Riley's eyes fluttered open as the morning sun brightened up her room. She let out a sigh and rolled over to look at her clock which was long since broken. Usually she just used her phone to set her alarm or to check the time, but for some reason, having that dumb broken antique clock on her side table was a comfort. It helped Riley sleep at night.
The clock had broken when she was still in college. It was a gift from her parents when she first left home, and in her junior year one of the springs snapped. Riley just never found the time to get it repaired, but recently she didn't see a point to getting it fixed.
Somehow, she hoped leaving it in its current state would help tomorrow from coming. But it hadn't – and the hope had lasted for over two months.
Riley flopped onto her back and let out a sigh. It wasn't a secret, at least between her, Maya, and Izzy that she was trying her best to move on with her life. She wasn't going to lie to herself – she still had her doubts. Riley was definitely damaged, but her broken heart was still beating.
There may be pain in healing, Riley thought, but it sure takes its time in doing so!
One thing was for sure – Lucas had gotten back inside of her head, and he wouldn't leave. I tried to guard myself, but around him I'm an open book…
A pounding on her door interrupted her trail of thought. Riley let out a groan as she swung her legs over, pulled on the nearest hoodie, and headed to the door. She glanced down at her phone as she shuffled towards the entryway. "Eight thirty in the morning… on a Saturday. Who in the world –" Riley started, but was interrupted by more pounding. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez, what do you expect for this time in the morning on the weekend."
Riley opened the door to reveal her raven haired friend standing in the doorway. "About time, Bubbles!" Smackle declared as she stepped into the apartment.
Riley sighed as she closed the door. "Izzy, what are you doing here? If you hadn't noticed, most of the city is still sleeping," she commented as she crossed her arms. It may have come out a bit harsh, but to be honest, she did wake up only about ten minutes ago. Her mind was still muddled with sleep and she wasn't thinking clearly.
"I have come to cheer you up!" Smackle replied as a beaming smile spread across her face, making her eyes glint.
Her eyebrow shot up in confusion. "And how do you plan on doing this exactly?"
"I decided to find you something to get you out of the apartment, so I found you a date for this evening for Maya's New Year's Party tonight."
Riley nearly choked on air at her friend's words. "Smackle, what the – why on Earth would you do that?!"
Isadora's smile fell upon Riley's reaction. "You had told me last month you wanted to move past this jarring run in with Lucas. I thought this would help the healing process. Was my hypothesis wrong?"
Riley ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes briefly. "No – I appreciate what you did. You're right; I need to get out of this apartment. However, I'm not sure if a date is the answer."
Smackle raised her hands in defense. "Do not think of it as an official date, but perhaps a chance to get to know him. 'No strings attached' as Maya may put it. If you two get along, that would be good; if not, you part as acquaintances.
"I told him a good friend of mine required a night out and needed a friendly companion. He then inquired if it would be a date."
"And?" Riley probed.
"I informed him it would most likely be closer to a 'hang out' than an actual date, and he agreed. He is not really one for blind dates."
Riley wrung her hands as she contemplated what Smackle just placed before her.
Seeing her friend's doubt, Isadora continued on, "Have I mentioned he is a hunk? H-U-N-K, hunk."
Riley couldn't help but smile as Smackle's comment brought her back to eighth grade. "Okay, Izzy, I'll take you up on your offer. What's his name?"
Her smile returned as she said, "David."
OoOoO
Riley tugged on the hem of her dress as she approached Maya's apartment in Soho. She didn't know what she was getting herself into. Why did I agree to this? her mind raced. Sure, it felt kind of nice to get out of her apartment, but why in the world did she agree to meet up with this David fellow? Even if it wasn't technically a date, Riley was still regretting it a bit.
She let out a sigh as she entered the apartment building. The heated air seeped through her skin. Riley made her way up the stairs and headed down the hall to Maya's apartment, letting herself in.
Even though the party started about ten minutes prior, the apartment was already filled with people. She slid off her pea coat and revealed a knee length red satin dress. Riley didn't have her coat off for more than two seconds before she heard her name being called out amongst the crowd. She turned around to see Maya, sporting a black and silver beaded dress that hugged her body and fell just above her knees, champagne flute in hand.
"Hey Riles," she greeted as she wrapped her in a hug. "I wasn't sure if you were going to come. I'm glad you did, though."
Riley smiled as she hung up her coat. "Yeah… Izzy kind of helped with that."
"Well, you're here. It's a step in the right direction… anyway, drinks are on the counter, you probably know most everyone here," Maya paused. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I think I will be. I'll let you know if that changes. Go, have fun. It's your party."
"Are you sure?"
Riley nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I need to find Smackle – she has someone she wants to introduce to me."
Maya's eyes widened as she tilted her head. "Oooh! Look at you! Good luck!"
The two friends parted and Riley began to weave through the crowd. It didn't take her long to spot Smackle in her cream dress with a crocheted lace bodice by the balcony standing beside a tall dark haired man. His hair was slicked back, and it would probably cover some of his hazel eyes had it not been. Riley raised her eyebrows slightly as she noticed how he was dressed – blue slacks and a baby blue button up shirt layered under a gray v neck sweater. She definitely found him attractive.
"Riley!" Smackle called out. With a smile, Riley made her way over towards them. "Riley, this is David – one of my coworkers. David, this is Riley – a good friend of mine. With that, I shall leave you two alone."
With that, Smackle headed into the crowd of people, attempting to wink in Riley's direction before she disappeared. Riley turned towards David with an awkward smile. She let out a nervous chuckle as David slid his hands in his pockets.
The two stood in silence for a few moments before Riley said, "So, do you know anyone else here?"
David bobbed his head from side to side. "Besides Isadora, I know Farkle, but that's about it."
Once Farkle's name left his mouth, Riley's eyes automatically started scanning the room. She didn't see him when she came in, but sure enough he was now standing next to Smackle with his arm around her shoulders. She hadn't seen him in a while, and Riley made a mental note to reach out to him soon. "I know most everyone here. It's mostly mine and Maya's friends from high school and college. I hope it's not too awkward for you."
David shook his head. "No, not really. I usually don't find it too hard to strike up a conversation with someone I don't know."
"Well, we're doing a stellar job at that so far, aren't we?" Riley replied sarcastically.
He let out a soft chuckle. "Touché. It's probably the situation we're in. Even though it's not technically a date…" David trailed.
"…it still kind of feels like one."
More silence drifted between the two before David asked, "Do you want to start over?"
Riley raised an eyebrow. "Start what over? We've barely been next to each other for five minutes."
David nodded. "Yeah, and it seems like we're going down a dead end." He pushed himself off the wall, fixed his posture, ran his hand through his hair, and stuck his hand out. "David Hogan. And who might you be?"
She couldn't help but roll her eyes playfully as she took his hand. "Riley Matthews. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," he replied as he kiss the back of her hand, making Riley blush. From her end, this was making it all the more strange, but still a bit fun.
"So Riley," David continued, "tell me, do you know any of these fine party goers on this lovely New Year's Eve?"
Riley wanted to laugh at what was taking place, but she managed to stifle her laughter. "I know most of them. Actually, I came here because one of my friends wanted to introduce someone to me."
David nodded teasingly and coyly smiled. "Interesting. Have you managed to meet him yet?"
She shook her head, deciding to have fun with where the conversation was going. That's why she was there tonight, right? "No, no… it doesn't look like he showed up."
"Well he's a fool if you ask me, stand a beautiful young lady up like yourself. What is it that you like doing in your free time?"
Riley let out a light sigh before she answered. "Oh, you know… stuff that most people find uninteresting or think it's rather stupid."
David reached out and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. "Please, tell me."
She looked deep into his eyes and saw that the play was over, the charade gone. Despite starting the conversation out in a goofy manner, he was genuinely interested in what she liked to do. "Reading – I like a lot of the classics, hiking, writing… stuff like that. I'm a photo journalist most of the time, so it's nice to be able to convey a story in a different medium. Over the past year or so, I've actually been trying to work on my own book –" Riley cut herself off before she said anymore and quickly looked away from him. She hadn't told anyone about her little side project. Not her friends, not her family – no one. She had been meaning to tell a few people for a while, but it had been pushed onto the back burner.
Riley looked back up at David, and the same look remained on his face. "No, that doesn't seem uninteresting at all. Who doesn't want to create worlds?"
"I guess that's one way of looking at it."
David smiled gently as he continued to speak. "Now that you've divulged some information on yourself, I guess I should do the same. I work in the same lab as Smackle, majored in Biochemistry. I, too, enjoy reading, but tend to stick with mysteries – which I guess is why I get along with Farkle. Sometimes entertainment today is too predictable," he commented, making Riley laugh. "Other than that, I like the warmer weather, spending the day at the beach, and just trying to have fun."
Riley nodded as the two retreated back into another thread of silence.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted," David retorted.
"That it was. I'm sorry; I guess I'm just not up to talking that much tonight – which is usually the opposite of what I usually do. I have a tendency to ramble."
David put his hands up. "It's okay, I get it. Smackle was trying to help you. I have an idea – if you want, we can try and get together later on, whether as friends or something more, on our own terms. Does that sound like something you'd be up to?"
Riley bobbed her head from side to side. "Maybe."
"If you do, let her know when and where, and I'll be there. If not, it was nice getting to know you."
"Likewise," Riley smiled before David disappeared into the crowd. She took a couple steps onto the balcony and inhaled the crisp December air as she glanced up at the sky. Despite all the lights, a few stars managed to peek through.
After a moment, Riley heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head to see Maya standing there. "How was it?"
Riley shrugged as Maya made her way over to where Riley was standing. "It went pretty well considering we both felt pretty awkward about the date that wasn't a date. We talked for a bit before we decided that if we wanted to try again on our own terms we would. He seems like a nice guy."
"Definitely looks the part," Maya commented as she looked at the group of people out of the corner of her eye.
Riley chuckled as she leaned against the railing. "He was definitely handsome…"
"So how are you doing, Riles? I know we haven't had the chance to talk too much over the past month, but my schedule has been pretty busy."
She nodded. "Don't worry about that. Life happens and takes away from the more important things," Riley joked. "But I've been doing alright I guess. I've been trying to move on, and I think tonight helped. It was what I needed. Life has dictated that what was in the past needs to stay there, and I have to come to accept that."
Maya smiled as her mind flashed to that day when she bumped into Lucas on the sidewalk, recalling his distress that was plastered on his face. "Maybe. You never know when it may throw you in the opposite direction you think you're going."
"Very true. Anyway, I think I'm going to head home."
"Are you sure? There's only about an hour before the ball drops, and you've only been here for around 45 minutes."
Riley nodded as she looked down at her watch. "Yeah, I'm sure. It may not have been too long, but it was what I needed."
OoOoO
The streets were rather bare, but that was typical this time of night on New Year's Eve. They were all at their own parties or in Time Square. Riley shook her head as she headed into her apartment building. The faint sounds of Barry Manilow's version of What Are You Doing New Year's Eve played over the lobby's speakers.
"What am I doing New Year's Eve?" Riley asked herself as she headed up the stairs. "Not much apparently – and that's okay," she admitted to herself. A small smile came upon her lips – she was finally ready to take the next step in her life.
She turned down the hallway and headed towards her apartment. When she rounded the corner, Riley stopped dead in her tracks. Just when she thought she had moved on, she found herself hanging on another day, another word. She may have lost her way three years ago, but Riley was finding her way back home.
Her doe eyes met his emerald ones as he stood outside her apartment door.
"Lucas," she breathed. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, and her mouth ran dry.
Lucas took a step towards her. "Hey Riley… can we talk?"
A/N: I hope I did okay with Smackle's character. I've never written her before and I hope I did her justice. The song this chapter is based on is Broken by Trisha Yearwood – not exactly a classic, but I felt most of the lyrics fit what I wanted Riley to go through.
Next chapter will be Lucas' POV during this time! I have an idea of what I want to happen, but if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know. Also, if you could please let me know what you thought of it (what you liked, didn't like, what should be improved upon, etc.), it would be greatly appreciated.
For those that are curious as to what the outfits looked like, check out the chapter on my Tumblr page and scroll to the bottom: cowgirlangel95 . tumblr . c-o-m /post/163656502515/them-ol-songs (remove the spaces and the dashes)