Riley's Secret (A Moon's Glow Novel # 1)

by Smith, Christina

I texted her back. I quit.

  She sent me another one. What? Why??

  To hopefully end this conversation, I texted her one last time: Since your boyfriend and his friends threatened me, I no longer want to hang out with any of you.

  It worked. She didn’t answer, although I knew I would hear from her eventually.

  Class ended and I was thrilled when I saw Nate leaning against a locker waiting for me. I smiled at him. “Hi.” With the new knowledge of my feelings, it was hard for me to hide them.

  His brow creased in confusion when he saw my expression. “Hi. You ready?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “Let’s go,” he said, looking at me strangely.

  On our way to class we saw Lauren Riley. She seemed extremely surprised to see us together. She waved at her friends Allison Avery and Lily Kendal and then stopped in front of me. “Hi, Megan, how are you?”

  It was a little odd that she was talking to me. Our conversations usually consisted of a smile and a nod, at most, a quick hi. “Hi, Lauren.” There was a silence as Lauren glanced at Nate with a wide grin.

  “Let’s go,” Nate mumbled, leading me away.

  I turned around and saw Lauren standing where we had left her, that grin still on her face. I glanced up at Nate. “What was that about?”

  He shrugged, staring straight ahead. “How should I know? She was talking to you.”

  We entered geography just as Miss Wilkinson was calling the class to order. Nate took an empty seat two rows away instead of his usual seat on the other side of the classroom. During the lesson, I peeked at him a few times, but he was always looking ahead, listening to the teacher.

  After school Nate met me at my locker. “I think I’m fine,” I told him. “You don’t have to escort me everywhere.”

  “Yes, I do. They threatened you. You need to take this seriously.”

  I slammed my locker door shut. A metallic clang rang out that echoed down the hall. “Fine, let’s go then.” I followed him to the parking lot.

  “Are you sure you’re fine?” he asked, pointing to my car. Mouth open, I circled the vehicle. Every single tire was slashed. I looked up to see who was around.

  Mandy and the rest of them were standing at Shane’s SUV laughing. Well, Mandy wasn’t. She was watching me with a look of concern on her face.

  Nate glared at them so intensely, I thought I heard him growl.

  “Come on, drive me home.” I pulled him away, not really knowing where I was going since I didn’t know where he parked. His anger only grew as we took a few steps away. “Where is your car?”

  He pointed to the black convertible I had seen at Riley House. I dragged him toward it. I knew that if I didn’t get him away from them, he would start a fight. I had never seen him so enraged.

  “Are you volunteering tonight?” I asked him after we had been driving for a while.

  His anger had somewhat diminished, his body was still rigid and he was quiet, but his eyes no longer held the rage they had earlier. “No. I was supposed to, but after today I thought I might hang out with you if that’s okay.”

  Nothing would make me happier. “Sure.” I reached down to change the radio station, hoping to hide the joy that was surely showing on my face. “Although if you want, we can both volunteer, I enjoy it. I’m really sorry about what happened Friday night, but I’m glad I got a chance to go to Riley’s and meet all those people.” He didn’t look at me as I spoke, just focused on the road ahead. “When I gave those women my old clothes that I never wear, they were so happy. It made me feel like I belonged somewhere. And I’ve never felt that way before.”

  He finally turned his head and gazed at me. His face was more relaxed. All the anger had slipped away. “You’re not close with your family?”

  I laughed darkly. “No, I’m not. I’ve never had a real family. Instead of love and companionship, they give me cars, clothes and all the latest technology. All I want is to have a real relationship with them, but it will never happen. I gave up trying years ago. At least if I had brothers or sisters we could bond in our mutual annoyance of our parents, but my mother always told me that one child was enough. She was never going to ruin her body again. Isn’t that a sweet thing to say to her only child?” I glanced out the window, watching the houses as we drove by. “I don’t want to whine about my family anymore.”

  We were silent for the last few miles, until we reached my driveway. “Where should I park?” Nate asked, pulling into the long paved drive.

  “Over there, it’s closest to my room. I won’t subject you to meeting my parents, although they’re probably not home anyway.” We climbed out of the car and he followed me to my patio door.

  “It wasn’t locked?” Nate asked after following me inside. He sat down on the chair by the door.

  “No, but there is always someone here.”

  “That doesn’t matter. If one of your so-called friends came, they could let themselves in and no one would hear.”

  “I never thought of that. I’ll lock it from now on.” I plopped down on my bed, throwing my bag on the floor by my TV. “You never answered my question. Do you want to go to Riley House?”

  He smiled. “Not tonight. I called Julia earlier and she’s covering for me. I can’t stay too long, though. I should leave by seven.”

  “Why, do you have a date?”

  “No, I told you I don’t date.”

  “No, you said you don’t socialize at school. Who knows what you do outside of those walls.” I smirked at him, folding my arms in front of me.

  He smiled. “Well, I’ll say it now, I don’t date. I have too much going on in my life. Like tonight, I have something to do.” He picked up a picture of Mona and me. We were sitting by the swimming pool eating lunch. Ben had taken the picture. “Who’s this?”

  “Mona. She’s the closest person I have to a mother. She was my nanny until I was twelve. Now she’s our cook.”

  He put the picture back down where it had sat on the small table beside his chair. “I’m going to call a tow truck and have your car towed to a body shop I use. The owner is a friend of mine.” He took his phone out of his pocket and made the arrangements.

  “Thank you,” I said once he hung up.

  “You’re welcome. Louis said your car will be ready tomorrow afternoon. If you want I can take you to school and drop you off at the shop on the way to Riley House.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me? Two days ago you couldn’t look at me without a scowl. Now you’re helping me?”

  He shrugged. “Someone’s trying to push you around and I don’t like bullies.” He stood up and walked around my room, slowly glancing at pictures and knickknacks scattered on shelves and my nightstand. “I’ll get Louis to send me the bill.”

  “No. I can’t let you pay for new tires.”

  He stopped, turned around and smiled. “Oh, I’m not paying for them. I’m going to get him to divide the bill into three and then I’m going to send them to Shane’s, Chris’s and Brandon’s fathers.”

  I laughed. “Won’t that tick them off even more?”

  “I don’t care. Don’t worry; I won’t let them hurt you.” His voice was filled with emotion; the look on his face was filled with resolve.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked, suddenly feeling awkward.

  He nodded.

  “Let’s go down and raid the fridge.”

  His lips twitched upwards. “Sure. But after that, I have to leave.”

  “Okay.” I took his hand and led him out. To my surprise he didn’t pull away.

  “Hey, Mona, what’s good to eat? I’ve got a starving guy here and he eats a lot.” I sat down on the bar stool beside Nate. The smell of onions and butter filled the kitchen. Mona was standing at the counter grating cheese into a bowl.

  A big grin crossed her face when she saw the two of us in front of her. “Who’s this? He’s new.”

  “Mona, this is Nate. Nate, this is Mona.” She smiled, wiped her hands on the bright purpl
e apron she was wearing and extended one to take the hand Nate offered. “Nate?” Her eyes creased, deep in thought. “Oh you’re the boy—”

  “Mona!” I yelled. She looked at me with an amused expression. Nate looked confused.

  She pulled her hand back. “Never mind. So, you two are hungry, are you? Well, today is your lucky day. I just made beef fajitas, Megan’s favorite. Is that alright with you, Nate?” she asked him.

  Nate glanced down at all the dishes on the counter. “Yes, it sounds delicious. Megan and I will help bring everything out if you’d like.”

  She laughed. “Megan? Doing household chores. That’s a laugh.”

  Nate smiled. “You’d be surprised. She was very helpful on the weekend. She even did a good job cleaning the toilets.”

  As he was speaking Mona was taking a sip of her iced tea. But when he mentioned what I had done on the weekend, she spit some of her drink onto the counter. She took some paper towels down from the cupboard to wipe up her mess. “Ah…did you just say she cleaned toilets?”

  He was chuckling. I stared at him, daring him to make fun of me. “She did a good job,” he said, standing up. He took Mona’s hand and pulled her to a chair. “Why don’t you take a break while we handle the rest?”

  I gathered a few dishes she had prepared and carried them over to the table.

  “No, that’s okay, really, it’s what they pay me for,” Mona protested, but took the seat at the table Nate gestured to.

  “No, Nate’s right. Just relax for a change.”

  She stared at me as if she didn’t recognize my face. “Nate, who is this girl and what have you done with my Megan?”

  Nate laughed, a little too long.

  “Very funny. Now you better be quiet or I’ll change my mind.” I carried the pan of sliced beef and set it in the middle of the table on top of a pot holder. Nate brought over the vegetables and cheese. After I placed the sour cream and fajita shells on the table, we were ready to eat.

  Ben came in just as we each assembled our first fajita. I stood up and took out a plate for him, placing it beside Mona. He eyed me curiously and sat down. I made introductions to Ben and Nate and we enjoyed a friendly dinner.

  They joked at my expense and we discussed the classes Nate and I were taking at school. Mona told silly stories about me growing up, which earned the occasional glare from me.

  This was what I had imagined it would be like to bring my boyfriend home to meet my parents. The problem was, they weren’t my parents and he wasn’t my boyfriend. But we had a fun dinner anyway, until my mother walked in. “There you are. I have been looking for you.” She glared at me, her soft blue eyes narrowed. “Who’s this?” she asked, leaning against the counter when she noticed Nate. Her expression changed, adding a flirtatious smile.

  “Mom, this is my friend Nate. And this is my mother, Heather Banks.”

  Nate stood up and shook her hand. She smiled, batting her eyelashes; my mother’s famous move. But thankfully Nate was already turning around to sit back down, so he didn’t see it.

  “Megan, Mona told me you gave away my old clothes to some worthless charity. You had no right to do that without my permission. Why do you do these things? I swear you just want to provoke me. You’re constantly causing me pain.” Her hands twittered up to her head and she closed her eyes as if she was suddenly in enormous agony. “Great, now because of your behavior, I have a migraine.”

  If the earth would open up, I would have gladly jumped in.

  Nate turned around. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Banks, but it’s not Megan’s fault. I’m in charge of that worthless charity. She donated the clothes and made a lot of women happy. I think you should be proud of her for thinking of it.”

  My mother’s mouth fell open. No one spoke to her that way. My feelings for him only deepened. She stared at him, not knowing what to say. Her hand moved from her head down to her chest.

  He turned to Mona. “I would stay and help clean up, but I think I’ll take Megan where she’s appreciated.”

  Mona smiled at him and nodded. “Don’t worry, I can handle it,” she assured him with a wink.

  Nate took my hand and led me past my mother, whose mouth was still hanging open in surprise.

  Once we were back inside my bedroom, Nate returned to the armchair he had vacated earlier. I started pacing back and forth in front of him. “Ugh… she drives me crazy. I am so sorry she said that. You have to know I don’t agree with her, right?”

  “Of course I know that. I’ve seen the look on your face when you’re working with the residents. You enjoy helping them, I can tell.”

  Was it just last week he was scowling at me? Now he had defended me twice in one day. It was a change I could get used to. As I watched him, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander. God he’s cute. His sun-kissed blond hair was a little long and I had the sudden urge to run my fingers through it. “What’s with your hand?” I asked, noticing that the nails on his right hand seemed to be long and pointy. I had never noticed that before.

  He looked down and then jumped up, holding his hand behind his back. “What time is it?” he asked in a panicked voice.

  I turned around to glance my clock radio. “Eight o’clock. Uh-oh… are you late?” I asked, turning back around to face him. But he was gone, the chair was empty and I was alone in my room.

  Chapter Seven

  Unwanted

  The patio doors were wide open. I rushed over and looked out. Nobody was there. What the heck? I stepped outside to look for his car and it was gone too.

  Inside my room I took out the paperwork that Julia had given me. On it was Nate’s cell number? “Hello,” he answered roughly after I dialed.

  “Are you all right? Where did you go?”

  “I’m not feeling well, I’m sorry. See you tomorrow.” Click.

  The more I got to know him the more I realized he was sweet, caring, protective—and also sometimes very strange.

  I was restless and confused after Nate left. Homework couldn’t hold my thoughts, so I gave up and headed outside to relax on my favorite lounge chair. Despite the chill, the evening was quiet and peaceful. I curled up with a blanket and stared up at the stars. A hint of lilac floated in the air. I lay there for a while listening to the sounds of the night, the loud call of the whippoorwill, the chirping of the crickets and the croaking of frogs from the pond at the back of the house. With all of these sounds surrounding me how could I feel lonely?

  I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was opening my eyes, feeling dazed. I glanced around wondering where I was and when the cool night air touched my skin, it came back to me. I had come out onto the patio earlier to enjoy the evening. I sat up, about to go inside, when I noticed something yellow in the cedar bushes about ten feet from my chair. I stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. When my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw the outline of what looked to be a very large wolf. I jumped back, the chill of fear prickling down my spine while I kept my eyes glued to it. Thinking my sudden movement would cause it to either run away or pounce, I prepared for some kind of action. But nothing happened. It made no move to hurt me; it just looked at me with an intense gaze. I was afraid to move again. I could barely breathe.

  I turned around slowly when I heard a noise in my room. When I turned back, the wolf was gone.

  “Megan?” I heard Mona call. I stood up, gathering my blanket and rushed inside.

  “Hey, I was just outside on the patio.” I made no mention of the wolf as I laid the blanket down on the chair. I wasn’t entirely sure that it wasn’t a dream.

  She leaned against my pillows, getting comfortable on the bed. “Tell me all about Nate. He’s so good-looking and very sweet. If only I were a few years younger I would give you a run for your money.”

  I laughed at her use of the word few as I sat down on the chair Nate had occupied earlier. Once I was comfy, I told her about last Friday night and all that had taken place since then.

  “T
hose little punks. How dare they threaten you? I’ll show those jerks who not to mess with.” The fire in her eyes told me she meant every word.

  “Mona, don’t worry, Nate’s protecting me. And I’ll figure a way to get them off my back.”

  She stood up and walked over to me. “Fine, I’ll stay out of it. For now. But if they threaten you again, they’ll have me to deal with.” She leaned over and kissed the top of my head; she smelled of gardenias. “That boy is a keeper. Don’t let him slip away.”

  “I know, but he’s told me that he doesn’t date.”

  “Ha…I saw the look on his face when he watched you. Don’t worry; you’ll have him in no time.” She turned around and headed for the door and with a wink she was gone.

  I slid my oversized cheerleading T-shirt over my head before crawling under my duvet. Closing my eyes, I pictured Nate sitting in my chair smiling at me. I fell asleep with his image in my mind, forgetting all of my troubles.

  The morning sun shone through Ben’s cherry trees as I sat under them waiting for Nate. Although, I wasn’t even sure if he’d make it after what happened last night.

  I glanced at my watch and saw that if he didn’t arrive soon, I’d be late for school. Just as I was about to give up, I heard the roar of an engine coming over the hill of the long driveway. The sun glared off the car’s black paint as it came into view. I shielded my eyes with my hand as he pulled up beside me.

  He had the top down on his car. He was wearing black sunglasses and a black V-neck T-shirt. Looking dangerous, he lowered his glasses to reveal his deep blue eyes. “You coming or what?” he asked, pulling his sunglasses back up.

  I smiled and hopped into the passenger side. “Did my mother scare you off last night?” I asked. “Because I would understand if she did.” I settled in and threw my school bag behind my seat.

  “No, of course not. I told you I was sick.” He looked straight ahead as he spoke, not even a glance in my direction. He seemed different, the coolness back in his voice. The only thing that was missing was the scowl.