Dear Diary,
Riley has been here for two days, and I still don't know how to relate to her. How do you relate to someone who lost their parents, their friends, their boyfriend, all in the span of about a month when you have all of that (well.. except for the boyfriend)? The ride home from the airport was so scary. Out of nowhere, she freaked out and had to jump out of the car to puke! I had no idea what to do! On top of all the drama with Riley, I start high school in only one week. How am I going to deal with that? Do you think that those "rules" the seniors posted on our lockers last year are true? Gordo doesn't think so. He thinks it's just a way to scare us, like a senior prank. I'm worried that Riley is going to take being in a new school really hard. I think I'm gonna go see if she needs any help in her room. Talk to you later! 3 Lizzie
Shutting and locking her diary, Lizzie slid it under her mattress, before pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. She walked down to the basement, knocking on the door at the base of the stairs. Sam and Jo had finished off the basement into a large bedroom and sitting area for Riley when they found out that she would be coming to live with them. "Riley? It's Lizzie. Can I come in?"
Hearing a positive reply, Lizzie opened the door to Riley's room, glancing around at the space. To the left was the sitting area, complete with a couch, two chairs and a television with a VCR. To the right, one could see Riley's bed, a closet, a bureau and a desk. Riley was sitting on her bed, rifling through a box of photographs and cards, trying to pick which ones to post on the huge board she had hung on the wall. The board was actually an unfolded cardboard box, covered in fabric and tacked up.
Lizzie pointed to it, "That's a really cool idea." She walked over and sat next to Riley, "Do you need help with anything?"
"Yea, if you don't mind hanging up some of my clothes." Riley smiled at her, getting up to hang a picture of Dimitri near the center of her photo board. Already up were the photo-Christmas card of the McGuires and the pictures of Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda and of her and Dimitri.
Walking over to a large box marked "CLOTHING," Lizzie started pulling out stacks of shirts and pants. "Do you have a specific order that you want everything in? Like color-coded or anything?"
Riley laughed, "Nah. Just throw it all in the closet. It'll be all out of order in two days if I put it in order now, so why waste the time?"
"Same with my clothes," Lizzie giggled. It seemed like Riley was finally warming up to her; this was the first time she had really laughed since she had some to California. Lizzie started hanging jeans and t-shirts in her cousin's closet, noticing that many of the clothes had paint on them. "Do you paint Ri?"
Riley turned from the picture board, "Yea, is it that obvious?"
"Well... yep!"
"Do you think your parents would let me paint the walls down here? I don't think I can live with plain white walls." Riley looked around at the stark room.
"I don't see why they wouldn't want you to. It is your room." Lizzie looked around also, "The walls are a little boring right now."
Riley nodded and the two girls went back to work, Riley hanging up her pictures and Lizzie putting away her clothes. Lizzie noticed that Riley never let Lizzie get too close to her, and frowned slightly, wondering why. As she finished hanging up Riley's clothes, Lizzie noticed that Riley was standing perfectly still, staring at a picture in her hand. Lizzie walked over slowly, looking over Riley's shoulder at the photograph. It was a picture of Lizzie's aunt and uncle, Riley's parents. They were staring at each other lovingly, locked in an embrace with their arms around the other person's waist. Lizzie looked over at Riley, noticing a tear rolling down her cheek, "Are you okay?"
Riley nodded, "I just miss them is all. It's really hard to accept that they're really gone for good. I don't think I've really admitted it to myself yet. Just like I haven't really admitted to myself that this isn't a vacation or a week long visit. It's for good. When I go off to college and then come back, I won't go to Massachusetts; I'll come here. It's just hard." She sighed and turned her head. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Shaking her head, Riley walked over to her closet and pulled out a sweatshirt, "No thanks. I just need to clear my head. I'll be back in a little while." She climbed slowly up the stairs, slightly hanging her head, hands in her pockets. Lizzie stood looking after her until she heard the front door open and close. She turned and looked at the picture of Riley's parents that had been posted right in the center of the photo board. She sighed deeply, feeling tears coming to her eyes. Rebecca and Sean had always been so nice to her and Matt. She remembered the last time she had seen them, even if Matt had been too small. Rebecca was always hugging and kissing both Riley and Lizzie, tickling Matt until he squealed with joy. Sean was always willing to play rodeo cowboy or to carry the girls on his shoulders around the house. As tears streamed down her face, Lizzie reached out and touched the picture softly.
The phone started ringing upstairs. Knowing that the rest of her family was out, Lizzie jogged up the stairs to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey girl! I'm home!"
Riley has been here for two days, and I still don't know how to relate to her. How do you relate to someone who lost their parents, their friends, their boyfriend, all in the span of about a month when you have all of that (well.. except for the boyfriend)? The ride home from the airport was so scary. Out of nowhere, she freaked out and had to jump out of the car to puke! I had no idea what to do! On top of all the drama with Riley, I start high school in only one week. How am I going to deal with that? Do you think that those "rules" the seniors posted on our lockers last year are true? Gordo doesn't think so. He thinks it's just a way to scare us, like a senior prank. I'm worried that Riley is going to take being in a new school really hard. I think I'm gonna go see if she needs any help in her room. Talk to you later! 3 Lizzie
Shutting and locking her diary, Lizzie slid it under her mattress, before pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. She walked down to the basement, knocking on the door at the base of the stairs. Sam and Jo had finished off the basement into a large bedroom and sitting area for Riley when they found out that she would be coming to live with them. "Riley? It's Lizzie. Can I come in?"
Hearing a positive reply, Lizzie opened the door to Riley's room, glancing around at the space. To the left was the sitting area, complete with a couch, two chairs and a television with a VCR. To the right, one could see Riley's bed, a closet, a bureau and a desk. Riley was sitting on her bed, rifling through a box of photographs and cards, trying to pick which ones to post on the huge board she had hung on the wall. The board was actually an unfolded cardboard box, covered in fabric and tacked up.
Lizzie pointed to it, "That's a really cool idea." She walked over and sat next to Riley, "Do you need help with anything?"
"Yea, if you don't mind hanging up some of my clothes." Riley smiled at her, getting up to hang a picture of Dimitri near the center of her photo board. Already up were the photo-Christmas card of the McGuires and the pictures of Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda and of her and Dimitri.
Walking over to a large box marked "CLOTHING," Lizzie started pulling out stacks of shirts and pants. "Do you have a specific order that you want everything in? Like color-coded or anything?"
Riley laughed, "Nah. Just throw it all in the closet. It'll be all out of order in two days if I put it in order now, so why waste the time?"
"Same with my clothes," Lizzie giggled. It seemed like Riley was finally warming up to her; this was the first time she had really laughed since she had some to California. Lizzie started hanging jeans and t-shirts in her cousin's closet, noticing that many of the clothes had paint on them. "Do you paint Ri?"
Riley turned from the picture board, "Yea, is it that obvious?"
"Well... yep!"
"Do you think your parents would let me paint the walls down here? I don't think I can live with plain white walls." Riley looked around at the stark room.
"I don't see why they wouldn't want you to. It is your room." Lizzie looked around also, "The walls are a little boring right now."
Riley nodded and the two girls went back to work, Riley hanging up her pictures and Lizzie putting away her clothes. Lizzie noticed that Riley never let Lizzie get too close to her, and frowned slightly, wondering why. As she finished hanging up Riley's clothes, Lizzie noticed that Riley was standing perfectly still, staring at a picture in her hand. Lizzie walked over slowly, looking over Riley's shoulder at the photograph. It was a picture of Lizzie's aunt and uncle, Riley's parents. They were staring at each other lovingly, locked in an embrace with their arms around the other person's waist. Lizzie looked over at Riley, noticing a tear rolling down her cheek, "Are you okay?"
Riley nodded, "I just miss them is all. It's really hard to accept that they're really gone for good. I don't think I've really admitted it to myself yet. Just like I haven't really admitted to myself that this isn't a vacation or a week long visit. It's for good. When I go off to college and then come back, I won't go to Massachusetts; I'll come here. It's just hard." She sighed and turned her head. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
Shaking her head, Riley walked over to her closet and pulled out a sweatshirt, "No thanks. I just need to clear my head. I'll be back in a little while." She climbed slowly up the stairs, slightly hanging her head, hands in her pockets. Lizzie stood looking after her until she heard the front door open and close. She turned and looked at the picture of Riley's parents that had been posted right in the center of the photo board. She sighed deeply, feeling tears coming to her eyes. Rebecca and Sean had always been so nice to her and Matt. She remembered the last time she had seen them, even if Matt had been too small. Rebecca was always hugging and kissing both Riley and Lizzie, tickling Matt until he squealed with joy. Sean was always willing to play rodeo cowboy or to carry the girls on his shoulders around the house. As tears streamed down her face, Lizzie reached out and touched the picture softly.
The phone started ringing upstairs. Knowing that the rest of her family was out, Lizzie jogged up the stairs to answer it. "Hello?"
"Hey girl! I'm home!"