Status: Work In Progress
Riley Wyler
Meet John
The weekend came way too fast, like I blinked and a day had past. I tried my hardest to make it all feel like a slow motion film. To remember every word spoken and every feeling shared. I focused on spending my time with Ashlynn at most; anything else would have to wait. The days were at the final countdown, and no matter how badly I wished the past week could be erased and her dad changed his mind about Paris. Our lives could go on as they should be; together. Although I knew that it wouldn’t. I wished that in a week I would go to school and sit next to her in our familiar seats in Mr. Weinstein’s Foods’ class. We’d giggle to each other about his balding head and thick nose hairs. At break we’d go to the library and make plans for our ritual weekend trip to the theater and gush about Johnny Depp in the movie we picked to see, and how amazing it was going to be. We’d eat lunch with Jayson and then get through the rest of the day texting each other. Eventually we’d both get caught and be sent to the office and then see each other again after school for detention.
But all of that fun was about to disappear because not only was my best friend moving, but she was moving across seas which meant – despite my constant denial – that I would never see her, never be able to visit her, and even though she hasn’t left yet, I already felt so alone.
It was more of an effort to get out of bed on Saturday. I slugged my way downstairs and to the breakfast bar. Of course I was the only one awake since mom always slept in on the weekends. I looked in the fridge and cupboards for something that looked even somewhat appealing, but my appetite had disappeared along with my happiness.
My phone buzzed in my nightgown pocket so I pulled it out and looked at the message.
Don’t 4get we R going 2 the movies today.
Dad is going to pick U up at 7 and bring us
2 the theater. B ready cuz we R on a tight
schedule... U no... Packing N all... =’(
I shut my phone and walked to my mom’s alcohol cabinet, and pulled out the whiskey. I began to unscrew the cap when I heard a knock at the door, and then the lock turn and click. I quickly screwed the cap back on the whiskey and closed the cabinet door just as the front door opened and the silent room was filled with my mom’s laughter. My heart was beating really fast, but I was anxious to know why my mom was awake at one in the afternoon when she usually wakes up at three thirty.
I rounded the corner to the entryway and instantly I wished I’d dug a hole and buried my wonder six feet under.
“Oh, honey.” Mom said, looking surprised. “I thought you were going to the movies with Ashlynn?” I glanced between her and the rugged, sporty looking man next to her.
“Yeah at seven o’clock. It’s one-twenty-two.”
“Alright,” she smiled as if a strange man standing in our house was ‘A O.K. She turned to go upstairs but stopped and looked at me again. She straightened herself and said, “Riley, meet John.”
“Hi,” John said awkwardly. I ignored him and stared at my mom, hoping I could telepathically send her a message saying, ARE YOU STUPID!
“Mom, can I talk to you for a second,” I said and turned to go into the laundry room. She followed me and I shut the door behind her. “Where’s dad,” I pressed.
“He’s on vacation... I thought I told you yesterday,” she said, trying to look innocent.
I tried to act as normal as anyone would who couldn’t even remember what they had last night for dinner so I stiffened my shoulders. “When did he leave?” I asked, completely out of the loop. I always hate how they forget to tell me things.
“Yesterday morning.” She said impatiently, staring at the door. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what she wanted.
“So dad goes on Vacation and the whole system is wreaked then,” I say, staring her in the eyes hoping to protrude some information that I probably don’t even want to hear.
“Baby, you know your dad and I are having a rough time. I bet you any money that all he’s worried about doing on vacation is if he’ll get laid by a big breasted blond. So what’s the harm in me having a little of my own fun?”
I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I knew they fought all the time and that mom has been cheating every time dad went on vacation, but to hear her actually say it; to have the proof... “The harm?” I ask, baffled at the confirmation of her sin. “You want to know what the harm is?” I questioned again, in case it slipped in one of her round ears and right out the other. I paused, feeling my adrenaline rising and knowing I might snap but not caring enough to control myself. “The harm, mother is that you are breaking a life-long promise! That you are crushing my heart more than it already is!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “I can’t even look at you anymore.” I could feel the anger coming on, and she just stayed quiet and took it all in. “You are a disgrace. And you have no proof that dad is cheating on you. How could you do this to me!”
“Tell me one thing, Riley.” Mom began after waiting for me to finish. “If he isn’t than why didn’t he bring us?” I thought about it for a moment, and couldn’t think of a reason. I couldn’t even speak so she kept going. “So if you’re going to blame anyone for whatever it is they are doing to you, why don’t you blame your father. You aren’t the only one who deserves happiness, Riley. This conversation is over.” She said and opened the laundry room door to exit. I followed her.
“So you’re going to screw him anyways and mess up our family?” I spat and glared at her as she put her shoes back on. She didn’t say a word. “And you,” I said, bringing my attention to the hulk. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Let’s go, John.” She said, keeping her eyes away from mine.
“So that’s it. You’re gonna leave. Fine, leave! Go have your fun,” I said to her, and then she opened the door and let John out first. As she was half way out the door she paused to turn her head half way back but still not looking at me.
“You were always daddy’s little girl, Riley. You were never really mine; which is why, when your dad returns from his fun fest, we’re getting a divorce. And you are not coming with me.” Then she closed the door and was gone. She left me to ponder what she said over and over again and I came to the conclusion that she didn’t love me; she didn’t care that my life was falling apart because hers was a paved golden road and she was on her way to “happiness.”
҉
“How was your day?” Ash asked me while on our way to the theater.
“Ha...” I laughed sarcastically. “What day?” I avoided her eye contact because I didn’t want her to see that I’d been crying all night and then again for the most part of my day.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, and I could feel her hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said and looked up to the drivers’ seat to see if her dad heard anything. He seemed not to be paying attention, but I couldn’t tell if he was eves dropping.
҉
The movie was amazing, like always, and it made me forget why I was sad for about an hour and forty-five minutes. At which time Ash and I were laughing our heads off about the commotion we’d caused near the end of the movie.
“Did you see his face when the popcorn hit him!” she giggled. “He was like, ‘what the hell, who threw this popcorn at me... which one of you hooligans was it!’ I almost peed my pants!”
It was definitely a memory I was never going to forget.
“So what were you going to tell me earlier?” she asked. Instantly caring and her friendly face back to normal. I was going to miss that for sure.
“It’s not final yet, but...” I paused for a moment to gather myself. “My parents are getting a divorce.”
“What!?” Ash exclaimed throwing whatever popcorn was left into the air. It came crashing down in a buttery mess at her feet, but she didn’t even bother to notice it. “What happened?”
I went through the whole story with her from beginning to end. She already knew that my parents fought constantly and that my mom was cheating on my dad like crazy so she understood my point of view much stronger than she understood my moms’ idiotic and childish behavior.
“I can’t believe this, I’m so sorry Rye,” Ash sighed, and in her eyes I could see how badly she really felt. She had been through her parents’ divorce no more than three years ago so she understood my pain in a more personal way. She stopped to hug me; which – beyond the fact that not only was I losing her, but my family as well – made me feel a little better than when I woke up this morning.
“Ash,” I said, trying to fight back the sting in my eye that urged me to let tears fall. She pulled away from our hug and waited for me to go on. “Let’s do one last reckless thing before you have to go.”
A small smile crept across her face and she said, “What did you have in mind?”
But all of that fun was about to disappear because not only was my best friend moving, but she was moving across seas which meant – despite my constant denial – that I would never see her, never be able to visit her, and even though she hasn’t left yet, I already felt so alone.
It was more of an effort to get out of bed on Saturday. I slugged my way downstairs and to the breakfast bar. Of course I was the only one awake since mom always slept in on the weekends. I looked in the fridge and cupboards for something that looked even somewhat appealing, but my appetite had disappeared along with my happiness.
My phone buzzed in my nightgown pocket so I pulled it out and looked at the message.
Don’t 4get we R going 2 the movies today.
Dad is going to pick U up at 7 and bring us
2 the theater. B ready cuz we R on a tight
schedule... U no... Packing N all... =’(
I shut my phone and walked to my mom’s alcohol cabinet, and pulled out the whiskey. I began to unscrew the cap when I heard a knock at the door, and then the lock turn and click. I quickly screwed the cap back on the whiskey and closed the cabinet door just as the front door opened and the silent room was filled with my mom’s laughter. My heart was beating really fast, but I was anxious to know why my mom was awake at one in the afternoon when she usually wakes up at three thirty.
I rounded the corner to the entryway and instantly I wished I’d dug a hole and buried my wonder six feet under.
“Oh, honey.” Mom said, looking surprised. “I thought you were going to the movies with Ashlynn?” I glanced between her and the rugged, sporty looking man next to her.
“Yeah at seven o’clock. It’s one-twenty-two.”
“Alright,” she smiled as if a strange man standing in our house was ‘A O.K. She turned to go upstairs but stopped and looked at me again. She straightened herself and said, “Riley, meet John.”
“Hi,” John said awkwardly. I ignored him and stared at my mom, hoping I could telepathically send her a message saying, ARE YOU STUPID!
“Mom, can I talk to you for a second,” I said and turned to go into the laundry room. She followed me and I shut the door behind her. “Where’s dad,” I pressed.
“He’s on vacation... I thought I told you yesterday,” she said, trying to look innocent.
I tried to act as normal as anyone would who couldn’t even remember what they had last night for dinner so I stiffened my shoulders. “When did he leave?” I asked, completely out of the loop. I always hate how they forget to tell me things.
“Yesterday morning.” She said impatiently, staring at the door. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what she wanted.
“So dad goes on Vacation and the whole system is wreaked then,” I say, staring her in the eyes hoping to protrude some information that I probably don’t even want to hear.
“Baby, you know your dad and I are having a rough time. I bet you any money that all he’s worried about doing on vacation is if he’ll get laid by a big breasted blond. So what’s the harm in me having a little of my own fun?”
I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I knew they fought all the time and that mom has been cheating every time dad went on vacation, but to hear her actually say it; to have the proof... “The harm?” I ask, baffled at the confirmation of her sin. “You want to know what the harm is?” I questioned again, in case it slipped in one of her round ears and right out the other. I paused, feeling my adrenaline rising and knowing I might snap but not caring enough to control myself. “The harm, mother is that you are breaking a life-long promise! That you are crushing my heart more than it already is!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “I can’t even look at you anymore.” I could feel the anger coming on, and she just stayed quiet and took it all in. “You are a disgrace. And you have no proof that dad is cheating on you. How could you do this to me!”
“Tell me one thing, Riley.” Mom began after waiting for me to finish. “If he isn’t than why didn’t he bring us?” I thought about it for a moment, and couldn’t think of a reason. I couldn’t even speak so she kept going. “So if you’re going to blame anyone for whatever it is they are doing to you, why don’t you blame your father. You aren’t the only one who deserves happiness, Riley. This conversation is over.” She said and opened the laundry room door to exit. I followed her.
“So you’re going to screw him anyways and mess up our family?” I spat and glared at her as she put her shoes back on. She didn’t say a word. “And you,” I said, bringing my attention to the hulk. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Let’s go, John.” She said, keeping her eyes away from mine.
“So that’s it. You’re gonna leave. Fine, leave! Go have your fun,” I said to her, and then she opened the door and let John out first. As she was half way out the door she paused to turn her head half way back but still not looking at me.
“You were always daddy’s little girl, Riley. You were never really mine; which is why, when your dad returns from his fun fest, we’re getting a divorce. And you are not coming with me.” Then she closed the door and was gone. She left me to ponder what she said over and over again and I came to the conclusion that she didn’t love me; she didn’t care that my life was falling apart because hers was a paved golden road and she was on her way to “happiness.”
҉
“How was your day?” Ash asked me while on our way to the theater.
“Ha...” I laughed sarcastically. “What day?” I avoided her eye contact because I didn’t want her to see that I’d been crying all night and then again for the most part of my day.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, and I could feel her hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll tell you later,” I said and looked up to the drivers’ seat to see if her dad heard anything. He seemed not to be paying attention, but I couldn’t tell if he was eves dropping.
҉
The movie was amazing, like always, and it made me forget why I was sad for about an hour and forty-five minutes. At which time Ash and I were laughing our heads off about the commotion we’d caused near the end of the movie.
“Did you see his face when the popcorn hit him!” she giggled. “He was like, ‘what the hell, who threw this popcorn at me... which one of you hooligans was it!’ I almost peed my pants!”
It was definitely a memory I was never going to forget.
“So what were you going to tell me earlier?” she asked. Instantly caring and her friendly face back to normal. I was going to miss that for sure.
“It’s not final yet, but...” I paused for a moment to gather myself. “My parents are getting a divorce.”
“What!?” Ash exclaimed throwing whatever popcorn was left into the air. It came crashing down in a buttery mess at her feet, but she didn’t even bother to notice it. “What happened?”
I went through the whole story with her from beginning to end. She already knew that my parents fought constantly and that my mom was cheating on my dad like crazy so she understood my point of view much stronger than she understood my moms’ idiotic and childish behavior.
“I can’t believe this, I’m so sorry Rye,” Ash sighed, and in her eyes I could see how badly she really felt. She had been through her parents’ divorce no more than three years ago so she understood my pain in a more personal way. She stopped to hug me; which – beyond the fact that not only was I losing her, but my family as well – made me feel a little better than when I woke up this morning.
“Ash,” I said, trying to fight back the sting in my eye that urged me to let tears fall. She pulled away from our hug and waited for me to go on. “Let’s do one last reckless thing before you have to go.”
A small smile crept across her face and she said, “What did you have in mind?”