Cigarette Burns
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Are you sure man?" Jimmy asked as Matt, Rhi and I were about to sit down on our towels on the beach near Brian's beach house.
Matt nodded his head, "yea, I can't go in with my stitches." Jimmy nodded his head and turned around to walk with Zack, Johnny and Brian down to the water. I frowned to myself and then when I felt Matt was looking at me, I turned and put a smile on my face. "What's wrong?" Matt asked.
"It's my fault you can't go swimming with your friends," I frowned. I felt a light slap on the back of my head and turned around.
Rhi was glaring at me. "Take that back," she said sternly, narrowing her eyes. "It's not your fault Riley. Tony should have never hit you. Matt came in and fought Tony on his own will." She paused, "he would've done that for anyone, so stop blaming yourself, okay?"
I nodded my head and put on a real smile as I hugged her. When we pulled away she jumped up and ran for the water. I watched as she jumped on Zack's back, scaring the hell out of him, making them fall over into the water. I heard loud roars of laughing, from everyone, including myself and Matt.
I felt so carefree even though I was far from it. I didn't have to worry about Tony anymore because he was locked up in a local jail. All I had to worry about was where I was going to stay, and finishing the last couple weeks of school. There was no way in hell I was going to drop out of school and loose my education over Tony screwing up my life. I still had dreams and hopes and I was going to achieve them, no matter what it took. He couldn't hurt me anymore; he couldn't take anything away from me again. I wouldn't let him. Matt wouldn't let him. My friends wouldn't let him.
-
I sat down next to Matt on the picnic table. Once again it was us two cooking and preparing dinner for everyone, who by the way were still in the ocean, soaking up the sun and water. Johnny and I had gone for a walk earlier to the store and grabbed hamburger buns that we had run out of. When we had got back everyone was lounging around, talking. A bit after we got back everyone minus Matt and I decided to go back into the water.
"So when you and Johnny were gone, we were all talking," Matt began. I let out a light laugh and nodded my head, urging him to go on. "We all thought it would be a good idea for you to stay here, at the beach house." I nodded my head again, one problem down, one to go. "With me."
I looked up into Matt's eyes, "what?" Matt just kept his eyes locked on mine, his face neutral. "Are you serious? You'd actually stay here with me?"
Matt nodded his head and rolled his eyes, "do you even have to ask Riley?" Then he let out a laugh, "well, with the amount all of us are here to begin with, I guess everyone would be staying with you for a large part of the time." I smiled.
I turned to my right and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his arms fold across my back and his left cheek press against my face. I smiled into his chest and hugged him tighter. This is how things should've always been with Tony.
We slightly pulled back and Matt connected our lips together for a split second before I pulled away. "You said something earlier that quite frankly surprised me," Matt suddenly tensed. "It didn't surprise me in a bad way... more like you took the words from me."
"What were they?" Matt asked, still a bit tense.
"I'm not sure if this is going too fast, because I don't really know how things work in real relationships with no abuse, but..." I found myself stumbling over my words and prolonging everything. "I just wanted to let you know that I feel the same about you." Matt raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. I took in a deep breath and then exhaled heavily, "I love you too Matt."
The next few minutes felt like milliseconds. Matt's lips connected with my own, fireworks exploded, butterflies rose in my stomach and Rhi's camera flash went off.
I pulled away and laid the right side of my face against Matt's chest and looked at all of our friends standing in front of us, smirking and laughing. I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"Matt, my man," Jimmy said, patting Matt's back, "cook us some god damn food!"
Rhi shook her head and slapped Jimmy in the back of the head. Jimmy turned around, glared at her and took off chasing her, Zacky following behind Jimmy and Brian behind Zacky, all yelling profanities. Johnny shook his head and brought his beer to his lips, "losers."
Matt nodded his head, "yea, I can't go in with my stitches." Jimmy nodded his head and turned around to walk with Zack, Johnny and Brian down to the water. I frowned to myself and then when I felt Matt was looking at me, I turned and put a smile on my face. "What's wrong?" Matt asked.
"It's my fault you can't go swimming with your friends," I frowned. I felt a light slap on the back of my head and turned around.
Rhi was glaring at me. "Take that back," she said sternly, narrowing her eyes. "It's not your fault Riley. Tony should have never hit you. Matt came in and fought Tony on his own will." She paused, "he would've done that for anyone, so stop blaming yourself, okay?"
I nodded my head and put on a real smile as I hugged her. When we pulled away she jumped up and ran for the water. I watched as she jumped on Zack's back, scaring the hell out of him, making them fall over into the water. I heard loud roars of laughing, from everyone, including myself and Matt.
I felt so carefree even though I was far from it. I didn't have to worry about Tony anymore because he was locked up in a local jail. All I had to worry about was where I was going to stay, and finishing the last couple weeks of school. There was no way in hell I was going to drop out of school and loose my education over Tony screwing up my life. I still had dreams and hopes and I was going to achieve them, no matter what it took. He couldn't hurt me anymore; he couldn't take anything away from me again. I wouldn't let him. Matt wouldn't let him. My friends wouldn't let him.
-
I sat down next to Matt on the picnic table. Once again it was us two cooking and preparing dinner for everyone, who by the way were still in the ocean, soaking up the sun and water. Johnny and I had gone for a walk earlier to the store and grabbed hamburger buns that we had run out of. When we had got back everyone was lounging around, talking. A bit after we got back everyone minus Matt and I decided to go back into the water.
"So when you and Johnny were gone, we were all talking," Matt began. I let out a light laugh and nodded my head, urging him to go on. "We all thought it would be a good idea for you to stay here, at the beach house." I nodded my head again, one problem down, one to go. "With me."
I looked up into Matt's eyes, "what?" Matt just kept his eyes locked on mine, his face neutral. "Are you serious? You'd actually stay here with me?"
Matt nodded his head and rolled his eyes, "do you even have to ask Riley?" Then he let out a laugh, "well, with the amount all of us are here to begin with, I guess everyone would be staying with you for a large part of the time." I smiled.
I turned to my right and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his arms fold across my back and his left cheek press against my face. I smiled into his chest and hugged him tighter. This is how things should've always been with Tony.
We slightly pulled back and Matt connected our lips together for a split second before I pulled away. "You said something earlier that quite frankly surprised me," Matt suddenly tensed. "It didn't surprise me in a bad way... more like you took the words from me."
"What were they?" Matt asked, still a bit tense.
"I'm not sure if this is going too fast, because I don't really know how things work in real relationships with no abuse, but..." I found myself stumbling over my words and prolonging everything. "I just wanted to let you know that I feel the same about you." Matt raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. I took in a deep breath and then exhaled heavily, "I love you too Matt."
The next few minutes felt like milliseconds. Matt's lips connected with my own, fireworks exploded, butterflies rose in my stomach and Rhi's camera flash went off.
I pulled away and laid the right side of my face against Matt's chest and looked at all of our friends standing in front of us, smirking and laughing. I smiled and rolled my eyes.
"Matt, my man," Jimmy said, patting Matt's back, "cook us some god damn food!"
Rhi shook her head and slapped Jimmy in the back of the head. Jimmy turned around, glared at her and took off chasing her, Zacky following behind Jimmy and Brian behind Zacky, all yelling profanities. Johnny shook his head and brought his beer to his lips, "losers."
♠ ♠ ♠
END.