Chapter Eleven: A Broken Heart

"Will! I'm home!" Riley opened the door to her apartment. "Will?" she didn't see him. "Could you come here? I need a little bit of help—" but she stopped short as she saw a sword being pointed at her neck. Then, Will stepped out from behind the door. Riley noticed that he was in the clothes he had come here in, minus the paint stains, however.

"Drop the bags," he said, still pointing the sword.

"Will, what are you—" but the sword's point was put closer.

"Drop the bags," he repeated. This time, she did, and dropped the five or so grocery bags and library books she was carrying to the ground.

"Walk to the bedroom," he said, going behind her and putting the sword to her back. She walked in and gasped quietly.

All of her Pirates of the Caribbean stuff was on laid out on her bed, her Jack posters, her DVD, her soundtrack, newspaper and magazine articles, everything…

Riley turned around and pushed the sword down to Will's side with her finger. He didn't resist. "I can explain—"

"What is there to explain?" asked Will, his voice rising. "You lied to me! You knew all along about me, and Jack?! The adventure that I went on with my friends, all the evils I faced, you knew?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to feel like you were an outsider! And plus, Will, there are people who think you're the actor that played your character—"

"Is that what I am to you? Just a character?! Riley, I'm a real person, you know! Everything was real!" He pointed to the closet. "Including what happened in there. Did you think that was just make-believe, what we shared back in there?"

She looked down at the floor. She couldn't look at him. He was so angry, so sad… she felt tears in her eyes too. His face was contorted with rage, but his eyes… that was what she really noticed. In his eyes, there was sadness. Pure sadness. And who had caused that?

Her. She felt so terrible… she wanted to hug him, to hold him and never let go. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was for betraying him like this, how she never meant to cause all the pain.

"You know the reason I got on that ship that brought me here was because of a woman," he said quietly. "I loved her, but she betrayed me. I thought you were different, Riley, but you did just the same exact thing Elizabeth did, betrayed my trust and… and broke my heart." She saw a tear roll down his cheek.

He walked out of the room, putting his sword in his belt. "Where are you going?" Riley asked, tears now falling from her eyes.

"Home," he replied. "I've got no one here, maybe Jack will let me stay on the Pearl…"

"Will, you can't just go off into this world by yourself! There are things you don't know about… You can't survive out there!"

"SO WHAT?!" he yelled. "Right now I feel like there's nothing worth surviving for in my life now…"

"Wait," she said. He turned. "You stay here. I'll go stay at Robbie's, where I can find a way to get you back home, if that's where you want to go." She grabbed a few things she'd need and walked to the door. "Bye, Will," she said, tears falling harder.

…

Riley blew her nose for what seemed like the millionth time that night, then throwing the dirty tissue into the now exploding trash bin next to the couch bed in Robbie's apartment. Just then, Robbie came into the room with a mug of something.

"Here," he said, handing it to her. "Hot chocolate always makes me feel better, and there's a little surprise in it," he added with a grin.

Riley looked down into it. "Extra marshmallows?"

"Well, that too—" Riley coughed after she took a sip.

"UGH! Robbie, what's in here?"

"Uh, another something that makes me feel better…"

"Did you drug my hot chocolate?!"

"Okay, now that's a bit too harsh. I wouldn't call it drugging… I'd call it enhancing…"

"Did you put a shot in my drink?!"

Robbie was wringing his hands. Riley looked down into the mug in her hands. The liquid was brown…

Will's eyes were brown…

She burst into tears. Curse PMS.

"Hey, come on, it's okay…" Robbie took the mug from her and set it down on the nearby coffee table before wrapping his arms around her. She cried into his shoulder and Robbie rubbed her back soothingly. "He's a jerk, Ri, you shouldn't waste your time."

She just cried even harder.

"I mean… he's the perfect man for you, with a few… er… issues…" Could she cry any harder?! he thought. "You know something, you girls cry too much! Why can't you be like guys when you have problems with someone else? Just punch 'em and in five minutes you two are fine!"

Riley laughed and pulled away. "Thanks, Robbie, but we're not violent."

Robbie looked down at his shoulder. "Eeeeewwww…"

Riley smiled guiltily. "Sorry about that…"

"It's okay," he said, taking a tissue and wiping his shirt. "But next time, don't cry into my shoulder."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time…" she replied.

He kissed her cheek. "Good night, Ri, maybe a good-night sleep will make you feel better. Sleep tight."

He walked out of the living room and into his, turning the light off as he went.

Riley sighed. Maybe sleep was just the thing she needed…

…

(tear tear) poor Will and Riley! Makes you wonder… doesn't it… well all the same REVIEW!