Chapter 17: No Surprise There
i'm sorry for the late upate! i have been super busy and i thought i had already uploaded this chapter! But enjoy! There's a three part ending coming soon. So stay tuned my lovely people! xx
Riley's POV:
"You have nothing to worry about. You're going to be fine. We will give you some medication for the lump and it should disappear within a few weeks." The doctor said. "But what about the chemical? How did that get into my body?" she asked. "Well, the tests show that there was a pill in the drink, it was a codeine. It's rare for someone to have an allergic reaction to it. So we stuck an allergy medicine into your body while you were out.
Tharitea's POV:
The time I see my niece, for the first time in a long time, I end up poisoning her. I should've remembered which drink I put my medicine in. Otherwise, this would have never happened. But I don't think they will believe me in this situation. I'm the one everyone is pointing the finger at. "How could you do this to Riley?" Alan asked. "Believe me, this was just an accident. Why would I do this to my niece? I have four kids, do you think poisoning my niece is an example I want to show them?" I said. "Well how on earth did a pill get into the water?" he asked. "That was for me. Because seeing her today made me feel overwhelmed. It was giving me a headache." I said. "Well, next time remember which cup you put it in, because if I lose my granddaughter. You lose a life." Alan said. "ALAN!" Amy yelled as she walked over to us. "Don't talk to her like that. I understand that you're protective of Riley and so am I, but don't threaten the poor girl's life. You're making her feel worse than she already does." Amy said. "She almost killed our granddaughter." Alan said. "She's human. Humans make mistakes." Amy said. "Why are you on her side?" Alan asked. "Because I've been in her shoes before, and the way you're acting isn't helping at all." Amy said. After the whole situation with Alan, I went to the room to go see Riley and I seemed to have walked in at the right time.
"But I didn't even know the pill is in my drink." Riley said. "Someone can crack the pill and put the powder in there." he said. "I can explain." I said as I entered the room. "Oh please do." Lucas said as he crossed his arms. "That was actually supposed to be for me. Seeing you and how much you've grown made me feel a little overwhelmed. It made my head hurt so I took the pill and dropped it into my drink. I thought I had given you the cup without the pill in it. But I promise you I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Considering the fact that I wouldn't want my kids to think that poisoning someone is okay. It's not. So I truly am sorry for what I did. I should've been more careful." I said. Riley looked me at for a moment, then she gave me a soft smile. "I forgive you." she said. "I don't!" Cory yelled. "Cory, I'm telling the truth." I said. "How can we be so sure?" Lucas said. "You're just going to have to take my word for it." I said. "Not good enough. Is it possible to investigate this? Like question her or give her a lie detector test?" Cory asked. "That wouldn't be necessary dad. I believe her." Riley said. "Riley!" Cory said, "Dad. Just trust me on this." she said. He sighed. "Fine." He said. "No, Riley. What if she is lying? But you can't see it." Lucas said. "Lucas, I see the good in people. I know when someone is innocent and when someone is guilty. My aunt is innocent." Riley said.
Riley's POV:
"But how do you even know she's innocent without questioning." Lucas said. "I just do. I may not have known about this women my whole life. But I know she didn't mean for any of this to happen." I said. "You only see the good in people, Riley." My dad said. "Who do you think I get it from?" I asked. "Riley, it's good that you see the good in people but sometimes it can fool you." Lucas said. "My mom is a lawyer, I've learned a few things from her. My aunt is innocent." I argued back. "She's a lawyer as well, she could be playing you like a fool." Lucas said back. "You do know I'm still here right?" Tharitea said. I looked over at her and the doctor standing there awkwardly. "I'm sorry about this." I said. "It's okay. But I'll come back with your medication and I'll write you a prescription." The doctor said as he left. "Tharitea, I know you're innocent. So don't feel guilty over this." I said. "Thank you, Riley. I think I should head back home now. This day has been weird but you are more than welcome to come back and visit. Also, I hope you feel better as well, let me know if anything comes up." She said. "I will." I said. We said our goodbyes and she left the hospital. I knew my dad was really frustrated with me at this point, but instead of yelling at me he walked out the room to get air. Lucas remained in his spot, with his arms crossed.
"Lucas, talk to me." I said. "Riley, I love you. I realized I got a little over protective for a moment. But that's only because I want you to be safe. Just like everyone else. I know you see the good in people, and I believe you when you say your aunt is innocent but sometimes that belief isn't always right. You can be so blinded by someone that you don't see the truth." He said. "Even with someone you're very close to, like for example, Maya. You two are extremely close that if you think you've realized a secret about her, you might be blinded by it and think that it's the actual truth when it's not." He said. "Your aunt is innocent, but if they question her and she confesses to it. Then that belief you had of her will disappear. It will make you angry, confused and you will keep thinking about how you spent all that time believing that she was innocent. When she wasn't." Lucas said. "You do have a point." I said.
*Two weeks later*
Riley's POV:
Things have seemed to finally calm down after the whole incident in Philadelphia. But I quickly got my mind off of that and focused on prom. It felt so weird. I was attending Columbia but at the same time I was attending prom this weekend. I didn't have class until 10am today, so I decided to follow through with Lucas and I's tradition. So I drove to John Adams to go give him a kiss before class started. It was cheesy. But that was just the type of couple we were. I was waiting for him in front of the school. It seemed like hours were going by. But it had only been a minute. Pretty soon, I saw him pull up in his truck. I watched him as he got out. He wasn't even expecting me today because I usually waited for him when I didn't have early morning classes. He looked so handsome in his blue and black plaid shirt, black pants of course his black Nike shoes. "Hey, Friar!" I yelled as he got closer to the steps of the school. He looked up from his phone, and his entire face lit up. He ran up to me and picked me up. "Here's my favorite girl!" he said as he kissed me. "What're you doing here?" he said as he put me down but kept his arms around my waist. "Just wanted to see you before class starts," I said.
"Aww, well I'm glad you're here. How long do you have?" he asked. "I have about two hours and you have about 15 minutes." I said. "I know. I wish you still attended this school. It's not the same without you." he said. "I know I'm sorry. But you still get to see me and also prom is coming up." I said. "I can't wait for prom night. I'll be with the most beautiful girl in the world." He said. "And who may that be?" I teased. "Megan fox, yeah we're in a very serious relationship." He joked. "Oh okay, well then I should probably go before she catches us." I said. "Nah, I think were good." He said as he leaned back down for a kiss. "Riley!" I heard Maya yell. We both looked up and Maya and Farkle were walking up the steps of the school. "Maya!" I yelled as I walked over and gave her a hug. "What're you doing here?" she asked. "Just visiting before class starts." I said. "Oh right, I forgot you're a college student now." Maya teased. "Hey, you know I'm still the same me." I teased back. "Anyways, bakery at 3?" Maya asked. "Are we meeting there?' I asked. "My car is in the shop right now. I'll come over and we can walk there. Just like old times." She said. "It's a date." I said. "Hey." Lucas said. "I'm sorry you're girlfriend prefers me over you." Maya joked. "Okay, let's get to class." Farkle said. I said my goodbyes and was about to leave when Lucas ran back and hugged me from behind. "I love you." he said as he gave me a quick peck on the cheek and ran back inside the school.
I got back into my car and drove off to Columbia. I spent most of the time sitting in my car, listening to music. I didn't know what else to do. Finally, the time had flew by fast and it was already 9:30. I got out of my car and grabbed my books and my bag. "Matthews!" I heard someone yell. I turned around to find Michael running up to me. "How's it going?' he said as he caught up to me. "It's going good, ready for class today?" I asked. "Not one bit." I said. "So any plans this weekend?" he asked. I gave him a look. "My intentions are harmless." He said as he put his hands up. "I'm actually going to prom." I said. "Prom?" he asked. "Yes, I had to graduate early. The same as you. I didn't want to miss my senior prom. No way." I said. "Well, I already know you're going to look absolutely beautiful." he said.
After all of my classes, I drove home and changed. Ten minutes later, Maya had climbed through my window. "Honey!" she said. "Peaches!" I said. "Ready to go?" she asked. "Yes I am!" I said as we climbed through the window. As we walked down to the bakery, there was just something that couldn't stop bothering me. "So, how was school?" I asked. "School? It was boring. What about you?" she said. "It was okay, but I feel like somethings off about Michael." I said. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Well he's sort of one of the few friends I have in that program and lately, he's been acting a little weird around me." I said. "You're not going to act on this, are you? Please tell me you're not going to act on this." Maya begged. "Of course not, I love Lucas. I've always loved him." I said. "If Michael has feelings for you, I wouldn't be surprised. It's impossible for someone to not like you." She said.
Lucas's POV:
"Farkle, we have a problem." I said as we walked into his living room. "What is it?" he asked. "Prom." I said. "You are ditching Riley!" he yelled. "No! Of course not! I just realized I'm going to have to dance. I don't want Riley to think of us as the couple that just sits and watches everyone around us have a good time. I want us to be the couple that's having a good time." I said. "So dance." He said. "Aha, I don't know how to dance. Literally. I mean slow dancing. I'm good at that. But if it's a fast song I can't do that." I said. "Just go with the beat, feel the rhythm beneath your feet." He said. "Alright, I'll give you the basics." He said as he turned on some music. "What're you doing?" I asked. "I'm going to teach you how to dance, Friar." He said. "Right now?" I asked. "Yes, yes I am." He said proudly. "By the end of this week, I will have you dancing like a pro. Or maybe just like an average person." He said. He started doing different steps and started doing weird thing with his hand. "What do you call this?" I asked. "The sprinkler." He said. "Alright, another trick is that if you are a terrible dancer. You just have to give good facial expressions." He said. "Now see, I'm doing all of these moves and the only thing you're looking at is my face." he sang.
Riley's POV:
"Aha, remember the time when we got stuck in the pool house?" I said. "Oh my god. You were so scared." Maya said as she threw her head back laughing. "I thought we were going to be stuck in there for the rest of our lives." I said. "We were six. Of course you thought that." Maya said. "Funny running into you here." I heard someone say. Uh oh. "Hey, Michael." I said as he grabbed a chair and sat with us. "Michael?" Maya said with suspicion. "Oh, this is my best friend Maya, Maya this is my friend Maya." I said as I introduced the two. "Very nice to meet you." he said. "Likewise." She said. "Anyways, what's going on? I didn't interrupt anything did I?" he asked, "Nope, just girl talk." Maya said. "So, I was about to get a chocolate cake, want to share?" he asked, "I'm fine." I said awkwardly. "I'm sorry I forgot you had a boyfriend, but I'll be right back." He said. "Wow." Maya said as he walked up to the counter. "He is a babe. Can I have him?" she asked. "Please do." I said.
"Wow. He has the most beautiful eyes. Why couldn't he be my prom date?" She said. "He's coming back, shush." I said. "Alright now tell me, how good it is on a scale of 1-10?" he asked as he aimed a piece of cake at me. I looked over at Maya and her eyes were big. She gave me the "Uh oh." Look. "What's going on here?" I heard someone say. "Lucas! Farkle! So glad you guys can join us." Maya said. "Okay, and I ask again. What's going on here? Riley?" he asked. "Nothing. We just ran into Michael and were just hanging out." I said. Lucas took a seat next to me. "Oh, so you're Michael? Lucas." he said as he stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, the boyfriend I assume?" he asked. "Yes." He said. The atmosphere went from awkward to absolutely uncomfortable. Lucas got jealous the entire time we were hanging out with Michael. I secretly loved it. "So, Michael. You seeing anybody special?" Maya asked. "No, not yet." he said as he looked at me. Lucas quickly put his arm back around me. "Interesting." Maya said. "Maya." Farkle said as he shook his head.
"Well, you'll find your special someone someday man. It's hard to find someone decent around here." Lucas said. I gave him a soft smile. I just wanted this awkward moment to be over. "So, Riley shouldn't we be heading out? Don't we have that thing?" Maya asked. My hero. "Yes, we do. We should get going." I said as I quickly got up and we ran out the door. "Okay, I am so sorry but that was so awkward." Maya said. "Tell me about it. You don't think their killing each other now do you?" I said. "Probably. I'll text Farkle." She said. "Lucas looked like he wanted to kill Michael for staring at you." she said. "I know I felt his body tense up. It was kind of hot." I said. "Okay, I never want to hear Lucas and the word hot in one sentence." Maya said in disgust. I gave her a light push. "Now I see what you mean, Michael is totally intrigued by you." she said. "That worries me. I mean I don't want to ruin the good friendship that we have. Like I said before, he's one of the only few friends that I have made at Columbia. I know that my education is more important but I'm just- I don't know." I said. "Well you know what, prom is this weekend. We're going to have the time of our lives." Maya said.
Lucas's POV:
"What was that in there?" Farkle asked. "What was what?" I said. "That whole thing with you and Michael. After Riley and Maya left it's like you guys were about to rip each other's heads off." He said. "He was making love bird eyes at Riley. Every time he brought up the topic about finding that special someone, he kept looking at Riley." I said. "It didn't look like it to me." he said. "Are you kidding me? He was basically trying to get her to get the hint that he likes her." I said. "Okay, I'll admit I did get a weird vibe from him." Farkle said. "Exactly." I said. "He's up to something. I just have to figure out what." I said. "Just don't go too crazy. You don't want to plot a scheme and have it unfold badly in front of you." he said.
*Few days later*
Riley's POV:
This is it! Tonight was officially prom night and I couldn't have been more excited! I had the most beautiful dress and the most beautiful date. Maya and I were headed to Pomp to get our hair and makeup done. "I'm so happy it's finally prom night." I said as I twirled around the street. "Okay, let's make sure keep you in one piece for tonight." Maya said. "I'm sorry." I said. We walked inside the salon and signed in for our appointments. "So, do you think anything crazy is going to happen tonight?" Maya asked. "Why would you ask that?" I asked. "Because something always happens before we go to a big event." She said. "You're right. Hopefully nothing bad happens." I said. After our appointments, we went to go get our nails done and headed back to my house. Finally, it was time to put on our dresses and heels. Once I slipped on my dress, I felt amazing. I had my hair in curly teased bun, and my makeup was very light and fresh. Maya's hair was curled, with her bangs pulled back and she also had very light makeup on. "You girls look amazing." My mom said as she stood by my door. "Thanks mom." I said as I walked over to the door.
We all walked downstairs and took a picture and waited to take the rest when the guys arrived. Finally, the doorbell had rang. My dad walked over to the door and opened it, but it wasn't who we expected it to be. "Michael?" I said. He walked in very nervously and my dad eyed him. "What're you doing here?" I asked. "Wow, you look beautiful." he said. "Thank you, now back to my question." I said. "I need to talk to you." he said. "Now?" we all said together. "Yeah, I know this is really bad timing but I really need to talk to you." he said. I looked at Maya and she shrugged. "You have five minutes." I said as I headed to the living room window. "I kind of want to talk to you in private." He said. "This is as private as it's going to get." I said. "Okay." He said as he sat down next to me. Maya and my parents went into the kitchen. "So what's going on?" I asked. "I know you're about to go to your prom. But the other day when we were talking about finding someone special… I feel like I already found the special person." He said. "Aww, who?" I said. "You." he said. "What?" I said. "Riley, I really like you. I know you're with Lucas and that I don't even have a chance. But I just wanted to tell you so that I can move on." He said. "Unless you feel the same way." He said. "I don't. Michael, you're one of the few friends I have at Columbia. I don't want to ruin the friendship we have. I'm sorry." I said. "I'm sorry too." He said. "So am I." we heard someone say. We both looked up and we saw Lucas standing there, with his hand formed into a fist and his face was red as a tomato.
To be continued…