calm down Alex, I told myself, They are thousands of men with the last name Kenton, don't get paranoid. Riley thought about it for a second,
"Um, his name… uh, Michael, yeah that's right, uncle Michael Kenton. Why?" she asked. I couldn't answer her, because all I could do was stare at the little eleven year old. I knew I had a bad feeling about Riley and Sabrina! And just when I thought all my problems were over! Sabrina and Riley were related to him, the Boy Toy! Michael was their uncle…
And I was staring at his niece.
Duh, duh, duuuuh! The Boy Toy's nieces! What are the odds? Hahahaha, hope this was exciting, I thought I was kind of slow, but I guess there's always slow parts in good stories! Review!