Young Writers Society

Riley

Everyone- Max, Dylan, Jake, Kevin, Olivia, Roxy and Ninen's mother- excluding Siren was waiting in the flat when I got back with Kasey. Just after I closed the door, Roxy and Olivia rushed over and hugged me, squealing.

"Omigod!" Roxy cried. "This is so exciting!"

I rolled my eyes, obviously not as excited as my friends. "Yeah, great. Guys, can you get off me? You're choking me."

My friends jumped back. "Sorry Ri."

I sighed and sat down on the couch, next to Jake. "So, I guess you've all heard then?"

My friends nodded. Kevin looked as if he was about to explode. Then he did.

"I can't believe that bastard!" he shouted. "I'm going to kill him if it's the last thing I ever do!"

I rolled my eyes. "Please, Kevin, just sit down. I showed him that I can survive without his ugly mug in my face. Just forget about him."

"But-"

"I'm over it."

Kevin

"I'm over it," Riley declared. For a moment, I stared at her and sat back down, my body drained of strength.

"Have you thought of any names?" Olivia asked.

"When do you find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Roxy added.

"I have a few names in mind and I can find out if it's a boy or a girl at my next scan but I don't know if I want to."

"You should be resting," I murmured. "We shouldn't all be here."

"Raising a child can be very hard work." Max told Riley. "So if you ever need any help, feel free to ask us. We are your friends after all."

Riley smiled wearily. "Thanks."

(Sorry, that's all I can think of. I've got a cold and it's draining my brain energy.)

Siren was still in shock, she watched the others talking. Ben had gotten her pregnate. She wanted to beat the living snot out of him, she would have to beat Kevin to it if he was still going to. She was amazed at how quickly the group supported their friend.
[\i]'Ben, your so dead when i get ahold of you,' [/i] She thought walking back towards her house. She was going to find him and figure out what he wanted with her last night and yell at him.

Ninen

When everyone else had gone I stared at Riley and tilted my head to the side.

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking for the glow."

"Glow?"

"You know when you get pregnant you're supposed to glow a little bit."

"Am I glowing green or something?"

"No, I don't really see one, but no doubt my mom will see it, we'll have to make a nursery then," I couldn't help but grin, babies were so cute!

Riley

"This whole ordeal has been so exhausting," I leaning back on the couch. "With you're accident and now this! I just want to go to sleep."

"Then go."

I nodded and began drifting off, but when I was seconds away from sleep, a thought struck me. I jumped up and stared at Ninen with wide eyes.

"Did anyone tell Kevin not to tell my parents?" I asked hurridley. "Coz that's the exact type of thing he would do. I bet you a million dollars he's over at my old house trying to convince my family to convine me to have an abortion!"

Ninen was staring at me in shock, but I just yelled at her to call him, and she did. She talked for a few minutes, then handed over the phone. I was right, he was at my parents.

"I can't believe you Kevin!" I shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kevin

"I'm worried okay!" I shouted back.

"Worried? Well you have a great way of showing it. And I bet you told them to force me into having an abortion!" Riley screamed.

"An abortion? How could you think that of me? I just thought they should know what's going on so they can be there to support you," I reasoned, feeling sick to my stomach that she could suspect me of such a vile thing.

"Oh yeah? Well I don't need them and I certainly don't need you so stop trying to ruin my life. I'm not surprised Sadie drowned herself when she had to live with you." With that, Riley hung up and I clenched my fist tight around the phone. It's just her hormones. She's been going through a rough time. She didn't mean it. I told myself these things over and over again but it still hurt like a dagger thrust into my heart.

"Kevin, dear, thank you for telling us," Riley's mother broke the silence and I offered her a weak smile.

"I'm glad Riley has a friend like you," Her dad added.

"I should go," I told them. "I just wanted you to know what was going on and..." I shrugged and turned to leave the house.

Ninen

I wheeled myself foward and took Rileys hands, "Riley take a deep breath and calm down. You won't have to get an abortion."

Riley took a deep breath and plopped down on the couch, "I feel so horrible about what I said."

I patted Riley's arm, "don't worry about it, Kevin'll get over it, eventually."

"I hope so." She burst into tears.

Riley

I kept telling myself that everything would be okay, that Kevin wasn't mad at me, but I couldn't convince myself. I wasn't going to apologise. Kevin had no right to tell my family, but I felt horrible for telling him that Sadie died because of him.

I kept half-dialling his number, and then hanging up. Three days before my next doctors appointment, which Ninen's mother had kindly agreed to go to with me, Kevin called me.

"Hi Riley," he mumbled. "Look, I wanted to... to..."

"To apaologise?" I asked harshly. "Yeah, well you should. Do you know how much my family has been bugging me to talk to them? You know I hate them!"

I heard Kevin sigh. "Yeah, right, whatever. I want to apologise. Look, I shouldn't have told your family. I had no right. Friends?"

I sighed. "Yeah, friends. And I'm sorry about what I said about your sister. You know I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I know. Bye."

"Bye."

Kevin

I put the phone down, my hand still shaking with the effort of making that call. It was strange. I didn't feel any better, there was no sense of relief like there should have been. Then I realised that there was one more person who I needed forgiveness from. Myself. What Riley had said had hurt so much because, in some part, I felt that Sadie's death was my fault.

I glanced down at my watch and hurriedly left the house. It was five on a wednesday, three days before Riley's next scan and it was time to go to the bar. I pulled up outside and parked in one of the reserved spaces before heading inside.

"You're early," My new boss remarked. "Your friends said you would be. They want to talk to you."

"Thanks Simon," I said and found Olivia and Roxy at one of the tables.

"Riley says you phoned," Roxy stated.

"Yeah."

"Did you tell her what you're doing?" Olivia demanded.

"She doesn't need to know."

"Yes she does. You should tell her. Every hour you're not at school you're here exhausting yourself. She'd be really grateful if she knew and..."

"No she wouldn't, Roxy. She'd say I'm interfering again which is why you girls are going to give her the money. That way she can't say I'm treating her like..."

"Like a girl," Olivia finished, "But I like it when you protect me and look out for me. It's sweet."

"But Riley doesn't think like that."

Ninen

When Riley came in with the mail she handed half to me and kept the other half.

I flipped through, "ad, ad, ad, credit card ad, cell phone bill-" my jaw dropped. I set the other letters on my lap and opened the one in hand. "Riley!"

"What?"

I read out loud "Dear miss Radcalet, we are sorry it has taken so long but we have finally been able to collect your disability payments. Inclosed is a check for the normal amount for two weeks, we apolozie for the delay."

"Its been two weeks," Riley said, "thats five hundred dollars a week!"

I couldn't breath! Holy crap! That was a load off my mind, and Rileys too no doubt. Thank God, she shouldn't be stressed out at all.

Riley

(Ack! I just had a really long post and I accidently deleted it all!)

"I'm shouting you all drinks!" Ninen announced. She looked over to me and mouthed, sorry. I shook my head.

'It's alright. I'll just have a lemonade."

Dylan stood up and went to get our drinks. While we waited, I pulled Siren into the bathroom with me and pretended to be checking my make-up.

"So, does Ben know I'm pregnant?" I asked- trying to sound normal.

Siren looked suprised that I had asked, and shook her head. "I keep wanting to ask if he knows what's he's done, but there's no way I'm going to say anything unless you want me too. You're loads better than that bastard!"

I smiled sadly and put a hand on Siren's shoulder.

"You're a good kid," I said. "Don't stuff up your life by hating your siblings. It might feel good at the time... but it's really not nice after a while. I just, don't know how to make up with Jazzi."

Siren patted my hand. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Ninen

I watched as the one drink turned into a party. After our first we went to drinking lemonaide, some hard lemonaide and some normal lemonaide.

I stuck to normal lemonaide, with all the medicine I was taking more than one drink was too much.

When everyone left Riley collapsed onto the couch, "oy vey, this is exausting!"

I patted her shoulder, "I know, but at least now its all over."

Kevin

The weeks turned into months and still I hadn't seen, heard from or spoken to Riley. Not since that short phone call.

"You can't expect me to do this, Kevin," Roxy snapped in an irritated tone, waving the envelope of money in my face.

"This is stupid," Olivia added. "It's about time you two made up."

"We did make up," I replied.

"Then you should talk, you should hang out. You should act like you used to do," Roxy insisted.

"It's not that easy Roxy. Anyway, it's just this once. I promise. Just tell her it's a present from the two of you or write a letter, say she won a competition or something. Please."

"I'll do it," Olivia agreed at last.

"Thanks," I sighed in relief and turned around, preparing to leave Roxy's house.

"Take care Kevin," Olivia called after me.

"You too. And Roxy, let's not fall out, okay?" Without waiting for her answer, I closed the door behind me and got in my car. I still had an hour or so to waste before work so I headed down to the river.

(I should have posted this earlier. It would have made more sense then...)

The door bell to Ninen and Riley's apartment rang. "I'll get it!" Ninen shouted as she wheeled herself to the door. She opened it and saw Max waiting outside the door. He didn't look too hot. "Max, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure." Max followed her to the living room where he sat on the couch. "What's the matter?"

"I wanted to apologize." He told her.

"For what?"

"For my outburst in the hospital."

(I can't think of anything else to write at the moment so I'll leave it open for you.)