Chapter 5: Resolutions and Revelations
Riley woke up the next morning with the sunlight on her face. She noticed her pillow was soaked and remembered she had cried herself to sleep the night before.
"I feel awful, I look awful, and I pissed Jeff off last night. What a way to start my day."
She
got out of bed and took a hot shower, which only lasted about 2
seconds considering Matt had used the shower before her.
It
was one o'clock by the time she had gotten dressed. She didn't expect
anyone to be at home but when she walked into the kitchen there was
Matt eating a bowl of Trix. She tried to muster as much enthusiasm as
possible. Maybe he didn't know about the figurative "fallout"
between her a Jeff hours before.
"Silly
Rabbit, Trix are for kids," she said sitting across from Matt
trying to steal the sports section of the paper.
"And so
are phony smiles and corny jokes," Matt said coolly as he
discarded the sports page from the paper.
Riley was stunned.
'So, he does know.'
"Yes Ry, I know about the
little tiff you and my brother had if you could call it that. Jeff
went running this morning and then to the gym instead of waking you
up. That within itself is a red flag. Care to tell me WHY you gave up
you-know-what?"
They
heard the door click and Jeff walked past the kitchen and to his
bedroom. Riley glanced at Matt who turned his attention back to the
paper and didn't return her glance. She left the table and went to
Jeff's room.
Riley approached the door with caution and turned the knob slowly and saw Jeff on the ground doing push ups. She sat down on the bed and just watched him for a minute.
"You know you're
going to wear yourself out if keep exercising like this," she
said stepping around him
"You know that your eyes are
going to fallout if you keep looking at me like that," Jeff
responded in an angry tone.
Riley just laughed, "Somehow
I figure I deserved that but in all actuality I don't. I'm an adult
now Jeff as I know you've realized and I don't need someone watching
over me. I figured since I would be starting college and a job I
wouldn't have time for it anymore, so I decided one day to pack it up
and close that part of my life and open a new one."
By now Jeff had begun
to listen but was still doing push ups.
"RyLynn, don't
give me that. What made you change your mind, or should I say whom?
You wouldn't go from determined to defeat in such a short amount of
time."
Riley hated when they were fighting. She figured
she would tell him, but she was afraid that he would think that she
was weak. That she needed him to be around to fight her battles.
"Okay Jeff, you want me to tell you, I'll tell you. I'm
scared."
Jeff looked at her strangely, "what do you
mean you're scared?"
"It happened after you
left."
Rehab
had been a grueling process for Riley, but Jeff had taken a couple of
months off to take care of her. Chris had offered for her to stay
with him but she refused. So he invaded her apartment like the plague
for the last month and a half. Finally she was feeling better enough
to compete in the championships the following week. Riley had driven
Jeff to the airport and they were waiting for his plane to board.
"Jeff, I'm
nervous, please stay," Riley wined as she clung to Jeff's arm.
Jeff just laughed, "Ry, sweetie you know I have to go. Vince gave me 2 months off so I could take care of you and now I have to go. I'll be back soon okay?"
Riley looked away with a sad expression of her face and a tear in her eyes.
Jeff shook his head, "Ry, we promised no tears when I went away remember?" Riley just shook her head.
The voice over the
intercom spoke, "Flight 105 to Detroit now
boarding."
Jeff
slung his backpack over his shoulder regretting having to leave
Riley. He saw the tears threatening to fall any minute.
"Don't worry Ry, you're going to do great and don't let anyone tell you other wise okay?"
Riley put on her best smile and nodded.
"Good girl. I love you." Jeff and Riley embraced in one last hug and Jeff kissed the top of her forehead before heading off through the gate to board his plane. Riley watched with a tear going down her cheek as she saw him leave.
'Now to go and have dinner with Chris,' she thought as she exited the airport and drove home.
"That night at dinner I told Christopher that I was planning to return to racing and that I entered the nationals. He told me he didn't want me to do it because if I hurt myself again that I might not come out as lucky as before and," Riley was pretty close to tears, "I thought of you and I thought of AJ. If something happened to me AJ would be alone and...you..." Riley let the tears flow freely.
"The risks aren't
worth it Jeff. I guess I don't have my heart in it and what he said
really stayed in my mind." Riley was now crying on Jeff's
shoulder.
"Who sweetie?" he asked looking at
Riley.
"My father," she sat up and began telling of
a discussion that had taken place a few years ago.
"RyLynn, are you really willing to risk everything on this one foolish dream?" Jacob Carter yelled at his daughter. He was pacing back and forth in front of the fire place while Riley sat tapping her fingers on the arm chair trying to block out her father's words of discouragement like so many that had been spoken before.
"Why can't you just accept that this is what I want to do? You support everything AJ does..."
"Because AJ has enough sense to do something that will be of use to him in the future. I don't approve of this. It's dangerous for a girl your age and just not something girls do. One day, you'll wake up with a history of injuries and awful things that happened to you and something is going to happen that is going to change your life forever and you're going to realize that the risks aren't worth it."
"I'm not going to back down," Riley said quietly but with a hundred percent conviction in her voice.
"Well I'm not RyLynn. That's why your inheritance won't take affect until you get married. I'll leave instruction with my lawyer and make sure that's carried out. I'm sure I'll pass before it happens."
Mr.
Carter left the room leaving RyLynn alone in the parlor staring into
the flames of the fire. She sat there staring, feeling the fire
itself burn in her soul and the flames from then on reflected in her
eyes.
Man, I have no idea why I'm still with him. I guess he reminds me a lot of my father, they both sure have the same attitudes." Riley paused, "duh. Jeff I have to go have dinner with Christopher." Riley got up and walked to her room.
Jeff was completely lost. "Um, Ry, do I sense revelations?"
Riley peaked her head into the door, "revelations that I should have made years ago. It's time to finally close the chapter and open a new."
"I'm still confused," Jeff said.
"First day of the rest of my life type thing, I'll explain later." Riley said and got ready for her date.
