Please R&R thanks.
"Riley?" Eli knocks on the bathroom door. "Can you open the door?"
"It's open." Riley replies
Eli walks in. "What's wrong?" He asks kneeling next to where she is sitting on the floor.
"Nothing, I'm just really tired. I'm sorry I snapped at you before."
"It's all right. I don't care." Eli shrugs it off
"But I am sorry." Riley looks at him.
"Why are you so tired?"
"I didn't get much sleep last night, or the past week."
"Studying for exams?" Eli sympathizes
"Got to get out of high school." Riley smiles
"So are you really planning on leaving just like that?"
"See that's what makes it so difficult, I wasn't planning on meeting you and all of this. I didn't want to get attached to anyone so I would be able to just leave, no hassles."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I still need to get out of my house." Riley frowns "I was counting on leaving though, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
"Wait you want or need to get out of your house?" Eli asks confused
"Want, of course."
"You can always move in with me you know."
"I don't think your parents or Grace would go for that." Riley jokes
"Come on let's get out of here." Eli pulls her up, she grimaces slightly when he pulls her but he doesn't notice.
"Hey Riley, nice to see you again." Lily greets her when they walk into the kitchen. "You guys hungry?"
"No thanks." Riley declines
"Eli?"
"No I ate before." Eli replies "Come on." He turns to Riley and they go into his apartment.
***************
"It's almost dinner time" Eli tells Riley glancing at his clock "You staying?"
"Yea, I'm just going to call my house really quick." Riley pulls out her cell.
"I'll be in the kitchen, thirsty" Eli says
"All right, I'll be right there."
"Eric?" Riley asks
"What's up Riley, dad's been looking for you. Where are you?"
"At a friend's house." Riley replies quickly "Is he mad?"
"Yea uh mad doesn't exactly cover it." Eric scoffs
"Is he?"
"Yep, what'd you think." Eric asks
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, and you'd better get yourself home or I wouldn't come home at all tonight." Eric advises
"Then I'm not going to come home." Riley decides
"Are you serious? He'll blow his top."
"I don't care. Don't tell him you even talked to me." Riley replies
"You're choice. Do you want me to pick you up anywhere? You can spend the night with me and my friends?"
"No, I'm all right but thanks Eric."
"All right see you later" Eric hangs up.
"Was that Riley?" Jeremy asks
"No dad, I haven't heard from her." Eric lies
"If you do, tell her to get home. This place is a mess."
"You're a mess." Eric mutters as he walks out.
Riley is about to go into the house when her cell rings, figuring it's Eric she answers without checking "Eric?"
"So he did speak with you?" Jeremy asks
Riley cringes "Hi Dad, no Eric just usually calls me around this time."
"I'm sure." Jeremy replies "Where are you?"
"Out."
"Out? That's the kind of answer you give your father?" Jeremy yells "Come home now." Riley hesitates "Riley do you hear me? Come home now. Don't make this worse than it is."
"I'm almost eighteen you can't keep telling me what to do."
"When you're eighteen you can move out and do what you please like you're brother."
"I plan to." Riley mutters
"Get home, and lose the attitude" Jeremy hangs up
"Hey Riley you coming?" Eli opens the door.
"No, I'm sorry I need to go home." Riley apologizes grabbing her coat.
"I'll drive you. Maybe I can meet your father."
"No, Eli go eat your dinner I'll be fine." Riley leaves before he can protest.
***************
"Riley, wake up." Eric shakes her
"What?" She moans early the next morning
"Why did you come home last night? You said you weren't going to."
"Did you see Dad last night?"
"No, why?"
"He found out I talked to you and that you lied to him." Riley puts her head back on the pillow.
"Are you all right?"
"What do you think?" Riley snaps "Not like you care."
"Right I only call to check up on you for my own good."
"You do it for your conscience." Riley replies glaring at him. "Why don't you just move out so you don't even have to bother. You're never around anyway."
"That's not fair, I got to go to school and work and-"
"Drink, you're going to turn into Dad one day you know."
"Like mom was such a great example to live up to." Eric says sarcastically
"At least she got out." Riley sits up and holds her hand to her head.
"Let me see" Eric moves her hand "It's not that bad."
"Compared to what?" Riley retorts
"I don't know why I bother" Eric gets up and walks out.
"I don't either" Riley gets out of bed and goes to her closet and pulls out some clothes.
"Here." Eric throws her an ice pack. "I got to go, I'm late for work."
"Whatever." Riley locks her door and changes quickly, then leaves her house.
**************
Riley walks into a bagel store and sits down with her food.
"Riley?"
Riley jerks her head up and sees Lily standing by her table with Zoe. "Hi." She replies tired
"We missed you at dinner last night, is everything all right?"
"Yea." Riley brushes her hair away from her face, and Lily's face looks worried for a moment.
"Zoe, why don't you go and get some food and find a table. I'll be right there."
"It's nothing." Riley says as soon as Zoe is gone.
"Yea well nothing looks like a bruise on your face." Lily touches it gently "Does it hurt?"
"Not really. It's barely anything."
"I can see that but it wasn't there yesterday." Lily sits down "Is everything all right?"
"Yea why wouldn't it be?"
"Well you ran out pretty quickly yesterday and Eli said you were very adamant about him not coming into your house." Lily says slowly
"It's a mess we're remodeling. My dad needed help last night so I had to leave in a rush he was already in the middle of working."
"Do you have any other family?" Lily asks
"A brother, Eric."
"Does he live at home?"
"For the most part, he's not usually around." Riley replies lightly
"What about your parents?"
"My mother is dead."
"Yea Grace mentioned that. When did she die?"
"When I was 11."
"Was she sick?"
"Only in the head" Riley answers curtly "I'm sorry, she killed herself"
Lily looks surprised "I'm sorry I didn't know."
"Almost no one does, including Eli." Riley adds pointedly
"So are you all right? Your face I mean?" Lily asks
"Oh yea, it's nothing like I told you." Riley smiles "A result of being a bit of a klutz"
"All right, I'll see you soon then." Lily gets up.
"Bye."
********************
"So she had a bruise on her face?" Rick asks Lily surprised
"Yea, and did you know her mother didn't die she committed suicide?" Lily asks in a hushed voice
"No I didn't, does Eli?" Rick asks
"No, that's what Riley said. She said her brother isn't around much, and her house is being remodeled."
"That's what she told Eli, and that she plans to leave as soon as possible." Rick adds when Eli walks in.
He looks at them "What are you two comparing notes on my girlfriend or something?"
Lily scratches her head "Uh Eli, have you seen Riley today?"
"No why?"
"I ran into her in the store and she, she had a bruise on her face."
"What did she say happened?" Eli asks leaning on the counter
"Well she didn't actually. I - we think you should talk to her." Lily tells him
"I already tried calling and no one's answering her cell."
"So call her house." Rick says
"She never gave me her home phone, she said they were getting work done." Eli replies
"For 2 months?" Rick asks doubtfully
"I know, but I wasn't sure what to do, it's a little weird but I didn't want to push it, she's so sensitive on the issue."
"Do you at least know where she lives?" Rick asks Eli
"Yea."
"So why don't we go and drive past her house and maybe you can figure this out?" Rick suggests
"All right, I'll get my coat." Eli replies after thinking for a moment.
****************
"Turn here, it's the third house on the right." Eli tells Rick
Rick turns the corner and looks out "Hey isn't that her?"
Eli looks too, "Yea it is."
"Who's that with her?"
"I don't know, never seen him. Pull over." Eli says and Rick pulls over to the curb. "Riley" Eli calls
"You know them?" Eric asks Riley going over to the car.
"It's my boyfriend and his father." Riley replies going over to the car. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check up on you, Lily said you didn't look like you were doing so great." Eli tells her
"I'm doing fine."
"You trust him?" Eric asks suddenly
"What?" Riley faces him "Yes I trust him, what kind of question is that?"
"She's not doing fine, I was just going out and I didn't want to leave her alone." Eric tells Eli. "Do you mind if she spends the night with you?"
"Well-" Eli looks at Rick
"Where'd you get your manners Eric, I'm sorry Eli. This is my brother Eric. Eric this is Eli and his father."
"Hey" Eric nods
"Eric, I'll stay here tonight." Riley turns to him.
"No you wont, cause I don't want to hear it in the morning."
"Riley is welcome to stay." Rick tells them both. Eric opens the door and gives Riley's bag to Eli.
"Thanks" Eric shuts the door behind Riley.
"That's your damn conscience again you know." Riley mutters
"So stay Riley, I don't know why I bother." Eric yells
"I'm already in the car, good night Eric" Riley sits back as Rick pulls away from the curb. Eric goes into his own car and drives away.
"What was that about?" Eli turns towards Riley.
"My dysfunctional family or at least half of it. I had reasons why I didn't want you to meet anyone you know." Riley smiles "Thanks for letting me stay with you guys tonight. I could have found somewhere else to stay though."
"Where?" Rick asks
Riley shrugs "A friends? I don't know."
"If you need a place to stay from now on, you can always come to our house all right?" Rick tells her.
"All right." Riley looks out the window at the houses passing by.
To be continued…. I'm sorry I know a lot of you like E/G but I'm totally not into it, maybe one day to make you all happy I'll try to write one but for now this is it. Ah well please R&R
"Riley?" Eli knocks on the bathroom door. "Can you open the door?"
"It's open." Riley replies
Eli walks in. "What's wrong?" He asks kneeling next to where she is sitting on the floor.
"Nothing, I'm just really tired. I'm sorry I snapped at you before."
"It's all right. I don't care." Eli shrugs it off
"But I am sorry." Riley looks at him.
"Why are you so tired?"
"I didn't get much sleep last night, or the past week."
"Studying for exams?" Eli sympathizes
"Got to get out of high school." Riley smiles
"So are you really planning on leaving just like that?"
"See that's what makes it so difficult, I wasn't planning on meeting you and all of this. I didn't want to get attached to anyone so I would be able to just leave, no hassles."
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I still need to get out of my house." Riley frowns "I was counting on leaving though, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
"Wait you want or need to get out of your house?" Eli asks confused
"Want, of course."
"You can always move in with me you know."
"I don't think your parents or Grace would go for that." Riley jokes
"Come on let's get out of here." Eli pulls her up, she grimaces slightly when he pulls her but he doesn't notice.
"Hey Riley, nice to see you again." Lily greets her when they walk into the kitchen. "You guys hungry?"
"No thanks." Riley declines
"Eli?"
"No I ate before." Eli replies "Come on." He turns to Riley and they go into his apartment.
***************
"It's almost dinner time" Eli tells Riley glancing at his clock "You staying?"
"Yea, I'm just going to call my house really quick." Riley pulls out her cell.
"I'll be in the kitchen, thirsty" Eli says
"All right, I'll be right there."
"Eric?" Riley asks
"What's up Riley, dad's been looking for you. Where are you?"
"At a friend's house." Riley replies quickly "Is he mad?"
"Yea uh mad doesn't exactly cover it." Eric scoffs
"Is he?"
"Yep, what'd you think." Eric asks
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, and you'd better get yourself home or I wouldn't come home at all tonight." Eric advises
"Then I'm not going to come home." Riley decides
"Are you serious? He'll blow his top."
"I don't care. Don't tell him you even talked to me." Riley replies
"You're choice. Do you want me to pick you up anywhere? You can spend the night with me and my friends?"
"No, I'm all right but thanks Eric."
"All right see you later" Eric hangs up.
"Was that Riley?" Jeremy asks
"No dad, I haven't heard from her." Eric lies
"If you do, tell her to get home. This place is a mess."
"You're a mess." Eric mutters as he walks out.
Riley is about to go into the house when her cell rings, figuring it's Eric she answers without checking "Eric?"
"So he did speak with you?" Jeremy asks
Riley cringes "Hi Dad, no Eric just usually calls me around this time."
"I'm sure." Jeremy replies "Where are you?"
"Out."
"Out? That's the kind of answer you give your father?" Jeremy yells "Come home now." Riley hesitates "Riley do you hear me? Come home now. Don't make this worse than it is."
"I'm almost eighteen you can't keep telling me what to do."
"When you're eighteen you can move out and do what you please like you're brother."
"I plan to." Riley mutters
"Get home, and lose the attitude" Jeremy hangs up
"Hey Riley you coming?" Eli opens the door.
"No, I'm sorry I need to go home." Riley apologizes grabbing her coat.
"I'll drive you. Maybe I can meet your father."
"No, Eli go eat your dinner I'll be fine." Riley leaves before he can protest.
***************
"Riley, wake up." Eric shakes her
"What?" She moans early the next morning
"Why did you come home last night? You said you weren't going to."
"Did you see Dad last night?"
"No, why?"
"He found out I talked to you and that you lied to him." Riley puts her head back on the pillow.
"Are you all right?"
"What do you think?" Riley snaps "Not like you care."
"Right I only call to check up on you for my own good."
"You do it for your conscience." Riley replies glaring at him. "Why don't you just move out so you don't even have to bother. You're never around anyway."
"That's not fair, I got to go to school and work and-"
"Drink, you're going to turn into Dad one day you know."
"Like mom was such a great example to live up to." Eric says sarcastically
"At least she got out." Riley sits up and holds her hand to her head.
"Let me see" Eric moves her hand "It's not that bad."
"Compared to what?" Riley retorts
"I don't know why I bother" Eric gets up and walks out.
"I don't either" Riley gets out of bed and goes to her closet and pulls out some clothes.
"Here." Eric throws her an ice pack. "I got to go, I'm late for work."
"Whatever." Riley locks her door and changes quickly, then leaves her house.
**************
Riley walks into a bagel store and sits down with her food.
"Riley?"
Riley jerks her head up and sees Lily standing by her table with Zoe. "Hi." She replies tired
"We missed you at dinner last night, is everything all right?"
"Yea." Riley brushes her hair away from her face, and Lily's face looks worried for a moment.
"Zoe, why don't you go and get some food and find a table. I'll be right there."
"It's nothing." Riley says as soon as Zoe is gone.
"Yea well nothing looks like a bruise on your face." Lily touches it gently "Does it hurt?"
"Not really. It's barely anything."
"I can see that but it wasn't there yesterday." Lily sits down "Is everything all right?"
"Yea why wouldn't it be?"
"Well you ran out pretty quickly yesterday and Eli said you were very adamant about him not coming into your house." Lily says slowly
"It's a mess we're remodeling. My dad needed help last night so I had to leave in a rush he was already in the middle of working."
"Do you have any other family?" Lily asks
"A brother, Eric."
"Does he live at home?"
"For the most part, he's not usually around." Riley replies lightly
"What about your parents?"
"My mother is dead."
"Yea Grace mentioned that. When did she die?"
"When I was 11."
"Was she sick?"
"Only in the head" Riley answers curtly "I'm sorry, she killed herself"
Lily looks surprised "I'm sorry I didn't know."
"Almost no one does, including Eli." Riley adds pointedly
"So are you all right? Your face I mean?" Lily asks
"Oh yea, it's nothing like I told you." Riley smiles "A result of being a bit of a klutz"
"All right, I'll see you soon then." Lily gets up.
"Bye."
********************
"So she had a bruise on her face?" Rick asks Lily surprised
"Yea, and did you know her mother didn't die she committed suicide?" Lily asks in a hushed voice
"No I didn't, does Eli?" Rick asks
"No, that's what Riley said. She said her brother isn't around much, and her house is being remodeled."
"That's what she told Eli, and that she plans to leave as soon as possible." Rick adds when Eli walks in.
He looks at them "What are you two comparing notes on my girlfriend or something?"
Lily scratches her head "Uh Eli, have you seen Riley today?"
"No why?"
"I ran into her in the store and she, she had a bruise on her face."
"What did she say happened?" Eli asks leaning on the counter
"Well she didn't actually. I - we think you should talk to her." Lily tells him
"I already tried calling and no one's answering her cell."
"So call her house." Rick says
"She never gave me her home phone, she said they were getting work done." Eli replies
"For 2 months?" Rick asks doubtfully
"I know, but I wasn't sure what to do, it's a little weird but I didn't want to push it, she's so sensitive on the issue."
"Do you at least know where she lives?" Rick asks Eli
"Yea."
"So why don't we go and drive past her house and maybe you can figure this out?" Rick suggests
"All right, I'll get my coat." Eli replies after thinking for a moment.
****************
"Turn here, it's the third house on the right." Eli tells Rick
Rick turns the corner and looks out "Hey isn't that her?"
Eli looks too, "Yea it is."
"Who's that with her?"
"I don't know, never seen him. Pull over." Eli says and Rick pulls over to the curb. "Riley" Eli calls
"You know them?" Eric asks Riley going over to the car.
"It's my boyfriend and his father." Riley replies going over to the car. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to check up on you, Lily said you didn't look like you were doing so great." Eli tells her
"I'm doing fine."
"You trust him?" Eric asks suddenly
"What?" Riley faces him "Yes I trust him, what kind of question is that?"
"She's not doing fine, I was just going out and I didn't want to leave her alone." Eric tells Eli. "Do you mind if she spends the night with you?"
"Well-" Eli looks at Rick
"Where'd you get your manners Eric, I'm sorry Eli. This is my brother Eric. Eric this is Eli and his father."
"Hey" Eric nods
"Eric, I'll stay here tonight." Riley turns to him.
"No you wont, cause I don't want to hear it in the morning."
"Riley is welcome to stay." Rick tells them both. Eric opens the door and gives Riley's bag to Eli.
"Thanks" Eric shuts the door behind Riley.
"That's your damn conscience again you know." Riley mutters
"So stay Riley, I don't know why I bother." Eric yells
"I'm already in the car, good night Eric" Riley sits back as Rick pulls away from the curb. Eric goes into his own car and drives away.
"What was that about?" Eli turns towards Riley.
"My dysfunctional family or at least half of it. I had reasons why I didn't want you to meet anyone you know." Riley smiles "Thanks for letting me stay with you guys tonight. I could have found somewhere else to stay though."
"Where?" Rick asks
Riley shrugs "A friends? I don't know."
"If you need a place to stay from now on, you can always come to our house all right?" Rick tells her.
"All right." Riley looks out the window at the houses passing by.
To be continued…. I'm sorry I know a lot of you like E/G but I'm totally not into it, maybe one day to make you all happy I'll try to write one but for now this is it. Ah well please R&R