Dramatic Child Stars

Epilogue

October 26th 2021,
5:26 pm.

Riley was walking down the street with sunglasses on. He'd never liked sunglasses. He knew they objectively looked cool, but he couldn't get past how clunky they felt on his face. He didn't like the pressure on the bridge of his nose, or the way everything around him looked darker. He considered it a sensory overload of sorts. He only wore them anyways because people stopped him in their bothersome manner significantly less. It was like wearing a mask.

He was walking down Manchester avenue in Inglewood, which was admittedly out of the way for him. He liked walking that way though, and he'd made a habit out of it. Habits were good for him now; necessary even. Habits made patterns and patterns made accountability, and the people at rehab loved to use the word accountability. Riley had to be that way too.

Manchester avenue passed right by the Kia forum anyways. On some special days, there'd be music playing there, and even when there wasn't, it was close to the airport. Riley had learned recently that he really liked watching planes fly by. It was a small thing he could make joyful for himself in everyday life to notice.

As he passed the Kia forum, someone else fell into step next to him. They'd been waiting there at the corner for him, which was the usual. The person had slightly longer hair than they used to, dark, shaggy and perfectly curled out around their ears. Their gold eye glitter was neat and tidy, perfectly applied as usual. Their outfit was colored with purples and greens and flowed around them ethereally in a dependable way that gave Riley another something nice to look at, just like the planes.

Basil had grabbed onto Riley's hands as they met and Riley noticed their fingertips were colder than the warm autumn day around them.

"I miss the way the leaves turned color in Portland," Riley stated as the walked.

Basil seemed to squeeze his hand just a little bit tighter. "I know you do."

Riley took note of the way Basil didn't move to agree with him. It wasn't that Basil didn't agree. Riley was completely aware that Basil missed their city. Riley also knew that Basil wouldn't say it out loud. For all the value that Basil put on honesty, they'd been careful with their words regarding home. It was a home they'd left for Riley. They hadn't wanted to go. Riley imagined a spike deep in Basil's chest constantly yearning for a small house with a wild garden and beaded tapestries that their grandfather would hate.

Basil seemed to be reading Riley's mind when they said, "There's something about palm trees that absolutely delights me everyday. It's an endless summer."

They looked over at Riley as they walked with their radiant smile and Riley couldn't help but let his lips curl back in return.

Basil was dependable. Riley could rely on that if nothing else. They were so dependable that they'd dropped everything to come to Los Angeles. They'd moved into an apartment with Riley's sister and they'd lived there for the entire 60 days that Riley had been checked into the rehab facility helping to get things ready for his return. They'd only gone back to Portland once to sign papers regarding their grandfather or something, and then they'd come right back, visiting Riley weekly when he was up for visitors and ultimately picking him up with Bryn when the time came for him to rejoin the world like a confused baby deer who'd never really been a human without a copious pill regimen before.

Rehab had not been fun in the traditional sense. It was a very difficult 60 days. It was still difficult actually. Everything was difficult all the time and Riley hadn't actually done anything useful or productive since leaving. All he did was go for regular walks to a therapists office which hosted NA three times a week. He went for those as well as a weekly appointment on his own where he just stared at the therapist and willed himself to not cry even though he hadn't actually said anything other than "hello," and the lie of, "no, there isn't anything on my mind."