I need to apologize, I had to post this, then delete it, then post it again. So...y'all might have gotten to alerts...sorry about that. Also...I don't own Brad Paisley's I'll Take You Back...it is a kick ass song though! XD
Chapter 26
(Three days later...anyone ever notice how I always make the chapters like three or more days apart? Hmm...I just now noticed that...)
"Riley...no. You're not getting a puppy." Kiersten replied and Riley pouted.
"Why?"
"Because you work too much and I'll end up taking care of it!" Kiersten answered and Emma, Deven, Shaun, and Pot Roast laughed.
"Aww...but look how cute she is..." Riley held up the teacup silky terrier and smiled as the small puppy licked her nose. "Aww...Kiersten..." She begged and Kiersten shook her head.
"Uh uh, no. NO. Don't even try the puppy dog face Bryn Riley Ann Turner...it will not work...see how I'm not reacting to either of the puppy dog faces?" She replied, referring to the silky terrier.
Riley pouted again and Deven laughed. "C'mon Kiersten...let her have the puppy."
Kiersten shot him a look. "Are you gonna take care of it while she's at work Pretty Boy?" Kiersten mocked and Deven smiled and rolled his eyes at the nickname Riley and Kiersten had secretly given him in high school, and he had soon found out about later...
"Yeah. I'll take care of her...it'll be like joint custody." Deven replied and Riley looked at him sort of guiltily, sucking her lips in her mouth and looking to the ground as she shifted her feet nervously. Shaun scoffed at the ironic phrase Deven had used, causing everyone to shoot him a glare, and Kiersten to punch his shoulder. "C'mon...I'll help take care of the puppy."
Riley shook her head. "No. Kiersten's right...it isn't fair." Riley replied and set the puppy back into the little kennel as they continued down the mall, all of them looking in the department stores absently. Deven sighed softly and tried to hide his disappointment. He and Riley had been awkward since their last 'encounter' a few days before. Deven fell behind the group to walk next to Riley and he nudged her arm softly. She sighed and shook her head. "Kiersten's right, I'm not doing it because of the 'joint custody' thingy..." Riley whispered in defense before he could even ask.
He looked at her skeptically, and then nodded. "Just makin sure..." He lied and put his hand on the small of her back to nudge her forward so that they were caught up with the small group of four others. Riley sighed again and looked behind her at the puppy longingly...she really wanted that puppy...
--Yeah, yeah...I know...pretty pointless...just Riley wanting a puppy...but if you've seen a silky terrier you'd want one too--
"What the Hell is that?" Jon asked as Emma, Kiersten, and Deven all came in with a small box in their hands. All the other patrons of the room looked over to the door curiously and Tony got up to walk over to them. Deven kicked him lightly in the shin to let him know to keep away.
"We have a surprise for you Riley..." Emma began and Riley smiled suspiciously and furred her brows.
"I swear to God if that's full of yellow jello and snakes I'll kill you all..." She threatened; remembering once when Deven and Shaun had done that to her, knowing how scared she was of yellow jello and snakes... (don't ask).
Deven laughed. "That was only once."
"C'mon Ry. Sit on the floor and close your eyes." Kiersten instructed and Riley rolled her eyes and did as she was told. She felt something small, soft, and silky land in her lap and she opened her eyes to see the tiny teacup silky terrier from the mall earlier that day. She beamed in genuine surprise and laughed as she looked at the three smiling faces of her friends.
"You guys!" She exclaimed in joy and cuddled the puppy.
Kiersten smiled. "I felt kinda bad so...we went back to the mall and got the puppy for you while Pot Roast and Shaun kept you occupied here..."
"Aww...she's so cute."
"Whacha gonna name her?" Jabari asked and Riley shrugged.
"I dunno..."
"How about Skelator?" CJ suggested and Riley shook her head.
"No...you are not naming my sweet baby girl Skelator..."
"How about Mary Jane?" Shaun suggested, a goofy grin on his face. Riley pursed her lips to suppress her grin and shook her head.
"Unless you're talking about the shoe type of Mary Janes, which I don't think you are, I'd have to say no."
"What about Daisy?" Kiersten replied.
"Nah...it's too girly." Riley shook her head.
"Dumbass?" Deven supplied and she shot a playful glare.
"No."
"Damn you're picky." Jabari said and Riley shrugged.
"It's gotta be perfect." Riley gasped and smiled. "Yoda!" She replied and everyone rolled their eyes.
"Should've known better..." Deven shook his head. "Miss Star Wars over here..."
Riley beamed. "I like it."
"It's not a girl's name." Emma reasoned and Riley shrugged.
"Neither is 'Riley'...see, we're a perfect match." She said and Jon laughed.
"Your insane."
"Nope. I'm crazy insane!" She exclaimed, on cloud nine from the baby silky terrier's presence.
--Yeah...I was bored...and I thought Riley should get a puppy...cause that's what every heart broken girl really needs...besides admitting to her best friend what an 'uh-oh' she made...--
Later that night Riley and Kiersten sat at the bar counter in the local, upscale Coutnry bar. Riley sipped her dirty martini and slid farther onto the barstool, pulling her dark violet and black dress farther down her long pale legs. Kiersten sipped her martini beside her and shook her long curls off her shoulder before looking at Riley. "Okay Chica...what's going on?"
Riley sighed and kept her head down, looking at her drink and playing with the straw in her drink. "Kiersten...how long have we been friends?"
"Almost 16 years." Kiersten replied automatically.
"...Ya know how that one time in high school...we made that pact...'The Sisterhood of Ben and Jerry's'?" She asked, referring to the most memorable of their 'girl's nights'.
Kiersten nodded. "Yeah..."
Riley sighed and sipped her drink again, twitling her thumbs nervously to keep from reaching into her purse and pulling out the cigarettes that weren't supposed to be there. "Remember how we promised we'd always tell each other everything...no matter how long it took?"
Kiersten nodded. "Yes...where's this going Riley? Are you in trouble? Are you okay?"
Riley sighed and closed her eyes. Just say it Turner...just say it...SAY IT!
"I'm sleeping with Deven." She blurted and reached into her bag for the cigarettes, sticking one in her mouth and lighting the end. "I'm smoking again by the way." She added and turned away from the bar to lean against it on her elbow, while still in her chair.
"Give me one." Kiersten demanded and Riley looked at her in mild shock.
"...Seriously?"
"Well I'm reeling from some of the biggest news I've gotten in a while and I think I need to scratch an itch." She replied and Riley scoffed and handed her a cigarette.
"Yeah, that's what I said when I started sleeping with Deven again..." Riley replied dryly as Kiersten turned away from the bar and took a big sip of her martini. "Do you hate me?" She asked and Kiersten shook her head vehemently and looked at her best friend.
"Never Chica...I'm just..."
"Disappointed?" Riley offered tentatively and Kiersten nodded.
"Yeah...how long?" She asked, taking a drag.
Riley sighed and did the same. "About two weeks or so..."
"Everyday?"
She shook her head. "No...but most days...and a lot when we did." Kiersten didn't reply and Riley sighed helplessly and finally looked at her. "You gotta help me Kiersten...you have to make me stop."
"I can't Riley...only you can do that."
"Well, tell me things to make me stop. Make me feel bad."
"Why?"
"Because I need your help to-"
"No," She took another drag. "Why'd you do it?"
Riley stared at her for a moment before taking a nice, long drag from her other dirty little secret-not-so-secret-anymore. "I was sad...I was lonely...I was hurting. I wanted someone who...I wanted familiarity."
"Someone who knew you?"
Riley sighed and nodded. "Yeah...I didn't plan it. It just sorta...happened."
"Again and again?"
Riley smirked and chuckled dryly. "Sex with him is addictive. I just couldn't stop...but I have to."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Riley sighed. "I couldn't bear disappointing you...but I really need your help, so that overrides the fear."
"Are you still sad and lonely and hurt?" Kiersten asked and Riley closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and nodded.
"I miss him Kit...I really do." She wiped away a tear and put her fist against her mouth and chin to keep her lip from quivering.
"So go talk to him..."
"I can't. He broke up with me."
Kiersten rolled her eyes and shook her head frustrated. "Damn it Riley, let go of your fuckin pride! You slept with your ex boyfriend, that cheated on you and broke your heart, because your more current ex wanted you to tell him you love him! What damned pride do you have left!" Kiersten shouted and Riley gaped at her, a hurt expression on her face.
"That was harsh."
"That's the truth." Kiersten said sharply and Riley looked back at her drink. "Your motives were stupid, the outcome is harsh...and the aftermath is gonna be a bitch."
"I know." Riley snapped and shook her head and bobbed her leg on the stool while working her jaw and looking at the wall behind the bar and smashing her cigarette. Kiersten could see she was fighting tears. "It just hurts."
Kiersten sighed and nodded. "I know...but think about who it's gonna hurt more..."
"Deven." Riley answered and buried her head in her hand. "I know..." Kiersten heard her sniffle and she bit back her own tears of having made her best friend cry...but she knew it had to be done. She had to get this out. "I tried to stop it when it first happened...but I just...I couldn't." She whimpered and picked her head up to carefully wipe away the tears so that it wouldn't look too much like she had been crying. Luckily she had a cry-proof face.
"When are you gonna tell him?"
"I don't know...I just...it's gonna be hard...as cheesy as it sounds...he was my first and...and I can't forget that."
"I know...I've never forgotten my first."
Riley smiled softly and continued wiping her face. "Bobbie Dresco...I remember."
Kiersten smiled blissfully. "Damn that boy was fine." She professed and Riley laughed.
"Whatever happened to him?"
"Eh," She waved her hand. "He joined the Navy."
Riley smiled. "He was good to you."
"He was."
"And if he came back and asked to be with you, you wouldn't say no would you?"
"Not if I wasn't seeing anybody." Kiersten replied, then realized what Riley was getting at. She turned to face her friend and Riley shrugged innocently.
"I couldn't either..."
Kiersten sighed. "Touché."
Riley chuckled, then sipped her drink and sobered a bit. "...Do you think I still have a shot with Nick?"
Kiersten sighed... "I don't know...I mean, no offense but you fucked up pretty bad." Riley sighed and nodded. "And the entire break up was fucked up as well." Riley rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, please, let's not go down that road or I might have to have Deven fuck me through the mattress." Riley joked humorlessly and Kiersten groaned.
"Don't joke about that."
Riley smirked dryly and shrugged as she sipped her martini. "It's true...that's the other reason I did it...I wanted to forget about Nick...Deven was an easy solution...wow I sound like a whore."
Kiersten scoffed. "No, you sound hurt."
Riley nodded slightly. "So...do you think there's a chance?"
"I don't know Ry." She repeated. "...But if he loves you as much as he said he did...I think there's a tiny possibility."
Riley closed her eyes. "I hope my pride will let me do this." She confessed softly.
"Why don't you loose some of that pride by going and fucking Deven."
Riley looked at Kiersten in disbelief. "Burn." She replied hurt and Kiersten shrugged as if there was nothing she could do.
"Hey...its true..."
"When do I have to stop?" Riley asked and Kiersten shot her a look. Riley blushed and looked back into her drink. "Seriously Kiersten...it's hard."
"The sooner you stop...the sooner you can get back with Nick."
"If he'll take me back...I messed up big time. Kinda sounds like that Brad Paisley song, I'll Take You Back."
As if God himself was playing a cruel joke on them, Brad Paisley's I'll Take You Back came out of the speakers in the Country bar. Riley dropped her jaw in horror and Kiersten couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the irony. Riley pouted and glared at the ceiling.
"That's not funny!" She accused and Kiersten nodded.
"Yep! That's ironic!"
Riley glared at no one in particular and sipped her drink. "Shut up you hyena." She grumbled to Kiersten, who ignored the comment and continued laughing. Riley whimpered, which dissolved into a whimper/laugh and she buried her head in her arms on the bar top.
--End of Chapter--
Yep...this chapter was originally gonna be a lot longer...but I had to cut it short... (shrugs) author's call XD
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-FMCSI60