ooooooooo
Riley
When I hopped out of the truck, my stomach sank to my knees. I was back, and it was the first time talking to my parents since I stormed out of the house. I’d never done anything like this, and I wasn’t sure how they’d react. I’d always been the obedient daughter. My brother was the challenging child.
“Here goes nothing.” I sighed as I made my way up to the front door. Caleb was following me with my bag.
“Just remember they love you and you scared them.” His voice was quiet as I fumbled for my keys. Dad insisted that the door stay locked even out here in the middle of nowhere. I guess it was all the city living growing up.
The door creaked when it opened, and I heard my mom in the kitchen. “Wes? Is that you?” she called before she appeared, wiping her hands on a towel.
“Hey, Mom.” I stood there staring as I rocked on my heels.
“Riley.” She gasped as tears sprung to her eyes. “I’m so happy you’re home.” She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me. Just being in her arms made me feel better. It had been a long time since I’d let her hold me like this.
“Me too.” I started to cry. I was so worried they’d be mad at me that I never thought too much about how scared they must have been.
When she released me, I watched over her shoulder as my dad came in from what must have been a brutal workout. Sweat poured off of him, and his hair was soaked. We locked eyes and I saw something that I’d never seen before. He cried. His shoulders started to shake, and tears streamed from his eyes. He sniffed before wiping at one with the back of his hand.
“I’m glad you’re back.” He choked the words out before reaching for a glass of water.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy.” The words broke as they passed my lips. I knew I’d hurt him, and I’ve never seen him so broken before. “I’m so, so sorry.” I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around his middle. It didn’t matter that he stunk or was covered in sweat. He was my dad and I’d done one of the worst things I could think of. I’d questioned his feelings about me.
“I know you are.” He wrapped his arms around me. I pulled back and looked up at his face. “I’ve always loved you, Riley. I loved you before you were born. The day I took your mom to the hospital was one of the scariest and happiest moments of my life. You changed me. You made me a dad, and I’ve always thought of you as mine. Just because we don’t share DNA, it doesn’t mean I’m not your dad.” A single tear fell, and I watched it trickle down his cheek, and hang from his jaw. “There’s nothing you can do that will ever make me stop. Do you understand that?”
I nodded. “I love you too.” I smiled as my own eyes began to tear up. It was in that moment that Easton came thundering down the steps.
“You’re back!” He sounded shocked.
“I’m back.” I nodded as I pulled out of my dad’s arms.
“So,” he looked from our mom to our dad, “what are you going to do to her?” His lips pulled into a grin because he was excited about the fact that I’d be punished for running away.
“I think Riley learned a lesson all on her own.” Mom’s eyes went from mine to Dad’s.
“What?” Easton gasped. “She runs away with her boyfriend and doesn’t get in trouble, but I go to the beach and get grounded for a week?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stomped his foot.
“Your brother took a day trip without telling anyone,” Dad grumbled. “I had to take the day off to find him. He was at the beach with a bunch of older kids.”
“They’re my friends.” He pouted. “This isn’t fair.”
“Riley’s older than you. When you’re her age, you can go off with your friends.” Mom shook her head at Easton. It didn’t surprise me that he did this. It was just like him to use a moment of weakness to do something for himself. “We need to know where you are at all times.” She sighed as she turned her gaze back to me.
“Well, I’ll let you guys get settled.” Caleb’s voice came from behind us. I’d almost forgotten that he was there.
I rushed over to him. “Thanks… for everything.” I pushed up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I whispered. I knew that I needed to spend the evening at home. My parents deserved that much.
“Eww.” Easton made a gagging noise from somewhere behind us.
“Ignore him.” I rolled my eyes.
“I can’t believe she’s not in trouble.” He stomped his feet as he moved toward the couch and flopped down.
“We’ve already discussed this, E,” Mom warned. “You’re too young to be going off and us not knowing where.”
“Guess I should have had someone reporting back too, huh?” He shot daggers at my parents and as the words hit my ears, my body went stiff.
“Report back?” My brow furrowed. “What’s he talking about?” I looked up at Caleb and watched his face pale.
“It’s just…” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he refused to make eye contact.
“Your boyfriend called here every day,” Easton snarled as a look of satisfaction washed over his face. He was mad at me and this was his way of getting back at me. “Mom knew where you were.” He nodded. “So did Dad.”
“You ratted me out?” I blinked in disbelief as I backed away from him. “You promised! You promised me you’d never lie. You said you never broke promises!” My voice climbed as anger mixed with hurt fueled the rage building within me.
“Rils.” Pain spread over his features. “Just let me explain.” He backed up as I stepped forward.
“No!” I shook my head. “Get out!” I pointed to the door. “You lied! Get out!” We stood there staring at each other, daring the other to move. Finally, his shoulders dropped, and he left, defeated.
“When you’re ready to talk, call me.” His voice was a little more than a whisper as he closed the door behind him.
I stood there shaking with anger as I heard his truck crank up, and gravel crunch when he drove away. “Riley,” Dad called, but I was too angry. I shook my head at the both of them as I rushed upstairs, tears streaming from my eyes, and threw myself on my bed. How could he do this? How could he lie like that? Did he not understand what he’d done? I’d given him everything, and it meant nothing to him. He’d been lying the whole time. Was he lying when he said he loved me?
Chapter 25
Riley
I spent most of the first night in my room. Mom brought me dinner, and Dad stopped by to tell me goodnight. It took hours for me to fall asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I was more angry than hurt. I dressed in some workout clothes and went out to the home gym. It was empty, just the way I was hoping.
I went over to the stereo and cranked it up. I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace blared as I stormed over to the treadmill. After stretching for a few minutes, I turned up the speed and hopped on. The faster I went, the angrier I became. Visions of Caleb telling me he loved me floated through my head as sweat beaded on my body. I was punishing myself for believing him, and the harder I pushed, the better I felt. After a two-mile run, I moved over to the heavy bag. I’d taken a few kickboxing classes and worked with my dad so many times I could do this with my eyes closed. The music changed and Linkin’ Park filled the air. I spun, lifted my leg and kicked the bag. It rocked, and when it swung back, I switched feet. I pictured Caleb’s body as I delivered another kick and then a punch.
“Want some help?” I jumped when I heard him. “I’ve got a little experience with angry training,” Dad yelled over the music.
“What about with jerks who tell you they love you?” I huffed as I refused to look at him and took another swing at the bag. “What about the kind who lie?” I grunted as my leg made contact again.
Dad moved across from me and braced the bag. “I’ve had my heart broken before, Rils, we all have. Come here.” He motioned for me to come over to the mat he had in the middle of the room. I watched as he made his way to the box in the corner where he kept his gear. He yan
ked his shirt off, grabbed some head gear, and then slipped some gloves on. After grabbing a sparring pad, he was back. “Hit me,” he encouraged before slipping a mouth guard in place.
I bounced on my toes and ran straight at him. He spun and held the pad up as I threw a one two punch. His feet moved to brace him as I worked my way around the mat. I used my anger to fuel my strength. I needed to get it out, but being here just reminded me of him. I remembered us sparring at the gym, and goofing around in bed. “Again!” Dad barked as he braced for my attack.
I swung and kicked at his chest. My floor game was much better and I knew I’d have an advantage if I could get him down. Dad didn’t train like he used to. He didn’t fight anymore, he just trained the younger ones at the gym. He trained me, and I knew his weaknesses. He was stronger on the floor too, but I was smaller. “Pretend I’m him. Hit me, Rils!” he barked again. “Let me have it. Show me how mad you are!” he taunted. I kicked and punched, spun and swiped. I used everything in my arsenal to bleed the anger out.
When we finally stopped, I was breathing so hard I could barely talk. Tears fell like rain from my eyes. I was used up. I had nothing left. Dad had given me the workout I needed. The anger was gone, and now hurt filled its place. “I know you’re hurting right now, but he did the right thing. Caleb wasn’t lying to you when he said he loved you. It pains me to say that. You’re my little girl, and the idea of any guy loving you makes me want to break their face, but I know he cares deeply about you.”
“He promised. He told me he never broke promises. All this time I thought we were doing something wrong, and he was telling you everything. I just don’t know why he lied about it.” I sniffed.
“Maybe because he didn’t want to hurt you.” Dad’s head tipped to the side as if to say ‘think about it’. “He was trying to protect you. To make the right choice. He wanted you to get the answers you needed, but he also knew that we’d worry and we love you.” He patted my back. “You should think about it, and then maybe talk to him? I think he at least should get to explain himself.” Dad stood and walked out of the gym, leaving me there in a puddle of sweat and tears.
ooooooooo
Caleb
It’s been five days since I dropped her off at home. Five days of no communication. Five days of wondering. Five days of questioning if there’s still an “us”. Five days of working my ass off and then beating the bags until my hands looked like hamburger meat.
“You know… staring at the mats isn’t going to get them clean any faster.” My dad positioned himself beside me and knocked my shoulder.
“I’m not on mat duty today,” I grumbled.
“You haven’t been on any duty today.” He chuckled. “Well, maybe staring duty.”
“Did you need something?” I glared at him.
“Your mom and I just want to know if you’ll be joining us for dinner tonight. She’s been cooking for you all week, and you haven’t been showing up.” He sighed.
“I meant to thank her for the leftovers. I’m sorry,” I murmured as I checked my phone. I’d been doing that a lot lately, hoping that she’d text me.
“You could make all this go away with an apology, ya know?” He stood.
“She won’t talk to me.” I shook my head. I called the first couple of days and she sent me to voicemail. I decided to give her the space she needed, but I didn’t count on her wanting this much.
“Looks like she changed her mind.” He tipped his head toward the door, and I followed with my eyes. There, in workout clothes, was the one person I’d spent the last five days thinking about. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she had a water bottle in her right hand. Her eyes met mine, and she quickly looked away, bypassing the front desk where I stood all together. “Maybe not.” Dad shook his head again. “Good luck.” He walked away, leaving me there staring at her back as she moved toward the training ring.
Wes appeared from his office in his own workout clothes, and followed her into the ring. I watched as she popped a mouth guard in and slipped on a pair of gloves. Wes looked like the Michelin man as he stood in front of her. She bounced a few times and beat her gloves together before taking a swing at him. He nodded, encouraging her to do it again. They moved round and round the ring, her swinging and him deflecting. It was quite the scene. I’d never seen her so concentrated and what looked to be angry.
“Come on!” Wes yelled and she lifted her leg to make contact. “Again!” His voice echoed as did her grunts. I was mesmerized as her body moved with such grace and agility around the ring. I knew he’d trained her since we were kids, but she’d never shown an interest in fighting. It was always for fun. Now it seemed that she was on a mission of some sort.
They stopped after a while, and Wes approached her. They’d tossed their gear to the side, and he had his arm around her shoulder. He was saying something to her, and she was nodding. Then she grabbed her things, walked right by me, and out the door.
I glanced over at where Wes was putting away the gear. His eyes met mine before they moved to follow Riley out. I looked from him to her, and it was as if he was silently telling me to go after her. By the time I got outside, she was gone.
Ooooooooo
Riley
I knew Dad was trying to help, but seeing Caleb there watching me just made the hurt that much worse. He hasn’t tried to contact me since those first few phone calls. Coming to the gym today just reminded me how much I still feel. I could feel his eyes on me, and when Dad was barking at me to put in more effort, I knew that he was hoping to get Caleb’s attention.
I hadn’t been here long when I heard the crunch of tires pull up behind me. I silently hoped he’d find me. I guess something was going right. “How’d you know I was here?” I called out as his footsteps grew louder.
“I took a guess.” His voice sounded tired.
“Throwing bricks didn’t help today.” I kicked at the ground as I stood from where I’d been propped on the hood of Mom’s car.
“Sometimes we can get the anger out physically, sometimes it requires talking,” he murmured as he moved closer. I could see him from the corner of my eye. He was directly beside me, but made sure to give me my space.
“Sometimes I don’t feel like talking.” I took the brick I’d been holding and hurled it toward the wall in front of me. It broke and my shoulders sagged.
“I hope that wasn’t supposed to be me.” He chuckled but it died on his lips when I shot a glare in his direction. “We need to talk, Riley.” He sighed. When I didn’t say anything, he rephrased it. “I need to talk. I just need you to listen.”
I didn’t move. I refused to look at him, but I didn’t move away. “I hate liars. Dean lied to me, and I swore I’d never be with someone like that again.” I stared at my feet, kicking rocks and trying to decide if my heart could handle whatever he was going to tell me.
“I’m sorry.” The words came flying out, like he couldn’t hold them in any longer. “I didn’t want to lie to you. I knew we weren’t doing anything wrong, but I also knew how worried your parents would be if you left and they didn’t know where you were. My mom told me about Alex, and I knew you’d need me for support. It was killing me to keep that secret, but I wanted to give you the space you needed.” He sighed. “I still love you. I always have. I think I’ve loved you since we were kids in some weird way. We’re amazing together, and everything I told you about us is true. There are times I feel like I could get lost in you, but if you don’t feel that I understand. I’ll leave you alone. Just know that I’m here when you’re ready to talk.” His feet spun in the gravel as he turned to go back to his truck. I heard the door shut before the engine cranked. I willed myself to turn around, but the hurt was too strong. I was still mad, and I needed time. Time to let his words sink in. Time to forgive him, and time to see if I could move past this and be what I thought we were.
The truck roared as he turned around and sped off, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. I screamed out loud in anger as I picke
d up one of the lone baseballs and hurled it at the bricks. Why was this so hard? Why couldn’t my heart believe the words he was telling me? Maybe, just maybe, we’d broken ourselves past the point of repair.
Chapter 26
Riley
The days began to blur together as time crawled by. Caleb has done exactly what he said he would do. He’s given me space. I see him whenever I go to the gym, but he doesn’t approach me. We’re back to the weird stares that we used to share before all this started. The only difference is we don’t talk now. Claire called me yesterday, and invited me to a party. She’s been on vacation the last week, but a friend from school is throwing a party to celebrate the end of summer. I leave for school in a week, and I’m not ready. I’m not ready for anything to change. Actually. I’m ready to stop hurting if that’s what I’m doing now. Some days I just feel numb.
“So, are you coming?” Claire’s voice chirped through the phone.
“I don’t know. I’m not really in a partying mood.” I sighed.
“You need to stop moping and get back out there.” She laughed and I heard her bed squeak. “I mean, there are tons of guys, and if Caleb wasn’t the one, then we need to find you a new one. Besides, we can have fun without dates.”
“I just think I’d be a downer,” I mumbled.
“Please,” Claire begged. “I’ll drive and I’ll make sure you get home ok.” She paused and when I finally gave in, she laughed. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” The line went dead, and I knew I’d lost her at that point. I sighed as I turned to look at my closet. Nothing seemed right and I wondered why I even cared what I looked like. It was the beach, and it would be dark. Everyone there was going to be someone from school. It would be the same crowd that always came to these celebrations.
Broken Promises: The Broken Series Second Generation Page 14