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13th

*

A couple of weeks passed, and I had spent most of my time with Riley. We did almost everything together — homeworks, school stuffs, and I had even got a chance to teach him how to read a book in Braille.

It surprised me a little that he hadn't learned it, even though it has been more than a year since he was blind. Ms. Gail told me that Riley didn't want to learn it. He said it made him look so stupid. 

She asked for my help to convince him, and to my surprise, he agreed to learn how to read it. To be honest, it wasn't that hard to convince him. Well, Riley did get angry at first, but then he finally obliged. 

"Okay, Riley. Now, try to read this," I said softly, and guided his fingers to touch a word on the Braille book. It was just a simple story book which Ms. Gail had bought for him as last year's Christmas' gift. But he never used it. 

His fingers examined the word tentatively, and I tried my best not to laugh at how adorable, and cute his face expression was. It took him some moments as he never did know how to read Braille before this. It was his first lesson. 

"Food?" Riley guessed, turning his eyes in my direction. His eyes glimmered with hope and curiosity, and he was putting on a serious expression. "Ellie, is it correct?" He asked again when I didn't respond to his answer. 

I smiled, and clapped my hands. "Yay! You did it! Your first word!" I cheered loudly for him, and he smiled instantly. "Well done, Riley! I knew you can do it!" 

He let out a low chuckle. I could see it clearly how much it meant to him. Both his dimples were visible as a huge smile plastered on his face. No matter how many times I saw that smile, it could still weakened my heart, and made me smile along. 

That's how infectious his smile was. 

But still, I hadn't gotten the chance to meet his parents, even though I went to his house for almost every day. Riley told me his parents were always busy with their works, and they're always out of the country. 

And it seemed like Riley didn't like to talk about them. Well, I couldn't blame him, though. His parents should've been here for him. If I were him, maybe I would've acted the same way. 

As days passed, I became closer to him,. My days were exceptionally wonderful, and full of laughter. He had changed a bit, I guess. Riley never did howl, or get angry at me anymore.

And the best part was, he finally learned how to say thank you and please to me!

I couldn't be more happier with my life now. 

Although, I hadn't invited him to my house. Well, Riley never did care, though, and he never did ask about it. I still wasn't sure about telling him that my parents were dead.

The reasons were still the same, I didn't want him to change his attitude towards me, and I was afraid of losing the Riley I've known for the past few weeks. 

The Riley I might be falling for. 

Nevertheless, I realized I have to tell him about my past someday. Friends should share every secret together — good or bad. It'd make the friendship become even stronger, and happier. 

And maybe I just was over-thinking, and exaggerating about this. Maybe Riley wouldn't change his attitude towards me, even though I told him that I didn't have any parents. 

We talked almost about everything now — music, food, and of course, Spongebob. 

Riley loved Avenged Sevenfold's rock music while I hated the band, and their music creeped me out. 

He loathed One Direction more than anything when I was one of their crazy fans.

I hated Squidward, but Riley respected his cranky attitude.  

There were so many differences between us, and it actually caused us to fight every time we talk. 

But the differences between us were actually what I love about our friendship. We became closer each day. Now, I knew almost everything about him, and he's really unique — or should I say, one in a million? I loved having a fight with that snobbish guy too. 

I couldn't imagine Riley being nice to me. 

Hell, no. 

*

The day was beautiful, like always — Florida's a really nice place, and I loved it already. I told Riley once that I want to live here forever, and ever. Well, you wanna know how did he react to it?

He laughed. Riley said it was a crazy idea, and listed twenty reasons why I shouldn't live here until the day I die (two of it was because of the Tsunami's, and sharks) And he also said that it was way too early to talk about our old days. 

I hated him sometimes, really. He laughed at me for too much.

Wearing a white summer dress, I made my way towards the beach on a bright Thursday evening. Riley and I met up at the beach almost every day after school — at our usual spot. It has become somehow, a daily routine for the both of us. 

"Ellie!" I heard someone calling my name as I was walking down the beaten sandy tracks. I turned around, and found Aiden, running towards my direction.

"Oh, hi, Aiden," I said, greeting him with a smile. I looked at him up and down. "Volleyball, huh?"

He nodded, chuckling. "Yeah. What are you doing here?" he asked me as a sweat trickled down the side of his face. 

"Oh, um, I'm meeting Riley," I said in an awkward tone, chewing my lips. "You know, just hanging around, and talking. Nothing else." I didn't want Aiden to think otherwise. 

"Right."

I flicked my eyes away from him, and saw Riley sitting at the usual place. "Oh, Riley's here," I said, turning my eyes to meet his electric-blue ones. "You wanna go and say hi to him?"

He shook his head almost instantly. "Nah, I'll pass. Riley wouldn't want to talk to me. I don't want him to get angry at you," Aiden said, looking over at Riley. 

I gave him a weird look. "What? I'll make him talk to you. Come on! This is a great chance to get your friendship back!" I exclaimed, widening my eyes excitedly. 

Aiden grinned, showing off his left dimple. "No, really, Ellie. Maybe later. I have to get back to the game ..... Sorry," he apologized, grimacing. 

I sighed. "Okay. I'll go now then, bye. Talk to you later," I forced a smile, and gave him a wave. Aiden waved back at me before I walk away from there. 

I had been hoping he would want to talk to Riley. I realized he needed more friends to support him, and not just me. If their friendship was as close as I thought, Aiden would really be a great help. Maybe it'd cheer Riley up even more. 

As I inched closer to Riley, a smile appeared instantly on my face. I sneaked behind him, wanting to give him a surprise. I held myself from laughing as I kept imagining how his surprised face would look like. 

"Riley!" I shouted, placing my hands on his shoulders. He was really shocked until he pushed me, causing me to fall down onto the sand. 

"Who's that?" Riley snarled, standing up instantly. His face was serious, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was me. "Ellie?"

I pouted, rubbing my butt. "How could you do this to me, Riley?" I grumbled, trying to get up. 

He sighed. "God, Ellie. You scared me to death!" Riley snapped, and he walked closer to me. His hand wandered before grabbing my arm. "Don't ever do that again," he warned, pulling me up. 

"I was just joking around," I defended, getting onto my feet. I scowled as my butt was hurting. I began to regret that I surprised him from behind. 

I assumed, Riley rolled his eyes under the shades. "In case you've forgotten, I'm blind, Ellie," he said acidly. 

I realized he was right. "Sorry. I wouldn't do that again," I said apologetically, looking down to the gold sand. 

Riley sighed, and took back his seat on the soft sand. "Are you okay, though?" he eventually asked. 

I nodded, sitting next to him. "I'm fine. Still alive," 

He chuckled, causing my dopamine level go silly. "I knew a push wouldn't have killed you. Even a gun or a big truck couldn't kill you," Riley sneered, grinning. 

I scowled. "Shut up."

His head dropped down, still grinning. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for pushing you. Happy?" Riley muttered using an annoyed tone. 

I smiled as the butterflies inside me fluttered happily. "Yes, Riley. And you're forgiven,"

"I don't know why  I still hang around you,"

"Because you like me?" I tried, flashing him a cheeky smile. I didn't really mean anything, just wanting to know his reaction.  

Riley didn't say anything.

Slapping his arm, I laughed. "Chill out! It was another joke," I chirped, smiling. An awkward feeling crept into my spine as Riley remained silent. "You and me? How funny is that, right?" I bumped my shoulder with his. 

Riley shook his head, turning his eyes to look at me. "Um, yeah. Ha-ha." he finally responded, and I could tell he was forcing a smile. 

I smiled, biting my lips. "You okay?"

He nodded, giving me an odd look. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be okay?" Riley gushed, and I smiled. He started talking again a minute later, "So, you never told me about Lenoir,"

I frowned immediately. "Um," I hesitated, and gulped. "There was nothing interesting happened to me in Lenoir, really," I said, with hope he would believe me. 

"Come on. I told you everything, and I know you're lying. There must be something about Lenoir," Riley insisted.

I gulped again, as the memory of Lenoir came back to haunt me. I had been trying to forget everything, and it was almost successful — until now. 

"Ellie?"

Riley's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Yeah? Sorry, I was just thinking about something," I said, breathing out. 

"Oh, okay. Now tell me about Lenoir. What's it like? You said you know how to ride a horse, right?" Riley asked, and he actually sounded excited. It made me feel even more guilty, and uneasy. 

I breathed in, trying to relax. This wasn't that bad, Ellie. Just tell him what he should know, nothing else. 

"Well, Lenoir is beautiful, and it's just a small city. It can get really cold on some days..." I started, trying to think of any relevant information. "We live on a ranch, and there's a horse stable beside it. I have a horse named Jelly,"

His lips twitched upward into a warm smile. "I never ride a horse. And why Jelly? That's a hideous name, Elle,"

I laughed. "I don't know! Maybe because it rhymes with my name, and she's sweet like a jelly." I explained, shrugging. 

"Crazy Ellie. Hey, that sounds good too," Riley chattered, nodding. "No wonder you're crazy."

"Do you wanna hear my story or are we back to the weird convo?"

"Sorry. Back to you," Riley apologized, offering me a smile. 

I took another deep breath. "My school was small, and there were not more than seven hundred students studying there. But still....." I trailed off as I held back myself. 

All the faces of the people who hated me came back into my brain. Their terrible words, their laughters, and the way they had looked at me — it was just too horrible. 

Fatty Ellie!

Hey, look at that fat girl!

"Ellie," Riley's soft voice tingled in my ears, but my mouth failed to utter a reply. My eyes weren't blinking, and my heart raced as everything came back to haunt me. 

Fatty fatty fatty Ellie Ellie Ellie

God, she's so hideous. She should just kill herself!

"Ellie, are you okay?" I felt a hand on my shoulder, and that one managed to pull me out of my thoughts. 

A tear dropped from my eyes. "I used to be a nobody. Everyone over there hated me, and they called me names," I croaked, failing to control myself. "I don't know what did I do till they hated me that much! I was just......"

Riley wrapped his arm around me, and in some way, it made me feel so safe, and I didn't want him to let go.  His arm fitted perfectly around me  —  like he was really made for me. 

"I'm sorry, Ellie. I didn't know your life was...." Riley stopped talking, and I guessed, he was trying to figure the right word to say. "If only I knew..... I wouldn't have asked you about Lenoir."

I sniffed. "It's okay. You shouldn't sound so bad about it," I said, convincing him. "I'm not going back to Lenoir, anyway. Like forever, and ever."

"You don't have any family there?"

I shook my head before remembering Aunt Lynn. "Oh, yeah, my aunt lives there. But I never did like her," I shrugged. "She's ten times weirder than me."

Riley let out a soft chuckle. "That's .... creepy."

"Tell me about it. You should meet her for yourself," I rolled my eyes. "I moved here with hope to start a new life. I just want to be me, you know  —  just me. It's my last year in school,"

Riley looked down to me, and offered me a genuine smile. "You are you, Ellie," he mumbled softly.

The butterflies inside of me had turned into gorillas again, and it kept jumping around  — making me feel wild, and crazy. 

I lifted my eyes to look at his eyes, and even though he was putting on his sunglasses  — I could imagine his beautiful brown eyes looking at me. In this kind of occasion, I couldn't help but to feel thankful that he's blind. 

I looked like a beet-root. 

"Thanks," I managed to let out that one simple word, internally clapping my hands for my achievement. 

He squeezed me, and it made things got worse  —  the gorillas inside me turned into love-sick gorillas. Instead of jumping, it were waltzing inside my stomach!

"You're welcome," he uttered. "We're friends, right?"

Wait, what did he say?

I pulled away, putting on an obnoxious look on my face. "Did you just say we're friends?" I asked excitedly, and my eyes widened like eggs. "Oh my god! It's the end of the world!"

He gave me a flat look. 

I laughed. 

"You always destroy serious moment, you know," Riley grumbled, shaking his head in disapproval. 

I laughed even harder until I was out of breath. "Sorry, sorry. It was just — that kind of moment only comes once in a life time, Riley," I chirped, teasing him.

"Am I that bad?"

I hummed. "Uh, let me think  ..... Yeah."

He grunted, annoyed. "What should I do to prove that I am nice?"

I chuckled. "Nice wasn't made for you, Riley. But, anyway, I know just how you can prove that you're nice,"

"Speak."

"Okay, so it's Sophie's birthday this Saturday. And we're having a small party. I want you to come to my house," I told him, elbowing him. 

He scowled. "A party?" Riley repeated, gulping. 

I rolled my eyes. "It's just a small party. Just our family, and you, and Ms. Gail," I informed. "Please......."

He shrugged. "I don't know  — you parents are going to be there? Your brother?" he asked, and he actually sounded scared. 

Damn; parents thingy again. 

"Um, yeah. Everyone's going to be there," I prompted, nodding. "Ask Ms. Gail to come with you, and please say yes, Riley......"

Silent.

I pouted, shaking his arm. "Riley, please......" I beseeched. "Do it to prove you're nice, and you said that we're friends, right? Please......"

He sighed, dropping his head. "Fine. I'll go,"

"Yeay! It's going to be fun, I promise!" 

"Whatever."

I showed my pinky finger at him. "Come on. Let's pinky promise," 

He looked taken aback. "Pinky what?"

I sighed. "Pinky promise, Riley. Don't tell me you don't know what that is?" I frowned. 

"That's for kids, Elle. We're seventeen."

"I don't care," I insisted, and grabbed his hand.  "Show me your pinky finger, and promise me you'll attend Sophie's party."

"I can't believe this," Riley sighed, but still, he showed me his pinky finger. I smiled, and wrapped my finger around his. 

I looked down to our intertwined fingers, and smiled — the hopeless romantic side of me wished he would never let it go, and we would live together in Florida forever and ever. 

I could take on the sharks and the Tsunami, really. 

*

This is another filler, again. Sorry if it's not that good. I had a serious writer's block, so that's why this update was late. Sorry! >,<

Anyway, do you like it? I tried to write a different side of Ellie this time ;)

This story was #1 on Teen Fiction and #16 on Humor! Thank you so much. I never thought I could ever get this. This is super insane, amazing, and a dream come true. 

PS. The last chapter got 700+ votes and almost 300 comments! Thanks! Will you do the same on this one? ;) I love you

PPS. If you're still reading this, then I love you, really xP 

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