Dropping my phone on the bed, I quickly get what I need for work and stuff it in my bag, then change into a different shirt.
"Leaving already?" Brad says as I come down the hall. He's in the living room watching TV while lifting weights. The guy is always working out, which explains why he looks that way. I'd love to have muscles like that, but I'm not willing to put in that much time at the gym. I bought a set of dumbbells so I could work out at home, but I've only used them a few times. Brad's used them more this past week than I have since I bought them two years ago.
"I'm going over to Riley's," I tell him.
He smiles as he does bicep curls. "About time."
"Yeah." I walk over to him. "Hey, about what happened earlier. Sorry I acted that way. I was just tired and angry and—"
"Don't worry about it." He lowers the weights by his sides. "It's good you're going to see her. I hope you guys can work things out."
"We will. We always do. I can't stay mad at Riley. Never could."
"I can see why. She's a good friend."
"Speaking of that, forget all that stuff I said about you going to see Riley last night. You had every right to go over there. She's your friend too, and she needed someone to talk to. Thanks for being there for her."
"No problem."
I look away, then back at him. "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."
"I know you are." He smiles. "Go see Riley. Take her to breakfast. The girl never eats."
"Because they never have any food. And I already told her I'd take her to breakfast, but I need to get going or I'll be late."
"Yeah, see ya."
When I get to Riley's place, I find her waiting just inside the door.
"Let's go," she whispers, pushing me aside as she races past me.
"That bad, huh?" I ask, catching up to her. "Are they doing it on the couch?"
She doesn't answer as she opens the back door and tosses her backpack on the seat.
"Riley, hold on." I take hold of her arm and pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry."
"Me too," she whispers, hugging me tight.
"You didn't do anything. It was all me. I shouldn't have assumed you'd feel the same way. And I shouldn't have reacted that way when you told me how you felt."
"You scared me, Nate."
"Scared you?" I pull back to see her face. "How did I scare you?"
"I thought you'd never talk to me again. I thought you were ending our friendship."
"Never." I pull her back into a hug, realizing how stupid I was to push away my best friend just because she didn't react the way I wanted her to. "We'll always be friends, Riley."
She squeezes me tight, then lets me go and smiles. "Still taking me to breakfast?"
"Just pick the place."
"Hmm." She bites her lip. "I'd really love some French toast."
"So Linny's on Main." I open the car door for her.
"You sure? That place is expensive."
"They have the best French toast. And you deserve the best for putting up with me."
When we're both in the car, Riley pulls her seatbelt on, then lets out a breath. "My mom's drunk. Like really drunk. That's why I wanted to get out of there."
Charlene's an alcoholic. She refuses to call herself that but admits she sometimes has a problem, like when she disappeared after being so drunk she couldn't find her way home. Riley was sure someone had murdered her. She was so upset I flew home from college to be with her. We told the cops, who searched the area but couldn't find Charlene. They told us she probably just took off without telling anyone. The cops know Charlene from years of her being involved in domestic disputes with her boyfriends. She's also been charged with petty theft, indecent exposure, and public intoxication.
After being gone for days, Charlene finally showed up at the trailer, acting like nothing was wrong. I wanted to strangle her for worrying Riley like that, not to mention the fact that Riley missed three days of work and I had to spend $1000 on a last-minute plane ticket.
"Is Dave drunk too?" I ask.
"No. That's why I'm okay leaving her. Dave's actually one of her better boyfriends. He won't let her do something stupid, like try to drive when she's drunk."
"Do you know why she was drinking?"
"She said it was for her and Dave's one-month anniversary." Riley stares out the window as I turn out of the trailer park. "This is why she'll never quit. She always finds an excuse to drink."
"You haven't been giving her money, have you?" I turn right, heading downtown.
"No, but I will next week when bills are due."
"Riley, you know she won't pay the bills. She'll use the money for booze, just like all the other times."
"She's only done that a few times."
"Just take the bills and pay them yourself. You can't trust her to do it."
"I've told her I'll pay them, but she won't let me. She hides them and tells me they're paid. Nate, I don't want to talk about this. I want to go and have breakfast and talk about something else."
Riley's quiet for the rest of the ride, which isn't like her at all. She always talks to me when she's upset, but now she won't. Is it because of what happened last night?
When we get to the restaurant, I wait until we order before bringing it up.
"Are you mad at me?" I ask.
"Mad?" She crinkles her nose, which I always find adorable. She does the cutest things. She's always making me smile. I love her so much. It's going to be hard just being her friend when I love her this much, but I'll just have to find a way to make it work.
"You were quiet the whole way here. I thought maybe it's because you're still mad about how I acted last night."
"I'm not mad. I just don't feel like talking about my mom."
"Why not? You always feel better once you talk about it. So go ahead."
"Nate, I..." She looks down at the table. "I don't want you telling me what to do."
"I wasn't going to."
"You will." She looks up at me. "You already did. You were trying to tell me what to do when we were in the car. And when I don't do what you tell me, you get annoyed and act like I'm stupid for not doing what you said."
"I don't do that," I insist.
"You do." She reaches across the table and puts her hand on mine. "I know you're just trying to help, but it doesn't help to have you lecture me on what I'm doing wrong."
"I don't lecture you." I pull my hand back from hers and pick up my water, taking a drink.
"Nate, please don't be mad. I'm just trying to be honest."
"Great," I say, rolling my eyes. "More honesty. Just like last night. What are you going to tell me next? That I'm too tall? You don't like my clothes? I talk too much?" I fold my arms over my chest. "Go ahead. Put it all out there."
"Okay, you're being an ass again," she says, glaring at me.