All This Time // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

HARRY

"So, Harry, what are your plans for college?"

My attention was turned to Riley's dad, Chris. It was New Year's Eve, and Riley and I were having dinner with her family before going out for the night. Carol had been home for a few days, and both Chris and her brother, Micah, had been staying at the house with her. Riley spent half her nights with me, and the other half at her place, reaching a compromise with her father. Although, it was definitely awkward at first, we had settled into routine with her family.

Micah was quite easy to get along with, and had toned down a lot after seeing how I was with his sister. He was instrumental in talking with his dad about the sleeping situation, taking Riley's side. He had also gotten a job relatively easy working on cars as a mechanic, which meant more money would be coming in.

Riley's dad was only staying for a few more days before flying out to some marine academy or something. She wasn't particularly pleased to hear that, but also not surprised. She had been getting in little tiffs here and there with him, and I could see just how fractured their relationship is. Carol was constantly trying to keep the peace between them.

I was impressed by how smoothly Carol and her ex got along. It was much more like they were old friends than divorced with two children. Riley had told me once that their marriage was much more a marriage of convenience, and that was exactly the feeling I got from them. There were no hard feelings between the two, which was weird considering my own parents didn't even have this seamless of a relationship and they were still married. Although, that's not saying much.

"Things are a bit up in the air for me, right now, with college." I answered his question.

"What's that mean?"

"Harry's been talked to soccer scouts for some major colleges." Riley steps in, giving me a grin.

"Oh, really?" Her dad replied.

Micah turned to me, "What colleges?"

"Um, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, Baylor, and Stanford have all talked to me."

Riley looked at me quickly, and I realized I never talked to her about the Stanford guy. We weren't speaking at the time, and when we got back together it had been one of the farthest things from my mind.

"Any that peaked your interest?"

Micah's question brought me back. Clearing my throat, I say, "I don't even know if I'll get any offers, so no. Originally, I was thinking Princeton, but things have changed a bit."

Chris' eyebrows shoot up, "Princeton, huh? That's a hard school to get into."

I nod, "Yeah, my family all went there."

"What does your family do?"

I look down at my food, "My mom is in corporate real estate, and my dad is in finance."

"Thinking of following in their path?"

"Not really."

"I think it's a bit ridiculous to know what you want to pursue before going into college." Riley says, placing her hand on my leg under the table. "As you keep mentioning, we're only children."

I bite back my smile, placing my hand on top of hers. Easily, she flips it around so we can hold hands. She glances at me, gifting me a small smile.

"You two have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do." Carol intervenes. "Micah, will you pass the green beans?"

Riley kept an eye on her mom's plate the entire time, and I saw a sense of relief every time she loaded up her fork. I don't think Riley's seen her mom eat a good meal in a long time. From what Carol has told me, when she first started her treatments she would eat a ton to keep her energy up, but the more her cancer progressed the more nauseous she would become. Soon, she wasn't eating much at all, losing too much weight and getting weaker by the day. This was a good sign.