Hey so this is the last chapter! Sorry for my inevitable errors. Thanks for everyone who read it and reviewed it meant the world to me! I might write something else I don't know though, suggestions welcome. Also don't freak out at me for the ending lol thanks again! One more thing when they text Max is bold, Riley is Italic. Enjoy, reviews appreciated!
Those blue eyes, that soft brown hair, that mouth that usually held that signature smile of his, Max Sinclair.
Riley tried to regain her composure once she saw him; she avoided eye contact at all costs.
"What are you doing here?" Riley asked him.
"You texted me?" Riley thought about it and then she realized she left her phone with Maya.
"Oh, I forgot, sorry. I have to go find Maya." She wiped the tears from her eyes, she didn't know how long she had sat on that ground for but she couldn't bare to see Max right now, or any of her friends honestly but she needed to at least grab her phone so she just walked away from Max, he followed her.
"Riley, what's wrong?" She heard him but she went back inside to look for Maya to get her phone and there was Maya making out with Lucas in the living room. Riley dashed toward the kitchen went into Missy's drawers and ran towards the bathroom. Max noticing it all ran after her but didn't catch her fast enough. He violently knocked on the door begging her to open up.
"I will break this door down Matthews, I don't even care. Please let me in."
She still did nothing.
Max jiggled the doorknob until it broke and slammed the door behind him and went over to her. She was sitting on the bathroom floor with a steak knife in hand. He never stopped her from cutting but he had to right now, it was worse than ever. She wasn't crying anymore but the bathroom light showed the mascara stains streaming down her face, the crimson flowing off her arms but more noticeably the red bruises of a hand around her neck.
Her wrists were bleeding at a sickeningly fast rate, Max had seen this before sadly, he tied his belt around her arm to slow it down and it seemed to be working. Riley's cream sweater was drenched in her own blood so he took it off her and threw it into the sink. He ran the water and grabbed a washcloth from her linen closet, he cleaned her face up first and then moved to her arm. An all white washcloth was now marooned from blood and blackened from mascara.
There was a silence lingering between them until Max spoke.
"Who did this to you."
"I think we both know I do this to myself Max." Riley knew he was talking about her neck, he's been glaring at it ever since her sweater was off.
"Riley, I recognize those underwear from the alley, they were yours. I just hoped it was a weird quirk of yours. Who hurt you."
Riley stayed silent. Max grew angry.
"I will fucking kill them."
"Max, please" Riley pleaded with him to stop. "Maya has my phone, can you go grab it from her, I wont leave I promise."
Max walked out of the bathroom and was careful to take the knife with him. He looked to the corner where Riley had spotted Maya and what he presumed was the boyfriend Riley told him about. He had to slither through the crowded party to get to her, Lucas had her against the wall, her ass in his hands. He decided to poke Lucas' shoulder because he had Maya pinned. Lucas pulled back and looked at Max with disdain.
"Sorry" Max directed at Lucas and then turned to Maya "you're Maya, do you have Riley's phone?" Maya took it out of her bra and handed it to Max.
"Sorry, I didn't want to lose it. Where is Riley?" Maya asked
"Bathroom, thanks for the phone." Max answered
"Is she okay, should I help?" She started to follow Max but Lucas grabbed her hand and lightly pulled her back.
"She's fine, I've got it." Max retorted.
Max walked back into the bathroom while Maya went back to making out with Lucas. Both were very very drunk Max noted but they seemed harmless.
Riley was looking at the floor with glassy eyes until she noticed Max, and those doe eyes broke his heart. She was hurt to begin with, who could hurt her even more. He doesn't know what exactly happened but someone assaulted her and he'd hurt him if it were the last thing he'd do. He's had fits of anger before he never had one this bad.
"Riles, do you wanna get out of here?" Max asked.
Riley only nodded and then looked over to her still bloodied sweater. Max tried to get more blood out of it but it was still pink and soaked. Max thought on his feet so he tousled his hair and took off his button up and gave it to Riley to put on, he was left in his jeans and a plain white tee shirt. He took the belt off her arm now that the bleeding stopped. He fumbled with her hair and covered up her bruised neck.
"If anyone asks or stops you, we just had sex, it's the best I can come up with this fast. It was also the best hypothetical sex ever too, just so you know."
Riley giggled at Max's attempt to help her, she didn't know why he stuck around but she was glad he did.
He held out his hand for her to help her up and he examined her for more noticeable blood or bruises, he held the sweater in a ball in his hand drapes his arm over her shoulder, not to hurt her but to cover her neck from curious partygoers.
"Let's go Matthews."
Riley kept her head down but Max was proud enough to keep his head up the whole time. He loved having Riley under his arm. He kept an eye out for any guy who looked at her weird. There were some hoots of congratulations for Max and Riley because Max made it look like they just fucked in Missy's bathroom. Lucas pulled back form Maya because of sounds. They both looked at the two, Lucas was angry. Maya was giggling at it, but Lucas ferociously pushed her back up against that wall.
"Let's find a room, now." Maya was a little intimidated but mostly turned on so Max and Riley left while Lucas and Maya found themselves a room to fuck.
"I'm going to be Mr. Riley Matthews one today, mark my words." Max said as he popped a fry into his mouth.
He took her to the Nighthawk Diner coincidentally; he hadn't known that Maya's mom used to work there before Topanga's. It was one of the few restaurants open at 1 AM.
"You're stupid, if anything, I'd take your last name." Riley giggled at the thought of Riley Sinclair.
"That's the norm but I like Max and Riley Matthews better, I want you and your life and I'd give up my last name for you. I'd give up a lot more for you."
"How about this fry then?" Riley said as she stole his next fry right out of his hand.
Max wanted to talk to her about what happened to her but she seemed to be better right now, she either started being able to fool him or he wasn't looking hard enough or her cutting herself was enough for her to deal. The last thought scared him more than he was comfortable admitting, he loved Riley. He hasn't told her but he knows he does. Now doesn't seem like an appropriate time to tell her.
Max treaded lightly when talking to Riley. "Matthews, I don't want to force you to do anything or talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable but I am here to listen to you. Whenever, wherever you want to talk about this, I'll be there and if you never want to talk about it well then that's okay too."
Riley looked at him and then back down to her food. "What would there be to say? I was a little choked but I'm crazy and hurt myself so I can't get mad at other people for hurting me too."
Max was in disbelief "Do you honestly believe that? No one has the right to hurt you ever, regardless of what you do to yourself. Plus we both know it was more than that, Riley. Don't ever let anyone hurt you."
Water pooled in Riley's eyes as she spoke, "If I protested, it could have been worse. I asked him not to do it, I was crying. That didn't stop him. He was mad and he could have started beating me or something."
"Who did this to you?"
"I don't know him."
They walked hand in hand back to her apartment, he was watching out for anyone suspicious.
"This is my building, if you want you can come in. I think my parents fell asleep but I have to check in with them. There's a fire escape that will lead right to my room. That is if you want to…"
Max smiled "I'd love to."
So Riley crept in and peeked into her parent's bedroom and told them she was home. They just rolled back over to go back to bed. Riley went into her room and Max was on the stairs of the fire escape. She waved him up and left her window open while she found a change of clothes. Max walked in right after she was took off his shirt. She was looking at herself in the mirror, in her bra and skirt.
"I'd cry at this sight but I think I am legitimately out of tears." Riley said, heartbroken.
Max walked in front of the mirror blocking her view and facing her.
"I could cry too, because you're just too cute."
He grabbed her face and squished her cheeks forward. She smiled that looked even funnier because the cheeks. She went to find an outfit, she chose a sweatshirt that gathered around the neck so it covered up most of her neck and sweatpants.
"Max, don't feel like you have to if you don't want to, but can you stay over? I am too scared to be alone right now."
"Of course cutie pie, you just give me a blanket and a pillow and the floor will be my home tonight." Max said as he smiled and made Riley smile. His smile always did that to her, it made her forget what she was sad about if only for a second. Riley sat down on her bed.
"I appreciate you not presuming anything but I want you in my bed." She said as she patted the spot of the bed next to her. Max took off his shoes and sat in her bed and her head fell onto his shoulder.
Eventually Max moved to lay down in her bed and Riley nuzzled into his chest. He listened to her breathing eventually slow, he sat there for hours, he watched over her. He didn't want to move, he could startle or scare her. She'd wake up or toss every so often but she clung to him every time and he loved it. Once 4 o'clock hit he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
They were woken up when Maya climbed through Riley's window around 10. The noise clearly scared Riley, Max tried to calm her down before Maya noticed.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Riley's heart was beating fast and her breathing was short and quick. Max noticed and started to rub her back until it started to slow. Riley rubbed her eyes and tried to pretend she wasn't terrified. "It's okay, what's up?" Riley said.
"I've got some news." Maya said.
Max interrupted "Hey, I am going to let you two chat, text me if you need anything, Matthews." He leaned over and kissed her sweetly, picked up his things and left out the window.
Maya smirked at Riley and Riley giggled.
"Me and Lucas got back together!" Maya exclaimed excitedly as she plopped down on Riley's bed.
Riley tried her best to force a smile but she started to shake at the mere mention of his name. What if he does the same thing to Maya? Would he remember, he was so drunk. What would happen when they had to see each other? They have class together; they have lunch together.
Riley finally managed to get something out, "That's awesome, Maya!"
Maya noticed Riley's shaking and then after glaring at Riley, she noticed the bruises sneaking over the top of her sweatshirt.
"What happened to you?!" Maya yelled.
"Would you keep it down? My parents are home." Riley whispered
"Riles, your fucking neck is like purple and red and don't even try and play that off as a hickey."
"Maya, I am fine, it was just a little accident."
"What kind of fucking accident? Did Max do this to you?" That set Riley off, Maya's boyfriend was the one who caused these bruises and yet she accuses Riley's… Max.
"No, Max did not do this to me, he has been nothing but amazing to me and I hate that you would accuse him or hurting me. He has never hurt me ever."
Maya's eyes narrowed as she said "So who did this Riles?"
"I did, I was playing the choking game in the alley." Riley said.
Maya went to inspect the bruise but Riley deemed that Maya was too close and abruptly backed up so that Maya wouldn't touch her. She hit her back off her headboard on her bed.
"The choking game? Riley I don't believe that who did this to you?" Maya asked again.
"I did it to me Maya, don't you understand? I hurt myself on purpose sometimes, I wanted a quick high and then Max found me because you texted him and he made me stop." Riley seemed to convince her this time.
"I thought we were done with this? I thought everything was getting better." Maya said with sadness in her eyes.
"Getting better, not being better, I'll stumble along the way and I did, I stumbled." Riley said seriously, she had really stumbled last night, that wasn't a lie.
"I have to tell your parents Riles, I'm sorry." Maya went to stand up and Riley grabbed her wrist like Maya did all that time ago, stopping Riley from running away.
"Maya, I am begging you, do not tell my parents."
The buzzer went off in Riley's apartment. Riley looked to Maya "Wait here."
Riley peaked outside of her door as her mother opened it. There was Cory, waiting with suitcases and Topanga hugged him and then looked back to Riley with pleading in her eyes. Riley stood there frozen not having talked to her father since Belleview, but she just looked at her mother like how could you do this. Riley sunk back into her room and locked the door just looking at the ground.
"Who's here?" Maya asked.
"My dad, he's moving back in and I had no idea."
"Maybe this is good, we can all talk about this." Maya suggested.
"He left because I am a fuck up, do you honestly think that us talking about this would be good? I'd be so happy if he left and I never saw him again but I have Auggie to think about and I don't want to drive my parents apart and have him hate me and grow up in two different homes or god forbid without my shit of a father."
The comment Riley made about growing without a father made Maya falter a bit. "What if you ended up killing yourself, Riley?"
There was a knock at Riley's door. Topanga asked "Can I come in?"
"Fuck off" Riley yelled towards her mother. Riley then directed her attention towards Maya and whispered to her, "Maya, can we go somewhere like grab some food or something I can't be here I am just freaking the fuck out." Riley's heart was racing and she started to shake again. "We can talk us two but not them."
"Okay," Maya answered.
Riley grabbed some things, changed into a pair of jeans but kept the same sweatshirt, packed a backpack and then climbed out her window with Maya. They walked to their local park and sat on the bench.
"Can you invite your boyfriend? I want to meet him." Maya asked
Riley smiled, "Yeah I'd like that, I'll text him."
Can you come grab lunch with me and Maya? She wants to meet you and I am sort of freaking out.
Anything for you, where are you? I'll pick you guys up.
Greenwich Park, thank you Max. I don't know what I'd do without you.
Max pulled up in a Mercedes; he was driving himself. He pulled over and parked and got out to greet them.
"Hey guys, where are we going to eat?" Riley ran up and hugged him and he smelled so good, he was such a comfort to her. He smiled, "Hey Matthews."
"Anywhere, really." Maya said, she was still suspicious of Max.
"Okay, I know a place." He gestured that they walk towards his car, Max rushed forward to open their doors. Riley sat shotgun while Maya got in the back, he waited to close the doors and walked to the driver's seat. He held out his hand for her to hold and she did not miss the opportunity. Maya noticed but was uncomfortable because she thinks he did this to her, little did she know it was her own boyfriend who attacked her, raped her.
"Riles, do you mind if Lucas meets us?" Riley, out of instinct, squeezed Max's hand and then immediately stopped and then she shook, Max noticed, Maya was looking down at her phone.
"Yea, you can ask him."
Max took them to a nicer deli type restaurant in Manhattan. He sat next to Riley, and Maya sat across from them. And then he walked in, Lucas, happiness when he saw Maya and regret when his eyes met Riley. Maya noticed their look; she had assumed he was scared for her when he looked at her barely noticeable neck.
Riley broke their look and whispered to Max "We need to leave now." Riley felt the tears burning in her eyes, the pain in her neck, the ache in between her legs, the wobble of her throat and the beating of her heart. Max took her hand, threw down some money for them and led her out.
Max had confirmed who raped Riley; it was Lucas. He wanted to take him and kill him right there but Riley was too important to him to let her see something like that, she was anti-violence but Lucas' time would come and Max knew it. He spoke for her "I have to go and well she wants to come."
He held her hand as they walked out, she kept her head down, Lucas stared at her, and Max furiously glared at Lucas. Maya watched it all, she could have come to some conclusion if her judgment hadn't been clouded by her love for Lucas.
Once Riley reached the outside of the restaurant, the tears escaped. She was short of breath; she was having a panic attack. Max just rubbed her back and told her it would all be okay.
Riley spoke, just above a whisper, "It was him, Lucas… he raped me."
It was the first time Riley admitted it and Max balled his fists and anger flushed his face.
"You won't leave me now, will you?" Riley asked shyly.
"Riley Matthews, are you kidding me? You are so important to me. I have wanted to tell you for so long that I love you, I wrote it in my journal back at Belleview and I wanted to wait and tell you in a big way. I wanted to wait so I didn't scare you away and I want to ask you out officially in a way that you deserve and I was taking a long time but I think you need to know this now: I love you so fucking much. No one can ruin that, not him, not you, I love you and I won't stop because some fuck raped you." Max just looked at Riley, hoping to god that his message got through to her.
Riley looked up at him with her bloodshot doe eyes and said, "I love you too."
He just held her as she calmed down.
She finally spoke up again, "My dad came home this morning, he is moving back in."
"Do you want to stay with me? Or I can rent a hotel room if you wouldn't want to run into my family?" Max asked.
"I have 100$ so if we can find a small shitty hotel room on a Saturday night for that then by all means." Riley looked at Max and laughed.
Max smiled, "You wont stay in a shitty hotel room, we shall pamper ourselves. My dad has a tab at the Waldorf, I don't question it or investigate because frankly I don't want to know the answer but they wont notice another charge from there."
"Wow, you are the best… Max, ever." Riley blushed after she said it.
"What can I say, I try I try." Max feigned innocence as he said it.
So they started to walk to his car when he closed Riley's door for her, he took out his phone and texted an old friend.
Lucas Friar, address. I'll pay for the information.
They were laying down in the king size bed in their suite at the Waldorf. It was 2 in the morning and Riley was still tossing and turning. She woke up Max on accident.
Max offered to her "I have a prescription to Ambien, it's a sleeping pill. If you want some, no pressure but you could probably use some sleep after the day you've had."
She rolled over to check the time on her phone and was greeted by several texts from her mother and Maya and even one from Lucas. She threw it across the room without warning, the case broke off of it, neither dared to look at the state of the phone.
"Can I please, I just want some silence." Riley asked
"Of course," he kissed the top of her head before getting out of bed to grab the pills from his coat pocket. He got her a glass of water and handed her the pills. She took them.
"Thanks" she turned away her back to him as she fell back asleep within about twenty minutes. Once Max felt confident she was asleep, he left her a note and took a walk. A walk to a certain Texas native's apartment.
He reached the building with no way to get in, so he tried scaling the fire escape until he saw him under his blue comforter with a Texas flag on his wall. He stood there for a second and then his anger took over, he didn't even try to open the window, he just put his left fist through it, unlocked it and lifted it up. He needed his right arm to beat the shit out of Lucas. Lucas was immediately awake. Max climbed on top of him and took his bloody left hand and started choking Lucas.
"Why the fuck would you do this to her? What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Max screamed at Lucas while his right hand was hitting Lucas viciously, repeatedly. Max knew someone would come in soon but Lucas would have known who did it to him anyways.
Lucas couldn't answer because he couldn't breathe. Both Max's hands were bloody but now it wasn't only his blood, Lucas was covered in red and losing consciousness. Max let go of his neck for a second so he wouldn't die on him yet.
"She didn't want you, and you fucking raped her?! And then go and had sex with her best friend you piece of shit!" Max's hand was back on Lucas' neck until Lucas' father finally came in and threw Max off of Lucas. Max took no time to wait, bolting out the window. Lucas was left unconscious, and severely beaten. Max ran back to the Waldorf, bloody hands hidden in his pocket, he wore a black pea coat so blood was not noticeable. Lucas never even hand the chance to hit Max; his arms weren't long enough to reach. Max slid back into their hotel room, washing off his hands and back into his boxers and a tee shirt. He got into bed wanting to spend the, potentially, last night of freedom he had with Riley. Even it was just watching her sleep.
They were woken up to angry banging on the door; Riley was terrified. Max told her to stay back. Max looked through the peephole and didn't know if he was more scared to see his father then the police. Max slowly opened the door and his father swung at his face. Max knew he deserved that.
"How many times can I keep getting you out of trouble, that boy is in the ICU. This will cost us both." Max's father yelled
Max looked back at Riley who had tears in her eyes, Max hated that he did that, she has to know it's Lucas in the ICU, he doubts it's because she saw his father hit him.
"Max!" his father screamed at him. He turned back to his father.
"Can we talk in the hall, please?" Max asked, his father walked out and Max followed closing the door behind him. Riley wanted to rush over and listen but she didn't want to betray him.
"I'm sorry dad, I really am and I am willing to accept any punishment you deem appropriate but he raped that girl, the girl who I love and I know you guys don't know about her because I never told you guys but I do. She doesn't want people to know but his dad heard me yelling at him for doing it."
Max's father had a glimpse of understanding in his eyes but mostly anger towards his son. "I already got you out of potential trouble with the law but you will be going back to a hospital, in Florida. Say goodbye because you are going tonight."
"Thank you dad." Max said sincerely, he knew he would get in trouble. Max walked back in the hotel room alone, with a fresh bruise under his eye. He thought Riley would be scared of him or mad but she wasn't she rain into his arms and he caught her as she wrapped her legs around him.
"I have to go back to a hospital I am so sorry Riley," she just cried in his arms for a few minutes. His dad knocked for him to leave, Max looked at Riley once more to capture everything. With bloodshot eyes, a beet red face and a runny nose, she was still the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. She held his cut up bruised hands and kissed him one last time. Max gathered his things and left with his father.
"I love you, Matthews"
"I love you, Maxwell Henry Sinclair, the fourth."
So Max was sent away, to another hospital with other journals, and no way to talk to Riley. So he wrote once again:
I miss her, I get scared that someone's hurting her. Not necessarily in the conventional, physical sense, like she'd been hurt before. I am scared they won't notice the change in her eyes when her thoughts go somewhere they shouldn't be or they won't watch the way she moves her body when she has new cuts on her body. I want to be with her but that kid had it coming, he hurt someone who was already so broken.
I can't think about her hurting herself or him hurting her and me not being there, it breaks my heart. I love her so much and we're gonna end up together someway somehow. I want to have kids with her, scratch that, I might want to adopt because, well, we have some problems but we'd make a set of kick ass parents. I want to be there to catch her when she falls and be her human pillow, a shoulder to cry on when she needs me. She's my maze, my complicated beautiful puzzle. My parents will probably ban me from her but she's Matthews, how could I ever stay away from her?
I love her and this time around I know she loves me too, it gives me hope. Hope for my future, hope for our future. I can't wait to talk to her and I want to tell her that I'll always be there to listen to her, once I am out of this hell hole. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with that girl.
And with no communication with the outside world; Max never saw that Belleview was shut down for their corrupt staff. He never knew what happened to Lucas. He never knew if Riley told anyone what happened. He never talked to his sister he loved so much. He never knew if Riley ever talked to her father. He never knew if she ever hurt herself again. He never saw her obituary. He never found out that Riley Matthews was dead.