A/N: Sorry it took so long guys. Inspiration is kind of hard to come by right now. I hope this chapter holds up to the standard. I'm doubting the party scene and might go back and rewrite it. I'm not sure yet. It will depend on how it is received. I hate to beg, but I really need to know what you guys think. I'm close to putting this one on hiatus cause nothing seems to flow. So please review. Thanks to winchesterxgirl, cmunoz.22, ILuvOdie, mbmjr07, and gxaxbxbxy for their reviews last chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Covenant.

The first month of school seemed to fly by for Riley. After spending time with Reid at Nicky's she was beginning to think that maybe he wasn't such a bad guy. Between him and Nic, her phone was pretty busy. Reid texted her a lot and Nic always seemed to call. She wished Reid would call too. She didn't mind the texts, some were pretty funny, but it was always nicer to hear a person's voice. Besides it meant that he actually wanted to talk to her. You could put off texts until later, but you had to listen when you were talking to someone.

However, when school started she didn't hear much from either of them for a while. It was understandable though. Harvard started at the same time so she was sure they were just as swamped as she was. She pushed her way through the crowd, finally making it to the sidewalk. She was glad she was able to go without her crutches. Trevor had been against it, but the doctor said if she took it easy she could do it. The quad was packed with everybody switching classes, meeting up with friends, or leaving for the day. For Riley it was the latter. She began walking faster as she saw the bus pull up to the stop. Unfortunately her truck hadn't handled the drive from Oklahoma very well. On the first day of class she was on her way home when it died. She called a tow truck and then called Trevor.

The mechanic wasn't too optimistic about it. He said it would honestly be cheaper to get a new car. Trevor had offered to help her or even talk to their dad for her, but she refused. She had sworn to herself that she would buy her next car all on her own. She had enough in her savings to cover a down payment, but she really needed a job to cover the monthly payments. She knew she was being stubborn, but she didn't want to rely on her dad. That had never gotten her anywhere. She wanted to prove that she could do this on her own. Besides she knew if she went to him for help he would just hold it over her head for the rest of her life.

She waited in line to get on the bus when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She quickly grabbed it, expecting it to be Trevor offering her a ride home because he got out early. Without checking the caller id she flipped it open. "Hello."

"Hey Riley." A smile spread across her face at the sound of the unexpected voice.

"Hey Nic."

"Sorry I haven't called in a while. How have you been?" She rolled her eyes at his apology.

"I understand. I've been pretty busy myself. I already have some papers I have to write."

"Ah, got to love the first month of school. So what are you doing right now?"

"Waiting to get on the bus," she said as the line slowly moved. Looking through the windows she quickly realized that she wasn't going to make this bus and decided to go sit on the bench.

"Why are you taking the bus?"

"My truck broke down."

"Well that sucks." There was silence for a moment. Just as riley was opening her mouth to say something Nic spoke up. "Tell you what, how about I come by and treat you to some lunch. How does that sound?"

"That sounds pretty good."

"Great. Are you still on campus?"

"Yeah, I'm in front of the Quad?"

"Alright, I'll be there shortly." With that they hung up. Riley got up and moved away from the bus stop so Nic could easily pull up and she could get in. From her new position she watched as the quad slowly filtered out as everybody headed to their one o'clock classes. There were still quite a few people hanging around, but at least she could see the stairs to the library now. She turned her head as she heard an engine rev up and saw a sleek blue motorcycle pulled up next to her. She watched as the rider killed the motor and pulled off his helmet.

"You have got to be kidding me." The dark hair fell messily around his face and the smile he shot her made her stomach flutter. There was no doubt in Riley's mind that Nic looked really good on a bike. She just stared at him like a fool as he climbed off the bike.

"You ready?," he asked as he opened a compartment and pulled out another helmet. It was one of those half helmets. He handed her the full helmet he had been wearing. She looked at it then at him. "It's easier to stash this one in a compartment and I think your brother would kill me if I got you on this and didn't give you the best protection I had.

"You want me to get on that?," she asked gesturing to the bike. Nic looked back at it and then to her.

"Yeah." He nodded his head and looked at her confusedly. Then it was like a light went off as his face. "You've never been on one before have you?" Riley shifted from foot to foot and shook her head embarrassingly. He smiled softly. "I promise I'm a good driver." He held out the helmet to her once more and she reluctantly took it. She put it on hesitantly and he chuckled softly. "Here." He adjusted and fastened the buckle. Giving her a charming smile, he climbed back onto the bike. He looked back at her as he slipped his helmet on.

"It's not going to bite you know." He patted the space behind him. She slowly climbed on and her hands held onto his waist. He grabbed her arms and wrapped them fully around him. "You'll want a better grip than that," he said as he kicked over the engine. She was glad the helmet pretty much covered her face and she was sat behind him as her face flared red. He eased into the traffic and took off down the road. Riley tightened her grip as he sped up a bit more and whenever he made turns. She had finally gotten enough courage to open her eyes and when she did she felt her breath catch. They were flying down the highway next to the river. Riley watched as the cars rushed by; nothing really being between her and their exteriors.

It wasn't long before she felt him switch lanes and they began a gentle decline. When she next looked she saw older buildings passing her. A grocer was sweeping the sidewalk in front of his shop and talking with a man that was smoking a cigarette. They rode two more blocks, when Nic pulled to a stop and cut the engine. Riley eased the grip she had on him as she stared through the visor at the building. It wasn't much, just a little old brick building with burgundy curtains pulled back in the windows. The smell wafting from it made her stomach growl. She heard Nic chuckle as he moved to get off the bike. Releasing her grip entirely, she took his offered hand and climbed off as well. Once her helmet was off she could hear the faint music from inside.

"What is this place?" Nic smiled and shrugged.

"Kind of my home away from home." He held the door open for her and the smells and sounds fully took hold of her. It was a small restaurant, but it had a welcoming feel to it.

"Hey Nic." Riley turned to look at the girl that had spoken. She was petite with rich auburn hair. She looked like she was probably still in high school.

"Hey Anya. How's school going?" She made a disgusted face and Riley fought back her laughter.

"It's still there unfortunately. I think it's worse now that it's my senior year. Mom and dad are hounding on me about college."

"Thought you were going to try out for some dance schools?"

"Oh I am, but they want me to have a backup plan."

"It's not a bad idea Anya."

"Yeah, yeah. Who is this?," she asked quickly turning the conversation towards Riley.

"This is my friend Riley," Nic said while his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Riley this is my little cousin Anya."

"Nice to meet you Riley, I can finally put a face to the woman that has my cousin so enraptured." Riley blushed a little and noticed Nic did too.

"Nicholai!!" Riley watched as an older woman with the same colored hair as the girl, only with a some gray mixed in, came rushing out from behind the counter. Nic let go of Riley and wrapped her in a hug.

"Hello Aunt Natasha. How was your trip?," he asked once she had let go of him.

"Oh it was good. Papa was happy to see the old country once again. I honestly don't think he wanted to come back."

"Well that's Grandpa for you."

"Nic my boy, how have you been?" A big burly man with a salt and pepper mustache came out from the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel.

"I've been good Uncle Victor."

"How are your mom and sister? Are they enjoying Florida?"

"Yeah, they are. Mom's only complaint is that she is so far away from family, but what can she do? Mark needed the promotion." His uncle nodded his head in agreement.

"And who is this lovely young lady?"

"This is Riley dad," Anya piped up.

"Ah, Nic you never said how beautiful she was. I am Viktor Dubrovskiy. This is my wife Natasha and this is our daughter Anya."

"It's a pleasure to meet y'all." Natasha smiled.

"Well come sit down. I'm sure you're both hungry." They followed her to a table and took their seats. Anya sat down a menu for Riley, took their drink order, and winked at her before she walked away.

"A little warning would've been nice you know."

"What?," he looked at her questioningly. She would've bought it if the corners of his mouth hadn't been twitching. She gave him 'the look' and he had the decency to be embarrassed. "I know I'm sorry. Anya walked in on me one time while I was talking to you and proceeded t informed my family. My aunts love to gossip and they've been hounding me for weeks about you. I figured if one of them met you, it would give me some peace."

"So this whole taking me out to lunch was just to save you from your family?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Only part of it, the biggest part of it was to get to spend some time with you again." Riley tried not to let herself get pulled in, but she couldn't help it.

"I'll let it slide this time, but you still owe me Mister." He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled just as Anya brought over their drinks.

"You ready to order?" Riley realized she hadn't even looked at the menu. Nic gently pulled it from her.

"The usual please Anya." She looked between him and Riley. Nic turned to Riley. "I promise you'll like it." Riley nodded figuring why not. Anya nodded and went to place the order. The rest of the time they talked about anything and everything. Riley told him about the ranch and Nic talked about growing up in Boston. The dish he had ordered for them smelled delicious and tasted just as good. Nic called it Zharkoye. It was a stew of roast meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Natasha and Anya kept making their way over to the table to talk to Anya until Viktor told them to leave her alone. Nic seemed relieved when his uncle stepped in.

It was almost four o'clock when they finally left. This time Riley kept her eyes open as Nic drove her home. Her grip, however, remained tight. They pulled up to the building just as Trevor was walking in. Riley took in his appearance and saw how tired he looked. "Thanks for the meal," she said as she climbed off and handed him his helmet.

"No problem. Maybe we can do it again, just not at my family's restaurant." Riley nodded.

"I'd like that." She looked back to see Trevor waiting for her. "Bye."

"Bye Riley." She made her way over to Trevor. He held the door open for her and she looked back when she heard the engine rev. She turned back and Nic waved at her before taking off. They walked to the elevator in silence. Once the elevators closed Trevor slumped against the wall.

"You okay?," she asked. She knew their dad had been placing a lot of pressure on Trevor in the last month. There was some big deal they were working on getting and when Trevor wasn't at school, he was pulling late nights at the office. Riley only really saw in the mornings as she was heading out the door for school, if that.

"I'm fine Riles. I just need a break." She nodded her head in agreement. "So what did you and Nic do today?" She shrugged.

"He picked me up from school and we went out to eat."

"So you went on a date?"

"I don't know if you would call it that." He looked at her skeptically.

"Where'd you go?"

"To his family's restaurant off of Beacon Street."

"Family? You already met his family?" She sighed.

"Just his aunt, uncle, little cousin. Apparently they found out about me and have been bugging him. He thought if some of them met me they would lay off. What the hell are you smiling about?" Trevor tried to stop the smile, but failed.

"Boy doesn't move slow does he?"

"It doesn't mean anything Trevor."

"Riley, when a guy has you meet his family intentionally it means something alright. Why do you think I never brought any of my dates home?"

"That doesn't count. We lived in a small town and everybody knew us. There was no point of bringing them home."

"Meeting a guy's family means he is seriously into you." Riley rolled her eyes. She didn't want to believe Trevor. If she did, then she would get really nervous every time she was around Nic. Luckily for her when the doors opened Trevor's phone rang.

"Hello. Hey Derek. I don't know man. I'm wiped. I know, I know. Yeah. Alright I'll be there." He snapped his phone shut as they walked into the apartment. "Hey Riles, how do you feel about a party?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She followed Trevor into what looked like a fraternity house. "Trevor, who do you know here?"

"Just Derek," he shouted over the music. "Some of his friends from high school go to Boston U and are a part of this fraternity." Trevor grabbed a beer off of the table. He held it out to Riley.

"You're actually going to let me drink?" She was shocked.

"I'll cut you off if I think you're going overboard. Besides I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you so nobody can take advantage." He smiled as Riley rolled her eyes. She should've known he wouldn't drop the overprotective big brother act. She took a drink of the beer and looked around. In the living room was a stereo and everybody was dancing, in the kitchen they were having playing some drinking games.

"Hey Trev."

"Hey Vicky." Trevor hugged the red head.

"So this is Riley, huh?"

"Yup, this is my baby sister," Trevor said while squeezing Riley tightly to his side. "Riles this is Derek's girlfriend Vicky."

"Nice to meet you Riley," Vicky said extending her hand. Riley shook it.

"You too."

"Speaking of your boy, where is he?"

"We're out in the backyard. This is mostly the pledges. Come on." Vicky led them towards the backyard. There they found Derek with a guitar in his hands. He was strumming away, but stopped as soon as he saw Vicky. Riley saw his face light up and she hoped that one day she would have someone look at her like that. He got up and kissed her. Once they pulled apart, he turned his attention to Riley and Trevor.

"Hey man, glad you could make," he said shaking Trevor's hand.

"You didn't leave me much choice."

"Oh I'm pretty sure you'll have a good time. How you doing Riley?"

"Good."

"Enjoying school?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded and smiled as he looked at something behind them.

"Trevor?" He quickly whipped around and Riley fought he laughter back. She looked to Derek who winked at her and gave a devilish grin. She rolled her eyes.

"Madison?! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my sorority sisters. This is our brother fraternity. What are you doing here?"

"Derek invited us." At the 'us' part, Madison looked to his side and saw Riley.

"Hi Riley. Are you enjoying your classes so far?"

"They're going alright. I already have an eight page paper due at the end of next month for Lit."

"Let me guess, McConnell?" Riley nodded her head. "He can be a bit of a jerk but he is a good professor. If you need any help let me know. I took three of his classes."

"I'll keep that in mind thanks." Riley looked over to Trevor, who was still staring at Madison. She also noticed the looks Madison was throwing him. "Well I think I want something a little different." She shoved her beer into Trevor's hand and made her way back into the house. She saw a punch bowl and decided to try that. The first sip nearly knocked the breath out of her. She would have to drink this slowly if she wanted to stay somewhat alert for trouble.

"Hey you're in my Bio class aren't you?" Riley turned to find a black haired girl with deep green eyes talking to her. "Jenkins Bio 101, right?," she asked. Riley nodded her head.

"Do you understand ant of what we covered this week cause I got completely lost." Riley shook her head.

"Science isn't exactly my strongest subject. Math is the worst."

"I hear that. I'm Tatum."

"Riley."

"So Riley, who was that cutie you came in with? Your boyfriend?"

"Oh God no. He's my older brother."

"Damn girl. Is he single?" Riley laughed.

"Yeah, but he has his sights on someone. She's actually here tonight."

"Well shit. No offense, but this is one of the last places I would have thought to see you. You don't seem the party type." Riley shrugged.

"None taken. I'm not really, but I figured I should get the full college experience before getting bogged down with everything else."

"Very true. You gonna rush?"

"What?"

"Are you gonna rush for a sorority?"

"Uh no. That's not really my scene. You?"

"Yeah, but it's kind of expected. My mom was a sister in Tri Delta." Riley nodded her head. "Whoa, who are they?" Riley turned to look at who Tatum was talking about. She felt her heart start to flutter when she recognized the mop of blonde hair. Reid and his friends walked into the room and everyone took notice. "I don't remember them being at freshman orientation."

"That's because they go to Harvard."

"Figures. A lot of them come to parties over here because they last longer. It's hard to find good parties on campus there."

"Oh." Riley watched as they looked around. A blonde in a skirt that was almost showing her ass and a shirt that her boobs were almost falling out of walked up to Reid. He smiled at her and said something to which she giggled.

"Typical. A guy like that would go for a girl like her. That boy has player written all over him."

"I don't know. He can be an okay guy when he wants to be."

"You know him?"

"Our dad's do business together."

"And he's got you hook, line, and sinker." Riley ignored her while trying to convince herself that it wasn't an ac he had pulled on her that night at Nicky's, but it would explain why he never called. He was busy with other girls. Riley was just another notch on his bedpost so why waste the time on her. Hence the texting. She watched as he allowed the girl to pull him to the dance floor. Pogue, Kate, Caleb, and Sarah soon made their way out there as well.

"Ooo, the other cutie is heading this way." Tyler began to walk their way. As soon as he realized it was Riley he was heading towards his eyes got big. He glanced out at the dance floor and Riley followed his line of vision. There was Reid making out with the tramp. Tyler shook his head and walked the rest of the way over.

"Hey Riley."

"Hey Tyler." He rubbed his neck, obviously embarrassed for Reid. He knew he would be kicking himself when he found out Riley was here and that she saw him.

"Tatum Johnson," Tatum quickly said sticking out her hand.

"Tyler Simms," he said giving her a killer smile. Riley could tell Tatum wanted to be alone with Tyler.

"I'm gonna head back outside. You two have fun."

"Riley," Tyler called out. She turned back to him. "He doesn't mean anything by it. It's just how he's been for a long time." She shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not like we're together Tyler. I figured once he realized I wasn't going to jump into bed with him, he would move on. Guess I was right." With that she turned around and head out back to be with Trevor. She felt bad that she would be interrupting his time with Madison, but she couldn't stand being in there any longer.

-------------------------------------------

"Your boy is in serious trouble." Tyler nodded his head.

"I know and he's going to be kicking himself later. He really likes her."

"He has a funny way of showing it."

"Like I said it's just Reid. He still has a lot of growing up to do when it comes to the opposite sex."

"Speak of the devil." Reid was making his way over to them. His arm slung around the girl's shoulders while she clung to him tightly.

"Hey Baby Boy, who's your friend?"

"I'm Tatum," she said with a smile.

"She's a friend of Riley's," Tyler said gently. Reid's eyes widened at the information Tyler had given him. His arm quickly fell from the girl's shoulder and she whined.

"Is she here?"

"You bet your ass she is and she saw everything."

"Where is she?" He asked taking step towards Tatum.

"Whoa man, back it up."

"Are you trying to scare me rich boy? Cause it sure as hell ain't gonna work." Reid glared at her.

"He's not trying to do anything." Reid's glare shifted to Tyler.

"Where is she Baby Boy?" Tyler sighed knowing that Reid wouldn't stop until he found her.

"She headed out back." Reid stepped back and head towards the backyard.

"Hey!!," the forgotten girl cried out in protest.

"Sorry sweetie, guess you'll have to find someone else to give you a ride," Tatum said sweetly. Tyler held back his laughter as the girl stomped her foot and headed back to the dance floor.

--------------------------

Riley was sitting on the ground next to Derek and Vicky. Across the yard Trevor was talking to Madison. At least one of us is enjoying the party, she thought sadly. "Everything okay Riley?"

"Everything's fine Vicky. Just not much of a party person." She nodded her head in understanding.

"Neither am I, but this big lug always seems to drag me to one."

"Hey you don't have to come," Derek defended.

"Please, you beg me until I say yes."

"Can I help it if I enjoy your company," he said giving her a smile and pulling her into his lap. She swatted at his chest and leaned down to kiss him. Riley turned her head to the sky to give them their moment. She tried to see the stars, but all the lights were making them dim and hard to see. She missed laying in the grass in the front yard and looking for shooting stars.

"Ri?" She turned her head to the voice that called her name. There stood Reid looking as good as ever, but with a guilty look on his face. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" She caught Derek staring at them from the corner of his eye. She knew if they talked in front of him anything said would get back to her brother.

"Yeah sure." She got up and led him to another part of the yard. She stopped and turned to face him. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Look, what you saw back in the house…"

"Don't worry about it Reid." He looked at her confused. "I mean it's not like we're dating or anything. You can screw whoever you want to and I can do the same."

"Riley that's not…."

"I get it okay. You came here to have a fun time, but if that's still your plan I suggest you get back to your girl before someone else snatches her up."

"She's not my girl," he snapped.

"She's your girl for tonight." She started to walk past him when he gently grabbed her arm.

"Ri, please. I'm sorry. I fucked up, okay?"

"Like I said Reid, it doesn't matter. We're not dating so you can be with whoever you want."

"I want you."

"Well I'm sorry, but I'm not a one night stand kind of girl."

"What if I don't want I one night stand?"

"I have a hard time believing that." She tried to move away again and his grip tightened.

"Just give me a chance Riley, please. Let me take you out Saturday. An actual date, just you and me." She stared at him. Could she trust him? She really wanted to, but how could she after what she just saw? There was no doubt about it, Reid was a flirt. So why did she believe him? She cursed herself in her head and knew if this went the way she thought it would she would have no one to blame but herself.

"Fine." Reid smiled and the relief was evident in his eyes.

"Riles, you ready to head out?" She turned to see Trevor making his way over to them. He was eyeing Reid's hold on her, which he quickly let drop. "Garwin." He nodded his head in greeting.

"Galloway."

"Madison is going to catch a ride with us if that's okay?," he said turning back to his sister.

"That's fine."

"Great. Let's go," he said as he threw his arm around her shoulder and led her to the house.

"I'll pick you up at five." Riley looked back to see Reid with his hands in his pockets, looking at her for confirmation. She nodded her head and his smile came back. Why did those stupid butterflies always have to show up when he did that? They climbed into the car. Riley took the back while Madison took the passenger seat. As they pulled out, she noticed Reid and Tyler were leaving the party as well. Tatum was following them and Tyler was entering something on his phone. Obviously Reid wasn't the only one who got a shot at a date.

"What was that about Riles?" She looked up to see Trevor looking at her through the review mirror.

"Nothing."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Why would you think that?"

"I saw him grab you? No answer the question."

"No he didn't. He was trying to stop me from leaving before he could ask me out."

"So you're going on a date with him?," Madison asked. She was trying to play the peacemaker. She had seen how Trevor's eyes had darkened when Reid grabbed Riley.

"Yeah."

"When?," Trevor asked as he worked to calm himself down.

"Saturday at five." Trevor nodded. That gave him enough time to find Reid and have a little chat about how he better not hurt her.

"Just be careful Riles." That was the last thing anybody said for the rest of the ride back to their apartments.