Chapter 6: You’re Too Young to Date
Chapter 6: You’re Too Young to Date
Metal
Liam glanced at him, his lips curling slightly.“You think I’m a playboy like you? Sooner or later, you’re getting AIDS.”
Peter cursed Liam in mind.
The guy was so vicious. If not for the pretty girl, he would be fighting with Liam. Though, he was doomed to lose. But did he have to mention AIDS?
Peter retorted, “Watch your mouth, or your wife will get you.” He sometimes felt ashamed to have such a sharp–tongued friend.
Riley was stunned. Was he married? The realization felt like a vise squeezing her heart, pain threatening to overwhelm her. Her tears flowed freely.
Peter noticed
noticed her distress
her distress and gently supported her.“Hey, are you okay?” Riley, dazed for a moment, looked at Liam, her voice trembling.“You didn’t die. Why didn’t you come back to me?”
Liam sighed, handing her a handkerchief.“Alright, stop crying.”
Peter was bewildered.“Dude, what’s going on?”
Liam explained, “She’s Riley Aldrin.”
Peter stared at Riley and Liam with disbelief.“The little girl who followed you around back then?”
Liam nodded.“Mm–hmm.”
Peter was shocked.“Wow, look how much she’s grown!” He grinned, approaching Riley.“Hey, Riley, it’s me, Peter Brown. Remember?”
Riley shook her head, having no memory of the flamboyantly dressed man.
Peter immediately showed off the tattoo on his arm.“Look! Remember me now?”
Riley’s gaze fell on his
his arm,
and memories flickered. She’d seen him a few times when she was little; he often visited Liam.
Before she could speak, Peter continued, “Wow, girls really do change as they grow. You’re even prettier now. Give me your number.” He pulled out his phone.
Liam slapped his arm, his face darkening.“Peter, do you wanna die?”
Peter sheepishly put his phone away.“It’s been years! Can’t I have her number?”
Riley stood there, lost in thought. Years?
Five years
and eight months.
The first time she met Liam, she was a ninth–grade and was cornered by bullies. Liam had scared. them off. Later, she learned Liam’s grandmother was her neighbor, and his parents had sent him here for his senior year of high school.
Liam, just like people said, had been a rebellious playboy. But after meeting Riley, he’d changed. Peter went to Liam, only to find him tutoring Riley in math. Peter was astonished.“Dude, you came to your grandma’s house and found God?”
Liam glanced at him, eyeing his tattoo disdainfully. “What’s that on your arm?” Feter was proud.“A tattoo! I got it yesterday. A soaring eagle. Isn’t it cool?”
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Chapter 6: You’re Too Young to Date
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Liam rolled his eyes. “A little bird pretending to be an eagle? You think that’s cool?
Peter argued, “It is an eagle!”
“Get out of here. Don’t come back. You’ll scare the kids.”
Peter had visited Liam a few times after that, but Liam turned him away, focusing on Riley. Peter joked that he was now into raising a girl. Liam chased him away,“Get lost, don’t talk nonsense.”
Riley’s feelings for Liam had blossomed from that point on, her possessiveness growing. When she heard that Liam had a girlfriend, she confessed impulsively, only to be refused. Liam ruffled her hair. “Riley, you’re too young to date.”
She hadn’t been discouraged, her eyes bright with hope.“I will grow up.”
But Liam rarely appeared after that. She was young, but she understood what he meant. Liam didn’t like her, and he was avoiding her.
Youthful love was passionate, so when Liam stopped visiting her, she started visiting him at his university. His classmates teased, “Dude,
your little girlfriend’s here.”
“Don’t make things up.
That’s my
sister.”
Peter chimed in, “Yeah, don’t talk nonsense. My bro has a girlfriend.”
Hearing that from Peter, Riley cried uncontrollably. Liam hated seeing girls cry, especially Riley. Her tears seemed endless. He awkwardly comforted her, “Okay, stop crying. You’re not pretty when you cry.”
Riley sobbed, “Li…Liam, wait for me, okay? I’ll grow up. Please.”
Liam sighed softly.“Okay.”
Riley, teary–eyed, smiled. She was eager to grow up so she could stand beside Liam and tell him how much she loved him. But Liam disappeared.
She searched everywhere, only to find out about his supposed death. Her world crumbled. Riley, once an atheist, turned to prayer, begging for Liam’s return. But years passed and she learned- there was no such thing as a miracle.
Her mother’s harshness and Liam’s absence triggered her depression, leading to suicidal thoughts. After visiting her father, she stood on Harbor View Bridge… Then Jake saved her. À young man whose features resembled Liam’s.
She knew Jake wasn’t a good guy. He was a playboy, had a terrible temper, a messy personal life, and, most importantly, he didn’t love her. But she didn’t care. She cared only for his face. Only by looking at it did she feel alive.
“Riley, stop crying,” Peter’s voice broke through her thoughts.
She looked at the man behind Peter, realizing something. It was all unnecessary. There was no need for a fake death to get rid of her. He just didn’t like her.
Chapter 7 She’s Mad at Me
