The Story of my Life

Chapter 12

Riley's POV

"More food Riley?" Michelle's mom, Sheri, asked me.
"No thank you." I replied, making sure to watch my manners. Sheri had always been like a second mother to me, a more fun mom than mine. She and Michelle shared the same blonde curls, only Sheri's were a bit longer. She had a small white diamond nose piercing that always surprised people when they found out her age. Her face was always done up with makeup, but in a way that made it all look almost natural. She may have had some enhancement surgery on her breasts and butt, but I didn't want to pry, so I never asked. Her style was incredible, she could somehow fuse the look of luxury, designer clothes with a casual mom look. If you didn't know them, you could easily mistaken Sheri and Michelle as sisters, which always annoyed Michelle. I watched quietly as Sheri, her husband, Ken, and Michelle discussed upcoming events.
"What do you want to do for your birthday?" Ken asked his daughter, sipping his coffee. He was different from my dad, like Sheri was different from my mom. He had his hair perfectly styled, no matter what time. He wore more casual clothing, whereas my dad was always in dress pants and a button up shirt. Ken also radiated happiness, he was thankful for his life and liked to enjoy it. My dad was always stressed and angry. It was hard to see him happy. I honestly wondered if he even wanted to be with us. I'd always been slightly envious of Michelle because of her parents. They were a happy family. My family had always been tense.
"I'm not sure. I thought maybe you and mom could stay in a hotel over night, and I could have some people over." Michelle suggested, taking a bite of fruit.
"That sounds good. You can order pizzas or something, we'll leave you some money. But I do want to go out for breakfast with you, I want to spend time with my daughter on her 18th birthday." Sheri said.
"Of course mom." Michelle replied, rolling her eyes at how 'annoying' her parents were.
"Perfect. You choose the place, and let us know." Sheri smiled. I'd always admired how easily they all got along. No yelling, no fighting, just talking. It was way different from how my family had ever been. Her parents really loved her and really wanted to spend time with her. They trusted her too. There hadn't been any questions about me staying here, they knew she would handle it. I'd always wished my family was more like them. "Riley would you like to go shopping for clothes today? We'll pay. You know, so you don't have to keep borrowing Michelle's." Sheri asked me sweetly, glancing at Michelle's pyjamas that I was wearing.
"I would love to, thank you, but I don't have any money to pay you back with." I responded quietly, looking down at my lap. I had nothing, to be honest. I wasn't allowed to get any of my belongings from Trenton's apartment, and I'd barely brought any cash from my parents house. All I had was my phone, the clothes I had been wearing yesterday and a half empty pack of cigarettes. I didn't even have a family anymore. How am I going to do anything with my life now? I tried to push those thoughts to the back of my mind, using all my strength to keep myself from crying at the breakfast table.
"None sense sweetheart. You don't need to pay us back." Sheri told me. I couldn't respond, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears. I couldn't even lift my head to look at her. It was quiet as Michelle wrapped her arms around me in a hug.
"Riley, it'll be okay." She told me as I let a few tears fall.
"Honey you'll be fine. You can stay here as long as you need, you can stay here forever if you need it. We'll look after you." Sheri told me.
"One day you'll look back at this, and laugh because you'll realize you had nothing to worry about. You have a good life ahead of you." Ken said. I pulled away from Michelle, sniffling as I wiped my eyes.
"Thank you." I breathed, smiling weakly at the 3 of them.