Stop throwing potatoes at me! Here's the new chapter! :3

Dedicate to my lovely fan, Mpho <3

Unedited

Enjoy <3 

19th

*

I had English the next day. 

Yeah. English.

I flicked my eyes to the seat beside me, disappointed to see it was still empty. I had been hoping my eyes caught it wrong, and Riley was actually here with me. 

But no - he wasn't there. Even after I rubbed my eyes for countless times, Riley Flynn wasn't in the class on that day. 

Mixed feelings started to fill in my heart. I tried my best to concentrate on the class, but it was useless. My mind could only think of him, and where he could he be right now. 

Ms. Gail was here, though, and she was writing on the white board, putting on a calm expression. That meant Riley was fine, I hoped so. I really wanted to ask her why he skipped school today, but I realized it wasn't really appropriate. 

I decided to wait until the class ended. 

But waiting had never been as painful as this. I felt like the clock was mocking me as I waited with bated breath for the bell to ring. I kept tapping my pen on the side of my head, focussing my eyes on the wall clock. 

Tick tock

Tick tock

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. For the hundredth time, I turned my closed eyes to look at Riley's seat, praying hard that he would miraculously show up. 

"Abracadabra," I mouthed, inaudible before opening my eyes. 

He wasn't there. My magic didn't work. My ultimate crush, Riley wasn't sitting beside me today.  

"Ellie?" Ms. Gail called my name, and I jumped a little. I turned my eyes to look at her, blinking in surprise. "Is everything alright?" she asked using a concern tone. 

No. Where was Riley?

I nodded without saying anything, and Ms. Gail gave me a knowing smile. I bet she knew why I was acting like a crazy woman in her class, casting a useless spell, hitting myself with a pen. 

Ten minutes left. Yes - just ten freaking minutes. 

I clasped my hands together, breathing steadily. I didn't really care people were now staring at me like I was some sort of an alien. I just wanted to talk to Ms. Gail and ask her where Riley was, and why he skipped school. 

Was this had to do with yesterday's event? God, I hoped not. 

Ring!

Yes!

People started emptying the classroom while I shoved my book, and pen into my backpack recklessly. When everyone had left the classroom, I walked towards the teacher's desk, praying in my head that Riley was fine, and nothing bad really did happen to him. 

"Ms. Gail," I stood in front of her desk, clasping my hands together. "Riley. Is he-"

"He's fine, Ellie," Ms. Gail answered before I could even ask her the question.

 I wondered again if I were really that predictable. 

I sighed in relief, every muscle in my body finally relaxing. But then she told me, "He's got an appointment in the hospital this morning. That's why he had to skip school today." 

My mouth fell open, and my heart literally stopped beating. "What? Hospital? Is he okay? Did he get really sick or something? Oh my God...." I exclaimed, clutching my chest dramatically. 

Ms. Gail shook her head repeatedly. "No, no. Relax, Ellie. It's just a monthly medical check-up. Riley is alright, and healthy," she explained, word by word. "You don't have to worry."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Ellie," she assured, smiling fondly. Her eyes turned to look at her wrist-watch. "I think he should be home by now. Why don't you call, and ask him how did it go? I'm sure Riley would love that." she suggested cheerfully. 

I nodded, and I did plan to call him even before she gave the suggestion. I knew it was just a medical check-up, but the thought of it still scared the hell out of me.

I couldn't imagine Riley sitting alone in the hospital, waiting for the doctor to say something he does want to hear instead of something he doesn't. 

Okay, maybe he wasn't alone. But still....

I crawled back to my seat, and dropped myself on the chair. Turning my eyes to look at the seat beside me, I sighed. Never had I ever felt this empty, and lonely. I never actually realized how important he was to me until this day. 

I made a mistake of lying to him yesterday, and I knew it. I couldn't even sleep last night, I felt so bad. Especially since Riley didn't even text or call me - something he would always do, even though he just wanted to piss me off. 

Absent-minded, a tear dropped off from my eye, and I wiped it instantly. The last thing I wanted to do was crying over something that wasn't really big.

If Riley knew this, I was sure he would laugh at me, and tell me how sensitive I was. He would also brag on how important he was to me. 

The only thought about him made me feel even worse. I slipped my backpack into my shoulder, getting up on my feet. 

"Goodbye, Ms. Gail. Thanks," I said when I was about to go out of the classroom. 

"You're welcome, sweetie. Don't worry too much, I'm sure he's fine," Ms. Gail said like she could really read my mind at this point. "Call him."

I nodded, and offered her a weak smile before making my way out of the door. I slammed the door shut, and took my phone out of my pocket. There wasn't any new message, or any missed calls. 

I dialled his number, and waited for him to answer it. My hands were shaking, and I didn't know why but I felt like something was wrong. 

I began to panic again when Riley didn't answer my phone call. He'd  always answer my call even though he said that he hated it. Always. 

Where was he?

I walked around, hoping it would at least ease the tension that was forming inside me. Riley wasn't still answering my calls. Maybe he was still in the hospital, maybe he was sleeping or resting....

Or maybe something bad did really happen to him. 

Reese suddenly showed up in front of me. I didn't even notice she was around. "Hey, Ellie," she said, using her cheerful tone as usual. I ignored her, and kept on dialling Riley's number. This wasn't the right time to socialize with a friend.

I guess, Reese could sense there was something wrong when she asked, "What's up?"

I lifted my eyes to meet her, and didn't say anything for some moments. Reese frowned in confusion, and a panicked expression appeared on her face. I felt the wet hot tears fill up my eyes, my throat closed tight, and a lump forming inside it. 

"Riley..." I pitched in the last effort to squeak out the word that was bottled up inside me. Some people would think I was over-reacting, but no one knew what I had been through before this. 

The night when my parents died, I had the same feeling - yes, the exact same feeling. I could still remember how painful it was. I knew something bad was going to happen, and I even told Aaron about it. Like always, he said I was just over-reacting, and it was just me being me.

I tried to call Mom, and she didn't answer. I tried Dad, and it was the same. An hour later, I received a call from the police, and they said my parents were dead.

They left me forever. 

I thought Reese was going to ask for more information as she looked at me intently. But instead she went closer to me, and hugged me. The tears finally poured out, and I could only choke on the lump in my throat. 

Sometimes, words were just redundant, and what you really needed was a hug. 

And a friend.

**

By the time I got home, I called Riley again - still no answer from him. I lost count on how many times did I try to reach him, and my sent folder was almost full. I knew it was annoying, but I wouldn't stop doing this until he answered my call or at least send me a message.

Couldn't he tell that I was worrying sick about him? 

I was lying on the sofa, wearing a baggy sweatpants, and a white tank top. My hair looked more like a bush now, and my eyes were a little swollen after the scene with Reese. I typed another text message, sent it before placing my phone on the coffee table. 

Where was he? 

This one question kept taunting my mind, making me go crazy. Ms. Gail told me he was fine, but if he was really fine, why didn't he answer any of my calls? Why didn't he reply my text and voicemail?

Why?

I closed my eyes with hope I could fall asleep. My energy was drained, but my eyes refused to shut. I wished someone could just call the ambulance for me, and ask the surgeon to take my heart out of my chest. It was too painful, almost unbearable.

Buzz. 

I got up instantly when I heard my phone vibrating on the table. Nothing had ever sounded so beautiful like it before, and the sound made me wanna cry of happiness. I took the phone, and opened the text message. 

I frowned the moment I knew it wasn't from Riley.

From: Aiden Miller

Hey, are you busy this evening? :)

I technically threw the phone back onto my table again, frustrated. The text wasn't from Riley; it was from Aiden. 

How could he ask that kind of question when I was panicking like this? 

Well, Ellie, the answer was quite clear - he didn't know you're panicking because your ultimate crush was missing in action. 

Oh, right. 

I groaned, lying back onto the sofa, and waited for Riley to call me again. "Ouch!" I moaned as I accidentally dropped my head onto the hard arm rest.

Could this day get any worse than this?

Rubbing the back of my head, I felt like crying again. Riley was missing, my head got hit by the sofa armrest, Aiden hadn't stopped bothering me - God, why was this happening to me? What did I do till I deserve this?

You lied to Riley. 

Aaron walked into the lounge. "You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. I raised my eyes to look at him, and decided to ignore his question. 

Wasn't it so obvious that I wasn't okay? 

He took a seat next to me, tapping my thigh. "What's wrong with your head?" he asked again, cocking his head to the side to look at the back of my head. 

"The armrest." I answered, groaning in frustration. "You should change the sofa. This -" I tapped the freaking armrest. "-is going to hurt people." 

" Again?"

"Shut up."

"Someone's in a bad mood," he said in a singsong, teasing me. 

I used my hands to cover my ears. "Seriously, just - just don't talk to me. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone. Especially you, Aaron." I snapped. 

"Okay. What's wrong?"

I rolled my eyes, and knowing he wouldn't stop asking until he get the answer, I told him, "Riley is missing."

"Missing?"

"Yes, missing."

"He broke up with you?"

My jaw dropped down as I gasped. "What? No, of course not. We aren't even dating, Aaron," I literally shouted before scrunching up my face. "God, you're so useless."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever," Aaron said flatly, getting up on his feet. He held up both his hands. "I'm going to leave you alone, and warn Sophie to not disturb you. There's a high possibility you're having PMS."

"Aaron!"

He laughed, and left the lounge, leaving me alone. I face-palmed myself, sighing. My brother was so annoying that sometimes I wish I could just throw him out of the window. I touched the back of my head, and there was a bulge on it. 

Great, just great. 

My phone rang, and I grabbed it as fast as I could. I stared on the phone screen for a moment. 

Ms. Gail (Aaron's bunny)

Yeah, my stupid brother secretly changed the name when I left my phone on the kitchen table. No matter how disgusting I thought it was, I was too lazy to change it back. 

"Hello?" I answered the call, my voice croaking. The rate of my breathing increased rapidly as I couldn't help but to think that Ms. Gail was going to deliver a bad news; instead of a good one. 

"Ellie," Ms. Gail's voice swept into my ear, and she didn't sound so good. 

Oh, God.

"Yeah," I responded, and I wasn't able to say anything more than that. Taking a deep breath, I mentally assured myself that I was over-thinking. 

"It's Riley," Ms. Gail said, and at the mention of his name, my heart skipped a beat. I waited for her to continue. "I just knew Riley didn't go to the hospital this morning."

"Why? Where did he go?"

I heard her sighing. "He stayed at home, and Riley refused to go out of his bedroom. Even until now," Ms. Gail told me. 

I closed my eyes, clutching my chest as I sighed in relief. "Oh, God. I thought you were going to say that something bad happened to him," I said honestly to her. "I've been trying to call him since I was at school, but he didn't pick it up."

I bet she was smiling. "Sorry for freaking you out then," she said before continuing, "I think he probably turned off his phone, Ellie. He doesn't want to talk to anyone,"

I began to calm down a little bit. "Why? What happened actually?"

"So, this morning, he was supposed to go to the hospital with his parents. But you know who Riley is. He's so stubborn, and he hates going to the hospital," Ms. Gail answered my question before pausing to take a breath. "He's locking himself up inside his room until now. I'm worried, Ellie. My sister said Riley had been throwing things in there. He hadn't eaten anything too,"

"Can I come over? Maybe I can try to talk to him," I asked with hope she'd say yes. I really wanted to go to his house so badly. There was no way I could do anything without knowing how he was doing. 

I also realized there was a high possibility Riley wouldn't even want to talk to me. Maybe he would chase me out of his house or even break our friendship because of this; but I had to try. At least, I tried. 

"Of course you can. That's the reason why I'm calling you, Ellie. I think you're the only one who Riley would listen to right now. He needs you," Ms. Gail said, almost begging. I could sense that she was really worried about him. 

"I'm on my way," I gave her the answer, and ended the call instantly. I looked down to myself, and realized I looked like a monster, but there was no time to change. Riley was in trouble, and that was even more important than looking good. 

So, screw it. 

I ran towards the door, but unfortunately for me, my James Bond exit attempt didn't last long. I forgot there was a coffee table on my way, and crashed into it with a thud.

"Ow!" my left foot received all the damage. I jumped on one foot while rubbing my foot. "Ow, ow ow," I moaned.

Aaron who probably heard the loud thud approached me. "What's going on?" he asked, looking at me like I was mad. He turned his eyes to the coffee table before averting his eyes to my foot. "You hit the coffee table? Again?"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, putting my hurt foot on the ground again. I started limping towards the door. I opened the door, and knew Aaron was still following me. 

"Where are you going?"

"Riley's," I answered, trying my best to walk properly. I headed towards the mini workshop which was situated at the back of my house. 

"For what?" Aaron was still following me, and that stupid, annoying brother of mine didn't even help me when I was struggling to open the rusty workshop. 

"He needs help," I said, and went into the workshop to take my bicycle. Yeah - a bicycle. I thought it was the fastest way I could get to his house. I knew Aaron could send me, but then he wouldn't stop asking me this and that, and he would need time to get ready. 

He was just wearing a worn-out pants, and a concert T-shirt. Knowing Aaron, I was sure he wouldn't want to smear his reputation by wearing those outfits when driving me to his crush's home. He was stupid like that. 

I took out my old, white bike out of the workshop. It was a little rusty, but seriously, I didn't care about how it looked at all. I just needed to get to his house as fast as possible.  

I dragged the bike to the front while Aaron was still following me from behind. He was wearing that suspicious look on his face, but I was too busy to care. The moment I got onto the bike, ready to pedal it, a familiar silver car parked right in front of me. 

Gosh, what was it now?

The driver lowered the window, and I sighed when I saw his face. "Ellie, where are you going?" he asked, wearing a confused look on his face. His eyes observed me and my bike tentatively, and probably feeling weird that I was going out looking like a hungry monster. 

"What are you doing here, Aiden?" I asked in somewhat a rude tone. 

"You didn't reply my text. I just wanna make sure you're fine," he explained, looking a little taken aback. "Where are you going?"

I sighed. "I'm fine, Aiden. Can you just move your car, please? I'm in a hurry," I said, pleading. 

"But-"

"Just move the freaking car, you stupid inconsiderate prick. I'm in a hurry!" I was really angry that I forgot it was Aiden I was talking to. I didn't know how Riley was doing, and the thought of it was driving me insane. 

What if Riley tried to kill himself? What if he hurt himself? His Mom said he has been throwing things inside his bedroom. 

Oh, God, please protect him. 

I wasn't a violent person, really. I barely even cursed when I was angry - heck, I even barely got angry to anyone. 

So, when I called Aiden a stupid inconsiderate prick, it had actually surprised my brother. No, surprise was an understatement. Aaron actually looked like he was going to pass out. I glanced at him, and noticed his piercing eyes widened in shock, and his mouth fell open a little. 

There was an awkward silence between the three of us as they were probably still trying to accept the fact Ellie Burke just cursed someone. 

"Aiden!" I shouted his name, waving a hand at him. "The car? Please?" I told him again, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Aiden blinked his eyes a couple of times, looking really bemused, but he immediately reversed his car to give the space for my bike. 

"Thank you," I muttered before started pedalling my bike, heading towards Riley's house which was about fifteen minutes away from mine. 

I struggled a little, seeing that I hadn't been on the bike since I moved to Florida. But I couldn't stop  - I must get to Riley's house immediately. His life was probably on stake. 

Mentally, I began to think on what I should say to him so that he would go out of his bedroom. Riley was a stubborn guy, he wouldn't give up that easily. 

I pedalled my bike even faster than before while panting for breath. A sweat trickled down the side of my head, and I wiped it off. The only good thing about this was the fact the weather was nice, and sunny. It wasn't too hot, or raining. 

I bet even Lance Armstrong couldn't beat me at this point. I was pedalling my bike so fast like those guys in the Tour De France Tournament. The strong wind rushed through me, and I had to squint my eyes a little because of it. 

I didn't want to think how my hair looked like right now - heck no. 

By the time I reached his house, I was already sweating like a pig. I literally dropped my bike hastily on the ground, jogging to press the doorbell. 

"Come on. Open it," I said to myself, pressing the doorbell repeatedly. The familiar creaking sound of the golden gate entered my ears so I walked back to my bike, and lifted it up. When the gate was fully open, I noticed there was a new car parked inside the garage. 

Oh, shoot. His parents were home. 

Ah, screw it. 

I dragged my bike with me before dropping it down on an empty space in the driveway. Rebecca was already waiting for me in front of the door so I rushed towards her. 

"Hey..... where's....... Ms. Gail..... she called ...... Riley," I tried my best to make up a sentence while my hand were clutching my chest. 

Rebecca put a hand on my shoulder. "Did you run all the way here?" She asked but I shook my head. She turned to look at my bike before nodding in understanding. "Oh, bike. Let's get inside. I'll get you some water,"

"No, no," I rejected, shaking my head. "I want to see ..... see him first." 

She smiled, and nodded. "Okay, sweetheart. Let's go and -" 

A sound of a glass being thrown onto the floor interrupted Rebecca. We both turned our eyes to look inside the house, and my heart literally stopped beating again. 

Riley....

To be continued...

**

A/N: Muahahaha this is the most evil cliffhanger I've ever written :D Sorry! I had to split this chapter into two because of the length. 

I hope this chapter clear up a few misunderstandings :3 Lol

Vote, and comment, please ! I wanna read your reaction *\(^O^)/*

Next chapter: You'll get to meet our baby Riley :P It's going to be an emotional one, I guess.