Riley

7

I was farther from the house than I realized. During my conversation with Richard, we had apparently left the city completely. I was finally able to find out where I was and how to get back home after I had been running in a random direction for almost an hour. I would've called my mom, but unfortunately, my phone had died at some point during my conversation. By the time I made it to the street that led to the house, my watch read that it was almost eleven o'clock at night. I left school at four-thirty after serving my detention that I didn't even tell anyone about. Which means that everyone probably expected me to be home by three or three-thirty at the latest. As I turned onto the driveway, the first thing that I saw was the blue cop lights.

"Crap!" I cursed to myself. Of course, I knew that my mom would be worried considering that I was supposed to be home hours ago, but I didn't think that she'd call the police. I knew I was in deep shit as soon as I saw the two officers, Mom, John, and Alex standing outside talking. Mom was almost in tears and the worry on both John and Alex's faces were clear. I was overcome with guilt at being the reason for their expressions. As I got closer, Alex was the first one to see me.

"Riley!" He yelled before running over and almost tackling me in a hug. I stood frozen for a moment before I returned the hug. By the time we pulled apart, everyone else had crowded around me, asking questions and checking if I was okay.

"Guys, I'm fine. Really. I'm sorry I'm late. I just got...caught up in something and lost track of time." I tried to explain. It was enough for the cops to leave after double-checking that I was actually okay and informing me of the city curfew for minors. However, it definitely wasn't enough of an explanation for the members of my family. "Can we go in and sit down before I get the third-degree, please? I'm really tired." I sighed.

"Riley, where have you been?!" Mom asked the moment we sat down. "We've been worried sick!"

"Umm," I hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to tell them the truth. "Well, I met someone, and we started talking. I got so caught up in the conversation that I lost track of time and didn't realize how late it had gotten."

"And what is this someone's name?" John asked while raising an eyebrow.

"...Richard." I sighed.

"So, it was a boy? You've been off with some boy for the past eight hours?!" My mom practically growled out. My eyes widened at what my mom was implying.

"No! Mom, no, it wasn't like that at all. I ended up getting detention today, so I left school later than usual. Then, because soccer practice was canceled, I decided to go for a long run and that's when we met. We started talking and time just flew by. That's it. We only talked. I promise you that I didn't go off and have a sex marathon with some random stranger." I desperately tried to convince them.

"Guys, I really think she's telling the truth. She's back safe and uninjured, so I think we should just leave it at that and all go get some sleep." Alex joined the conversation. I sent a grateful smile in his direction.

"I think she's telling the truth as well. But, I don't think she's telling us all of it. You're leaving something out. Aren't you, Riley?" John calmly asked. I think I'm starting to realize why he's such a successful businessman.

"Riley?" Mom asked softly.

"I...I can't tell you." I mumbled, staring down at my shoes.

"Why can't you tell us? Did he threaten to hurt you if you told someone? Did he do something to you? I promise you, Riley, if you are afraid of what he will do, we will protect you."

"No," I mumbled. "He didn't...it wasn't...it's complicated."

"Riley, who is he?"

"He didn't tell me his last name. I don't know where he's from and I honestly don't know a lot about him. But, if he was telling me the truth, I assume his last name is Chase. Richard Chase."

"Wait. Chase? Isn't that your-"

"Yes," I answered, interrupting Alex's question. "According to him, he's my brother. Well, half-brother. I don't know how he found me or how he even knew who I was. I don't know anything about his dad or his life or anything else. Yes, we talked about some stuff, but I don't know anything about his personal life nor do I care to know. I left and told him to leave me alone and never speak to me again. That's honestly the whole story. One which I am still wrapping my head around, so if it's okay with you all, I'd like to go to bed now." I stood up to leave, honestly not caring whether they were okay with it or not. I was really just done with the entire situation.

I went up to my room and immediately stripped before standing underneath the scalding water from the shower. I didn't know how long I stood there thinking about Richard and the man who gave me half of my DNA. It was surreal. I've spent so much of my life hating this idea of a man, but it wasn't until now that that idea became a reality. All of these years I've known he existed, but he never seemed...real. He was always the shadow in the depths of my mind, a being whose existence was like a whisper, a ghost that is unable to be seen. But, he has been seen. There is someone who has seen him, who knows that he is real, who knows that he isn't just a fleeting thought or a figment of one's imagination. I jumped out of the shower and quickly dressed before quietly creeping out of my room and up the stairs. There was a moment of hesitation as my fist hovered over the door. Did I really want to know? Is this really what I wanted to do? Apparently, my body had already decided because I was knocking on the door before I was even able to answer my own questions.

"Riley?"

"Hey, Mom. I'm sorry for earlier, but I was wondering if we could talk?"