The Age Of Seventeen

Chapter 40 (part 1)

3 RD   P E R S O N

Riley unlocks her phone and sees two more missed calls from Maya. She didn't mean to ignore her, she just couldn't see herself opening up to her or anyone about what those brown orbs had witnessed only a few nights ago. Her heart crumbled in her own chest as she lays in that bed in the familiar house in Philadelphia and reminisces...

The loud music boomed through the house walls, the solo cup vibrates in her hand. she downed the last two swigs left, and walked away from the dance floor feeling tired and the room started to spin a bit. Her hands and legs felt heavy, and she couldn't help but wobble over a little as she walked. 

Everyone  merged together in her eyes, and it felt like she was in a trippy mirror circus place. The back of her throat tasted like beer and acid, and her stomach rumbles.

"Oh-oh. You don't look so hot," With Zay's help Riley walk over to the bathroom. He lifts up the toilet lid for me and she hurl into it, vomiting up her lunch from hours before. "I'll go get you some water, stay right here. Don't move or go anywhere."

But she didn't listen. Riley just wanted to find Lucas and go home. So she stepped out, and walked about the teen packed condo, realizing Lucas was nowhere in sight. She knew he wasn't too far though, he would never leave me behind. Riley managed to walk up the first half of stairs, and when the numbing sensation took over my legs, she crawled the remaining five steps.

"Lucas!?" She shouted as loud as she probably could. The walls continued to vibrate, making her dizzy and numb all over. By now her hands felt like hammers. She pressed her slim body against the beige walls, only standing up straight to unlock doors and peer into rooms.

Again, no sight of Lucas Friar. Riley felt like going back downstairs and having Zay phone him, but surprisingly the music cut off for two seconds flat. Long enough to hear croaking not far from where she stood. She walked to the room all the way at the bottom of the hall. She hated to invade Zay's privacy and go into his room, but was in no condition to wait and see when Lucas would show up. 

Each step felt heavier than the other, her heart racing rapidly from the excessive amount of energy it took for her to walk the few feet. Her head had to be tilted towards the wall because otherwise felt like it would be torn from my neck.

At last she had reached the door. Her fingers had just reached out to touch the knob when—

"Riley! There you are! Girl, I told you to stay put!!" Zay yells over the hip hop music. "What are you doing!?"

"I-I....heard a-something...I need to s-see-"

"You're probably just hearing things, Riles! Let's get you home.."

Riley shook her head against the wall. "O-open.."

"There's no one in there, I locked the doors up before the party started!" Zay explains. Riley shook her head, bringing her hand to point to the doors she'd opened.

"Crap! How do these horny bastards do it!?" Zay complained, and Riley wanted to say she had opened those but she couldn't muster energy to.

"Alright, I'll open the door and you'll see nothing but my plain old room and then I will drive you home." His fingers grasped the knob and he peeked in first, shutting the door as soon as he had opened it. "Let's go! There's nothing to see!"

Before Riley could protest Zay scooped her up in his arms and led her tired body away from the house and into her own bed.

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