A/N - A little friction in the thought to be possible match made in
heavan...ok...so they aren't really that great a match, there complete
opposites...but ah, hell! You know what I mean! Just read! lol Enjoy!
Ch 9: The Argument - 2/10/07 - Saturday - 1:33pm
Travis had come over to the Brennon home to spend some extra time with his girlfriend. Currently, they were in her room. He was sitting in a 'meditation' possition and she had her head in his lap. It was raining for the fifth day in a row that week, which meant Riley had only just come out of one of her odd little trance of starind out the window at the rain as it fell. Travis was playing with her hair when she looked up at him and said, "Travis?"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't you talk more?"
"What do you mean? I talk..."
"I mean, yeah, we talk but not about you, ya know?" She sat up and turned to face him. "You're...home life and stuff. I've never even been to you're youse. I met you're parents at Walmart for Loki's sake."
"Well...there's not much to say about my home life..." Travis shrugged.
"Couldn't you be more open though?" Riley asked simply.
Travis didn't take the simple question so simply, he was on the defensive. "We've been dating for eight months and suddenly I'm not open enough? What do you want me to be more open about?"
"I don't know! You're.parents, you're family.just.I don't know! In general!"
"It's not like you've ever told me anything about you're parents."
Riley stopped and looked at him, pain written all over her face and showing in her eyes. "That's because you don't need to know about my parents. You're not ever going to meet them. I won't let you." Riley spoke in a low tone.
Seeing the pain in her eyes made Travis have a pang of guilt. "Why not?"
"Because." Riley's tone was very serious, which was a very rare occasion for her. "People like them don't deserve the pleasure of knowing someone like you."
"What do you mean?"
A single tear rolled down her cheek. She sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, arms on her knees, left hand covering her eyes. Travis knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her right knee. "Riley." She lifted her head only enough so that Travis could see more tears coming. "Riley.what's wrong?"
She shook her head, "I don't.I don't want to talk about it."
"Riley." Travis started.
"No." She turned from him, "Leave me alone." She drew her legs up and hugged them to her chest.
Travis looked worried. Riley hadn't ever been standoffish to him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright.I'll.talk to you later, ok?" When she nodded Travis sighed again, stood, walked to the door. Before he left he glanced over his shoulder at her again. He down the hall and knocked on the door two rooms down from Riley's.
"Yeah?" Ray's voice came from the other side of the door.
Travis opened the door, entered, and closed the door. Ray glanced over his shoulder from the computer. "Hey man, what's up?"
"What do you know about Riley's parents?"
Ray spun around in the computer chair to face his friend, "Why?"
"Why?" Travis sat down on Ray's bed. "Ok, she started going on about me not being open enough about things. You know, home life, parents, family, and stuff like that. Iii.I made a comment about the fact that I don't know anything about her parents." He paused. "She.she had this.look on her face." He shook his head, "Then she said I don't need to know about her parents because I was never going to meet them." He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. "And after that she broke down crying, saying she didn't want to talk about it."
"Wow." Was all Ray could manage to say at the moment.
"Yeah." Travis said with a sigh. "Do you.know anything about her parents?"
"I don't know if I should tell you.she didn't sound like she really wanted you to know."
"Come on, Ray. She's my girlfriend; I need to at least know what her parents are like. It's not like I can meet them any old time I choose."
Ray shifted in his seat, "Iii don't know, man. I mean, she only told me last year, she's been lyin' to me for 15 years."
"Ray, come on, please?"
Ray sighed and leaned forward, leaning on his legs. "Alright, look." I can't believe I'm doing this.." "Her dad is-"
The door opened suddenly, causing Ray to stop and both boys to look. Riley was standing in the doorway, tears were still running down her tear-stained cheeks. "You were going to tell him?"
"Riley, he has a right to-"
"No he doesn't! When I told you about it last year, I thought I could trust you!"
"Riley, you can-"
"Who else have you told?" She took in a quick breath.
"I haven't told anyone, Riley."
"Not even Aunt Marie and Uncle James?"
"You're dad is my dad's brother...they probably both already knew."
"So you told them, didn't you?"
"Look, Riley, it was needed for you're-"
"Needed for what, Ray? My safety? Are you part of the reason my parents sent me here? You told Aunt Marie and Uncle James, confirming their suspicions, so they talked my parents into shoving me off here for awhile.until they thought they were..sober and normal enough to take me back?"
"Maybe I was, I don't know.I think you're parents made that decision on their own.I don't know. But it was for the better, Riley. You didn't need to be around them any more."
"Why not? They're my parents you know!"
"Yeah, I know.But Aunt Sarah and Uncle Kevin aren't exactly what you would call perfect parents."
"Maybe they weren't going to get the Parent of the Year Award, so what? They're fine."
Ray shook his head, mouth open, "No, Riley, they aren't. You know it as well as I do, when someone's mom does drugs all the time and their father is drunk all the time, that's not a good place to be."
Riley looked at Travis and saw almost complete horror on his face. Was it because of where she came from? Was he going to break up with her?
Travis couldn't believe that Riley Diane, of all people, could come from that kind of family. With the attitude and personality she had, it just didn't seem right.
Riley tried to keep from crying any more. She looked down so that neither of the two boys could see her face any more. They exchanged glances before Riley came in the room She walked over to her cousin and fell into him. Before he could pull her into a hug, she back away and turned to her boyfriend. "So.gonna leave me now? Like all the other guys?" she asked as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks away.
"What? No! I'm not going to leave you just because of you're parents. You don't even live with them."
Riley was confused. All the other guys took off once they found out about her parents. "What? But.you're.you're not going to accuse me of drinking and doing drugs and.and you're not gonna leave?" She looked so confused at the moment.
"No.Riley, I know that you're smart enough to not do anything like that."
"How do you know? How do you know what I did or didn't do back in California?"
"I don't.not really.but I just.I don't think you'd be dumb enough to submit yourself to what you're parents submitted themselves to. You would have seen the effects of both ends."
"I don't understand you.but.I don't guess that matters right now." She looked at her boyfriend for a moment, studying him, "Wait.you're not doing this out of pity.are you?"
"What?"
"You're not staying with me out of pity or something, are you?"
"No.Riley, I.I can't leave you over what you're parents chose to do with their lives."
"Even if they end up being you're in-laws?" Riley teased.
"That's our Riley!" Ray said, grinning.
Riley looked at Travis very seriously and said, "No, I'm serious, even if they end up being you're in-laws?" If you knew Riley, you would know when she was serious by the look in her eyes. Right now, the look was not serious. She laughed at the look on Travis' face. "You know I was joking right, I'm not the type to plan a wedding when I'm dating a guy."
"The day she plans a wedding is the day the world ends." Ray said jokingly.
"And then, Waller will like everyone equaly except Kim, who he'll hate and dish out detentions to all the time, and...Oh, I dunno...you'll be famous?"
"Hey!" Ray shoved her lightly. "Shut up."
~*~*~*~
A/N - YES! It was short! I'm sorry! I told you I wanted this one of be longer! Chapter 10 is kinda sort too but....I will TRY to make chapter 11 longer!
Ch 9: The Argument - 2/10/07 - Saturday - 1:33pm
Travis had come over to the Brennon home to spend some extra time with his girlfriend. Currently, they were in her room. He was sitting in a 'meditation' possition and she had her head in his lap. It was raining for the fifth day in a row that week, which meant Riley had only just come out of one of her odd little trance of starind out the window at the rain as it fell. Travis was playing with her hair when she looked up at him and said, "Travis?"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't you talk more?"
"What do you mean? I talk..."
"I mean, yeah, we talk but not about you, ya know?" She sat up and turned to face him. "You're...home life and stuff. I've never even been to you're youse. I met you're parents at Walmart for Loki's sake."
"Well...there's not much to say about my home life..." Travis shrugged.
"Couldn't you be more open though?" Riley asked simply.
Travis didn't take the simple question so simply, he was on the defensive. "We've been dating for eight months and suddenly I'm not open enough? What do you want me to be more open about?"
"I don't know! You're.parents, you're family.just.I don't know! In general!"
"It's not like you've ever told me anything about you're parents."
Riley stopped and looked at him, pain written all over her face and showing in her eyes. "That's because you don't need to know about my parents. You're not ever going to meet them. I won't let you." Riley spoke in a low tone.
Seeing the pain in her eyes made Travis have a pang of guilt. "Why not?"
"Because." Riley's tone was very serious, which was a very rare occasion for her. "People like them don't deserve the pleasure of knowing someone like you."
"What do you mean?"
A single tear rolled down her cheek. She sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned forward, arms on her knees, left hand covering her eyes. Travis knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her right knee. "Riley." She lifted her head only enough so that Travis could see more tears coming. "Riley.what's wrong?"
She shook her head, "I don't.I don't want to talk about it."
"Riley." Travis started.
"No." She turned from him, "Leave me alone." She drew her legs up and hugged them to her chest.
Travis looked worried. Riley hadn't ever been standoffish to him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright.I'll.talk to you later, ok?" When she nodded Travis sighed again, stood, walked to the door. Before he left he glanced over his shoulder at her again. He down the hall and knocked on the door two rooms down from Riley's.
"Yeah?" Ray's voice came from the other side of the door.
Travis opened the door, entered, and closed the door. Ray glanced over his shoulder from the computer. "Hey man, what's up?"
"What do you know about Riley's parents?"
Ray spun around in the computer chair to face his friend, "Why?"
"Why?" Travis sat down on Ray's bed. "Ok, she started going on about me not being open enough about things. You know, home life, parents, family, and stuff like that. Iii.I made a comment about the fact that I don't know anything about her parents." He paused. "She.she had this.look on her face." He shook his head, "Then she said I don't need to know about her parents because I was never going to meet them." He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. "And after that she broke down crying, saying she didn't want to talk about it."
"Wow." Was all Ray could manage to say at the moment.
"Yeah." Travis said with a sigh. "Do you.know anything about her parents?"
"I don't know if I should tell you.she didn't sound like she really wanted you to know."
"Come on, Ray. She's my girlfriend; I need to at least know what her parents are like. It's not like I can meet them any old time I choose."
Ray shifted in his seat, "Iii don't know, man. I mean, she only told me last year, she's been lyin' to me for 15 years."
"Ray, come on, please?"
Ray sighed and leaned forward, leaning on his legs. "Alright, look." I can't believe I'm doing this.." "Her dad is-"
The door opened suddenly, causing Ray to stop and both boys to look. Riley was standing in the doorway, tears were still running down her tear-stained cheeks. "You were going to tell him?"
"Riley, he has a right to-"
"No he doesn't! When I told you about it last year, I thought I could trust you!"
"Riley, you can-"
"Who else have you told?" She took in a quick breath.
"I haven't told anyone, Riley."
"Not even Aunt Marie and Uncle James?"
"You're dad is my dad's brother...they probably both already knew."
"So you told them, didn't you?"
"Look, Riley, it was needed for you're-"
"Needed for what, Ray? My safety? Are you part of the reason my parents sent me here? You told Aunt Marie and Uncle James, confirming their suspicions, so they talked my parents into shoving me off here for awhile.until they thought they were..sober and normal enough to take me back?"
"Maybe I was, I don't know.I think you're parents made that decision on their own.I don't know. But it was for the better, Riley. You didn't need to be around them any more."
"Why not? They're my parents you know!"
"Yeah, I know.But Aunt Sarah and Uncle Kevin aren't exactly what you would call perfect parents."
"Maybe they weren't going to get the Parent of the Year Award, so what? They're fine."
Ray shook his head, mouth open, "No, Riley, they aren't. You know it as well as I do, when someone's mom does drugs all the time and their father is drunk all the time, that's not a good place to be."
Riley looked at Travis and saw almost complete horror on his face. Was it because of where she came from? Was he going to break up with her?
Travis couldn't believe that Riley Diane, of all people, could come from that kind of family. With the attitude and personality she had, it just didn't seem right.
Riley tried to keep from crying any more. She looked down so that neither of the two boys could see her face any more. They exchanged glances before Riley came in the room She walked over to her cousin and fell into him. Before he could pull her into a hug, she back away and turned to her boyfriend. "So.gonna leave me now? Like all the other guys?" she asked as she wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks away.
"What? No! I'm not going to leave you just because of you're parents. You don't even live with them."
Riley was confused. All the other guys took off once they found out about her parents. "What? But.you're.you're not going to accuse me of drinking and doing drugs and.and you're not gonna leave?" She looked so confused at the moment.
"No.Riley, I know that you're smart enough to not do anything like that."
"How do you know? How do you know what I did or didn't do back in California?"
"I don't.not really.but I just.I don't think you'd be dumb enough to submit yourself to what you're parents submitted themselves to. You would have seen the effects of both ends."
"I don't understand you.but.I don't guess that matters right now." She looked at her boyfriend for a moment, studying him, "Wait.you're not doing this out of pity.are you?"
"What?"
"You're not staying with me out of pity or something, are you?"
"No.Riley, I.I can't leave you over what you're parents chose to do with their lives."
"Even if they end up being you're in-laws?" Riley teased.
"That's our Riley!" Ray said, grinning.
Riley looked at Travis very seriously and said, "No, I'm serious, even if they end up being you're in-laws?" If you knew Riley, you would know when she was serious by the look in her eyes. Right now, the look was not serious. She laughed at the look on Travis' face. "You know I was joking right, I'm not the type to plan a wedding when I'm dating a guy."
"The day she plans a wedding is the day the world ends." Ray said jokingly.
"And then, Waller will like everyone equaly except Kim, who he'll hate and dish out detentions to all the time, and...Oh, I dunno...you'll be famous?"
"Hey!" Ray shoved her lightly. "Shut up."
~*~*~*~
A/N - YES! It was short! I'm sorry! I told you I wanted this one of be longer! Chapter 10 is kinda sort too but....I will TRY to make chapter 11 longer!