Riley and Devin

Chapter Five

The end of the day comes faster than I ever expected it to. Before I know it I'm driving home from school. I walk up to my room and change into the clothes that I laid out. I yank a brush through my hair and then put some lipgloss on. I look at myself in the mirror. I shift uncomfortably in my shirt.

I have really big boobs and curves. My stomach is flat. I've never worn anything this tight before. It shows off everything. I walk to my closet and grab a baggy shirt. Devin walks into my room just then. The shirt falls from my hands when I see him.

He has bruises on his cheek and jaw. "Devin! What the fuck?" I ask him. He doesn't say anything. "Devin, what the fuck happened?" I repeat. He stumbles toward me and into me. I sink to the ground with him.

"You look good," he slurs.

"Jesus, are you drunk?" I ask him. He nods. "Just tell me what happened."

"Walked into house, he-he was there. I said... I said... I said," he rambles off. And then he just kind of passes out. I look at my watch, it's 4:50.

"Fuck!" I say. I try moving Devin, but I can't. I grab a pillow and shove it under his head. I put a blanket over him and grab my sweatshirt. I zip it up and then redo my lip gloss and brush my hair. I grab a post it note and write: Went out on a date. I should be home around eight. Keep sleeping. There's water and a dose of ibuprofen for your hangover. We'll talk when I get home. -Riley

I stick it to his forehead and then shut the curtains and set out the medicine and water on the desk. I walk downstairs and tell my mom that Devin is upstairs in my room. I walk outside and at five o'clock sharp Alex walks out.

"Hey," he says. His eyes widen when he sees me. "Wow, you look beautiful." I smile. I look down to make sure that my sweatshirt is still zipped up.

"So, are you going to tell me what movie we're seeing?" I ask him. He shakes his head. We pull up to the movie theater and walk inside. He pays for everything. I smile, really happy with my slushie. I love slushies. We walk into the actual theater and take a seat towards the back. The room is filled with teenage girls and middle aged woman. "This is a chick flick, isn't it?" I say.

"Yes, yes it is. I've really wanted to see this." His brown eyes glitter.

"Are you for real? Because if you are you're a real man," I tell him. He laughs. I take a handful of the popcorn. The theater darkens and the movie starts. My thoughts drift back to Devin. Did he mean that his dad hit him? Was he drunk before or after? I'm jolted back to reality when Alex laces his fingers with mine. I smile at him and he grins back. His thumb traces patterns on my palm. I focus on that and him instead of Devin. The movie ends and we walk out.

"Did you like it?" he asks me. I shrug.

"It was to predictable, but it was okay. She was so stupid. I mean who just stands there and does nothing-"

His lips press against mine, silencing me. His hand runs through my hair. I kiss him back and lean up into him. I press closer to him and he kisses me harder. He tastes sweet, like the candy Lifesavers. I loop my arms around his neck and he wraps his arms around my waist. We kiss like that for a couple more seconds before he pulls back, resting his forehead against mine.

"You really are something else, aren't you?" Alex says. His eyes are slightly glazed over.

"I guess you'll find out." That was my first kiss, is what I don't tell him. Well, second I guess if you count me kissing Devin when we were six and playing house, which I don't. We drive back to my house where he walks me up to my door. He kisses me, more briefly this time. "Good night Alex," I say.

"Good night Riley, I'll text you later," he says before pulling his car away. I smile to myself and touch my lips. I think that I like Alex.