Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RILEY
Iwas fuming as I left school on Tuesday. I hadn't even looked in the bag with my clothes in it, but I should have known they'd do something with my underwear. Everyone knew they were mine too thanks to social media.
Social media was fun until you were the subject of the entertainment.
I drove a little faster than I should have to the coffee place where I was meeting Mr. Nguyen, the trustee for whatever fund my mom had set up for me. He had wanted me to meet him at his office, but I wasn't going to a strange man's office.
Yet, I'd sneak into some strange boys' house. I was on the hot mess express and I needed to get off before I crashed.
I spotted the man easily. He was the only one dressed in a suit with a briefcase sitting on the table in front of him. I'd picked this location because it had high-backed booths that allowed for some privacy.
"Mr. Nguyen? I'm Riley." We shook hands and I slid into the seat across from him.
"Ms. Kline. Any word from your mother?" When I shook my head, his eyebrows pinched together and he removed his glasses. "She thought this might eventually happen."
I thought I'd be more upset or frantic that my mom was now overdue on her arrival time, but sometime over the past several days, a numbness had washed over me. It was like my brain couldn’t process the fact that she might be in trouble.
"After I'm done here, I'm going to the police station to file a missing person's report. They said I had to wait twenty-four hours after she was supposed to return." I folded my hands on the table. “Is CPS going to put me in a foster home?”
"You’re almost eighteen. Unless you are a danger to yourself or your living situation is a danger, you’ll age out before they can even get anything in place.
” He pulled some papers out of a briefcase.
“I'm sorry you’re going through this. As soon as your mom had you, she began preparing in case this happened. "
"Why would she need to prepare?" Everything was a big fat question mark, and I hated that I had no clue what was going on.
The man was silent for a few moments. "I am under strict guidelines to only give you certain information for your own protection. Not that I know much anyway. Now, do you have all of the unpaid and overdue notices?"
I handed over the papers I had brought with me. There had been an entire folder of unpaid bills in her files. She had stopped paying in June. "How long until they release some of the money?"
"I have some pull with the judge. A week tops.
I don't foresee any difficulties in getting this taken care of.
Your mom put it in a trust because she was scared a regular account would be too vulnerable.
" He slid an envelope across the table to me.
I opened it and peeked inside, seeing a small stack of hundred-dollar bills.
“In the meantime, here is some money to cover your everyday expenses. Take care of the essentials first. Gas, electric, water, cell phone. Those will be the first things that get disconnected due to nonpayment.”
I had no clue about what went into cost of living every month, but I needed to learn quickly. “You can't tell me where you think my mom might be?" He had to have some clue where she might be if he wasn’t shocked when I called him.
"Did she take the knife?" He folded his hands on top of his briefcase and looked around the coffee shop.
"No."
"Don't let anyone know about it." He lowered his voice. "It's been in your family for a long time and is one of a kind. If she left it for you, it means she's not safe."
"It's just a fancy knife. I don't understand how her leaving it-"
"That is what she told me to tell you." He sighed. "None of it made sense to me either, but she said it was better if I didn't know."
"Am I safe?"
"You told me you were being bullied?"
"Yes. They seem to have the administration and campus security on their side. The school counselor I was talking to mysteriously went on leave."
"What are the boys' names?" I told him and he took his glasses off again and ran a hand over his face. "You need to stay away from them."
"It's kind of hard when they keep coming at me." I bit my lip. "I feel... drawn to them."
"Your mother didn't say anything about them being at your school. You need to stay away from them. They come from a lot of power. Finn..." His eyes widened and he put his glasses back on. "I have to go. I've said too much. Just trust me. Stay away from them."
He left me with a sour feeling in my stomach and a lot for me to think about.
"You've been staring at that screen like that for the last half-hour." Tory waved a hand in front of me and I snapped out of my pity party.
I'd like to see anyone be able to concentrate after being assaulted and having your underwear flown for the world to see. And it was only Wednesday afternoon.
"Just a lot on my mind."
Ashley came to stand by my computer. "Riley, I need your forty dollars for food still."
"Our first stay-late isn't for another few weeks. I'll give it to you then." I didn't look up from the computer where I was now moving pictures from one folder to another instead of staring blankly at it.
"I need it to be able to plan. It's been the same every year. Do you not have the money or something?"
I glanced up at her and she smiled sweetly at me. She was becoming increasingly more of a bitch. She hadn't been half bad before this year. How quickly people change.
"I won't have it for a few weeks." I wasn't going to give her what little money I did have. That money was for important bills, food, and gas.
She rolled her eyes and moved up a row to Jax, who was working on a layout for the football section. He hadn't said a word to me all week.
"That layout looks great, Jax." Ashley put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You know, if you ever need extra help with the design program, we can always arrange a time after school to work together."
He didn't look away from the screen, but he didn't shrug her hand off either. "Are you the layout editor?"
"No, but this is my fourth year." Her hand slid over the front of his shoulder, straight for his chest.
I cut a glance to Tory, who was watching the show with wide eyes. I looked back in just enough time to see Jax grab her hand and I thought he was going to push her away, but instead, he pulled her into his lap.
Ashley glanced at me and smirked before wrapping her arms around Jax's neck. I gripped the mouse hard and resisted the urge to chuck it at them.
"Maybe you can help me." He put his mouth near her ear but was still talking loud enough for me and Tory to hear. "I'm not sure how to fit this in."
Ashley adjusted herself in his lap and took the mouse. He put his hand over the top of hers. "Well, to get it in you have to move it like this."
Tory snorted. The whole interaction was ridiculous, and I wondered if he was doing it to annoy me. If so, it was working.
"I tried pulling it to this side, but it wouldn't come."
I stood and Tory tried to grab my arm as I walked around the desk. I went and stood behind his monitor.
"Can I help you?" Jax moved his hand to Ashley's waist and dug his fingers into her shirt.
"This is a classroom, not a bar to pick up on girls."
"Stop being such a prude." Ashley put his hand on her thigh. "Jealousy isn't a good look for you, hon."
I yanked the cord from the back of the computer. I knew it was petty and childish, but I was fed up and honestly didn't care.
"What the fuck?" Jax stood, moving Ashley off him and causing her to stumble. He put his hands flat on the desk and leaned forward as far as he could. "You're going to pay for that."
"Mr. West. What is going on over there?" Mr. Garcia stood and crossed his arms.
"Nothing." He sat back down as I plugged his computer back in.
I went back to my computer and he pulled the program back up. The page he had been designing was blank. His hand tightened on the mouse.
"Remind me not to piss you off," Tory muttered. "I guess he'll learn to save his work now."
Or he'll learn not to mess with me.
I didn't enjoy studying with others, and one of the reasons was because not everyone was focused on school. We were required to meet twice a month for study group for an hour to build academic discord and develop supportive relationships.
It was bad enough I was distracted by the vague warnings the lawyer had given me, but now my mind kept replaying the scene in yearbook. Maybe I shouldn't have unplugged his computer like I had. He had worked all period on the varsity spread and I had ruined it.
The quiet of the library gave my mind too much time to wander. When I was able to focus, someone would slam a book shut, a backpack would be unzipped, or Blake would make a noise.
I should have faked cramps and gone home instead of staying and wasting my time.
Blake tapped his pencil on his paper before making a noise and then writing frantically. Me, Aiden, and a girl named Trisha gave each other looks and went back to our assignments.
The sound of a ripping page filled the immediate area and our eyes snapped back to Blake again, who didn't seem to care that he was distracting us all. He folded the paper he had ripped out of his notebook and then grinned at us.
Were they purposely trying to get on my last nerve? I was hanging on by a thread and about to snap. I ignored his grin and read the passage I had started reading for what felt like the tenth time.
The paper he folded landed in front of me. I gave him an exasperated look and then wadded up the paper and threw it toward the trashcan, missing.
He frowned. "Why'd you do that?"
"We're supposed to be working on homework and keeping each other on task." I stood and picked up the paper. "Writing notes and composing a drum solo is not staying on task."
"Well, at least read it." He turned back to his binder.
Aiden and Trisha gave me curious glances but then both got back to work. I did the same without opening the note.
I felt his eyes on me as I tried to take notes and then he nudged my foot with his. He was insufferable.
I unfolded the paper and turned to face away from the group so they couldn't see my reaction.
Jesus Christ, he'd written me a sexy note.
I can't concentrate on anything with you sitting next to me. Every time you stick the tip of your pen against your lips, I can't stop where my brain goes. I want to be that pen. Let's sneak to the bathroom and I'll give you a little late afternoon snack.
My pulse sped up and I put the pen against my lip while I considered what to write back. I could tell him he was disgusting or to knock it off. But that was what he wanted.
I wrote a note back underneath his.
I want to show you just what I can do with this mouth and my pen. Then I want to reach my hand over and feel how hard I get you.
I handed it to him under the table and he smirked as he opened it and read it. His nostrils flared as he looked up at me.
I smiled and looked down at my assignment, bringing my pen back to my mouth. I rubbed it against my bottom lip before putting the end in my mouth and closing my lips around it.
He shifted in his seat and I looked up at him through my lashes. I moved the pen in and out of my mouth a few times before biting down on it hard enough to make a sound.
He grimaced and then started laughing.
Trish threw her pen on the table and closed her books. "This is useless. It's almost time to go anyways. Thank fuck we only have to do this every other week."
"That was really messed up, Riley." Blake packed his stuff. "I have swim practice anyway."
He left without a glance back, and Aiden started laughing. "What the hell was that about?"
"He wrote me a nasty note, so I responded that I would show him what I'd do."
"Oh, man." Trisha laughed. "I don't get how those guys are so popular and why so many follow them blindly."
"They are rich asshole athletes. That's a turn on for some, I guess." He gave me a pointed look. "They will only lead to a case of crabs and heartache."
"I think we should meet without him." Trisha and Aiden followed me out of the library. "We can just tell him we aren't going to meet two Wednesdays from now."
"I agree. Mrs. Williams should understand."
The last thing I needed was for my grades to slip too.