Chapter 10

1.7K 67 26
                                    

Farkle ran through the airport, trying to find Riley before she left him for the next four months. He spotted her head, ducking through the gaps in people. He called her name, but she didn't stop. Farkle fell on his knees and pulled the necklace out of his back pocket. 

The thin silvery chain held two purple gems, combined in the shape of a heart. One had an R for Riley, and the other had an F for Farkle. He squeezed it in his hands, hoping it would bring her back somehow. It didn't of course, and he sat in a chair, completely defeated. He had hoped to bring Riles back, but now she was gone, slipping from his grasp like water cupped in small hands.

He slipped to the ground and felt the tears come slowly. He had lost his Riles. His fingers clasped around the necklace one more time. The loudspeaker hadn't announced her departure flight yet. He still had time. 

Farkle sprinted to the terminal just as the announcement was supposed to come. He saw Riley and ran to her as fast as he possibly could. By some magic, he made it to her just before she was about to leave. 

"Riley, you can leave - I'm not going to stop you, but I need to say goodbye one last time first." He wrapped his arms around her clipping the necklace on her. "Ever since I met you, Riley, I knew I loved you. This is for you. Keep me in mind." And with that, Farkle backed away and let Riley leave. 

He knew it was going to be hard not seeing her for the next while, and long distance would probably break them, but at least she had the necklace now. Tears laced her beautiful eyelashes as she turned away from Farkle for the last time.

"Goodbye, Farkle. I love you." Her voice broke, and she slipped into the plane without another glance back. 

Farkle calmly took a cab back to his apartment, rubbing his head with two fingers. What had he done? Let his one love go. And now, he didn't know what to do with himself.

He grabbed his jacket and took his car to work. He at least had this job for a distraction. He now worked at the bookshop he had taken Riley to once. It always reminded him of her, but not in a bad way.

                                                                                         *  *  * 

Riley sat down on her bed in her old bedroom. After almost a year, she was back home. Her parents and Auggie had come to pick her up, and Auggie had hugged her, Ava by his side. 

Just then she heard a knock at the bay window. The same one that had been there for almost twenty years now. It was Smackle at the window, or Izzy as Riley had recently become comfortable with calling her. 

"Hey Izzy," Riley smiled, a grin from ear to ear, showing her pure excitement. She waved her inside, and Izzy came and sat on the end of her bed. 

"Riley! I'm so happy you're back!" She flung her arms around Riley, and squeezed her in a hug. Since she had known Riley for almost seven years, she had gotten used to hugs and was more comfortable.

"I've missed you, Iz. It's so good to see you."

"So what's going on, Riles? I can tell something's not right. What is it?" Riley just shook her head and looked down at her lap. She didn't know if she entirely wanted to tell Izzy the sad story of her tutor love with Farkle. 

"Iz, have you ever met someone where you knew almost from the second that you met them that you two were meant for each other? I - I met someone like that in this last year. His name was Farkle." Smackle looked at her strangely, but Riley just continued. "We - I was his tutor, for a while. He said his dad was rich and sent him to Ivy League, but he dropped out. So I tutored him for a while, and then we started to fall in love. We spent a lot of time together, and started dating. I shouldn't say that. We still are dating." Izzy nodded, so Riley took a deep breath and started talking again.

"Now, I left him. I came home while he stayed. I'm just nervous that while I'm here and he's there, he'll meet someone else that he likes even more than me, and I'll be left all alone." Isadora looked at her sympathetically and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Riles, you know that you can't be alone. I'll always be here for you. Farkle - if he's not smart enough to see the amazing girl right in front of him, which is you, then he's not worth it. I'll go after him if he can't see how amazing you are." Riley giggled. 

"You don't have to do that. But Izzy, the thing is, he could have come home. His mom lives here now. I - he could have come, but he did. What if he's already choosing someone over me?" Izzy shook her head.

"From what you've told me, he loves you. Riley, he won't leave you. Not yet, at least. He still loves you. I bet he's home crying right now, because he was stupid enough to let you go."They hugged again, then Smackle's phone buzzed. 

She glanced at it, then looked back at Riley.

"Gotta go, Riles. Sorry." She smiled, then started towards the bay window.

"It's okay, Iz. You really did help. Bye." Izzy waved and disappeared out onto the balcony.

Riley lay back and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She missed Farkle. She needed to get him back. But how?

                                                                                        *  *  *

As for what Izzy had said, she was right. Farkle had gotten home from work a little after ten, and was currently in his bed, trying to blast the rock music loud enough to get Riley from his head. It wasn't working, so far. 

He got up and shut his phone off, sighing loudly and flopping back onto the bed. Riley had been the best thing that had ever happened to him, and now he had let her go. Forever, it seemed like, even though it was only a few months. 

Farkle snatched his shoes and pulled them on, going out onto the roof. He looked up at the moon, but it just reminded him of Riley. Of the night they had spent here. Everything led back to Riley, it seemed. 

Maybe he was stupid for letting her go. But he couldn't change it now. It wasn't like Riley would come back if she missed him too much. He had let her go, not the other way around. It was his fault he didn't have her beside him anymore.

With a shudder, Farkle made his way back inside and snuggled under the covers, images of him and Riley together flooding his mind. His conscious mind took over, and he finally fell asleep.

The night consumed him, and he rolled over. But what he didn't know, was that a couple thousand miles away, a certain Riley Matthews was thinking of the bad boy while she tried without success to fall asleep.

They needed each other, and they were both willing to do anything to find one another.

YAYY I'M GONNA WRITE A NEW CHAPTER RIGHT NOW AND POST IT BEFORE TONIGHT HOPEFULLY. I JUST FIGURED OUT THE REST OF MY STORY, AND YOU ALL ARE GONNA LOVE THESE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS.

Alli<3

The Tutor | RIARKLEWhere stories live. Discover now