The Cost of Luxury
Pairing: uH, haven't made up my mind yet. Piley? Ziley?
Author: Cassonova
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of the following characters. I might own a few original characters as they appear through the continuation of this fic but thats it. Money? Wait, they pay me?
A/N - This is actually my second try at 'fanfiction'. I'm mostly write my own fics based on individuals who I have invented but I suppose fanfiction couldn't be that hard. All I gots to do is keep Riley in character right? That sounds easy enough...
Warnings: OCC Riley, Riley/OC
...I think thats it for now.
Chapter one
The day he sees the new Iphone in the shop window of a store he was passing, Riley knew he was screwed. It had been a Friday, Pay day, to be exact, and his pocket was practically buzzing with the crumpled bills of his paycheck from The Dot. They begged, pleaded, to be spent and as soon as possible. What was he supposed to do? It was a touch-screen, nearly miles ahead of his boring Nokia crap he had been sporting since April of the previous year. He had needed the money for food and other various necessities for both school and his single bedroom apartment. Walking forward, hoping the movement would tell his brain to just ignore the phone but his legs refused to go more than three steps which placed him directly in front of the store's entrance.
Principality told him not to go in. Irony told him to be rational. Reason, well listening to reason was a complete waste of time since by the time reason got to talking Riley had already entered the store. By the time reality sunk in, he was one hundred and sixty five dollars poorer with a new weight in his hand and an even heavier one on his heart.
Riley considers himself to be a mature enough young man. Able to admit his mistakes while learning tremendously from them, however, learning from them is what seemed to be the problem for this teenager. You see, Riley is a closet shopaholic. Sure he wouldn't see the signs now, since he was more in the beginner's stage but he was definitely into luxurious spending beyond his means.
He enters his apartment with a sigh. For a High School Senior who's working afterschool shifts for $150 a week plus tips, his small living area in nothing short of flashy. There's a 14 inch plasma television that is hanging a little crooked on the wall, facing it is a narrow but comfortable looking purple plush sofa with a large but barely visible juice strain on one of its cushions. A small Greek vase, styled to represent an ancient Rome ornament, is placed neatly on an undersized coffee table near the left side of the sofa. Apart from this general arrangement there are posters of celebrity men and women lining the entire living room wall. He still has up last year's Christmas decorations, at least five tall antique lamps are placed at every outlet in the room and you cannot miss the miniature football game machine that is pushed off to the opposite side of the living room. The curtains are auburn with a well designed white and pink rose stitched onto them. He'd seen the curtains on sale and brought them because his current girlfriend at the time had said that they were 'alright-ish looking'.
The kitchen had Japanese cherry blossom wallpaper which he had brought at some Asian themed store for Peter's amusement. He had at least 13 different kinds of coasters on his kitchen counter. Glasses in the cupboard ranged from small to large in a total of 30, too much for one man living on his own to even consider owning. He had a truck load of silverware, 4 knives sets, different brands of paper towels, cute little mittens too small for his own hands and a set of girly looking kitchen towels. He had one frying pan, three small, stainless steel pots, which he had borrowed from his mother and rarely uses and a small microwave which came with the apartment. His fridge was empty except for a struggling slice of mozzarella and a quarter full jug of chocolate milk. He had enough ice in the freezer to last him until College and a large sack of store brought potato fries, which he will apparently be having tonight, alongside a cold glass of milk with a side of eugh.
Riley tosses the small shopping bag onto the sofa, heading straight for the bedroom. On his way he glances into the bathroom, seeing the bright colors that adjourned each part of it in some way and immediately getting a headache. The bedroom is the most decorative of all. It contains a queen sized bed, which not only was three times too big for the bloody room but had taken up a quarter of his salary for the past 7 months, but it didn't bother him much seeing as his parents always sent him a little extra cash so that he could continue to make payments on it. He had originally wanted to buy the Tempa Pedic mattress instead of the one he got with the bed but his parents were not about living above their means. There were 5 pillows, dressed neatly in matching green colored cpvering, of course matching the cheap yet expensive-looking duvet as well. He had pictures of himself and the football team blown up and stuck to the walls; this too had cost him a pretty penny. But most unbearable too his overuse of luxury was the three hundred and twenty dollars chandelier that he had purchased on a whim with the intent of hanging it over his bed, only to be told by his landlord that it couldn't be installed into the dry wall ceiling. Now he just settles for it being bedroom eye candy, leaning it up gracefully against the wall facing the bed. Sometimes when he knows the light bill is low, he leaves it on for the entire night just for the pleasure of seeing it in use.
He's pushing his way past all the clothes that are strewn across the bedroom, cutting off whatever walking space there was. He tosses his book bag on the bed, his hands immediately going to the hem of his t-shirt in order to remove it.
After a quick shower he is back in the room wearing only a towel over his shoulder. The first thing he had learned was that, living alone meant privacy and his lower half already dry he saw no reason why he could not just use the towel to keep his dripping hair from leaking onto his shoulders. Although there is a variety of clothes for his wearing all over his bedroom floor, Riley heads down the short hallway, stopping in front of a medium sized mahogany closet. Opening it, he grabs a pair of silky boxer briefs from a barely neat pile, putting them on soon after and then closes the door.
He wasn't always like this. His need for items suddenly turned into an unquenchable appetite for more. His dad had gotten a job transfer to Texas during his second semester of Junior Year at Degrassi. Riley hadn't wanted to go but knew it was inevitable either way. His crush on his best friend Peter had him by the balls and he found himself pining to stay desperately. Therefore he got a plan together, he didn't want to have to start anew, he didn't want to leave Degrassi just when he was starting to feel comfortable in his own skin. He set up an interview at The Dot, hoping Spinner would take one look at his puppy dog eyes and quivering lip and hand him an apron. Unfortunately, Spinner hadn't been looking for Canada's Next Top Model and it took dedication and effort in order to convince the man that he was being serious.
When he finally got the 'yes' he had been looking for, Riley didn't waste any time in propositioning his parents on his behalf. His mother had looked at him cautiously, her eyes beaming with suspicion as Riley explained himself. He vouched that he would stay and work at The Dot, attending school while residing on his own; knowing that the house they lived in was merely a rental by his dad's company. He already had a list of apartments that fell under his income status and spoke with precise confidence. His father had been proud that his son was prepared to venture into independence already and he knew that Riley never gave them a reason to doubt their trust in him. Riley's mother had looked as if she was going to have a panic attack, her mouth gape for brief moment before she started scolding him for his suggestions. She would not leave the country, let alone the house, without him.
The days leading up to their departure, Riley refused to give up easily. He went to his mother personally this time, reasoning with her on a parent-child level. He could easily identify what her concerns were and prepared a solution for each of them. He wrings his hands the entire time but doesn't break into stuttered sentences like he thought he would. She was worried about his monetary means, not wanting to leave him struggling through school and worrying about working extra long hours in order to buy what he needed. Riley recommended that they send him a reasonable amount every month and he'll put it aside for future spending. He also stated that he could use the money when necessary rather than attending all his shifts and using whatever money he made from the times he chose to work as an additional sum. He reassures her that he would not be living alone, and that Peter would be dropping by to check on him every day. That had been a lie at the time but eventually it all played out similarly.
Finally, she had agreed, threatening that at the first sign of bad news she'd be flying his Greek bum to Texas.
The first night alone in his new apartment, Riley had been out of his mind with fear. He had dead bolt the door behind him after coming in from work and the spacious interior had sent cold shivers down his spine. He had hated the echo of his footsteps on the wooden floors, disliked the plain look to everything and tragically missing the atmosphere of the crowded café. When he started acquiring all the superfluous items he had thought it was because he was trying to thicken his roots within the apartment, making it more like home. But the truth was, even at his previous home, Riley never would have considered buying half of the things he wasted money on to fill up his new residence.
"The only thing you lack in this Nancy-Boy bachelor pad is porn" Peter had commented amusedly during his first visit to Riley's newly stocked home. Riley had considered purchasing some, but felt edgy about asking directions to the nearest porn shop. But then even after Peter had 'hinted' the whereabouts of the adult porn store, stating mischievously that they had porn for every fantasy a man could have, Riley refused to buy pornographic material. He chose instead to pay a week's salary as down payment on Dell Notebook, coughing up an extra 20 dollars a month until it was paid for fully. A personal internet connection seemed like a waste of time seeing that he could pick up WIFI from his neighbors and uses it to watch porn clips on any tube he could find.
It was good that he didn't have access to a credit card or else he'd be on his way to Texas with at least $5000 in credit card debt.
His Nokia is ringing. The well-known pre-downloaded ringtone filling the surroundings as he makes his way toward the bedroom, he's already spoken to his mother for the night and cannot think of anyone who would call at this hour. Caller ID informs him that it's 'Peter'
"Hey pretty" Riley answers easily.
Peter huffs, "I bet you greet all the boys that way"
Riley shrugs, although he knows Peter can't see it.
"I try. What's up?"
"Just callin cuz you weren't online. I need serious queer eye for the straight guy counseling at the moment"
"Okay? I'm still a guy no matter how gay I am, jerk. I think I'm going to give you bad advice just to spite you for saying that"
Peter laughs; the sound blossoming warmth onto Riley's chest.
"You're killing my almost dead battery. Get your ass online, I refuse to let you insult me via my new blackberry"
Feeling like bragging for the hell of it, Riley smugly states, "I just brought the new Iphone, Pete. You need to get an upgrade"
"Go bite a brick; and there you go wasting money again. Blackberry's are a much better choice"
"Whatever" he sulks a little, contemplating how much he'd have to save in order to get a blackberry. Next week's Salary had to feed him until he heard back from his parents. He has homework for tomorrow but figures chatting with Peter would motivate him to do it afterwards.
His friend is visiting his current girlfriend in New York. Peter still manages to run 'the above the dot' but it's being renovated shortly and this gave the graduate some time off to 'follow his heart'. Riley cringes as he recalls the other man's words. With Peter gone Riley's spending crave had seemed to kick into overdrive but he refused to let it control him…most days. He logs into the only account, simply named 'Riley' and waits for it to connect to a network. 'Ah, KK-ackles, always online and willing to share' he thinks, seeing that he had already found and connected.
They don't chat for long but Riley asks as much questions about Peter's day as he could, sending a voice recording in order to receive one from Peter in reply. He saves the recording, in which Peter just answers 'I ate a Taco at lunch and I'm still thinking over my choices for dinner'.
He knows it sick but he can't help it. For the rest of the night he listens to the hoarse voice of Peter, singing his unreleased demo, entitled 'Guilty pleasures'. Riley keeps the notebook charging, falling asleep to the replaying song.
Review please and tell me what you think.