A/N: lots of drama in this chapter but bear with me please. And you guys are literally the sweetest. Read and review! 3
Riley walks through the park until she finds a secluded tree to sit under. She pulls out The Chamber of Secrets, rereading the series for the umpteenth time. She forgot how much she absolutely loved sitting in nature. She glances around at the trees. It's autumn and the leaves are just turning orange and red and yellow. Riley can honestly say that fall is her favorite season. She loves sweater weather and hot chocolate and being able to sit outside without needing shade. She loves the colors and the smell. There's no way to describe the way fall smells, but to Riley, it's one of the best scents out there.
All of these thoughts go through her head in a heartbeat but they relax her. She goes back to reading about the troll in the dungeon and reads until nightfall.
When she picks up her stuff to leave the park, she notices a shadow but thinks nothing of it, blaming her paranoia again. While she walks on the path out of the woods, she sees someone under a streetlight walking towards her street. That dirty blond hair would be recognizable anywhere. Lucas.
Just as she notices him, she feels a presence behind her. Suddenly, there is a hand on her hip and another is shoving a cloth into her mouth. She tries to scream but it's muffled. The hand glides up her side and is just below her chest when she tried to claw at her attacker.
"Would you stop that?!" she hears as the hand holding the cloth pulls away from her mouth. As soon as it's gone, she screams at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would help her. The man immediately replaced the cloth. It's probably no use. Lucas is probably gone already and she's all alone. Just like always.
Why didn't she accept their offer? Why didn't she leave sooner? Why is she so weak? Riley feels completely helpless as she shuts down. When the hand reaches higher, she doesn't do anything. Unlike most girls that would freak out, she does absolutely nothing. She hangs limp, giving up. That's when she hears footsteps running towards her.
"Riley?!" That voice could only belong to one person.
Thank god for Lucas Friar.
She feels herself be released and she falls to the ground. When she realizes that he's gone and she is safe, she finally cracks. Her stony facade breaks and she is sobbing uncontrollably, forgetting Lucas is there. He kneels down next to her and tries to touch her side and she flinches.
When she finally calms down a little, she lets Lucas help her stand and try to walk her home. When she almost falls for the fourth time, he sweeps her legs out from under her and picks her up bridal style. All she can do is curl into his chest helplessly.
Why is it always me?