I Got You |✔ (Out on Kindle/Amazon!)

9| Pizza & PS4

After hearing what Riley said, I came to terms with the fact that I was going to apologize to Drew, but I was still processing what had happened to his sister.

"So, Leila is a sophmore at LHHS?" I asked Riley, making sure I understood all the details.

"Yeah. She's like a little sister to me, so I can understand why Drew did what he did. He was just trying to help. He doesn't normally act out so much, but when something like that happens to your little sister," he said, grabbing both of my shoulders to make me look right at him. "You can understand that, right?"

I understood, but there were still things I was trying to remember about that day. I distinctly recalled when Riley stopped a greasy-faced Drew from hammering on my car again. He said something like, "You know you're really just upset about what happened to Leila." I didn't know who she was then...now I did.

"Riley? Does Leila have pink hair?" I asked wondered, thinking about the sad girl I saw get out of Drew's jeep on my first day.

"Yeah, at the ends. Why? Do you know her?"

"Familiarity is irrevelant now, considering I know something so personal about her," I said, staring off into space. My mind was moving all over the place just thinking about what happened to her.

"So, Jeremy is the sophmore that was best-friends with Drew's fists..."

"Yes," Riley nodded, watching me as I said aloud everything I was thinking.

"...and he is, WAS, he was Leila's boyfriend..."

"Unfortunately, yes. He was," Riley continued to agree.

"...and he broke up with Leila when he-when he," I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence. How can someone be such a coward?! Such a heartless bastard?!

Riley let out a sigh before finishing it for me.

"He broke up with her when he found out she was pregnant. That's why Drew was so violent, and why he doesn't like you."

"Right," I mumbled, looking down at the ground.

As crazy as it sounded, I hadn't thought that I actually gave him a somewhat valid reason not to like me. It didn't excuse his jerk behavior towards me from before I intervened on his vengeance fight, but it explained why it so quickly escalated.

"Hey, cheer up. Once you apologize, with your sweet Jersey charm, he'll have no choice but to love you," Riley assured me with a big grin, trying to cheer me up.

"Yeah, right," I said with a soft smile. "But I'll apologize; it's the least I can do. Even though I still don't agree that beating him up was the right thing to do, I get why he did it."

"That's all I need to hear. Once my best friend and my new girl best friend make up, I'll be a happy camper."

"Shut up," I chuckled.

The rest of the day I was thoroughly distracted by my impending doom, but I managed to make some fun memories with the three of them. When it was time to go, Lauren chimed in that Jayden was going back to her place to hang out. I acted like I believed that so I wouldn't have to feel anymore awkward.

"Guess that means I'm taking you home," Riley said as we watched Jayden and Lauren leave, hand in hand.

"I guess so," I shrugged, walking with him out of the mall.

When I got to his car, it was shiny, clean, and huge. He had a dark blue 2015 Chevy Tahoe.

"Uh, nice car," I mumbled, taking in how big it was.