Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments

Emma and Gina's Kitchen

I felt frozen in place as I silently watched Gina lay into my ex-boyfriend Sam over the phone. She was absolutely livid, and I felt conflicted.

On one hand, I really didn't believe this was the best way to handle this. After all the drama that has bombarded my life in my twenty-one years of existence, I do my best to avoid it where I can help it.

Then on the other hand, there was part of me that found this really satisfying. After all the mean things Sam has done and said, to see Gina let him have it the way I wished I could was pretty awesome.

"If I was you, I'd be less concerned about what my ex-girlfriend is doing and more concerned about what my current girlfriend is doing." I dropped my mouth open and stared at her in awe as I took in her words. I couldn't hear him very well on the other end, but he sounded pissed. But Gina held her head up high, a feisty little firecracker that refuses to back down.

"What does that mean? It means your girlfriend's a hoe, and you're a bitch." I cringed, imagining Sam's reaction. But at the same time..this was hilarious. "I don't give a fuck, Sam. Tell her I said that. Write it down if you need to. I'll sign, seal, and deliver it my damn self."

I had to chuckle at this point, Gina  was so sassy. It made me think back to high school and all the times she stood up for me. But I hated the idea of her getting involved in this drama at the same time.

"Gina, just hang up the phone. I think you've made your point." I pleaded motioning for the phone, but she just brushed me away. She was on a roll and I was just in the way at this point.

"Does Maria Hoetinez know that you're so jealous of who Emma is dating you can't even form two intelligible sentences together?" She pressed her lips together as if deep in thought, the sarcasm in her voice heavy. "Better yet, why don't you ask her how she feels about Emma dating Ryker Fox?" Gina was flailing her arms everywhere getting madder by the second. I had to wonder once more what those text messages actually said, because they drove both Gina and Ryker  into a nervous breakdown. Then again, something told me I was better off not knowing. Sam  could be very hurtful when he wanted to be.

"Never mind what the fuck that means, ask your hoebag girlfriend." Gina shouted, as I covered my face with my hands. "If you ever text Emma again I swear to God, I will track you down and kick your ass in front of God and everybody." With that Gina hung up the phone, with a frustrated grunt. I looked at her with my eyebrows raised, and she shrugged.

"I was just thinking, I miss the days of flip phones. Hanging up the phone was so much more dramatic back then." We both laughed, and she started going through my phone that was still in her hands.

"Now what are you doing?" I asked, sounding slightly defensive. My head was still spinning from all this drama, and I wasn't sure I could handle anything else. She glanced up at me briefly before turning  her attention back to my phone.

"I'm deleting his text messages. I know you, and you'll end up looking just out of curiosity." She stated, sounding very certain of this. Damn. She really does know me way too well. To be honest, despite knowing how much I really shouldn't know..I probably would have ended up reading them. "Honestly, that bastard has wasted enough of your time. He doesn't get to have another second." She handed my phone back to me after she had deleted the messages, and I sighed an exhausted sigh, knowing she was right as usual.

"Remember what I said, Emma. When the past comes knocking.." She reminded me, waving her index finger in my direction. I cut her off, already knowing what she was referring to, but it really resonated with me.

"'When the past comes knocking, don't answer it. It has nothing new to say.' You're right, Gina. Thank you." I gave her a hug and though seeming surprised, she hugged me back. My words were genuine, I really was thankful for her. When it came to protecting or defending the people she loved, she was fearless. It's a shame her parents couldn't accept her for who she was, because who she is, is really beautiful.

"I'm always right." She grinned, flipping her hair back. I rolled my eyes, just as a thoughtful look came over her face."Since I'm on a roll, let me give you some more advice." She offered, and my first reaction was to protest. But she usually always told me just what I needed to hear, and I valued her opinion.

"Which is?" I prompted, shutting my open laptop and setting my phone down on the kitchen table. She studied me for a moment, before finally speaking in a very firm tone. 

"Change your number. It will make your life a thousand times easier." 

Ryker Fox

Ryker's Balcony

Dexter  of course immediately started drilling me about how prepared I was for my audition tomorrow, seeming skeptical I had actually went over it. As annoying as it was, I couldn't really blame him. I had been putting it off for a long time. Now that I had actually read the script and got to know the character, I regretted not preparing for it sooner. But I did feel very confident with my ability to pull it off.

To try to ease his mind a bit, we sat on the balcony with the script and I read the lines with him. He listened intently, his face unreadable at first. Dexter was one of my toughest critics, but I had to admit I liked it. He had faith in me to be incredible, so he would not accept anything less than that. Unlike some others who might feel pressured to cater to my ego, Dexter will always tell the truth..for better or for worse.

After enough time had gone by without any kind of comments or feedback from him, I stopped and looking up from the script and to his face. I felt myself a tad nervous, which was out of character. "So, thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Comments?" I prompted, urging him to give me something back.

He picked up his coffee from the table and casually took a drink, his eyes on my face. I was two seconds away from stomping my foot and chucking the script at his face, until I scolded myself to stop being a diva.

Finally, he set the cup down back on the table, and exhaled a deep breath. "I think..you're really getting somewhere." He nodded in approval, I found a rush of relief come over me. "Really, it's impressive what you've managed to do in such a short time." He sounded a tad surprised I had managed to pull it off.

"Emma was a huge help, honestly. She really motivated me to go over the script and once I did, I found I feel really excited about this role. She even went over my lines with me." A thoughtful look came over his face as I gushed about Emma, and I could hear the way my tone naturally became soft and tender as I spoke of her. I couldn't help it, it was important for me to make him understand that he was wrong about my relationship with Emma Riley. She wouldn't hold me back, in fact..she brought out the best in me.

He smiled, looking genuinely pleased to hear this. But his smile was followed with his signature look of concern..as if something had just come to mind. "That's awesome, Ryker. I think you'll do great at your audition tomorrow. But after your audition is out of the way, we need to figure out what to do about Sheila." I cringed at the sound of her name, thinking back to the awkwardness of her flashing me at my door. Damnit, Dexter. I had just managed to forget about that. Now I'm traumatized all over again.

"Ugh, what about Sheila?" I winced at her name as if it was painful to say, and clutched my stomach as if I felt queasy. Sure, I was being dramatic. But then again..I'm an actor. I'm an actor, and she's a bitch.

"What do you mean 'what about Sheila?'" He air-quoted the words like they made no sense. His face scrunched up as if he was thinking very hard, most likely wondering if I suffered from short-term memory loss. "She is obviously not mentally stable, if tonight didn't prove it the fact she planted cameras should have. As much as I wanted to try to keep this quiet, we might be forced us to bring the authorities into it." He shook his head, looking stressed just thinking about it. Bringing the 'authorities' into it meant, it would most likely go public. My name has already been in the tabloids, but this would be the final nail in the coffin.

I rolled my eyes, and leaned back in my chair. He looked at my wearily, but I shook my head in protest. "Not yet, Dexter. Please. Not right before I have this big audition. It will be all anyone will ever talk about and it might ruin my chances at getting this role." My voice sounded pleading, and I realized how much I was counting on getting this part.  But that wasn't my only concern, either. It wasn't just me that it effected..it effected Emma, too. 

She shouldn't be dragged into it, but by posting that video of the two of us online, Sheila  did just that. I just didn't want Emma to be negatively effected in any way. Though part of me knew that might possibly be unavoidable, it didn't mean I wasn't going to try.

He seemed to be struggling with knowing the right thing to do. On one hand, nobody was counting on this audition to go well for me more than Dexter was. It was his job to take things like my image and reputation into consideration. On the other hand, he was seriously spooked by Sheila's unannounced visit. He wasn't the only one, either. I certainly wasn't excited to tell Emma about it, either.

"I would just..hate for anything to happen to you because we're too focused on what people would think." He finally said bleakly, causing me to raise my eyebrows. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Way to freak a guy out.

"Are you saying that you think..Sheila would actually hurt me?" The thought hadn't crossed my mind, though under the circumstances maybe it should. But Sheila never hit me as someone that could physically harm someone, or worse. She was always so soft-spoken and timid, like a mouse.  Even tonight, she seemed weaker than ever before to me. Perhaps I'm under-estimating her? Truth be told, I don't know much about her background.

"I don't know Ryker, but does it really seem that far-fetched? Her mental health is clearly declining. She's desperate, and on the verge of a complete breakdown. I think we might even need to consider the fact she might need to be hospitalized." His stress level increased the more he spoke, and I finally gestured for him to slow down. He took a deep breath, and I was unsure of what to say. Sheila's presence must have really spooked him.

"Do you think..do you think she would harm herself?" Another thought I hadn't considered, but concerned me. I have no interest in being with her, but it doesn't mean I want anything to seriously happen to her. Especially if hypothetically, she is in fact pregnant with my child...though I prayed that she wasn't. I think there would be a part of me that would feel responsible, if it was to come to that.

He shrugged, as if unsure. His face perplexed. "I really don't know, Ryker. But this is a very serious situation we've found ourselves in." He wiped sweat off his forehead and exhaled, as if exhausted. Leaning back in his chair and looking up at the sky, he seemed deep in thought. "I don't know what to do or how to handle this." This seemed difficult for him to admit, because being in control was very important to him.

I thought about it for a moment, before playfully nudging him on the elbow. He looked up at me inquisitively. "How about for now we worry about getting me through this audition tomorrow, I really don't think she's coming back here anytime soon after what just happened." I tried to smile a friendly smile at him, wishing there was something I could do to make him not so stressed out. Especially considering that he was stressed out for my sake.

 Technically, he wasn't obligated to deal with any of this. He could just tell me I was on my own and go live his own life. But I felt really grateful to have him through all this. Without him and Emma, I'd never survive.

Speaking of Emma.."Say Dex, if we're done here I was thinking about calling--" Dexter perked up when he noticed me trying to make my exit and motioned for me to not move. I didn't move, but stared at him..silently wondering who the fuck he thought he was scolding.

"Not so fast, before you let little Ryker take the wheel, what do you say we go over this script a few more times just to be safe?" He picked up the script and began sifting through it. I rolled my eyes, but decided to humor him. I really did want this to go well.

"His name is Ryker Junior, and there's nothing little about him. Perhaps you'd know that if you returned your mother's calls." I could see the exact moment when what I said registered in Dexter's brain, because a sour look spread on his face and he looked up from the script to glare at me. If I had a mic, this would be the moment I dropped it. That's right, fucker. When all else fails, tell a 'your mama'  joke.

For the next hour or so I put in all my will power to focus on the script and getting more familiar with the character. Though try as I might, Emma Riley was always planted in my mind like a stubborn ass rutabaga.

Yes. I just compared her to a rutabaga. Give me a break. I am an actor, not a writer.

Emma Riley

Lakeside Apartments

Gina and I sat in the kitchen for a while and talked. When we started getting hungry, we decided to just order a pizza. After we had finished eating, we were sitting on the couch with the television on. I couldn't even tell you what we were watching, because my mind was elsewhere.

I was thinking about Ryker, questioning if I should call him or not. I was rather surprised I hadn't heard from him yet, and the fact of the matter is..I missed him.

There was part of me that knew that was kind of lame, considering it hasn't even been twenty-four hours. But at the same time, what was developing with Ryker  was exciting. On the other hand, I didn't want him to feel like I was smothering him or something. So should I just play it cool and wait for him to contact me, or just take a leap of faith and contact him first? I let out a frustrated sigh that my anxiety always causes me to make things a bigger deal than they probably should be. I was so tired of overthinking everything.

"What's your problem?" Gina asked with one eyebrow raised, studying my annoyed expression. I didn't even know she had been watching me, I thought she was into whatever was on the television. But as usual, nothing seems to get past Gina.

"I was just thinking..about, Ryker." I admitted, not seeing a point in lying to her. She always can tell when I'm hiding something anyway, might as well just skip a step and just tell her what's on my mind. "I was wondering if I should text him. I know I just saw him earlier, but he has a big audition tomorrow and I wanted to wish him luck." I avoided her staring eyes, until she did not respond to what I said. So I finally braved it and looked over at her face, to see her grinning at me from ear to ear. I sunk into the couch and covered my face, because I could already tell she was about to tease me.

"Awww, you want to wish your boo good luck on his big day. How freaking cute!" She gushed while I tried to hide my blushed cheeks. She let out a couple squeal noises and dramatically held her face in her hands. "It's so sweet to see you two all coupled up. I could just die!" 

I rolled my eyes, and mumbled under my breath. "Don't make promises you can't keep." She looked at me startled, and then laughed so hard it echoed off the walls. I don't know why she always acts surprised by my sarcastic comebacks. I have a million of them in my back pocket just waiting for an excuse to come out.

"So, what's the problem? If you want to call him, just do it." She shrugged, her demeanor saying I was making something out of nothing. Honestly, I probably was. But this was just not something she was ever going to understand.

"Easy for you to say, Gina. You have tons of confidence, and you don't care what anyone thinks." I pointed out, suddenly feeling kind of sad. I would love to have her 'fuck em' if they don't like it' attitude. Some days, my anxiety was manageable. Other days, it was crippling. You always hear people tell you to 'take it one day at a time,' but when you have anxiety even one day can feel overwhelming. On those days..you have to take it one moment  at a time, instead.

Gina  looked at me remorsefully, her tone soft, and non-threatening. "It didn't happen overnight, Emma. I was disowned by my own parents for being honest about who I was. You might be surprised at what that can do to a person's self esteem." She stared off into the distance with a sad look on her face, and I suddenly got a wave of guilt. She had problems, too. But she always acted so cool and confident, sometimes it felt like I was the only one who didn't have their shit together.

"I'm sorry, Gina. I didn't mean to be insensitive to what you've been through." I smile wearily while she let out a deep sigh. There was a brief but awkward silence between us, before she finally shrugged and gave me a smile.

"It's okay, Emma. I know you've been through a lot. All I mean is, any confidence I have I had to find within myself. It didn't happen overnight, either." I processed her words, knowing they were wise ones. I knew what she was trying to say. She learned how to believe in herself, and I will too. But I didn't have much faith in my ability to do that. Even before her parents disowned her, she was always much more fierce than I was.

"How do I get myself to stop being so afraid?" I asked the sentence out loud, speaking to myself just as much as Gina. That really was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? I was so afraid of messing things up with Ryker. So afraid of losing him as quickly as I found him. So afraid that one of these days, he'll realize that he's way out of my league.

Gina lovingly placed her hand on my shoulder, and gave me a sweet smile. I almost didn't want to return her gaze, afraid I would start getting emotional. But I reluctantly looked her in the eye as she spoke. "You can start by picking up the phone, and calling the man. Don't think about 'what-ifs,' just take a leap of faith and call. He has done everything he can to show you he's interested in you, so believe him."

She made it seem so simple. Instead of giving myself time to think about it too long, I did as I was told and picked up my phone and dialed his number. Gina  gave me a satisfied wink and excused herself to the kitchen, most likely just to give me space.

Ryker Fox

Ryker's Balcony

"Emma! Thank the Holy Lord and savior Jesus Christ!" I could hear Emma laughing on the other end at the way I had chosen to answer her phone call. I instantly felt happier just hearing the sound of her voice. A smile on my face that was reserved for her and her alone. "If Dexter makes me go over this script one more time I'm going to throw myself off this balcony." I said sarcastically, making Dexter  roll his eyes as he stood up out of his chair.

"You'll thank me after your audition." Dexter mumbled, gesturing he was going to let himself out. He wasn't entirely wrong. I already felt pretty good about my chances, but now I felt ready as all hell. Nervous, but an excited type of nervous. Although, nobody helped me as much as Emma did.

"I'm not calling at a bad time or anything, right?" Emma's voice sounded small and shy, like she wasn't sure if she should be calling. Which honestly baffled me at this point. At the same time, it was super cute. 

"Emma, talking to you is the highlight of my days. It's never a bad time when you're the one who's calling." She giggled as if this made her blush, though I was only being honest. She was pretty much the best thing about my life these days. "How are you feeling?" I asked curiously.

She sighed, immediately making me nervous something had happened. "It's certainly been an interesting night. Gina, well she read those text messages from my ex earlier..and she kind of sort of ripped him a new one. I don't think he's going to try talking me for a while, but I'm still planning on changing my number just in case." I began to feel on edge as I remembered those horrible text messages. I felt very protective of Emma, but very glad Gina was there to defend her. I would have paid good money to witness her lay into that shithead.

"Changing your number is a very good idea, just make sure I have it." I teased in a playful tone. She giggled, and listening to her laugh made me wish I was with her right now. Kissing that sensitive spot on her beautiful neck and listening to that giggle in my ear. "Did you..read the text messages, too?" I asked suddenly, trying to keep myself focused. I really, really didn't like the idea of her reading what that asshole said.

"No. Gina deleted them so I wouldn't be tempted to look." She sounded slightly annoyed by this, but seemed to accept it was for the best. Once again, I was reminded that I really liked Gina. If I hadn't been too pissed to think straight, I would have deleted them myself. But I didn't know if it was my place to. As Emma's  best friend, Gina  can get away with it. "Enough about that though, how are you feeling? Are you ready for your audition tomorrow?" Her voice perked up when she changed the subject to me. I had to smile at the fact she was almost as excited as I was about me having this opportunity.

"I think so. I feel pretty good. But I was thinking, I mean..I'd really feel much better if.." I began to stutter, feeling slightly awkward. She just laughed and waited for me to finish. "Do you think you could come with me? For you know..support?" I felt a little pitiful, I had never asked a woman to come with me to an audition before. I was a grown man, and I knew I was capable of going by myself. Hell, I had been doing it for years. Unless you counted Dexter  occasionally tagging along. But everything just seemed..better when she was there.

"Wow..really? I mean..I don't want to be in the way." I rolled my eyes as she began to protest, but after thinking about it for a moment she finally agreed. "But of course. I'd love to come with you, if you think it would be helpful."

I felt better already, so grateful to have someone who supported me so much. Grateful..for Emma Riley.

Emma Riley

Emma's Living Room

As I hung up the phone with Ryker, I had a permanent grin on my face. Just as I suspected, I definitely was overthinking that whole 'afraid to call him' thing. Gina will be delighted to hear that she was right..again.

Just as I was about to call out to Gina who was still in the kitchen, the still turned on television suddenly caught my attention when I heard Ryker's name. I turned up the volume, and it was on some Entertainment News type of show. There was a pretty woman with a plastic grin on her face, cheerfully talking about my boyfriend, Ryker Fox.

"He's gracing the silver screen for years..but lately he's been gracing the tabloids, too. Ryker Fox was one of the world's most eligible bachelors until recently when he has been seen multiple times with an unknown young lady. At least..unknown until now."

She grinned a mischievous smile as she prepared to deliver the latest gossip..not just about Ryker, but about me. My heart sank as I stared at the television in horror..praying what I thought was happening wasn't actually happening.

"We have the inside scoop from a reliable source that wishes to remain anonymous that the Ryker Fox's lady love is named Emma Riley. She started out as get this, his cleaning lady! Old habits die hard  I guess..right, Ryker? Let's just wait and see if this one lasts."

Just like that, my name was out there for everyone to know. My identity,..no longer anonymous, and I was positive I knew exactly who this 'anonymous source'  was.

author's note: If you enjoyed this chapter, please don't forget to vote! :)