Riley and Devin

Chapter Fifty-Three

My mom knocks on my door. "Honey, you should get up. We have breakfast on the table when you're ready," she says. I nod and then sit up and rub my eyes. I look at the time on my phone. And then it hits me that today's Senior Graduation. I jump out of bed and walk over to my closet.

I pull out a rich midnight blue dress. It stops a couple inches above my ankles. It hugs my chest, waist and hips, it's slightly lower cut and then it has a flared waist. It has an open back with lace on the sides and on the top of my shoulders. I have a pair of wedged tan sandals with a four inch heel and a corkscrew bottom to go with it. I had my nails and toes painted a gold that matches my locket.

I slip into my dress and pull on my heels. I walk to the bathroom and brush my teeth and hair. I put some product in my hair to make it shiny. It also enhances my natural waves to make them more curly. I walk back to my room and sit at my desk. I do light eyeliner, gold eyeshadow and a raspberry lip gloss. I grab my hat and robe and before I head downstairs I look at myself on the mirror. The dress offsets my eyes and makes them a very bright green. All the colors compliment my complexion and the necklace. I touch it and try not to worry about what I'm going to do.

I scoop my robe and cap into my arms and walk downstairs. My mom has a coffee mug laid out for me. I smile. She knows that I'm not hungry, too nervous to eat. I sit down and sip my coffee.

"You look pretty," Mom says.

"Thanks," I say.

"We can drive one car and you can drive yours so, if you decide to go out after this with Devin you don't have to worry about us. That way we have a way to get home," Dad says. I smile and nod. My mom's wearing a tan pencil skirt and a navy blouse. She looks pretty and Dad's wearing black pants and a light blue dress shirt.

"You guys didn't have to dress up," I tell them.

"We did. It's your Senior Graduation," Dad says. I smile. he looks at his watch and then says that I should go, that they'll meet us there. I grab my keys and walk to my car. I slide in and drive to school.

When I get there I walk to the cafeteria, where all the other Senior's are. I walk in and everyone's in groups chatting with their friends. Everyone's dressed up. I scan the room for Devin, but I don't see him. I take a seat at an open table by the window.

"You look pretty," a voice says. It's loud so I can't tell who's voice it is. My heart rate picks up, I'm assuming it's Devin. I turn around and see Alex. I feel a pang of disappointment but I keep my composure.

"Thanks," I say and stand up. I hug him and then he takes a seat next to me. He's dressed in khaki pants and a navy blue dress shirt. His hair is combed neatly.

"So, it's kinda weird that we're Senior's right?" Alex says. He keeps talking but I'm not listening because my phone buzzes and I'm diving for it, trying to see if it's from Devin. It's from Devin.

Meet me outside the caf

I stand up and tell Alex that I'll be right back. I walk outside and see Devin leaning against the wall. "Hey, what's up?" I ask him. He turns around to face me.

He smiles, says, "Let's get out of here."

I laugh. "You're funny. Let's go inside," I say. Devin takes a step toward me. "Oh, wait. You're serious," I say.

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Go to a movie or some shit," Devin says. His grey eyes are lit up with amusement.

"You honestly want to ditch Senior Graduation?" I ask him. He shrugs. "We should go back inside."

"If that's what you want," he says. I nod. We start walking to the cafeteria and his hand brushes my bare back. "You look beautiful, by the way," he whispers.

My heart stops in my chest.

Devin sits across from me and Alex. We all sit there awkwardly. Devin's wearing black slacks, and a white dress shirt. The top few buttons are undone and the sleeves are rolled up. His hair is brushed but not gelled. He doesn't look like he belongs at a high school graduation. I drum my fingers against the table.

"So, you leave for California tomorrow?" Alex asks. I smile and nod. Devin snorts and then starts a fake coughing fit. "Something funny, Wright?" Alex asks, narrowing his eyes at Devin. Devin leans back lazily and smirks.

"You're not the smartest one, are you?" Devin asks. Alex glares at Devin.

"Riley, can I talk to you?" Alex asks. I nod. He stands up and walks a couple feet away from the table. I look at Devin and he's still smirking. I stand up.

"So, what'd you want to talk to me about?" I ask Alex. I don't know what's wrong with Devin. Alex steps a little bit closer to me. "Alex?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about..." Alex trails off. He leans in closer to me, his lips brushing my ear, his arms touching mine. He opens his mouth and is about to say something.

But then Alex is on the ground and Devin's on top of him.