Chapter 9: Homecoming
It was Saturday morning and Riley woke up before dawn and decided to take a run before the sun rose and everyone was up.
She couldn't stop thinking. Not about the job interview but about things in general. About the life she had and the life she was beginning again, with and without people that she loved. It was strange because the first and last thing she thought of when she went to sleep was her mother. Her mother, the funniest thing, she hadn't thought about her mother in a long time. She never really had known her and could only imagine what she was like. She'd seen pictures but that was never enough. Her inquisitive mind wanted to know about her favorite color, what flowers she loved, what her laugh sounded like.
Her father had said her Aunt Anna laughed like her mother. To Riley it wasn't the same because she wasn't her mother. Pretty close though considering she was like a mother figure until they moved to North Carolina. She had talked to her a couple of times and had seen her on her 16th birthday but other than that she hadn't seen her.
Then she thought about Matt and Jeff. They had been like brothers. Well, more so best friends because she already had AJ. Matt was the one always goofing around and liked to pick on her while Jeff was her partner in crime. He was her protector and when they were together they were always tons of fun. She bought out the devious side in him and he bought out the same in her. Until a few years ago she didn't have many friends outside of the Hardies. That all changed when they went to the WWE and she decided to join the professional league. She had met Harmony and Lauren in college and Angie and Ashley at a motocross event years earlier.
'But I do need to prove something to myself. Do you know what that is yet Riley?' she asked herself as she jogged back toward her apartment.
No matter what she thought about, her thoughts led her back to her mother.
'I have an idea,' she thought.
'Now I have to try and leave without my personal bodyguards chasing after me.' Then again she doubted it but it never hurt to try. Then for the first time she could hear the music that was blaring out of her headphones.
THIS SONG IS MINE! You may ask my permission to use it but with MY PERMISSION ONLY!
Running to Forever
9 hour days I spent running, finding a way to disappear.
5 hours at nights I spent sleeping, dreaming of a way to get out of here.
Several hours I spent running from the one thing I fear the most,
Spend all my time running up and back down the coast
I'll never get my answers though I was so close; I feel it...
Here I am all alone.
Always said on my own, that's where I like to be.
Think about the brighter days, where'd the go anyways,
What happened to you and me?
They went away; right along with my sanity,
Away from me; now I can't grasp the thought of forever,
I'm lost without you, lost in a world of sheer vanity.
Come back and restore me to reality, you and me forever.
Some how she understood.
Riley ran up the stairs to the front door of her apartment. She took off her headphones and reached into her pocket to get her key. She fished in the pockets of her gray sweatpants and couldn't find the key.
'Shoot, I must have dropped it,' Riley thought to herself as she checked her pockets for the third time with no success.
She looked under the mat but amazingly, no key.
"AJ, no wonder you and Matt get along so well, you both lose your house keys. Looks like I'll have to knock."
She pounded on the door knowing that neither Matt nor Jeff were up on a Saturday morning at 6:30.
She could hear Matt yelling, "Riley answer the door!"
Riley continued to knock.
"Alright I'm coming!" The door swung open and she was surprised to see Jeff at the door in black running pants. "Riley? This is your apartment, why didn't you use a key?"
Riley pushed past Jeff and went to her room. "I dropped my during my run on the beach and AJ has his somewhere. I'm going to find my extra one." She went to her nightstand and found a box that contained the offensive keys. "Never mind, I found it." She then proceeded to retrieve her suitcase and pack her clothing.
Jeff looked confused and tried to dodge various clothing that was being thrown into the suitcase. "Ry, why are you packing your clothes this early? We don't leave till tomorrow."
"Actually I was planning on going on a little road trip and take a plane to Phoenix tomorrow night."
If he wasn't awake before he was definitely awake now. "Ry, what do you mean a road trip?"
"I mean a trip from here to Atlanta, Georgia to see my Aunt and of course to take care of some unfinished business.
"Somehow I don't like it. Why now?" Jeff asked still confused.
Riley got a little annoyed. "Look, I'm going like it or not and if you want you can go with me, otherwise stay out of my way!"
By now they had woken up Matt who was still tired. "What is going on you two rug-rats?" he asked entering the room. "Some people are still trying to sleep."
Riley threw one of her pillows at him. "Watch who you're calling a rug-rat I'm not 9 I'm 19."
Jeff threw another pillow at his brother, "we're going on a road trip, get dressed."
Matt was just confused to say the least. "What do you mean road trip? This wouldn't involve an offensive tape would it?"
Riley just stared at him.
"Matt, you've lost you're privilege to talk. Now get dressed before I move on to throwing harder objects. Meet Mr. Stapler and Mr. Baseball."
Riley held up Mr. Stapler and Mr. Baseball respectively. Matt left the room in a flash and Jeff followed not wanting to get on Riley's nerves. That left the job of calling AJ up to Riley.
The three plus AJ were crammed in A.J.'s Expedition with tons of luggage heading down the highway. They had gone through South Carolina and Florida.
"Welcome to Georgia!" AJ screamed at the top of his lungs which caused Riley to jump from her position with her head on Jeff's shoulder and caused Matt to smack his head on the window.
"Why does the universe hate me so much?" Matt asked rubbing his forehead.
Riley yawned, "I'm not going to answer that. Lex, what time is it? I seriously need to get to a rest stop."
"YOU need to get to a rest stop? I'm driving," AJ said pulling onto an exit ramp.
"I'll switch with you later. It's noon so I'd only have to drive another hour and a half."
They had pulled into a rest area got out to stretch. "Hey Ry, you want me to get you anything from the vending machine?" Jeff asked.
"Just bottled water," she responded handing Jeff a dollar bill. "Hey AJ, wait up!" She ran to catch up with her brother who was heading toward the bathroom. "AJ," she began to walk beside him. "Why didn't we ever go back after we moved?"
AJ was surprised by his sister's question. "You ask me this as if I know Lynn. That would have been a question to ask dad. I guess he needed to get away from everything and figured we did too."
Riley just nodded, "that makes TOO much sense to be true AJ."
AJ just looked at her confused about what she meant. "What are you talking about?"
Riley laughed, "one, it's too after-school special, and two, whenever we would fight he would threaten to send me to live with Aunt Elizabeth. Why he didn't I have no clue. That would have been the PERFECT lady-like boot- camp for me according to him."
"I couldn't imagine it. Really, I couldn't imagine you living with Aunt Elizabeth. You'd either run-away to Aunt Anna's or kill yourself."
"Exactly, but why..." She was interrupted by AJ, they were now in front of the bathroom. "Sis, would you mind waiting till later to finish this discussion, in case you're wondering, bathroom," he said pointing to the entrance to the men's room.
"Fine, I have to find Jeff anyways." AJ ran into the bathroom and Riley made her way back to the SUV where Matt and Jeff were goofing around.
We were a quarter mile away from Aunt Anna's home when AJ made me pull over.
"Lynn, pull over and let me drive. They know I'm coming so we have to surprise them."
Riley agreed and pulled over. She situated herself next to Matt and Pippin's carrying case and they were off.
They passed the Georgia Dome driving through the city.
"Hey, you guys didn't tell me that the WWE was in town," AJ broke the silence that had resided in the car for the past 10 minutes.
"I forgot about it, Jeff, how bout you?"
"Eh," was all he managed strangely enough.
Riley chimed in, "are we THERE YET?" She did that occasionally out of boredom.
"No Lynn, 5 more minutes."
"How do you know your way there anyway? Ry said that you hadn't been there since forever," Jeff asked.
"Correction, SHE hasn't been there since forever. I take trips here occasionally. I invite Lynn to come but she always had something to do. Even at the funeral she slept on the car ride to and from and hid from people the whole time here."
"It was my grieving period, I hate socializing," Riley piped up in her own defense. It's beautiful down here remind me why I never come down here?"
The landscape was beautiful. It looked like they were just coming out of a light snow. The grass was covered in snow and the trees powdered over. The sky was a cool blue, the sun shone down on the snow, making everything brighter.
'You'll be reminded soon enough Ry,' AJ thought.
He knew EXACTLY why she hated it. Truthfully, some people in their family were crazy, annoying, or just indescribable. Luckily, half of them died within the last six years, not that anyone would care. They were all buried in the family cemetery. Even when their father died, creepy was the only word to describe it. They pulled into the Carter driveway.
'This should be interesting to say the least,' AJ thought as he took the keys out of the ignition.
AJ stopped the car in front of the main house. On the porch was Rachel. Rachel was AJ and Riley's cousin. AJ got out of the car and went up to the porch to hug Rachel. Rachel was taller than Riley, about 5'9" with long, perfect jet black hair and slightly pale skin like AJ.
"AJ," Rachel squealed in her high-pitched obnoxious voice. Riley had to cover her ears to prevent them from shattering. Both Matt and Jeff's eyes had widened.
"Nails on a chalkboard?" Jeff asked twitching from the sound that had entered his ears.
"Reason number ONE," Riley said getting ready for her 'grand entrance'.
"You guys ready? Matt, get Pippin's cage."
By now, Aunt Elizabeth, a 60 year old lady with gray hair, cold blue eyes, and wrinkled skin had walked onto the porch and was hugging AJ.
"Aunt Elizabeth, I bought some other guests. Do you mind if they stay with us till tomorrow?" AJ asked his aunt.
"Sure Alexander, we have plenty of room." Yes they had plenty of room the house was HUGE by any stretch of the imagination.
Alex waved for them to come out. Jeff got out first. He opened the back door and Matt flew out of the truck and into the snow with Pippin's cage. Jeff and AJ start laughing while Elizabeth and Rachel stare not aware of what was so funny. Jeff reached his hand into the truck and Riley took it and stepped out with Pippin under her arm, 'inadvertently' dropping the 45 pound dog on his head. She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and turned to her Aunt and cousin.
"Hi everyone," she said in a perky voice smiling.
They were both sort of speechless. She had changed from the tomboy image and was now dressing, not prissy but a casual girlish look with white pants, brown leather boots, and a brown sweater. Jeff saw Riley shiver and gave her his leather jacket. They were stunned by her change in appearance.
"RyLynn," her Aunt started. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Nice to see you too Aunt Elizabeth," Riley said walking up to hug her aunt.
"You've changed so much. You've gotten rid of your image and finally have gotten out of that phase you were going through. And your father said you'd never get a boyfriend. Which one IS your boyfriend dear?"
Riley almost laughed. She thought Matt or Jeff was her boyfriend! This is hilarious.
"I assume it's this young man," Elizabeth said gesturing to Jeff. Jeff and Riley exchanged glances not knowing what to do.
"Aunt Elizabeth, this is Jeff and his brother Matt," Riley gestured to them respectively.
Elizabeth nodded, "nice to meet you both. So Jeffery, how long have you and Riley been dating?"
Riley and Jeff both exchanged glances as to say, 'WHAT is she talking about?!'
AJ, with his impeccable timing saved them.
"Matt, Jeff, I need some help unloading the luggage."
Jeff was too happy to comply and Matt didn't want to leave, being FAR too amused with the scene.
"MATT!" AJ yelled in his ear causing him to jump.
Riley was now unfortunately alone on the porch with Rachel and Elizabeth. She panicked, "I'm sure they need help with the luggage," she said looking for a way to get out of the awkward situation.
"No, I'm sure they can handle it. Especially Jeff, he looks like he works out a lot," Rachel said with a grin on her face.
"You can come inside. We have Cocoa and we can talk about life in general. A little 'girl time' if you will," Elizabeth said heading toward the door.
"This is the reason I don't go home on the holidays," Riley thought to herself.
"Sure, sounds great," she lied and followed her aunt and cousin into the house with a plastered smile on her face.
