Chapter 33 Riley
THIRTY-THREE
RILEY
My feet hit the pavement as I sprint to my sister’s place. She only lives ten minutes from me on foot, so I’ll get there in five, considering how fast my legs are moving.
The moment I woke up, I panicked. August wasn’t there, but his side of the bed was still warm. He must have freaked out. I don’t blame him. Maybe he realized I’m not what he wanted.
I’m a broken girl with low self-esteem who can’t even get her mommy to love her properly.
I catch my breath as I approach Hailey’s house. No need for calling, texting, or knocking when I'm in a crisis. I burst through the door because, of course, Hailey has it unlocked. I have an inkling that she’s still sleeping.
I'm greeted by Whiskey and Butterscotch, her two cats, who like to yell like it's their damn job.
"Don’t pretend you’re excited because I’m here. I know you just want treats.”
They walk between my legs, constantly tripping over them as they continue to yell and purr.
"If you guys don't stop, I'm going to make you into a fur coat," I say through clenched teeth.
I stop where I am, the kitchen to my right, and I walk in.
I know exactly where Hailey keeps the cat treats, and right now, I'm desperate to give them as much as they want.
The treats are put away in a cupboard that has baby-proof locks on it because Whiskey likes to push his fat body in it and gnaw on the plastic container that stores said treats.
Whiskey swivels in and out between my legs while Butterscotch patiently sits to the side and waits for me. I pop open the lid and pour brown kibble treats onto the black-and-white tiled floor.
They devour them like the heathens they are. I love them, but sometimes they annoy the hell out of me. Greedy little bastards. They act like my sister never feeds them, when in fact, she will give them a whole god damn rotisserie chicken.
I've seen it.
I put the container back and shut the burnt hickory cabinet door. I'm still getting used to Hailey's new house. It's quaint. A two bed, one and a half bath bungalow. It was a fixer upper.
There's an Addams Family vibe to it. Gothic but chic. Black frames hold photos of me and her, friends, concerts, some weird paintings, and not a lick of Mom.
Hailey’s deep red velvet couch looks classy atop a black, ornate rug. It's the most unique decoration I've seen in a home, and it screams Hailey.
I walk down the hall, a black floral boho runner rug cushioning under my shoes. Different-sized mirrors run along the wall, and I glance at myself as I pass by. The color under my eyes is a shade darker than the rest of my skin. I run my fingers through my hair, wincing and pulling at knots.
The white door at the end of the hall is her room. I don't bother knocking. She's sprawled out on the bed, her tattooed arm dangling off one side, her black and ice blonde hair covering her silk pillow cases, with her face buried into it.
Snores fall from her open mouth.
The thing about Hailey is that she can sleep through a hurricane. Nothing can wake her up. She needs to set five alarms.
As I stride to her large, king-size bed, the cats catch up with me and jump right on her.
Butterscotch lies in the corner, where sun falls onto the bed.
Whiskey goes straight onto her head and sits on it.
Still, she doesn’t move. I don’t remember the last time I’ve slept that well.
A pin can drop on the floor, and I’d wake up.
I let out an annoyed huff, kneeling in front of her and tapping on her shoulder. “Hailey. Hailey, wake up.” I continue to tap, but it doesn’t work. I don’t have time for this. “Hailey, wake up!” I grab both her shoulders and shake her.
Whiskey bounces up and down on her head, slowly shifting off her.
"What the hell," she rasps, groaning.
"It’s your favorite sister ever, here to come bother you." I continue to shake her.
"Jesus," she mutters under her breath. "Okay, I'm up. Stop shaking me, you psycho.”
She turns herself over to lie on her back, Whiskey jumping off her head, using it like a trampoline. "Fuck! Whiskey, you asshole." She rubs her face and drops her hands down to her stomach.
Hailey exhales, clearly annoyed and pissed off that I woke her. She stares up at the ceiling, her eyelids still heavy and sleepy. It’s the most romantic ceiling I’ve seen in someone’s home. It’s painted deep blue, with big gold stars around a golden antique chandelier.
"I didn’t go to bed until four in the morning, so whatever it is that forced you to wake me up better be good.” Her eyes start to shift back into dreamland, and I’m about to lose her again.
"August and I had sex last night," I spit out, covering my mouth.
Now she’s awake. "Come again?"
“We had sex last night, like four times, and it hurts to walk.”
She blinks a few times at me in shock. When I open my mouth to say something, she laughs at my face and covers her mouth.
"Please tell me this is a joke." The golden hoop ring on her nose shines in the sunlight coming in through the room. The matching gold septum ring touches her full top lip.
"Can you shut up?"
She calms down and looks at me again while I sit on the floor. "I’m surprised it didn’t happen when you guys first kissed.” Her raspy voice comes out smooth. “The sexual tension must have been wild."
My lips press together into a tight line, and I fall onto the floor, lying on my back. My arms are splayed out to the sides, and I stare at the gold stars painted above me.
"It was that good, huh?"
I cover my face with my hands and whine. I hate how much I loved every single part of it.
“Four times?”
My head lifts to look at her. She has an elbow propped on the bed, the side of her face in her hand.
"Four times."
“How are you even walking?” she says through a laugh.
"Hailey," I whine and sit up. "What do I do?"
“What do you mean, what should you do? Talk to him. What happened this morning? I assume he slept over.” She scans her stiletto nails.
I’m still amazed at how capable she is of tattooing with them.
“Um.” My voice rises an octave.
Her perfectly shaped, dark eyebrows raise in questioning. “Riley. What happened?”
The sound of birds chirping outside wakes up the cats. One bird flies and lands on the outside windowsill, making them chirp at it lazily while falling asleep.
"Riley."
I focus on her, and she gives me a look, lifting an eyebrow.
I tilt my head back before peering at her again. “I woke up, and he was gone. I panicked and came here.”
"You're fucking with me, right?" Hailey joins me on the floor. She crosses her legs. “He left? That’s not like August. Are you sure? Did he text you?”
I shake my head solemnly, and the only thing I feel is hurt coursing through my body. “Maybe it’s for the better. This wasn’t supposed to happen. We aren’t supposed to happen.”
“Riley, I swear to god if you start this again.”
“What?”
Hailey rolls her eyes and then looks at me, leaning in closer. Her too big of a shirt falling off her shoulder. Blonde strands of hair falling down her neck. She's so beautiful. So angelic. Despite the tattoos and piercings and having the aura of Morticia Addams.
She grabs my hands. “Just because mom doesn’t know how to love us doesn’t mean we aren’t worthy of it. I’ve learned to love myself after years of Mom’s emotional neglect. I hope you can do the same thing.”
"Why do you sound like the big sister now?"
" Did you tell Ellie yet?”
I lift my eyebrows. “There’s absolutely no way I’m telling Ellie that I slept with her brother. Her knowing that we kissed is enough. And we have so much happening right now, I can’t bother her with this.”
“That’s fair. But what about August? Are you gonna talk to him?”
“I think I need some time to think about all of this. I’m not sure how to approach the situation, considering he was gone when I woke up. I’m kind of embarrassed.”
Hailey tilts her head, her brow knitted. “I really don’t think he would skip out on you for no reason. That’s not the kind of guy he is.”
“It still hurts.”
She rubs my arm for comfort. “I know.”
“I’m just gonna bury myself in the bakery. We’re supposed to open in two months, and I still need to work on the interior design. Maybe it will be a good way to distract myself.”
“I’m really excited for you, Ry. Maybe Dad will come to the opening?”
“We’d have to sneak him here without mom knowing.”
“She most likely has a radar on him.”
I let out a snort, and Hailey pulls me into a hug. Sometimes, getting a hug from my sister is enough to heal me. It’s healed me plenty of times. But this time, I’m not so sure.