#except for Matthew’s dad of course. I care do little for this man I forgot his name xD

[writerfae]

Listen I know I never talk about this wip anymore but Alex and Matthew from The Valet’s daughter are on my mind so much lately I love them

[jemej3m]

to the moon and back (p2)

:))

tw: murder and corpses, aftg typical stuff (no violence or graphic depictions, just some teen boys finding out more than they bargained for

part one | part two | part three

When Kevin saw Andrew leaning against the lockers, he floundered. Wymack was right behind him, spotted Andrew and huffed loudly.

“I’d ask how you got in here, but I’m not sure I want to know.”

“Why are you here?” Kevin spluttered. “Are you watching the game? Do you want to play?”  

“Fuck off, Kevin.” Andrew said calmly.

He forgot Kevin’s blubbering when Neil rounded his much taller position partner, only mildly surprised that Andrew was there already. The call had been twenty minutes ago: He’d been out the door in ten, and swerved into someone else’s parking spot seven minutes later. Now he was here, watching the Palmetto High Foxes come off after warm-ups to gear up.

“Where will you be?” He was flushed and sweaty, eyes bright and aware.

He gestured around him with a weak wave of his hand. Neil nodded and moved to change. He, strangely enough, wore a full-sleeved shirt under his padding.

Aaron made a startled noise, seeing his brother in the locking room. “What are you doing here?”

“Rude.” He answered. His avoidance of the question made Aaron nod simply, understanding the underlying message of later. He ignored Matthew Boyd, Seth Gordon and the other freshman sport junkies as they changed.  

Neil lingered until they’d all vanished and he had thirty seconds to get on court.

“Thanks,” He tried. Andrew shoved his shoulder lightly, wishing that he would stop looking so haunted. He much preferred his snarky Neil; this withdrawn, uptight boy wasn’t who’d caught his eye, but who now kept him curious.

“Hurry up, junkie.” He crossed his arms again and leant on the lockers. “Won’t wait around for you forever.”

He nodded, complacent, and ran off to join his team.

*

Neil Josten looked unfairly good in Andrew’s passenger seat. He was anxious, fingers rubbing over his hidden wrists, shoulders drawn up and chin tucked down, but the further they drove, the more the tension eased. He sent Andrew hesitant glances, waiting for Andrew to ask him the question.

The thing was, Andrew wasn’t sure what to ask. Why was he here? Where did he come from?  What gave him those scars? Why has he become so skittish over the past few days? What did he think about Andrew? What did he know about Andrew?

The right question would unlock all these answers. Andrew spent agonisingly long minutrd torn between trying to figure Neil Josten out, whilst denying that he remotely cared.

They were circling Palmetto city, until Josten made an advance for the cigarettes in Andrew’s drink holder. He hesitated, rising up an eyebrow with question. Andrew motioned for him to wait. He nodded.

The decrepit park they arrived at had a rusted seesaw, a pair of swings and a slide with all the paint peeled off its worn metal. There was no one around except for a man and his dog, a few hundred feet away. They sat on a bench and lit up two cigarettes in silence.

“Betsy will whoop my ass if she figures out I still smoke.” It was an explanation, but also an offering.

Neil sat in silence, watching his cigarette wither away. “She’s your mom.”

“Adoptive.” He corrected, watching the reaction on Neil face. He merely nodded.

Andrew decided to give up figuring out the key that would unlock all of Neil’s secrets. They had time. “I’m asking my question now.”

“Shoot.” He mumbled.

“Why do you let your cigarettes burn to the filter?”

Unbeknownst to Andrew, he had figured out the key question.

“My mom was killed today, six years ago. When I was ten.” He looked at Andrew.  “She was murdered. By my dad. Does that scare you?”

Andrew wanted to say that nothing scared him, but that wasn’t true. He was scared of heights. “No.”

“Thought so.” Neil huffed. “He murdered her, never went to prison. He’s too successful to let that happen. Bought out the investigation.” He took a slow drag from his cigarette. “Mom smoked. It reminds me of her.” Then, he looked up. “I thought you’d ask about why I called you, today. Or why I’ve been acting strange. Or my scars, or —“

Andrew waved him off. “You called me today because your mom was murdered six years ago by your father. Makes sense that you wouldn’t want to be at home. Makes sense that you’d choose to call me, because you know that I wouldn’t be scared about the idea of murder.”

“Aaron said you bought the car with your mother’s blood money.” Neil shrugged. “All I asked was why the fancy car, and he said that your mother gave both of you up to the foster system, then died in car accident when you were 13. You thought it was ironic to buy a car with her life insurance, considering how she’d died. No one thinks so lightly about death like that.”

“She meant nothing to me.” Andrew waved him off. “Don’t be so afraid to die, Josten.”

He was quiet at that.

“I never believed that these were surgery, or acne.” Andrew’s fingertips brushed over the cheek with knife marks. “It was your father, wasn’t it.”

“I thought we were doing one question.” Neil said drily.  

“You got free answers from Aaron.” Andrew pointed out. “It’s only fair.”

“You wont go to child services, will you?” Neil hesitated. “If you go to authorities, you’ll get nowhere, and put yourself at risk. I don’t—“ He coughed lightly. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

Andrew, momentarily, thought he was talking about himself. It only took a moment for him to realise he was talking about his mother. Of course Neil would be the self-sacrificing type. Idiot. 

“I was a foster child for the first ten years of my life, Neil.” It was the first time Andrew’d called Neil by his name. “I’m not going to go to child services. Was this your father?”

Neil nodded slowly. “It was last time he came into town. He stays up in Baltimore, where his business is. I didn’t—I didn’t do anything to make him so angry, but he did it anyway.”

Then he pulled up his sleeves and stared blankly at the grotesque scarring on his wrists, forearms and hands. He yanked the sleeves back down and looked at Andrew with worry. “Why am I trusting you with this? He killed mom because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. He’s going to kill you and me, too.”

He was clenching shaking fists. Andrew thought it was ridiculously unfair that a 16 year old was trying to balance school and homework, sports teams, friendships and not being murdered by a seemingly psychotic father. But Andrew wouldn’t be helpful to anyone if he just wallowed in how unfair life was, or let Neil wallow either.

Andrew made a decision. “Not if we get him locked up.”

Neil looked at him with wide eyes. Wide, terrified blue eyes. Andrew stared back, challenging him.

“I—“ He looked away. “I don’t know.”

“Surely you have some evidence.”

He winced. “I watched it. But if I put myself forward as a witness, he’ll kill me.”

“So we need irrefutable, physical evidence and we’ll leak it to the police.” Andrew decided. “Then you can’t be blamed for a reinvestigation and if he kills you then it’ll go against him.”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I don’t know, I don’t—“

“Hey, Neil?” Andrew leaned closer. The boy looked at him, terrified. “Shut up.”

He swallowed thickly and nodded, closing his eyes. Against better judgement, he fisted tufts of Neil’s soft hair between his fingers and pulled gently.

They said nothing else. Andrew finished another cigarette before putting the pack aside. They sat for a little while in silence, Andrew drinking water and letting the breeze steal the remnants of ash from his skin.

“Will you let me drop you home?”

He hesitated. “The street corner.”

Andrew was fine with that compromise. He was also fine with the way that Neil let his eyes close, head fall back against the headrest and hand hang out of the open window. Andrew didn’t tell him to get his foot off the dashboard, like he usually would. He also found himself looking, too often, at Neil’s relaxed figure. It caused him to swerve and speed unintentionally, the honking almost disturbing the junkie.

His heart rate sped up.

Weak. Stupid. Remember what happened last time you let your guard down?

It cooled him right off. He stared straight ahead and refused to think, knowing it’d lead right down a spiral he was all-too familiar with now.

They arrived at the corner of Neil’s street. He remembered the house, even if he couldn’t see it: It didn’t look large, but once Neil mentioned he hated how empty it was, making Andrew suspect it was larger than it appeared. The high fences and locked gates made the grey paneling and box-shaped architecture look like a prison. It wasn’t out of place in this expensive area of Palmetto, but it looked more untouched than the brand-new houses on the market. Neil existed within it alone, that Andrew knew, and it seemed as though he was practically squatting in the place.

Neil’s shuffling drew Andrew out of his thoughts. He dug out a black scarf, but Andrew would recognise the Evermore crest and red-and-black theme of the Ravens anywhere. Before he got out, he offered Andrew a plastic bag. It was filled with orange.

“What.” He said, unable to form a question.

“My father thinks I go to Evermore. I moved to Palmetto without permission and reroute the funds into a separate account that he doesn’t know about. I said I was going to watch their game this morning. Oh, and I’m not allowed to play Exy, so I need to give my things to you.” Neil admitted.

“Why?” Andrew demanded. For someone terrified of tempting his father’s ire, he sure was stupid. “What made you think that was a good idea?”

“I hated Evermore.” He said quietly. “I really, truly hated it.”

“I hate you,” He said, taking the bag of Fox gear and chucking into the back seat. As Neil clambered out, he said, “Think about my offer.”

He paused, toying with the end of the Raven’s scarf. Then he nodded. The door slammed closed. Neil Josten disappeared from Andrew’s view.

Part of him was irritated at being dragged into — or dragging himself into — such a mess. The other half was desperate to kiss Neil’s pretty face.

He ignored that little voice in his head and went home.

“Are you sure?” Andrew questioned.

Silently, Neil nodded. He had pressed in the gate’s code and pushed it open for Andrew to enter.

His father had left three days ago, and Neil had spent those three days overriding the security system of his home: All the cameras and microphones were blanked out for half an hour, being posed as a minor blackout if his father looked into it.

It wasn’t much of a window, but Neil said it was all he needed to show Andrew something — what exactly Andrew was being shown, he had no clue.

The gardens were manicured, every surface of the house polished: As if hearing Andrew’s observations, Neil gazed around him with distaste. “The house keeper and gardener keep an eye on me.” Neil then paused with a small frown, before deciding to hook his fingers into the sleeve of Andrew’s shirt. It was short sleeved, no where near the scars, so Andrew didn’t react with anything but a delighted shiver.

Stupid teenage boy hormones stupid gay ass stupid stupid.

Neil pulled him through angular corridors and lifeless decor. The only signs of life was a cereal bowl by the sink and a solitary picture on the living room mantelpiece. It was of the three of them: Neil had to be ten or younger, because his mother was standing behind him, hands on his shoulders. None of them were smiling.

Neil pulled back the rug in front of the fireplace: Almost unnoticeable was a little latch: He pulled on it and the wooden planks lifted to reveal a ladder downwards.

“Sick, isn’t it?” He commented lightly.  “He keeps the only photo of her in front of where he killed her.”

Andrew was infuriated. People suffered in a lot of different ways: Not many like this. No one deserved this. No one.

“What’s down there?”

“Wine.” Neil shrugged. “Old business stuff. Mom’s stuff. Probably the murder weapon.”

Andrew swallowed. “Let’s go check.”

Neil chewed nervously at his lip. He didn’t give Andrew an outright no, so he clambered down the ladder into the darkness. The mustiness of the cellar was enough to momentarily hide the unlaying stench from the din below. When Andrew was on his feet again, he felt along the walls to find a switch: When he flicked it on, Neil coughed, unsuccessfully masking how he choked on his own inhale.

He’d been right; there was a lot of boxed storage. But the overwhelmingly pungent smell of rotting flesh made Andrew gag. He pinched his lips shut, squeezing his eyes closed as he swore to himself not to throw up.

“Is that your mom?” He managed. They were looking at a body on a blue tarp, naked and decaying. With walls of concrete, nothing had been able to infiltrate the cellar in order to clean up a decaying body. It was naturally decomposing, skin peeling and yellow, blood blackened with oxidisation.

Neil shook his head violently. They turned to switch off the light and scramble up the ladder. Neil slammed the cellar cover shut, tugged the rug over it and ran: Andrew followed, only to witness him throwing up into the kitchen sink. Andrew, instinctively, held his hair out of the way as he grabbed a mug from the nearest cabinet and filled it with water.

Neil slid onto the floor when he deigned himself finished, taking the mug of water and washing out his mouth. Andrew sat in front of him, looking at his sickly pale skin and gaunt cheeks.

“At least we have our evidence?” Andrew said, weakly.

Neil glared at him. Beyond that, Andrew saw the sense of relief. He tugged on Neil’s curls until his head dropped forward, onto Andrew’s shoulder.

They stayed there for so long that Andrew couldn’t feet his legs where Neil had relaxed his whole body against him.

He couldn’t, however, say that he minded.

we love some aftg typical murder worked into an innocent high school au

[avegetariancannibal]

Boy With a Haunted Past (part 1)

(Formerly known as "Haunted Mansion" when I posted it last year for Hannictober. Takes place in the early 1990s in some *vague hand waving* Southern high school. Brief homophobic interaction. Will is 16, Hannibal is 17.)

Hannibal Lecter was beautiful. He had skin like poets would write about, and a mouth that looked like it would be good at sharing secrets. He was the exchange student from Lithuania, and a grade ahead of Will even though they had two classes together. He was practically a man, really. Will had started to notice just the slightest hint of stubble on Hannibal’s chin by the end of fifth period. It was just plain mesmerizing.

Sometimes, Will was pretty sure Hannibal liked him. As in, liked him. His dark amber gaze always seemed to find its way across the chemistry lab to where Will was running his experiments. But then other times…other times, he thought he might be projecting just because he wanted it so badly.

“Most boys aren’t like you,” his dad had told him. “Most boys like girls. So just… just be careful about who you go confessin’ your love to, around here.”

So Will was determined to keep it to himself unless Hannibal made the first move. He got his chance late in October at the start of lab one day.

“I would like your opinion,” Hannibal said, sliding onto the stool beside him. “What do you think about that big haunted mansion thing they’ve been advertising on the radio?”

“Oh it sounds totally ridiculous,” Will said. “Imagine people paying ten bucks to go get scared by something that’s probably not even a little bit scary. Pssht.”

Hannibal smiled at him. “Does that mean you wouldn’t want to go with me?”

Will almost dropped a beaker of hydrogen peroxide. “Yes! I mean no. I mean no, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to go with you. I’ll go with you. I…yes. Yes, I want to go. With you.”

Hannibal’s smile widened, showing the perfectly imperfect points of his teeth. “I’ll meet you there at 8, then.”

Will debated with himself over whether he should show up right on time, or just a little bit late so he didn’t look too eager. In the end, he was almost ten minutes early.

Much to his relief (and joy), Hannibal was already there, too, holding a place for him in line.

“Hey,” he said, brilliantly.

Hannibal scooted over to make room for him. “I told myself I was going to be too early, but I couldn’t wait to get here.”

“Me, too,” Will said. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “I didn’t even finish my dinner!”

Hannibal looked surprised. And gorgeous. He hadn’t shaved, so the stubble on his chin was even darker than it had been at fifth period, and his hair was loose and soft instead of slicked back like it usually was. He’d traded in his usual blazer and button-up for an intricately cabled sweater in deep red, and dark gray corduroy pants that would have looked ridiculous on anybody else. Will was pretty sure Hannibal could make a clown costume look smooth, though. He was also pretty sure he was staring at Hannibal’s pants.

“Maybe we can get a pizza after this,” Hannibal said.

Will stuck his hands in his jeans pockets, fingering the ten dollar bill his dad have given him for the ticket. “Um…”

“My treat,” Hannibal said. “I’m of the opinion that the one who does the asking out should be the one who pays.”

Will’s head swam. Asking out. He’s asking me out. HE ASKED ME OUT. “Sounds fair,” he said, just managing to keep a squeak out of his voice.

“Hey, it’s that foreigner,” a voice said behind them. “And look, he’s here with Geeky Graham. Like two weirdo peas in a pod.”

Will struggled to keep from curling his hands into fists. “Hello, Matthew,” he said. “And look, you’re here with Frederick. What a surprise.”

The two seniors approached–Matthew Brown like a shark and Frederick Chilton stuck to him like a remora waiting for scraps. They tried to edge into line ahead of them.

“No cuts,” Will said, sticking his foot out to block them.

“Aw come on,” Matthew said in an exaggerated whine. “I promise not to tell anyone I saw you here together.”

Frederick tittered into his hand.

“Why ever should we care?” Hannibal asked, seeming genuinely confused. “It’s only the truth. We are here together, just as you two are here together.”

Matthew’s cheeks flushed blotchy and red. “Yeah, but we’re not queer like you!”

Frederick laughed and nudged Matthew. “My father says everyone in Europe is gay.”

“Yes, I recall seeing him at the last meeting,” Hannibal said coolly.

Will’s jaw dropped.

A scowl replaced Frederick’s laughter as he dragged away Matthew, who could be heard asking, “What the fuck does that mean? I don’t get it?”

Hannibal leaned closer to him. “Want to give them something to really talk about?” he asked, his breath warm against the side of Will’s face.

“Um, sure,” Will said.

An instant later, he felt Hannibal’s hand slide down his back and come to a rest at his waist. There it stayed, where Will could feel it burning through his denim jacket and sweatshirt, and he promptly forgot everything his father had ever said about “being careful.”

Customers were allowed into the “haunted mansion” in groups of two to five people with a couple minutes between each group. Will was so relieved he and Hannibal were allowed in as a pair that he almost pumped his fist. Only the overriding desire to maintain some pretense of cool kept him from doing it.

Entering the foyer, they were plunged into total darkness, and silence except for the distant sound of other visitors in the rooms ahead of them. Then, to Will’s complete and utter horror, his stomach grumbled audibly.

So much for seeming cool.

“Clever of you to bring your own sound effects,” Hannibal said.

“Yeah, well, I like to come prepared,” Will said, forcing a laugh.

A dim light flickered on overhead, giving off cold and intermittent illumination. Cobwebs draped the rusty fixture and the chain leading up to the ceiling. Black, gooey-looking paint streaked the walls, spelling out warnings like, “TURN BACK” and “YOU’LL DIE ALONE.”

“Quite atmospheric,” Hannibal whispered beside him.

The door ahead of them swung open with a squeal of its creaky hinges, drawing them into the next room.

This was a formal dining room, lit by a sputtering chandelier and draped in more of the spider webbing. Beneath that, a long table had been piled high with bloody human skulls and glossy pink entrails. A mannequin slumped over the table, dressed as if for a party.

“It looks kinda real,” Will admitted.

Hannibal sniffed. “Even smells rather realistic.”

Will took a step toward the table for a closer look, but the mannequin suddenly jolted upright. “Stay away!” it shrieked through hidden speakers. “Stay away or die!”

Will jumped back. “Gah!”

Hannibal held out a steadying arm just as he tripped over his own feet.

“Just so you know,” Will said, “I decided to show up tonight in my ‘total loser’ costume.”

“I’m sorry to tell you I find it very unconvincing,” Hannibal said. “Nothing about you reminds me of a loser.”

Will risked a glance upward to find Hannibal winking at him. He was especially charmed that Hannibal was kind of terrible at winking, partially blinking the other eye in unison.

As they followed a roped-off walkway away from the scene, Will heard an infant crying in the next room.

“Who the hell brings a baby in a place like this?” he wondered out loud.

“A terribly rude person at best,” Hannibal said.

They got their answer in the next room, which had been made to look like a cross between a bedroom and a surgery. A tray of tools and dirty rags had been strewn across the floor. A female figure had been arranged on the bed in a tattered white nightgown, her belly sliced open and empty. The way the flesh had peeled away from the wound made it look like something or someone had crawled out of it. A trail of blood led to the closet door, disappearing under it.

The baby cried again…from inside the closet.

Will swallowed hard. “Are–are we supposed to open it?”

“Only one way to find out,” Hannibal said.

He stepped back, letting Hannibal do the honors. He chastised himself for feeling so nervous. It wasn’t like an actual monster baby was going to explode out at them…right?

Hannibal slowly twisted the knob and let the door swing open.

Will burst out laughing and laughed until tears came to his eyes. The thing inside was a total letdown after the relative realism of the scene leading up to it. It was so blatantly a cheap plastic doll from, like, the K-Mart down the street or something, covered in red paint. It clung to the back closet wall, taped in place, with a length of its mother’s “intestines” dangling from its open mouth like a deflated balloon animal. A small radio continued to play recorded crying noises, but it sounded so fake and tinny with the door open.

“That is so lame,” he said when he’d recovered the ability to talk. “Right, Hannibal?”

“I want to leave,” Hannibal said, his voice quiet. “If you don’t mind.”

Will glanced over at him, saw him pale and stricken, his chin trembling just a little.

“Hey, are you okay?” Will asked.

Hannibal grabbed his hand and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Can we just leave?”

“Of course,” Will said, giving Hannibal’s hand a reassuring squeeze. He flashed him a bright smile. “I was getting hungry anyway, remember?”

On their way out, Will saw Frederick and Matthew just about to take their turn in the house. When Matthew glared at him, Will realized he was still holding hands with Hannibal.

He also realized he didn’t care.

Whatever had made Hannibal want to leave the “haunted mansion” so suddenly, he didn’t say and Will didn’t feel right asking. And anyway, he seemed like he was back to his regular smooth self as soon as they got back outside.

Will was both thrilled and horrified when Hannibal led him four blocks east to an actual sit-down Italian restaurant with cloth napkins and Chianti-bottle candles on the table. It was totally a date place, and the nicest restaurant he’d ever seen from the inside. He immediately felt out of place.

It must have shown, because Hannibal leaned across the table and gave him a smile. “Remember, it’s my treat, so order anything you want.”

Will thought of half a dozen appropriate things to say, but instead his mouth completely betrayed his brain: “My dad says this is the place people take their dates when they want them to put out!”

Hannibal’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He had been reaching for a complimentary bread stick, but now his hand paused in midair.

“Not that I’m saying you’re like that,” Will hurried to say. “Or that this..um…outing…is like that. I mean, I just… It’s just… Oh God I’m so sorry! I just can’t shut up!”

Hannibal’s look of shock gave way to laughter. “You know, I was worried I would be the only nervous one tonight.”

Will gawped at him. “What? You haven’t seemed nervous at all!”

“I hid it behind my very well-tailored veil of European coolness,” Hannibal said.

“You hid it a little too well,” Will snorted. “I mean, come on.”

“I changed outfits four times,” Hannibal said. “Even my socks. I was worried you wouldn’t like my socks. Convinced now?”

Will’s face was suddenly feverishly hot. He was sure he was blushing redder than a stop sign. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning like an even bigger idiot than he already was.

“I’m sure your socks are fine,” he said.

“Well, play your cards right and you might get to see them,” Hannibal said, and gave him another terrible wink.

Will let out a laugh so loud and unrefined that half the restaurant turned to scowl at him.

“Now, hurry up and pick something to eat,” Hannibal said. “I’m starving.”

As Will turned his attention towards the menu, he caught a glimpse at the window. Matthew Brown was standing on the sidewalk just outside, glaring back at him through the glass. Will had never seen him angrier, and that was saying something.

(to be continued)

[hello-justawriterofthings]

Broken Home. 

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This is Completely Fiction, nothing in this story is based off of anybody's life, I just wanted to make another High School type story. I love the boys of 5SoS and all the youtubers, so hopefully you'll Enjoy. 

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Chapter 4. Strange Beginnings.

Weeks went on as usual, actually no they didn't. Everything was slightly different now, Michael and Emi had sorted everything out and were now, always together, except in school ( You see the four of those boys had a reputation to uphold, so they didn't talk to any of us during school hours, unless it was for some type of project or whatever ). Remi continued to ignore Calum, even after I tried to talk to her about him. She was just stubborn like that, saying all he wanted her for was another hookup, but I knew that wasn't true ( And I think deep down inside, she knew it too ). Luke on the other hand, never left me alone. He'd text me all hours of the day and call me randomly in the middle of the night. I honestly didn't understand what was up with this guy and how he'd changed so fast, it was almost like he was a different person ( Not gonna lie though, I really liked it ). The only problem I had been having lately was Amy and her posse of hoes, had it out for me. They'd push me down in the corridors, call me vulgar names, knock my books out of my hands, throw wads of paper at me in class ( And of course the teachers did nothing about it ). They were just being ruthless, not only to me though, but to Emi and Remi as well. And of course Luke or any of his friends were never around to witness it, they probably wouldn't try to stop it anyway. 

It was a gloomy Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling ill and even though my mum told me to stay home from school, she knew I wasn't going to listen, I was just one of those people who never missed school ( Because I loved it ). After taking a shower, I just decided to throw my hair up in a messy bun because, I didn't feel like messing with it today. I also forgot about putting any makeup on, it wasn't like I was trying to impress anyone. I quietly walked downstairs, but stopped suddenly when I heard my mum shouting. " No Charlie!! You'd better not just show up here " she yelled, making me wonder where Bryce was. " You can't just barge back into our lives now that you're ready to be a father again " she stated with a sigh, just as Bryce snuck up behind me. " Who's she talking too? " he asked curiously, he'd never met our father... And I had very few memories of him myself. " Shh... " I sighed placing my hand over his mouth, " Fine, go see a lawyer! I have a written document, stating that you are never to see them. You signed it yourself... Before you ran off with that home-wrecking whore that's 20 years younger than you... So, stay away from my kids! " my mum yelled hanging up the phone and throwing it across the room. She than sank down onto the sofa, crying softly, I don't think she ever got over our dad. I walked quietly down the rest of the stairs, pulling Bryce behind me and then engulfed her in a tight, tight hug. She didn't say anything right away, " Hen, I want to know if he tries to get a hold of you or if he shows up around school, okay " she stated sternly. I nodded, but then thought it was weird that she only said that to me. I mean yes, Bryce was a baby when our dad left, but he still knew what he looked like. It wasn't until Bryce walked into the kitchen to fetch some breakfast, then she told me the truth. " He doesn't want to see Bryce, only you... " she stated quietly, I only furrowed my eyebrows and looked at her confused. " Your dad doesn't know Bryce, let alone care for him. He left when that little boy was only a few weeks old, but Hen, your father knows you... He remembers what you were like, you were his little girl... He wants to know what you're like now " she stated with with a sigh, " I get that, but why wouldn't he want to meet Bry? " I asked curiously. She shrugged her shoulders slightly " He never believed Bryce was his, always  said I had an affair with Howard ", " You mean uncle Howard? " I scoffed knowing my mum would never. She nodded sadly " Your father never had any trust in me, especially after we got married.... But Bryce is his child, I'm 100% sure of it... He was the cheater, not me ", I nodded in response only because I wasn't sure what to say. " Just promise me you won't let him come near you, I don't trust him " she then stated, worrying me slightly. " I promise and anyways, we don't need him, Bry and I were granted with the best parent " I stated proudly, wearing a large smile. " Damn right!! " Bryce shouted as he walked back into the lounge, " Bryce Matthews Mclain, were did you learn that language! " my mum asked with a small glare. " Henley and Dan, they say it all the time... Even worse stuff than that though " Bryce stated seriously, I scoffed " You're dead Bry we're supposed to be a team and you just ratted me out! ". He shrugged as he rushed out the door and to the bus stop, " Henley, I've told you before, not to use that language around your brother " my mum stated as we both stood up. " Sorry mum, but I'm 17, those words just slip out... Especially when I'm driving home from school and some asshole cuts me off " I stated with a shrug, she chuckled quietly while rolling her eyes " It just surprises me how much you remind me of myself when I was younger ". I groaned quietly as I walked towards the front door " Well, I am Your daughter. That's were I get it from, but hey, I gotta go or I'm going to be late ", she nodded with a large smile on her face " Love you Hen, see you later ".

Once I finally arrived at school, I dashed towards my locker and then to my first class with only seconds to spare. I noticed something odd, normally I had that class with Dan, Remi, Luke and his group of friends, but none of them were there ( Which was weird especially for Dan, because if he wasn't going to be at school, he would've sent me a quick text. I mean we talked last night for fucks sake ). The class went on as normal, but I was feeling poorly to even care what was going on. By Lunchtime, I had gotten a lot worse. My head was pounding, my throat was sore and scratchy, my nose was plugged and leaking at the same time, I was just a mess. I walked into the cafeteria and over to our usual table where Joe and Zoe were already sat, I instantly laid my head on the table, ignoring the weird looks I was getting from the Suggs. " What's up buttercup? " Joe asked, only getting a groan as my response. " She's not feeling to well " I heard Emi stated as she sat down beside me, I gave a thumbs up hand signal. I looked up slightly to scan the lunchroom, looking for a few particular faces. Dan was still nowhere to be found, same with Remi, but Luke was sat chatting away with his group of friends ( Those 3 hoes included ). I looked over at Emi who was stuffing her face with pizza, " Where's Dan? " I asked quietly. Only earning a shrug from her, " He's your bestfriend " she smirked.  I rolled my eyes slightly " That doesn't mean I know where he is ", " Why don't you text him " she stated. " Left my phone at home, my head's not in the right place at the moment " I sighed deeply, " Why? " she questioned looking at me concerned. " Well, being ill does not help at all., but family stuff. My dads back in town and I guess he wants to come back into my life " I stated with another sigh, my head was throbbing. " What! " Emi shouted causing everyone in the lunchroom to look our way, I sank further into my seat as I could feel Luke staring at me. " Sorry... But, that's not okay Hen " Emi stated bluntly, I nodded letting out a sigh " I know... I want nothing to do with the man who left my mum with two kids... Plus he doesn't even believe that Bryce is his child ". " Bastard... " Emi growled under her breath, but I completely agree'd with her. " Who's a bastard and why do we hate him? " a familiar voice asked, making Emi and I glance up at a frazzled looking Dan. I looked at him strangely, but didn't answer. " Hen's dad wants back in her life... " Emi growled, making Dan gasp quietly " What about Bryce though? ". I sighed as I rubbed my temples slightly " He doesn't want anything to do with him... Because he doesn't believe Bryce is his kid, according to my mum ' He looks nothing like our dad... More like his best mate '... Fucking prick ", " He is a fucking prick if he believed that... You and Bryce look so much alike! " Dan exclaimed a little too loudly.  " Thanks for telling me I look like an 11 year old boy " I scoffed while setting my head on the table, " You know what I mean Hen, there's no way your mum would've cheated... She's always been such a sweet lady " Dan stated with a small chuckle. I nodded slightly picking my head up quickly to send him a small smile, " So how's everyone's day going so far? " I heard Caspar ask loudly ( He was one of the loudest people in this school ). My head was throbbing way to badly and all the noise was driving me up the wall, " Anyone want the other half of my burger " Joe questioned making my stomach churn. " You know Luke won't stop looking over here " Emi stated probably wearing a smirk, but at the moment I didn't care. I sat up quickly getting strange looks from everyone, I felt like I was going to puke all of a sudden. I took a deep breath in before jumping from the table and sprinting towards the bathroom, not caring about the weird looks I was receiving. I had left all of my things at the table with my friends, but I knew it would be fine. I barely made it in time to empty what was in my stomach into the toilet, I groaned loudly as I slid down the wall, sitting on the floor ( It probably wasn't the most hygienic place to sit right now, but I was feeling to weak to move ). I took in a deep breath as I heard a group of girls walk into the bathroom, I slowly looked through the space under the cubicle door, because I thought that maybe it was Emi or Zoe, but judging on the expensive shoes the three girls wore, I knew exactly who it was. " So Amy... How are you and Luke doing? " I heard Aubrey ask, " Great! We've been spending so much time together, ever since that Slut Henley took the hint that Luke didn't like her... Oh my God Beck, that lipstick shade is perf! " Amy screeched. Making me roll my eyes, ( Yeah, that's why he was texting me last night bitch ) I thought to myself. " How about you two, how are you with your men! " Amy then questioned, but neither of them answered. " Please tell me that you're talking to Cal and Michael again " she stated, which I'm guessing the two answered by shaking their heads no.  Amy scoffed loudly " Well, don't worry, I have a plan to separate them from their newest pieces at the upcoming party this weekend ", I furrowed my eyebrows ( There was no way I was letting these bitches hurt Emi and Remi ). " What if it doesn't work, Calum's really getting attached to Remi... " I heard Becca whine in her annoying fucking voice, " I said don't worry about it! I have a plan, now let's get to class " Amy snapped. I heard their footsteps disappear as I continued to sit on the floor, wondering how I was going to make it to my next class ( Because that's all I cared about at the moment ). " Hen, you alright in here?? " I heard Emi and Remi ask ( Like where has this girl been? ), they only got a grunt in response. I slowly stood up and made my way to the small cubicle door, unlocking it and shuffling out. I let out an exhausted sigh as I washed my hands, " I think you need to go home Hen, you literally look like shit " Remi stated seriously. I glared at her through the mirror " Thanks ", she rolled her eyes " You know what I mean, you look ill. Like green... ". I sighed slightly while running my hand through my hair " I'll be fine... I'm not leaving in the middle of the day like this ", both Emi and Remi groaned loudly. " Henley, you're sick. You should go home, you're not going to miss anything and I'll bring homework bu your house after school " Emi stated in her stern voice, I let out a dramatic sigh as I heard the bell ring " But... ". " No but's, take a break from being a nerd for once in your life " Emi stated with a small smile, I nodded as I rubbed my forehead " Okay, I'll go see the nurse ". Both girls chuckled quietly while patting me on the back, " Just don't forget to bring me my homework, okay " I stated sternly which only made the two of them laugh at me even more.

Not long after going to see the nurse, she sent me straight home. Once I got there, I changed my clothes and then collapsed on the sofa, falling asleep immediately ( Seeing as it was only a little after 12 pm ). I was woken up sometime later by a loud banging on the front door, I groaned loudly and rolled over slightly. " Nobody's home!! " I shouted as loudly as possible, but the banging just continued. I huffed quietly as I threw off the thin blanket that was placed on me, starring at it strangely for a moment. " Where the fuck did this come from? " I asked myself, " Because I sure as hell wasn't covered up when I fell asleep! " I sighed deeply as I pushed aside the thought and then stood up, slowly making my way to the door. Like an idiot though, I didn't check to see who it was before opening the door. I stood there in complete shock as I stared at the man from my past, " Oh my little Hennie, all grown up " Charlie ( Aka my father ) stated. He engulfed me in a hug, which just made me uncomfortable and I didn't hug him back ( Because I wanted nothing to do with the man ). When he pulled away I just stared at him confused, but he didn't seem to notice. " How are you Hunny?... I've missed you " he asked with a smile on his face, that's when I realized he was drunk. " What are you doing here Charlie? " I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest, but I wished I knew where I left my phone. " Well, I am your father... So, I came to see you " he stated bluntly, making me roll my eyes " It's been 10 plus years since you've seen me, you clearly didn't care about seeing me when you walked out on this family ". He sighed deeply, " Henley, you're just a child, you wouldn't understand why I left ", I scoffed while shaking my head " I know exactly why you left, so you could go be with your 20 year old mistress, who was also one of your fucking students... You didn't want to have any responsibility's, well congrats! ". He glared slightly at me " Don't talk to me like that Henley, I may not have been in your life, but I'm still your Father! ", I took a small step back because of the harshness of his voice. That's when I noticed the motorbike that was sitting in the driveway, that's when I started wondering where the owner of it was. I kept quiet for a few moments when I heard footsteps walking downstairs, but I didn't turn around, because I already knew who it was. " Hey Hen, is everything okay? " Luke questioned as he walked up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder, making me roll my eyes. Charlie looked between the two of us looking very confused, " And who are you? ", " Oh, I'm Luke. Henley's boyfriend " Luke stated with a cheeky smirk. My eyes went wide with shock, what the hell was this kid doing. " Oh, I didn't know Henley had a boyfriend... Well I'm Charlie, Hennie's father " Charlie stated as he stuck his hand out to shake Luke's, but Luke never shook it. " Right... Well man, I think it's time for you to go " Luke then stated bluntly, Charlie scoffed taking a step forward " Oh really, says who? ". " Says the police when I call them, you know you're not supposed to be here... How did you even know where we lived? " I asked with an eyebrow raised, " I followed you... " Charlie stated honestly. I let out a deep sigh, but this was just weird. " Wow.. okay, now I'm really calling the police " I stated, Charlie quickly grabbed me by the wrist as Luke grabbed me by my shirt. " No please... I just wanna know you " Charlie pleaded desperately, I ripped my wrist from his hold, " Then you shouldn't have left! " I exclaimed slamming and then locking the front door. I took in a deep breath as I looked at Luke, " And what the fuck are you doing here?. How'd you get in my house " I questioned rubbing my forehead. He smirked while sitting on the sofa " I have my ways... " , I rolled my eyes " No really ". " You left the front door unlocked... " he stated with a sigh, " Which is not smart, especially with him coming around here ". " Well thank you for being here... but " I stated as I quickly smacked him on the arm, " That doesn't mean you can just walk in, you could've given me a heart attack ". He chuckled while shrugging his shoulders " But, I didn't ", " What were you doing upstairs? " I then asked. " Just... checking the place out " he smirked, causing me to roll my eyes. " Well then, why are you here? " I asked as I sat down beside him, he shrugged slightly " I brought your homework... And I wanted to make sure everything was alright ". I looked at him strangely " Why?... ", he sighed deeply while laughing slightly " What's with all the questions?! ". " I mean, we're not really friends... We just talk casually over the phone, you wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with me in public " I stated honestly, causing him to frown. " So, just because I don't talk to you in school, or hang out with you and your friends... That means, we're not friends? " he asked curiously, " Not really " I rolled my eyes. He sighed  deeply while running  his hand through his hair " Listen,  I know this whole thing between us is fucked up - ", " Luke, there's nothing between us " I stated. He groaned slightly " You know what I mean! The guys and I's reputation is a bitch, I know... But, we're trying to change it. Michael really likes Emi, he just doesn't want any harm to come to her. Because you know the girls in our school will be ruthless if he hangs out with her in front of them, especially Aubrey ",  I sighed deeply " Okay, you have a point. And when it comes to you and I, I definitely won't cross paths Amy again ( Even though she was treating me like complete garbage ) ". He chuckled quietly " But, I want to be friends, maybe even more... So, I'm trying ", I looked at him slightly confused " Whoa, can we back it up a bit.. A few months ago, I thought you were a dick and a player... And I just started to get to know you. Let's start off as friends, Deal ". He smiled " Deal. So, are you coming to the party this weekend? It's supposed to be awesome ", I sighed deeply, but then thought back to what Amy and her ' Hoe friends ' were talking about. “ Oh yeah, I'll be there " I stated confidently, knowing I had to keep an eye out, just to make sure nothing happened to Remi or Emi. He smiled widely while nodding, making me sigh once more. Let the games begin.

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Well here’s Chapter 4 guys, I really need to start uploading more, sorry its been so long. I really hope you’re enjoying this story and thank you for sticking around, you’re all seriously amazing!! Thank You again for Reading <3<3

My Masterlist - http://hello-justawriterofthings.tumblr.com/masterlink

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COMPLICATED {part 6 of EXPIRED}

After the second part, your father left with work to do and you sighed, looking at the guys.

How come you didn’t tell us that your dad was the president?! Tae asked enthusiastically and Jin shook his head.

Let’s go back to your room. Jin said and nudged Tae. She didn’t know. He whispered to the younger guy and Tae rolled his eyes.

You stood up and wandered back to your room. Opening the door, it looked like a tornado had gone through it.

They were not kidding when they said they were going to wake you up. Hobi tsked as he looked at all of the blankets on the floor. You laughed and shook your head.

I almost had a heart attack! You exclaimed and began making your bed. Tae walked up to you.

So you had no idea that your dad was the president?! He asked again and you let out a small chuckle.

No! I had no fucking idea. You told him. I thought he was dead. You what I remembered of my dad’s time limit. I thought he was extinct, expired. Sighing you sat down. It was such a strange feeling to be able to see him again, but there was uneasiness as you looked around. What about my mom? You asked and Namjoon stepped forward.

Do you know her time limit? He asked and you nodded.

I believe May 4th but it’s also about 10 years from now. You told him and he stood for a moment.

Well we usually wait until the day of the time limit. He responded and you shook your head.

But you heard my dad. There is a world order that claims I’m a criminal and so is my father. They are probably looking at my mom for answers. I remember the police scouting out our house for WEEKS. What if they bump up her time limit because they think she has information or that she helped us?! You asked, your mind was in a frenzy and Namjoon came over, rubbing your back like he had yesterday in the car.

Shhh, it’s going to be okay. Yoongi hyung, can you make a note of that? He asked over his shoulder as he continued to rub circles into your back. Yoongi nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

You have phones? You asked. You hadn’t seen any of them using any form of electronics, except for the video games that were horribly outdated, since you had gotten here and just thought that due to privacy purposes they couldn’t use technology.

Of course we do. Jungkook spoke up, he pulled out his own phone and waved it a little.

We formulated our own grid, it’s almost impenetrable to hack into from an outside source. You won’t be able to get your own device until you are either fully initiated or shown that you can become a finder. Yoongi explained, which just caused you to scrunch your face.

Fully initiated? I’m not already? And what the hell is a finder? Your mind was full of so many questions but those were the ones that popped into your head first.

To become fully initiated you had to go through a 10 step process, you’re only through step 2. Namjoon started. And a finder, they are sent out to retrieve newly expired people. We are trained to get your things, obviously get you, and have you get into the Society with the least amount of questions asked and slip ups. He continued.

So you’re trained extensively, yet you forgot to pick up my underwear? You asked with a laugh and Jungkook turned red.

I’M SORRY! I just … it was your panties. He said quietly and Jimin giggled.

Paaaantiiiies? Jimin mocked Jungkook, who went to punch Jimin, but instead hit Jin. The look of horror on Jungkook’s face as Jin glared at him, made you giggle. Namjoon looked at you and smiled.

Watch this. YA! Hyung, I heard Jungkook was the one that hid your chopsticks! Namjoon said and Jin’s mouth fell into a scowl.

You ungrateful little … Jin trailed off and began chasing Jungkook out of the room and you couldn’t contain your laughter.

Eh, it’s good to see you laughing. Namjoon said as you sat next to him.

Well weirdly enough, I feel comfortable with you guys. You murmured. Namjoon nodded and stopped rubbing your back, but didn’t take his hand away. Usually you would shrug someone’s hand off of you, but with him, it just seemed comforting. The two of you sat there as Jimin and Tae fought over a video game, Yoongi was typing something with a scowl on his phone, and Hobi was opening the door to the balcony.

What’s going on over there? Hobi asked and you stood up, Namjoon following close behind as the two of you made your way to the balcony. You hadn’t gone out there often, but it looked like people were congregating on the grounds.

They are looking over here. Namjoon said as he looked down at the crowd.

Rumor is out that President’s daughter has been rescued. Yoongi said in an unenthusiastic voice as he continued to scroll through his phone. We are going to need to move Y/N before Matthew starts popping his head in here. He sighed. Namjoon scoffed.

That prick needs to get a life. He muttered under his breath and you looked at Namjoon.

Okay, you need to explain. You said and Namjoon looked at you with uncertainty.

It’s not something you need to bother yourself with. He responded and you crossed your arms.

Then I’m not moving rooms. You replied and Namjoon glared.

You will do as I say. He commanded and you rolled your eyes.

I could just go back home. You retorted and Namjoon’s eyes went wide.

You cannot go back home! They’ll kill you! He exclaimed and Yoongi looked at Namjoon.

When have you ever given a fuck if someone wants to get killed? He asked and Namjoon looked at Yoongi, opening and closing his mouth.

Well what if she says something about the Society? He asked to Yoongi and Hobi rolled his eyes.

Remember the last girl that was here? She was through part 7 of initiation and when she left the compound you were happy. You even offered to drive her to the government camps! Hobi scoffed and Namjoon threw his hands up in the air.

She’s the president’s daughter! He exclaimed and Yoongi laughed.

President has even said she is not to be treated any differently. Yoongi replied and Namjoon continued to stammer.

FINE! I’ll tell you about Matthew, but really it’s not a big deal. Namjoon said and you squinted your eyes.

Why does he care so much if I leave? You thought to yourself, before pulling Namjoon over to the table. Alright, tell me everything! You told the tall man, who begrudgingly sat down in front of you.

Matthew is a finder as well, he leads group 2. Namjoon started and you held up your hand.

What group are you guys? You asked and Namjoon sighed.

Really? He asked. Do you even have to ask? He continued and you laughed.

I’m going to say group 3 because you left my underwear. You said and Hobi laughed.

We are technically the top of the class. Group 1 for the WIN! Hobi exclaimed and you laughed.

So Matthew is jealous? You asked as you shrugged. Pretty easy, he’s going to try and schmooze me to piss you off. You said flatly and Namjoon rolled his eyes.

It’s more than just that. He murmured. Matthew and I are both under your dad’s wing. So he will try to schmooze you, but he will also try to woo you. Namjoon raised his eyebrows.

Why? You asked with a bit of disgust.

Because Matthew is an asshole! Tae screamed as he continued to play video games.

Well that, and also President wants to retire soon. I’m sure Matthew is looking at you thinking that if he can woo you … Namjoon started and you sighed.

If he can woo me than he can become the president. You mumbled. Is that why you’re being so nice to me? You asked and Namjoon looked around.

I’m not allowed to be nice?! He asked and Yoongi chuckled.

Although I would love to watch you two bicker all day, Namjoon, we have to make arrangements for Y/N to move. People can’t be bothering her when she should be prepping for initiation. Yoongi said and Namjoon nodded.

Alright. Y/N, I’ll be back in a couple hours. The guys will stay with you. He gestured to Tae, Jimin, and Hobi as he and Yoongi left. You watched him leave and shook your head.

What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours? Jimin asked as he sat down next to you at the table.

My father is alive. He is also the president of the Society. My mother is still out in the world and probably has the government blaming her for my disappearance. I’m tired and haven’t had any food. Matthew sounds like an asshole. And I don’t understand Namjoon. You spouted off as Jimin sat there with a wide eyed look on his face.

Okay, well I can’t help with a lot of that, but I can tell you that Namjoon isn’t trying to schmooze you to get to your father. He’s being nice to you because you’re a lot alike. Jimin said simply and you laughed.

I’m like HIM?! You asked as you started to laugh at the outlandishness of the statement, you saw the look of seriousness on Jimin’s face.

I don’t want to tell you his background story, you’ll have to ask him about that. Jimin murmured and stood back up leaving you to sit with your thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm your throbbing head. You felt as though you were plopped into the middle of a story without any context, there were so many things that needed explanation, but you didn’t have time. Placing your head in your hands, the only thing that seemed to ring true was: Life is fucking complicated.

[yuniesan]

Girl Meets Season 4 - Episode 19

Girl Meets Season 4 - The Continuing Saga of Riley and her friends as they tackle their Sophomore year in High School. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. What will their sophomore year be like? Read and find out.

Episodes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

A/N: Cory Matthews Lesson ahead... It’s more for him than the kids

19. Girl Meets Over Night Guest

It was April and the year had gone by so fast, that Riley couldn’t understand why so much had happened during one school year. She was tired, of the drama in her life, of the constant push and pull. Most of all she was just tired, all she did was study and write papers. It was Thursday night and she was in her room looking over her notes for Science, while Lucas read his book for English. Her parents were in the living room working, her father grading all of the papers that they had handed in the day before, her mother working on a case. Both of them were so busy that they hadn’t realize that Lucas had been in her room all afternoon and she didn’t care because he would run his fingers through her hair while she laid on his lap.

She was wearing her favorite sweats and her old John Quincy Adams gym shirt and it felt so comfortable. They were on the floor on top of her carpet, their notes spread out around them, while Sleeping at Last played in the background. The two of them hadn’t noticed when they had both nodded off and fell asleep. For some reason Riley had felt so comfortable just sleeping on the floor. During the night Lucas had wrapped his arms around her and Riley had laid her head on his chest. The music and the sound of his heart had been the best lullaby for her.

Her parents had been too tired to check on her like they normally did so they had gone to sleep without thinking to see if Lucas was still there. So when the morning light began to shine through Riley’s window at six in the morning she turned to grab her pillow only to be greeted by Lucas’ chest. She had to bite back a scream and nudged her boyfriend, but he had only pulled her closer and nuzzled his neck into her hair, making her giggle.

“Oh god,” she said trying not to giggle from the way he was trying to burrow his face into her neck like it was a pillow. “Lucas,” she whisper yelled at him. “Lucas wake up.”

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled before taking a deep breath.

“No, my parents can’t find you here,” she said shaking him. “Come on please wake up.”

He slowly opened his eyes and looked into hers before pulling away and looking around the room. “Oh man, did this really happen?”

“You slept over, and I don’t think my parents will like the fact that you’re here when they come to wake me up.”

“Crap,” he said standing up. The two of them gathered all of his stuff and shoved it into his bag, before he slowly walked towards the bay window. He gave her a quick kiss before rushing down the stairs. She watched as he ran home, knowing that he has to change into something else, she was also worried that his parents were going to yell at him.

“Riley,” her father screamed pounding at the door. “Open up.”

“Cory why are you yelling so early in the morning,” her mother’s voice said from the other side of her door.

Riley stood there afraid of her father for a minute, afraid that he had seen Lucas, had he seen Lucas? Was all she could think.

“Aren’t you supposed to be headed to school for a meeting?” her mother asked but her father continued to pound on the door.

“Riley, I swear open the door,” he said and Riley knew she was in trouble.

She opened the door as slowly as she could but he pushed his way into the room making her fall backwards on the floor. Her mother rushed over to pick her up.

“Why was Lucas climbing out of your window at six in the morning?” her father said making her mother turn to her.

“It’s not what you think, we didn’t do anything,” Riley said automatically defending herself. “We were studying last night and we fell asleep and that’s all that happened I swear.”

“Lies,” her father screeched out.

Her mother was looking around the room noting the scattered notes on the floor, and the fact that Riley’s bed was still made.

“Daddy it’s the truth I swear, and usually you come to tell him to go home too,” she said pleading with him to understand.

“Cory,” her mother said taking her father’s hand. “Go to the meeting I’ll handle this, I don’t have to be at court until ten.”

“But Topanga,” he whined.

“Go now, you’re still a new teacher there so go.”

“Fine,” he said storming off only to come back. “I’ll deal with you later missy.”

Once he was gone her mother looked at her and smiled. “I believe you Riley,” she said before sitting down. “I think I was so wrapped up in work last night that I forgot to check in on you, but I know that Lucas is a good kid, and that you two wouldn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m sorry we fell asleep,” Riley said as she sat at the bay window. “A lot has happened in the last few days, and I guess we’ve been a little over worked.”

“Do you want to hear a story?”

“Sure, why not.”

“When your father and I were freshmen in high school, Mr. Turner assigned us a project about the modern day views of sex and love, and so your father and I started working on a documentary.  Except we fell asleep at school and ended up staying there overnight,” her mother laughed at the memory. “Of course everyone thought we did something we didn’t but we didn’t do anything at all. Of course your father was now considered a god, which made me angry and I yelled at him and told him we wouldn’t be friends anymore. Your grandfather Alan made him realize that friendship was more important than popularity. So to apologize to me he told the truth in the documentary and we became friends again.”

“But we didn’t fall asleep at school,” Riley said when her mother finished.

“No but I don’t think your father would like to be reminded of that incident,” her mother smiled at her. “He likes to let you think that he never did anything that you are doing now, so maybe you should remind him.”

Riley couldn’t help but smile at what her mother was saying, she had given her a gem of a story, and a lesson for her father wrapped up all in one.

“Thanks mom,” she said smiling. “And I promise from now on I’ll put an alarm on my phone for when Lucas has to leave so this won’t happen again.”

“Good, now get ready for school while I start on breakfast.”

  Lucas rushed home only to find the place empty, he couldn’t figure out why until he got to the kitchen and saw a note from his parents reminding him that they had gone away on an extended weekend for their anniversary. He realized that he wasn’t in trouble, but he knew that he had to do the right thing regardless, Riley had taught him that.

He got ready for school as quickly as possible before rushing off to school, he didn’t want to be late on top of doing something so incredibly stupid. When he walked up the stairs he was pulled aside by Farkle and Zay and pushed into the nearest bathroom. Farkle and Zay made sure that they were the only ones inside before locking the door and looking at him. Farkle looked mad at him, while Zay looked at him like he had done something amazing.

“What is going on?” Lucas said looking at his two friends.

“There’s a rumor going around school,” Zay said smiling. “That you and Riley did something.”

“They’re saying you two had sex,” Farkle said without the innuendos that Zay had been throwing around. “Is it true?”

“Of course not, where did you hear that from?” Lucas asked but looked over at Zay after the words came out of his mouth.

“Your mother called me to make sure that my parents kept an eye on you this weekend,” Zay smiled. “And of course I picked up the phone, and they asked if you were staying the night at my house because you hadn’t gotten home.”

“But you weren’t at his house,” Farkle said looking at him. “So when Mr. Matthews came in this morning he apparently was mumbling something about locking all of the windows and banning someone from the house.”

“Crap,” Lucas said running his hand through his hair. “Nothing happened, we were just studying and fell asleep… That’s it I swear.”

“I believe you,” Farkle said but Zay just looked at him.

“I believe you but, plus I doubt Riley would do anything like that,” Zay said after a minute. “What are we going to do about her father?”

“He’s going to hate me isn’t he?” Lucas said sliding down the wall. “What should I do?”

“Talk to Riley,” Farkle said pulling him up. “And don’t sit on the floor in here it’s gross.”

“Okay,” Lucas said. “I’m going to find Riley. I’ll see you guys in class.”

“Later,” Zay said walking away.

“I’ll try to deflect Mr. Matthews for a while,” Farkle said walking out of the bathroom.

  Riley got to school just before the first bell rang, only to have everyone staring at her as she walked through the halls towards her locker. People whispering around her, until Maya pulled her towards the corner of the hallway near her locker.

“Is it true?” Maya asked looking at her. “That you and Ranger Rick did the nasty.”

“Maya,” Riley yelled at her friend. “Where did you hear about this?”

“It’s all over the school, apparently someone heard your dad mumbling something this morning, about his daughter’s virtue and how boys were evil.”

“Where’s Lucas?”

“The guys grabbed him and dragged him away,” Maya said looking her up and down.

“We didn’t do anything,” Riley said to her before yelling it out again loud enough for everyone to hear her.

“So what’s the story then?”

“Nothing we fell asleep studying, that’s it… nothing else except for the fact that we woke up the next day surrounded by our notes and the rising sun.”

“Seriously,” Maya said. “I was hoping to the patented Matthews freak out.”

“He’s still going to have it, knowing him he’s probably trying to rearrange his lesson plan, but since we had to read for this class he can’t really change anything.”

“What did your mom say?”

“Well nothing really, she actually looked at my room and noticed that I hadn’t slept in my bed.”

“This is why she’s a lawyer,” Maya said smiling. “And she didn’t want to make the same mistake as before.”

Lucas came rushing down the hallway towards them. “I didn’t say anything,” he said the moment he reached them.

“I know,” she said smiling at him. “But what are we going to do about everyone else?”

“Tell the truth until we’re blue in the face,” he said taking her hand.

The bell rang, leaving them in the hallway scrambling towards their classes. Riley got stares from everyone before she started telling them that nothing had happened, and that if they knew here they would know that she was telling the truth. By the time they reached her father’s class she wanted to pull out her hair.

“You,” he said to her and she rolled her eyes at him.

When Lucas walked in he scoffed and crumbled up a piece of paper, the entire class staring them all down as if they had done something.

“The Red Scare, during the late 1940’s brought up the question of loyalty towards the country of the United States,” her father started. “Starting with an Executive Order by President Truman, the people who worked within the Federal level were required to be screened for loyalty towards their country. To look for those who are disloyal to their country, who sympathized with the communist regime and would sell this country’s secrets to Communist countries during the Cold War.”

He walked around the room while he gave his lecture but wouldn’t look either Riley or Lucas in the face.

“From this the term McCarthyism was created, after United States Senator Joseph McCarthy, in which the practice of making accusations against people who were thought to be traitors towards their country. Many of these people were brought in front of investigators and the government without evidence in which they were guilty of their crime.”

“Wow this sounds familiar,” Riley said out loud without thinking.

“Miss Matthews don’t interrupt my lesson again,” he said looking at her for the first time since she had walked into class.

“No,” she said standing up. “I’m being accused of something without proper evidence, the entire school talking about me as if I have a scarlet letter on my chest.”

“Here we go,” Maya said smiling.

“My reputation is on the line because I have been accused of something that I didn’t even do, without regard to the truth.”

“Sit down Miss Matthews,” he said.

“No,” Lucas said standing up. “We did nothing wrong, and we deserve to be allowed our chance to stand up to the rumor of a few all because we were studying and just fell asleep.”

“This isn’t about you Mr. Friar,” her father said. “Class dismissed,” he said making everyone leave, but holding Lucas and Riley back. “Don’t interrupt my class unless it’s about the lesson.”

“That’s the thing dad you’re always teaching about my life, and of course when the lesson you’re teaching is about being accused of something that can ruin someone’s life, I’m allowed to speak up. That’s how you’ve always taught me.”

“I also taught you to be a good girl, and not let boys stay in your room overnight.”

“It was an accident, because usually some crazy dictator comes into my room and scares off the said boy, but like me that dictator is also extremely busy because he has work. So he slips up and when something as innocent as sleeping happens and he mumbles it around school the rumors begin.”

“Mr. Matthews, nothing happened, we were studying and we fell asleep, it was completely innocent and would never happen again,” Lucas said pleading towards her father.

“Plus we didn’t do anything that you haven’t already done,” Riley said nailing the last nail on the coffin of her social life.

“What are you talking about Riley?” her father said looking at her.

“Mom told me, how you were found in the same position when you were in high school, and of course nothing happened, well except mom being angry at you, and the entire student body thinking you were the man, but other than that nothing had really happened in that room so many years ago.”

He looked at her like she had grown a third head before speaking again, “Nothing happened you swear?”

“Well if you had taken the time to look at my room before you freaked out you would have noticed that nothing happened,” she said sighing. “My notes were all over the floor dad, it was innocent.”

Her father sat down, she knew he was thinking about last night, she knew he was going through everything in his mind. It was easy to tell when he was thinking about something, it wasn’t until the door burst open with Zay, Maya, Farkle, and Smackle that he looked up at her again.

“Fine you win, but we need to set some ground rules,” he said looking at her. “And I’m sorry, it was my fault that the rumors started.”

“Don’t worry about that Mr. Matthews,” Farkle said smiling. “We took care of that.”

“How?” her father said.

“Well we bugged the room and made sure it played over the PA system,” Smackle said smiling at them. “We know Riley, and we know Lucas, they wouldn’t do anything that would cause you to distrust them.”

“I’m going to have to have a talk with you two about doing things like that,” he said looking at Farkle and Smackle. “Okay, the bell is going to ring in a few minutes so get to your next class.”

“Bye Daddy,” Riley said walking out of the room smiling.

The rest of the day everyone talked about what they had heard, Riley realized how fast rumors can get started all because of something someone overheard. Thanks to the two geniuses everything had been cleared up, making her breathe a sigh of relief. Her parents took the blame for not checking on Riley before bed the night before, making sure to set a time for Lucas to leave, and an alarm on her father’s watch to chase him out. Lucas and Riley both set their alarms for ten minutes before so that Lucas would be able to keep his shoes, but she still smiled watching him being chased down the fire escape that night just because he had come over.

“Some things never change,” she said as she closed her window and got ready for bed.