Chapter 10 : Don't Ever Change
Riley entered the house
whose halls she hadn't wandered in so long. Along the walls were
pictures of relatives. Most were now dead, alive, or forgotten. Most
she hadn't seen or heard of in her lifetime. Their cold eyes seemed
to follow her as she walked down the hall behind Elizabeth and
Rachel. They went into a room that was painted green with matching
furniture and carpeting. A fire was going in the fireplace and
Sutton, the Tabby-cat was lying in a corner sleeping.
'Note to
self; keep Pippin FAR away from Sutton,' Riley thought remembering
the last time she had brought Pippin along for a visit. Long story
short, Pippin ended up traumatized and she realized Sutton was one
EVIL kitty. Rachel adored him none the less. No wonder. The three
women sat down on the sofa and were silent for a moment before
Elizabeth began to make conversation.
"RyLynn how's life
in North Carolina?" Elizabeth said turning to her youngest
niece.
'Where do I start, my giving up motocross? No I won't
give her the satisfaction. 'Chris? DEFINITELY not.' She mulled over
the options in her head while staring into the fire.
"RyLynn?"
her aunt called to her. This caused Riley to snap out of her trance.
"Oh, there's so much to tell where do I start?"
As if almost on cue,
Jeff came running in and sat down beside Riley. He was wet and
covered in snow.
"Riley, Alex and Matt have gone NUTS.
Pippin and cat...ugh." He did a dramatic fainting pose and
closed his eyes.
Riley blinked, "um, this is my friend of
the past ten odd years of my life, Jeff Hardy. Wrestler for the WWE
who I think has had WAY too many bumps on the head."
"Hey,"
Jeff popped up from his position, "you know you love
me."
"Right, now what were you saying about Pippin
and the cat?"
"Sutton?" Elizabeth called out to
the cat and realized it was no longer in the room.
"Like
I said, Pippin and the cat were running around the yard with the cat
in hot pursuit and Pippin got stuck in a tree."
"The
MUT got stuck in the tree?" Rachel asked a little dumbfounded
and putting extra emphasis on the word mutt.
"Take that
back Rachel," Riley said through clenched teeth.
Jeff
found it very appropriate to interject before the cats decided to
show their claws.
"Ry, Pippin needs
you to get him down, and believe me he's gotten stuck in many a
stranger place than a tree, like the ventilation shaft in Matt's room
when you were in Canada."
Riley just stared with little
flicker of fire threatening to spurt at him any minute.
"Now
that I've got your attention, let's go outside."
"But..."
Riley tried to protest but Jeff threw her over his shoulder and took
her outside.
Jeff went outside with Riley thrown over his
shoulder, followed by Elizabeth and Rachel. They found AJ with Sutton
cuddled in his arms. Rachel ran up to AJ to retrieve her
cat.
"Sutton, are you okay?"
"AJ where's
Pippin?" Riley asked still hanging from Jeff's shoulder.
Matt
came out of the surrounding wooded area carrying Pippin. Riley
mimicked her cousin's actions and cuddled the dog.
"Matt
was brave enough to rescue both of them," AJ said. He extenuated
brave because frankly Matt was scratched and bitten in his efforts to
rescue them from not a tree but a small space under the porch and
then a hole the size of pickle jar.
Riley couldn't help but
laugh and went over to hug her friend. Matt just cringed, "don't
touch me."
Rachel went over to Matt and kissed him on the
cheek and then ushered him into the house with everyone else
behind.
Riley shot the three guys a questioning look which two
of the three returned with a laugh. Matt and Rachel were busy nursing
Matt's wounds.
They all
gathered in the green room once more for a 'chat'.
'A
chat, try the Spanish Inquisition only without the swords and
trampling horses,' Riley thought to herself as she pinched
herself over and over again wanting to be back in Charlotte, asleep
in her bed. She even wished to be at school, work, wherever. "Work,"
she remembered her interview with Vince the following day. She looked
at her watch.
'It's JUST two
o'clock. Does anyone know the meaning of mercy?' she thought
unaware of the conversation going on around her. She was once again
staring into the fire, admiring the dancing flames that seemed to
reach and engulf her spirit, taking her into a world of her own. Then
she was brought back.
"No, I'm fine, Riley?" Jeff
turned to his friend who seemed very despondent.
"Riley,"
he reached to touch her arm and repeated her name. Riley jumped at
his abrupt touch and was instantly released from the grip of the
flames.
"Hmm," she turned toward Jeff who had a look
of worry and concern on his face.
"I was asking you..."
Elizabeth began but then turned toward the fire.
"Oh dear, the fires gone out, AJ could you get some more wood from the back while I go upstairs for a minute?"
AJ nodded and left the
room and so did Elizabeth. This left Matt and Rachel talking in the
corner about his career and traveling and Jeff and Riley sitting in
silence. Riley suddenly got up without her jacket and left the room.
This gained the following eyes of Matt, Rachel, and Jeff. Jeff
grabbed his jacket and took off after her.
Riley
ventured into the cold with snow whirling around her, flakes sticking
to her brown hair. The sky had gotten darker and the wind was so loud
she couldn't hear the sound of her heartbeat; however she could hear
her thoughts loud and clear.
'Well Ry, it's official. You are
the black sheep in the family. You've been waiting for someone to
screw up.
AJ
is a success, and Rachel; she's Miss perfect. She's lived her one
dream of modeling. Everyone around you knows what they all want and
you've either failed or quit. Failed career, failed
relationship.'
"Brand me a FAILURE," she said as she
had reached her intended destination, the family cemetery. She was
now sitting on a white stone bench in front of her parent's
tombstones. "Guess you're right dad. You're always right; even
if you are dead it doesn't change.
She heard footsteps behind
her and prepared herself for the voice that came after.
"I
thought we had the self-esteem talk a while ago Ry," Jeff sat
down next to his friend.
"Yeah but..."
"You
have everything going for you. A new career that you're going to make
your mark in, a family who supports you..."
Riley
scoffed, "right. All they do is say how much I should be like
someone else or how I should do what they want me to."
"How
many times do I have to tell you that it doesn't matter? It only
matters what YOU think and what YOU want."
"I always
figured that being someone else would make everyone else a lot
happier and a lot less disappointed."
Jeff put his finger
under Riley's chin and made her look into his eyes. "Believe me
Ry, if you were someone else, I'd be lost and miserable. You are who
you are. You're smart, beautiful, have a great sense of humor, and
you're the only person I know who can tolerate me AND Matt without
trying to jump out of the window."
This produced the
first real smile he'd seen out of Riley in the longest time.
"Now,
let's go, I'm sure they've missed you're presence." He grabbed
her hand and walked with her back into the house once again to face
her family.
Riley
and Jeff walked hand in hand into the green room where everyone was
deeply immersed in conversation. Suddenly, one site at the pair
caused conversation to stop on the women's part at least.
"Riley,
you really shouldn't have gone out without a jacket. Take mine."
Jeff wrapped his jacket around Riley and she laid her head on his
shoulder.
"Wait, why is it so quiet?" Riley asked as
she saw the looks that her aunt and Rachel were giving her.
"What?" she
then turned to Matt and AJ who just laughed and made little signs.
This caused Riley to mouth, "you're kidding?" Both Matt and
AJ shook their heads and started to turn blue from trying to contain
themselves. Unfortunately Jeff didn't catch any of this.
"So
RyLynn how's life?" Rachel asked.
"Well, I'm still going to NC State, majoring in journalism, I gave up motocross, I'm interviewing for a job in the WWE which will hopefully mean I'll be touring with Matt and Jeff, and I dumped Christopher. You know the lawyer? Well he proposed to me with a huge ring and everything and I turned him down, which was one of the greatest decisions I have made in my life. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to my room and lie down."
'While celebrating
my metaphorical victory,' she thought to herself as she walked up
the stairs. Jeff smiled while everyone else was in
shock.
The
'room of doom' as she liked to call it. It was filled with childhood
memories. It was the room she shared with Rachel during vacations. It
was filled with beauty queen crowns and sashes that they both had
won. 'I've changed a lot haven't I.' She admired pictures of her and
Rachel.
Rachel
was still pale with the same hair and all. Riley's hair was
straighter now and her cheeks would glow the same as they had when
she was young. She was 7 years old in the picture. She wore hints of
makeup and lipstick. 7 or 8 years later she outgrew it and you
couldn't catch her dead in rouge and eye shadow. But then she outgrew
that but she didn't wear much makeup.
She
plopped down on the bed with goose feather pillows and blue comforter
set. She went through many changes. Some of those changes were for
good, some for bad, and others for worse, but there were still
upsides. She was beginning to see the upside, slowly, but surely. She
heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" she yelled
to the intruder on the other side of the door.
There
was no answer. However, a baby blue envelope slid through the bottom
of the door. Riley picked up the envelope and noticed on the front
her name was written in black ink. She tore it open and a while piece
of paper fell out.
Dear
Riley,
I thought we had the talk before. Though you may
not believe me what I said is true. You're one hundred reinventions
is what makes you the wonderful person you are and I love you for
that. I know, 'flattery gets you no where, try flowers or candy' but
since I don't know where to get any of that I thought you'd like a
song instead. I would sing it to you but forgot my guitar. Thought
that counts right?
Jeff
there
was another piece of paper that had song lyrics on
it.
AN:/
I wrote this song month before I started this story. How many times
do I have to threaten people? I wrote this song meaning it's MINE. If
you copy it I shall sue you. Get it? Got it? Good.
Enjoy!
Don't
ever change
I know your heart
I know your
name
Trusting is a big mistake
But something there took
you a -part
your will to give and not to take,
Your
choice to mend and not to break.
Promise me you'll never
change.
You took the fall, took the blame,
Just to save
me so much pain.
You're different now I see,
but I must
admit honestly.
I wish you everything in life good and new
that you shall find,
Of Things you would loose, forsake, leave
behind
Keep this one thing in mind:
In life don't ever
falter,
Never lose your way, though plans may alter
Promise
me that you'll always stay the same,
Growing up, make your
choice.
Stand your ground, keep your voice.
And promise
me one thing; don't ever change.
You never did apologize,
in
fact you wouldn't otherwise
you'd have to admit that you were
wrong.
Silly me knowing that was the plan all along.
Never
had to pretend that the little things mattered,
your mind,
never on track and often scattered.
I wish you everything in
life good and new that you shall find,
Of things you would
loose, forsake, leave behind
Keep this one thing in mind:
In
life don't ever falter,
Never lose your way, though plans may
alter
Promise me that you'll always stay the same.
Growing
up, make your choice.
Stand your ground, keep your voice.
And
promise me one thing; don't ever change.
Riley
smiled softly to herself and lie down on her bed submitting to sweet
dreams as she had known them once before.
