The Final Year, The Final Show
Disclaimer - See ch. 1 dammit!
A/N - Ok...let's see....This chapter will be interesting. Not saying another word.
Renjview! You know what it means!
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Ch 14 - The Weekend It All Came Down
8/17/07 - Early Friday Morning
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Ray and Lily had been laying under the mess of blankets and sheets for a good two and a half hours. They had heard Riley come back and fall like an earthquake to her bed--or because of the sound, possibly her floor. Lily had her head on Ray's shoulder when a thought hit her. She frowned and leaned up on her arm, looking down at Ray, who was looking back up at her. "What?" he asked, confused.
"Well, I know this isn't really the best time to bring it up, but I have to."
"What?" Ray asked again, eyebrows raised.
"Well...you know how Travis and Riley acted when they had sex..." She trailed off, "You don't think...we'll act like that, do you?"
"Well, I don't know, I mean..." After a moment, they looked at each other, completely different opinions in mind now.
"Naaahhhh." They said as one.
"See, it was expected of Riley," Ray said, "Because, well, she was pretty bad already, but when Swami even started acting like that..."
"Yeah," Lily agreed, "I know! It was really weird. I just can't imagine him actually acting like that." She shook her head slowly.
"I may be related to the girl, but there is no way you're going to get me acting like Riley." Ray nodded, "You can be sure of that one."
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8/18/07 - 2:08pm - Saturday
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Riley was starting to wonder about her cousin and her best girl friend. They were acting really strange. And she knew exactly why, no matter how hard they were trying to keep it a secret. It was written all over their faces. However, she decided she wouldn't bring it up. Yet. She was hanging out with Lily at the other girl's house. Riley was currently sprawled out over Lily's bed like she would be over hers, hanging upside down. "Li-ly!"
"Ri-ley!" Lily whined back, "What?" She asked, laughing lightly.
Riley sat up suddenly and nearly caused Lily to tip back in her chair that she was leaning back on two legs at that moment. "You guys did it, didn't you?"
"Huh?" Lily looked throughly confused--and this was no cover; she was really confused.
"You and Ray. You did it, didn't you?"
"No," Lily said, as if she was offended, "Why? What makes you say that?"
Riley rolled her eyes, "Lily, dahr-ling, there's no use denying it." She said in a randomly used British accent.
"I'm not denying anything!" Lily defended herself.
"Right, I believe you," Riley said in a very disbelieving tone; her voice was normal again. With her next line, she took on a very knowing tone, even if half of it was fake. "Honey, darlin', sweetie," Thank God, the fake part was over, "It's all over your face, and Ray...well...he's just been grinning uncontrolably. That is a huge hint."
Lily crossed her arms over her chest, "How can you be so sure?"
Riley gave her a Oh, come on! look and raised eyebrows.
"Fine." Lily rolled her eyes, "You win."
"And you loose." Riley giggled.
Lily only rolled her eyes again in response.
After a moment of silence, Riley sighed, "Oh, thank God!"
"What?"
"You're not telling me anything about it."
"Um, no..."
"Well, I have friends in California and a couple of the guys one of my friends dated were practically my brothers and she told me about it." Riley shuddered, "Worst six hours of my life, all thanks to Melanie." She shook her head.
Lily's eyes were wide as the moon, "How detalied was she?"
Riley looked her, obviously still disgusted with Melanie. "Very." Riley sighed, "That was two years ago and I still can't talk to James! I swear!"
"Wow...that's scary." Lily couldn't help but ask, "Is she a slut or something?"
Riley laughed. "No. She kind of dresses and comes off as one when you meet her, but really, she's nowhere near a slut. But...when she has sex, she has it and has it in the weirdest, wildest, and creepiest ways imaginable. And I know this...from six freakin' hours of recaps with her!" Riley shuddered, "Excuse me while I scream into your pillow." And she did just that.
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8/18/07 - 4:00pm - Saturday
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All six of the little Roscoe gang were at--where else--the Brennan house. They were all in their usual places, except for Travis and Riley, who were standing in the middle of the room, having what would seem to be a staredown to anyone that suddenly walked into the room. However, if that person stayed a few seconds later, they would realize that this was not what the two were doing. They were, as Ray put it, "In the middle of the Quote-Off, Strong is currently contemplating his next quote...Will he succeed?" Ray's voice was similar to that of a
commentator. "Well, duh! He's Travis! Of course he'll think of a quote!" And suddenly normal again.
"'The tongue weighs practically nothing, but so few people can hold it'...Anonymous." Travis said slowly.
Riley smirked, "I can beat that easy. And this quote has an author." She winked at her boyfriend, "'If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door'...Milton Berle."
"'Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.' C.S. Lewis."
"How about one of my favorites? Riley grinned, "'If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.' Katherine Hepburn."
"I can top that in a second." Travis said. "'Trials, temptations, disappointments -- all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fibre of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.' James Buckham."
"Length doesn't matter, my friend, it's the quality. 'No matter where you go or what you do, your mother will always be behind you ...quietly ripping her hair out.' Cathy Guisewite."
"A nice one from a former American president. 'The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.'" Travis looked around the room, "Anyone care to guess who said that?"
Ray was the first to speak, "Some old dead guy!"
Travis and Riley sighed and spoke in unison, "Abraham Lincoln."
"Right. I knew that!" Ray shouted, "I was...I was testing you!" He nodded.
"'The hero is the one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a light.' Felix Adler." Riley smiled indignatly.
"I thought length didn't matter?" Travis teased, "'Work is a necessary evil to avoid.' Mark Twain."
"Oh, Lord. You reminded me of an actress from around the thirties. You got me on a kick, Travis." Riley warned, "'Whenever I'm caught between two evils, I take the one I've never tried.' Mae West, as will be the next several until stated otherwise."
"Mae West, huh? I'm surprised you know who she is."
"Well, I might not be completely into the movies from around that era, but she was great." Riley grinned and looked at the others, "You'll see.."
"'Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter.' William Raphlnge."
"'I generally avoid temptation unless I couldn't resist it.'"
"Damn, you guys are going to be here for hours, aren't you?" Lily intervened, only to get a chorused answer of,
"Yes."
"Oh-kay then..." Lily muttered, "I should get some popcorn. Come with, Ray?"
"Alright," Ray shrugged and followed her into the kitchen.
"You guys! You can't leave us here alone with these two!" Robbie called after his two friends, referring to Kim and himself.
"Yes, Mister McGrath, we can." Lily grinned. "Plus, it's not going to be that long..." And so she and Ray disappeared into the kitchen.
"'If you can't convince them, confuse them.' President Harry S. Truman."
"Oh, I like that one. Good choice." Riley smiled, "'When I'm good, I'm very, very good. When I'm bad, I'm better.'"
"If that's not the truth...there is none in this world." Kim agreed.
"'Love means never having to say you're sorry.' Erich Segal."
"Aww, I love you too, Travis." Riley laughed, "'Women with pasts interest men... they hope history will repeat itself.'"
"'He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger.' It's from a Japanese Proverb."
"Nice...I like it.However, I'm bored with Mae for the moment, new quoter!" Riley blinked, "Will Rogers: 'Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.'"
"And it's so true." Robbie interjected.
And I am overfilled with joy that you didn't chose one of the more provacative Mae West quotes, Riley. Thank you. Travis silently thanked her before going on to say his next quote. "'The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone.' Isben."
Lily and Ray came back with two bowls of popcorn, giving Robbie and Kim one on their way in. The four sat in their places, ate their popcorn, and were amused by the Quote-Off. This went on for a good half hour before Riley ended up bringing Mae West into the picture again.
"Mae West really was a genius, don't you think?" Riley grinned, "'You ought to get out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini.'"
"Agatha Christie was very true to life. 'I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.' And amsuing, too."
Riley glanced over at her cousin and his girlfriend as she said, "'Sex is emotion in motion.'" She held her giggles back when she saw Ray's pattented Brennan embarrassed habits; this consisted of wide eyes, swallowing, licking the lips, and darting eyes. She winked at the two and looked back at Travis.
"'The meaning of life is creative love. Not love as an inner feeling, as a private sentimental emotion, but love as a dynamic power moving out into the world and doing something original.'
from Tom Morris' book If Aristotle Ran General Motors in nineteen ninety-seven." Now, Travis wasn't merely thinking, but hoping and praying, Please, Riley...don't let your next quotes get into the deeper end of Mae...
"'It's not the men in my life that count. It's the life in my men.'"
So far, so good...for now... "'If there is one thing upon this earth that mankind love and admire better than another, it is a brave man, -- it is the man who dares to look the devil in the face and tell him he is a devil.' James A. Garfield."
Ray sighed and said, "Alright, come on! When is this going to end?"
"I dunno..." Riley shrugged.
"It's gotta end sometime! Or we'll be here forever, Riley!"
Riley looked at Travis and nodded, "He's right...and plus, I've got a job interview today at...six and it's..." She glanced at her watch, "Five thrity-three." She smiled.
"Job interview? I didn't know you applied. Where?" Travis asked.
"Mickey's." Riley grinned, "Where else are you supposed to work around here? I'm not goin' to the dollar theather."
"How many more quotes are we allowed to have?" Travis asked, causing both Riley and himself to look around at the other four in the room. They knew that the two of them could never decide, so they were waiting for someone else to tell them.
"Four more quotes for the two of you. Your last quote has to be really great, though." Robbie said, knowing that the two would probably have to think about that for a bit.
"Ok! So, it was...my go, right?" Riley thought for a moment, though she didn't have to. She already knew her quote this go-round and the next. "'A hard man is good to find.' Don't you girls agree?" She laughed.
"'You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.' Harriet Woods."
Riley moved closer to Travis, standing hardly over an inch away from him. She was speaking in a low, quiet tone, but made sure everyone would be able to hear her. "'Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?'" Everyone laughed at that. Well, everyone except Travis. He was the only one that felt the true awkwardness of the quote. Think about it. Having your girlfriend just randomly pulling that quote of all the ones that had to be in her head, what did she do but pull out the one that would, surely, embarrass him the most, no matter what the situation was.
"'Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.' Shakespear."
"'The computer is a moron.'"
"Hey! Who said you could take quotes from yourself?" Ray asked.
"I didn't take that from myself, Ray." Riley said, "It's one of the funnier quotes I know and it's from Peter Drucker."
"...Oh."
"Alright, here it goes, ladies and gentlemen." Ray was using his anouncer voice again, "The Final Quotes. What will they chose? And who will be the determined winner?"
Travis gave it some thought and finally decided on, "'The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.' From the one that is most quoted from me, Buddha."
Riley had her quote planned. It was one of her favorites and she knew it word for word. "This is from Rob Cella..." When she said the quote, she was looking directly into Travis' eyes and spoke slowly, sometimes slower on certain parts rather than the others. "'A relationship...is like a rose. How long it lasts, no one knows; Love can erase an awful past,'" She closed her eyes, a flash of her parents coming to mind, "'Love can be yours, you'll see at last; To feel that love...it makes you sigh. To have it leave... ..." She swallowed, "...You'd rather die; You hope you've found that special rose...'Cause you love and care for the one you chose...'" Riley's voice wavered slightly as she started the last bit of it. Clearly, this quote had meaning to Riley.
Ray, Lily, Robbie, and Kim all exchanged confused, and slightly worried looks. They couldn't help but watch and see what happened, as though the two in the center of the room were an extremely good television show.
Travis frowned slightly. Was she trying to say something to him? And why did that particular poem-like quote seem to have such an impact on her? "Riley, are you...are you ok?" Travis asked, stepping closer to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
"I'm fine it's just...I don't know." She looked around the room, "Well, I guess the emotion I put behind that thing really got you guys!" Riley said, happy as ever and not in the least depressed like she had seemed to be before. She even started laughing.
After a few moments of silence and nothingness, Riley looked at the clock. "You know what...I'm gonna have ta call Mickey and let him know I can't make the interview." Which was very wrong. They were only about ten minutes from the restaraunt, and there was still a good twenty before she had previously said she needed to be there.
No one took this to heart. Well, no one except Travis. He watched her curiosly as she made her way into the kitchen to make her call. Something was wrong. All he had to do, was figure out what it was.
8/18/07 - 11:00pm - Saturday
That night, Riley lay in her bed, crying. She couldn't believe that it was happening. What shocked her even more was that she was actually crying over it. She didn't exactly have to. If the situation were reversed, she wouldn't be crying over it. ...Or, Riley didn't think she would. Suddenly, there was a noise filling the room. Riley took in a quick breath of air that came in more shrill than she had been hoping for. The door was closed quietly and she could hear someone come close to her bed. Riley felt them sit down next to her. "Riley..."
"Oh...Ray. Ok..." Riley said with a sigh of relief.
"Riley what's...what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, Ray. Don't worry about it." Riley said, sitting up a little and leaning against the book-case-shelf at the head of the bed. Hey, what could she do about it? That's how the frame had come and Riley was definitely not complaining. She reached up and turned the small lamp on her bedside table on. Riley knew her cousin and she knew him well. Thus, she knew that he would continue to ask about it, so she just let him see the tears. She wasn't going to explain on her own, though. He was going to have to beg her for that one.
"Riley, come on. What's going on?"
Riley sighed, but decided that she may as well tell him since she knew he would just keep on about it. She sat up a little more and whiped the tears from her eyes. "Ok...when you were over at Lily's earlier and Aunt Marie and Uncle James were at work...I was here, ya know? And...there was a collect call. So, naturally assuming it might be from one of my friends in Cali, I took it." She paused. "Turns out...it was from...a hospital. They called to let me know that my mom...she died. I'm not sure on the exact details and I can't get my dad for more info--he's not answering the phone--but something happened that a group of guys my dad associates with didn't like and they went on a killing spree. My mom, as well as several others in the house, were shot. All seven of them are dead."
"Oh, jeez, Riley, I...I don't even know what to say." Ray's voice was soft and concerned.
"But I don't why I'm crying!" Riley spoke through the tears, "The woman didn't give a shit about me! I don't understand these tears, Ray!"
"Riley...she was your mother. That should be reason enough."
"She may have given birth to me, but my mother lived a block away. There was this woman that live a block down from us, Melissa Addams, and she was the one that took care of me. I lived in her house when things got too rough at my own. My mother for the last year and a half has been Aunt Marie. But Sarah Brennan was never a mother to me. All she did was give birth to me. There has never been a father-figure in my life besides Uncle James and the mother-figure has always been someone else. None of my tears make sense, Ray."
"Yes, they do, Riley. No matter how much you despise your mother...you love her. Even if it's just a little bit, you love her, Riley. And there's nothing you can do about it. Actually, if you told me this and you never cried about it, I would be worried about you."
After a few moments, Riley smiled lightly at her cousin, "Thanks, Ray."
"Yeah, sure...it's fine."
Suddenly, something crossed Riley's mind and her eyes widened and she grabbed her cousin's shoulder, "Ray. You have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone about this."
"What? No, Riley...mom and dad have to know about this."
"I know, and I'll tell them, but...just...please, let me do it, Ray."
Ray saw the fear and pleading in her eyes and he couldn't help but agree. "All right," He nodded. "I won't tell them."
"And no one else? Not Travis or Lily or Robbie or Kim or Waller or anyone?"
"I swear I won't tell--" Ray frowned, "Waller? What the hell?"
"I don't know," Riley laughed, "It just came out."
Ray shook his head. If he didn't already know that Riley was his cousin, he would definitely be wondering if they were related right now. That was so much like something that would happen with him, it was just weird. "So, you're gonna be all right, then?"
"I guess..."
"Riley,"
"No, I'll be fine." Riley said immediately.
Ray's eyebrows shot up, "Are you sure?"
"As soon as I see Mitchelle again."
Ray rolled her eyes. "I swear, you're in love with that guy."
"No! That's reserved for Travis. But if he wasn't gay, Mitchelle wouldn't be so bad, you know.." Riley grinned and laughed at her cousin's reaction.
"I can't even imagine that guy not gay!"
"Hey! Don't dis Mitchelle!" Riley shouted, slapping him in the shoulder.
"I'm not. I just really can't picture him straight."
"Whatever," Riley rolled her eyes. "Go away."
"Where do you want me to go?"
"Go. Away." After a moment, she laughed. "Breakfast Club refernce! I love you!"
"What?"
"You mean...you didn't say that because you were trying to make a reference to The Breakfast Club?"
"No..." Ray shook his head.
"Damn you."
"Well, fine. I will go. Away. Now." Ray said in a false huffy tone.
Riley rolled her eyes and turned her lamp out when he was gone. "I live in a nuthouse!"
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End of Ch 14
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Notes - Beginning was fun, right? And the end's-middle-ish point, it was a little angsty, but...still good, right? Poor Riles. Next chapter will be good, though. I hope, anyway. LOL!
Give me a buzz!
Later days,
-PFB-
