Monday morning, Riley sat at his desk staring off into space. He rested his chin on his arms which were folded on top of the desk.
Jay entered the classroom and greeted him, "Hey."
Riley flashed a smile but didn't say anything.
Jay crouched down at the side of Riley's desk. "Are you mad?"
"About what?"
"That we called Eran? You were just so plastered and we didn't really know what to do..."
"Oh, it's okay."
There were a few seconds of silence.
Jay spoke again, "So... Now that you're sober..."
"Where's Tony?"
"His mom found his fake ID. He's on house arrest. He told her we weren't involved, and blamed it on Dirty Derrick, since his mom already knows Derrick and how dodgy he is."
Isn't he around Eran's age? Derrick was one of those Uptown kids who stuck up their middle finger to their parents after graduation and left for their own adventure. His nickname was Dirty because, besides the nice alliteration, he did dirty business. He was how Riley and his friends had gotten cigarettes, and access to 19+ clubs, amongst other things.
The first bell rang.
"Lunch. Start thinking of excuses now," Jay said before going to his own desk.
Lunchtime had finally arrived.
"Now, about Friday night-"
"Can you at least give me until I put my straw in?"
Jay rolled his eyes, but waited for Riley to slide a straw into his beverage. As soon as he put the straw in his mouth, Jay continued, "Do you remember everything?"
"If 'everything' is me getting drunk and acting pitiful, then you calling for Eran to pick me up, then yeah."
"You started acting weirder when he came. We really... He's reliable..." Jay glanced at Riley's body. "I don't see any bruises... Did he kick your ass?"
YOU ARE READING
Our Strange Love
RomanceThrough a strange series of encounters, a delinquent high schooler and upright university student find love. ***** No longer interested in clubbing, kissing girls, and committing petty crimes, 18-year-old Riley is trying to find meaning in his dull...