Falling Up

19. Reality

When she came around, she was in the same position she passed out in, lying down next to the back of the black leather couch. It couldn't have been that long since she hit the floor, a few minutes at most. The noise from downstairs was still beating through the fraternity walls and she could still feel the weed and alcohol in her system.

Pushing herself off the floor, back into a seated position, she focused on her breathing, like her therapist had told her to, and clutched her knees back into her chest.

"It wasn't real," she mumbled to herself. "It's the weed and the alcohol. It wasn't real." It couldn't be real. Vincent was in prison and he wasn't getting out anytime soon. Her mind had played tricks on her before, but never to this level.

She repeated the mantra over and over again that it wasn't real. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the presence of someone in the room.

"What's not real?"

Riley's head spun around so fast that she heard her neck crack in the process as she scrambled even further into her tiny corner of the room.

"Whoa," said Kain, putting his hands up in a defensive stance.

"What are you doing here?" Riley panicked.

"What am I doing here? The question is, what are you doing here? This is my room," responded Kain with a gesture of his hand around the room.

For the first time since she entered the room, she looked at her surroundings and noticed she was in a bedroom. A neatly made bed with a wooden frame and linen black sheets, a light wooden desk off to the corner and the large black leather couch she was hiding behind. The most surprising element was a bookshelf adorned with draping pot plants that spilled over the edge and created a somewhat natural setting for the room.

Her thoughts were short-lived though as she heard her name being called from down the hallway. "Riley! Riley, are you up here?" called Kendra before there was a knock at the door.

The door opened, with light spilling into the room, and in popped Kendra's head. "Sorry to bother you Kain, but have you seen Riley?"

Kain merely pointed to the corner of the room where she was huddled. "Riley! I've been looking for you forever! Where have you been?" she said, inching closer until she took in the sight of Riley.

There she was, huddled on the floor, her hands wrapped around her knees. She was pretty sure she looked like a drunken mess, but she didn't care. She was safe in this room and she wasn't leaving. If Vincent was outside, there was no way she was going out there again. No way in hell.

"Oh my god, what happened to you? Are you okay?" Kendra asked as she leaned down in front of Riley.

"It's not real," repeated Riley again, trying to encourage herself to move. It wasn't real. Her step father wasn't here. He was in prison where he belonged.

"Yeah, she keeps repeating that," chimed in Kain. "Probably had a bit too much weed."

Kendra and Kain continued to talk while Riley barely paid attention, instead trying to collect her thoughts and get out of the spiral she was in.

"She had weed? When?" asked Kendra.

"I don't think she understands the concept of pot brownies."

"Well, that explains a lot," said Kendra. "With the amount that she had to drink as well. That pot you guys have would mess with anyone's mind."

Kendra reached out her hand to Riley, but she flinched, pulling it back out of Kendra's grip. An unfortunate reaction she still had from time to time. Less so with her brothers, but they understood the limitations she still had because of him.