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.