[IC] Soldier Made [Heaven & Evershadow]

[Heaven]

Last period couldn't come quick enough. Riley George was ready to get out of school. It had been an okay day, but tonight was the school dance, and Rick Grimes, her crush since grade six, had finally asked her out. She was going on her first date tonight, and it was with him! She was way to excited for tonight. Her mom had come to pick her up that afternoon, so when they pulled out of school, she asked if she could buy a new dress, and just as excited for her daughter as she was, her mom agreed.

About an hour later, they were back home and Riley was getting ready for the dance. She had bought a really pretty lavender dress that reached her knees, puffing out just a little, with black flats. She could not pull heels off. Her hair was pulled up in a fancy bun with curly wisps hanging around her face. She had on lavender eyeshadow and black liner with pale pink lipgloss. She walked downstairs. Rick was a year older than her, so he had his license and a car and was waiting downstairs when she came down. He looked dashing in his beige pants, white button-up and black tie.

They posed for a couple pictures before heading off to the dance. Rick opened the car door for her and off they were going to the dance, talking about anything and everything on the way.

When the dance was over, Riley searched for Rick, and found him, making out with a girl she recognized from her biology class. Devastated, she ran out of the gym and out of the school, towards the woods. She knew them like the back of her hand, so she wasn't worried about getting lost. When she couldn't run anymore, Riley fell to her knees, sobbing. A noise in the distance alerted her. She glanced up, looking around, trying to pinpoint where the rustling was coming from.

[evershadow]

Bare feet fleeted across the undergrowth of the woods, catching on twigs and bramble. "Two-seven-five-four-two-one-two", as he had been designated was running, for life, hypothetically. Dressed in only a robe that resembled something of a hospital robe, the boy couldn't have been any older than fifteen. Close behind him came the sounds of barking dogs and gruff, male voices shouting, the rotors of a helicopter, its spotlight shining through the thick foliage of the trees. The boys bergin (rucksack) bounced off his back with every rushed step, loosely slung over one shoulder. He had packed everything he could before making a break for it.

The boy knew this area from a map he had seen of the area and he knew he was running out of ground he could cover before he'd be stuck by a raging river. About to be closed in on by highly trained covert troops, attack dogs and an attack helicopter, the boy had to make a choice. Focusing on the noises of his surroundings rather than his pursuers he heard the rushing of water, the river was right ahead. Gulping, he picked up speed and jumped, flailing his arms at his sides and running through the air for a brief moment before hitting the water and going under.

Dogs barked, viciously, saliva flying from their mouths as they stood at alert lurching forward by the side of the river. The men approached next, dressed in all black armed with assault vests and tranquilizer rifles, as well as all sorts of tazers and other gear. One male that stood out from the others, much older but still holding a military-bearing build approached and looked down at the water, puffing a cigar. The others had been there for about twenty minutes waiting for this man to arrive. The older man spat on the floor and snarled in disappointment before turning and walking off, presumably back to the trucks. "Let's move out!" Yelled one of the soldiers, the dogs who had been relatively calm up until this point began barking again as the men began to follow the riverside.

|Within the next hour later|

"Two-seven-five-four-two-one-two" had emerged from the river about fifteen minutes earlier, having pulled himself out of the raging current using a sturdy branch that protruded from the banks. In the currents he had lost his robe and so emerged completely naked, thankfully he had managed to keep his bergin close to him and had even used it to float. He imagined the clothes he had inside the backpack were as soaked through as the backpack itself. He thought about how crazy it seemed now that these military issue bergins were not waterproof. He decided to walk for a few minutes, coming to a stop by some heavily leafed trees. He placed the backpack down, and began to change, pulling on underwear first followed by black combat trousers, he pulled a olive green t-shirt over his top followed by a black jumper with padded shoulders, spec-op issue. He decided against socks which were drenched and would do his feet no good, instead he pulled on his black combat boots, pulling the hem around the cuffs of his trousers so they were tucked into the boots.

Finally, he pulled a black jacket over himself and zipped it up, quietly, as high as the zip would go, the rim of the neck on the jacket coming up to just below the boy's chin. He placed the rucksack down and began to cover it with sticks, leaves and all sorts of undergrowth, causing a rustling sound. The boy would have preferred to stay quiet but at least this may in some way keep them off his trail for a bit longer, unaware that he had already lost them.

[Heaven]

The rustling came from her right, standing up, Riley brushed off the dirt and loose leaves from her dress and headed to the direction, picking up a sturdy stick as she was doing so. As quietly as she could, she peeked from around a tree and say a boy, burying something. She kept her breathing soft and was trying to not move so she couldn't alert him. She felt something land on her shoulder and looked to see what it was, screaming when she saw a spider. She brushed it off and jumped back, tripping over a root from a tree sticking out of the ground while in the process.

Cursing silently to herself, she got back to her feet. Deciding to build some courage up, she came into the clearing, face to face with the boy. "Um. Hi." She said, feeling a little awkward. She held the stick behind her back with a firm grip, just in case she was wrong about this boy and he turned out to be some sort of serial killer or something. "What are you burying?" She asked, standing on her tip-toes to try and see. It looked like a bag, probably its previous owner was slaughtered by this boy and here she was just hanging out, alone, in the woods with him.

[Sorry its short- hit a snag!]

[evershadow]

The boy had heard the breathing, his genetics having been meddled with gave him heightened senses, far superior to those of civilians. However, he figured that one person; probably just wondering the woods, was not too much of a threat. If a threat presented itself in this presence, he would do what his training had taught him, eliminate it. Despite knowing that there was somebody watching him, the loud, shrill scream had caught him off guard, causing him to almost jump out of his boots. Instantly abandoning the task of covering up the bag he snapped around, his body language gave off a sense of being threatened as his stance took a fighting form. Nothing, the lack of someone or thing standing before him left the boy confused and when a girl, probably his own age from the looks of her stepped out from behind a large tree, his stance went back to normal, upright.

"Um. Hi."

He raised a very scratched up hand towards his head, running it across his shaved scalp. He had not been given the liberty of an ordinary military haircut, rather something that would be seen in a movie or documentary about concentration camps, practically bald. If his hair had been fairer, it might have looked completely bald in the darkness of the woods. His senses calming, he said nothing, but rather stared at the girl and stepped back towards the bag.

"What are you burying?" Why? He wondered, what did it matter, having rarely been in the outside world and never spending time around "normal" kids his age, the boy found himself completely unaccustomed to this misplaced curiosity. Again, he gave nothing but silence. Holding a hand out as if to tell the girl to stay quiet, he lent down towards the ground and picked up an assault rig that had been left on the ground by himself while burying the bag. It certainly wouldn't stop any bullets, it didn't even cover the torso and was completely void of plating, rather it was a utility carrying device, worn over the shoulders. Slinging this on over his jacket and pulling the hood up so it was not crumpled under the back of the vest, he shook around. Getting the rig to fall into a natural feeling position.

Escape and evade. A lesson that the boy had been taught from as early as he could comprehend the English language. Never let the enemy see you, and if they do see you evade or kill. The boy swallowed hard, blinked and kept walking. Passing straight by the girl he continued on his way at a more relaxed pace. He didn't know where he was going, or to what purpose. However, it was all he knew.

[Heaven]

Riley narrowed her eyes at the boy when he didn't speak, "It's very rude to ignore somebody, you know." She said, crossing her arms. She watched, mouth open, as he just walked past her. How much ruder can he get? She thought to herself, narrowing her eyes at his back. Rolling her eyes, she walked behind him. "Hey, I'm talking to you." She said, catching up to him. She moved to stand in front of the boy. "Are you mute or something? Or deaf?" She asked him. He wasn't bad looking, he was actually pretty cute. If he wasn't so rude she might just be interested in him.

"Where are you from, anyways?" She asked. It was like he came out from thin air. He wasn't from here, she knew that. He looked about the same age she did, so he had to be in school, but she never saw him around. Was he new to town? She decided to not move from in front of him until she got some answers. It was her mother's stubbornness coming out.

[evershadow]

"Are you mute or something? Or deaf?" He could only be so lucky, was one of the thoughts that crossed his mind as he moved to get around her. As she continued to block his path he became more and more frustrated. "Where are you from, anyways?" This again, more questions. Her curiosity facing off against his increasing annoyance. It was after another few vain attempts the boy decided that he was no longer going to try and get around her, he could forcibly move her but she was only a civilian, the idea seemed almost... Criminal.

"What is it you want from me?" He asked, his voice a surprisingly normal pitch rather than something deeper like some may have expected. A glint of anger crossed his expression but soon faded. "You have absolutely no idea what you're..." He paused, in thought. Taking a step back the boy used his hands to draw attention to his clothing and gear as he tugged at the assault vest. "What does it look like I am?" He made one last attempt to walk past her and this time succeeded, even though he had nudged her out of the way, just a little when their shoulder connected. The boy made his way to just press forward, however his annoyance got the better of him. "I'm different than you, and everyone else you know." He began, his voice raised slightly. He may have been a genetically engineered soldier, a perfect weapon without fault, but he was also an adolescent, anger would occasionally get the better of him and cloud his thought. "I- I'm..." He stuttered and raised one hand to his brow, cupping it as if trying to stop his head from exploding.

Allowing his arm to fall back to his side he opened his mouth once again and uttered, "I... Am... Soldier."

[Heaven]

Riley was a little surprised when he started speaking. So he has a voice... She thought to herself with annoyance. "What do I want from you?" She repeated the question and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess just to know why a fifteen year old boy is in the middle of the wood, burying a mysterious bag under a bunch of leaves." She said, not taking her eyes off the boy. When he stepped and asked her what he was, she raised a brow. Someone who has smoked too much weed... She thought. "A fifteen year old boy, who is obviously very confused." She said slowly. Now, he was starting to freak her out.

She narrowed her eyes when he went past her, gently nudging her in the process. She whipped around to confront him. "Hey!" She said in a irritable voice. "You don't look no more different then I do... except for the fact you're a guy, and I'm a girl." She said with a simple shrug. The last three words he said caused her to raise both brows. "A soldier? I thought those days were so 1800's, they don't take young men from families anymore, you have to be eighteen and over." She said. "You are fifteen, aren't you? And do you have a name?" She asked him ."I'm Riley." She said, introducing herself.

[evershadow]

The boy sighed, hanging his head. Realizing, not only how crazy he sounded, but also how crazy it was that he had said anything about what he was and what he did. At this point he began wondering how he was going to get himself out of this situation, and explain his attire. "I'm just a very eccentric individual." Was the conclusion he came to as he spoke it aloud to the girl, Riley as she had told him her name was. The boy shrugged and pulled the assault rig over his shoulders, dropping it to the floor beside him and lowering the zip of his jacket, just a little. Realizing he couldn't give Riley his designated number as a name, he had to think of something on the spot. He'd never had a name other than his number.

"Yeah, you're right. I just really, more than anything want to join the military so... As crazy as it seems..." He paused and looked down at himself and the bag he'd been burying. "Well, yeah you can kinda see what I mean." He held out his hand to the girl, "Alex." The name of one of his instructors, one of the few names he knew of, "Nice to meet you."

With no place to go and no idea of the world from the perspective of anybody else his age, other than those who had been with him, in training. "Alex" as he had dubbed himself was having a hard time imagining just what was going to happen.

[Heaven]

Riley gave him a strange look. Was he bipolar too? She nodded at his explanation. "No, it's cool, I'm an.. eccentric individual too..." She said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you too, Alex." She said and realization dawned on her. "Oh, I get it." She said, holding up a finger, looking at him and then the bag. "This is like some training thing, right?" She asked, looking back towards him. "You want to be in the military, so you're just training early. That makes sense." She said, shrugging as she let her hands fall to her side.

"Well, Alex, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around before, and do you need a ride home? My mom should be back at the school waiting on me. We had a school dance," she paused and looked down at her dress, "as you can tell." She said, laughing softly. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking you home, unless I was wrong and you're sixteen and have your license, and in that case, I hate you. I can not wait to turn sixteen and get my license." She said, realizing she was babbling.

She always babbled when she was nervous or just didn't know what else to say.

[evershadow]

"A training thing... Right, yeah. Exactly." Alex narrowed his eyes momentarily. Honestly, he could not believe this was believable. Perhaps his suspicions had been right about people outside in the normal World, civilians. Mentally shaking off his disbelief he took in all the questions he was being asked. "Yeah I'm new here, sort of." Alex looked Riley once over as she looked down at her dress, taking it as a sign that she wanted him to look at her clothing. "A school dance, nice." He added.

Looking up at the foliage of the trees above them, Alex sighed deeply before looking back at Riley, running his hand across his shaved head. "No, you know I don't really have anywhere to go." He began, "I'm a uh... Orphan, right?" The comment about the license amused Alex, he didn't have one but he knew how to drive a number of vehicles and in theory a tank, although he had not gotten behind the wheel (figuratively speaking) of one of those before.

"I think it's probably best if I just..." He paused, he wasn't sure what to say.

[Heaven]

Riley crossed her arms, looking him with a sad expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've still got my mom and dad... so I can't imagine what it would be like to not have your parents around anymore. How'd it happen, if I can ask?" She said softly. When he said he didn't have anywhere to go, an idea popped into Riley's head. "Come with me, we'll talk to my mom. She's a psychiatrist, for adolescents, she can probably help you find out if you have any family left, and find you a home. Until then, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you stayed with us." Riley said, her face lighting up.

"Come on, I'll ask her!" She said, not letting him have a chance to finish his sentence before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the forest clearing. She spotted her moms car in front of the school. Thankfully she had just pulled up and Riley didn't need to explain anything. She went up to her car, her mom standing outside. "Riley, honey, why were you in the forest?" She asked, and spotted Alex. "Oh, hello." She said, glaring down at Riley. "No, mom, we didn't do anything." The girl said, rolling her eyes. "He's an orphan, he doesn't have anyone to go, I told him he could stay with us and you can find his family." She said. Riley's mom looked at the boy, then Riley. "Get in, hun." She said, directing her attention to the boy. "You too, Riley." She said.

Riley grinned at Alex and got inside the car.

[Heaven]

Riley crossed her arms, looking him with a sad expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've still got my mom and dad... so I can't imagine what it would be like to not have your parents around anymore. How'd it happen, if I can ask?" She said softly. When he said he didn't have anywhere to go, an idea popped into Riley's head. "Come with me, we'll talk to my mom. She's a psychiatrist, for adolescents, she can probably help you find out if you have any family left, and find you a home. Until then, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you stayed with us." Riley said, her face lighting up.

"Come on, I'll ask her!" She said, not letting him have a chance to finish his sentence before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the forest clearing. She spotted her moms car in front of the school. Thankfully she had just pulled up and Riley didn't need to explain anything. She went up to her car, her mom standing outside. "Riley, honey, why were you in the forest?" She asked, and spotted Alex. "Oh, hello." She said, glaring down at Riley. "No, mom, we didn't do anything." The girl said, rolling her eyes. "He's an orphan, he doesn't have anyone to go, I told him he could stay with us and you can find his family." She said. Riley's mom looked at the boy, then Riley. "Get in, hun." She said, directing her attention to the boy. "You too, Riley." She said.

Riley grinned at Alex and got inside the car.

[evershadow]

"I don't know, I never found out how it happened." He lied, a feeling he hadn't felt ever before began to flood over him, guilt. The rest happened so quickly that his brain hadn't processed it all before he was taken by the hand and dragged towards the border of the forest. The closer they got to the impending treeline the more his heart thudded. Paranoia began to set in, and Alex wondered whether they knew and whether they would be waiting for him up here with what he could only expect would be the idea of taking him back.

Car headlights and the sounds of teenagers enjoying themselves as the night came to a close and the horns of other cars blaring, signalling to the teens that it was time to come home. Some, around the same age as Alex were getting into their own cars or hopping on motorcycles. One particular motorcycle caught Alex's attention, it was black and sporty, the type he liked. He had always admired motorcycles, he had only driven one once but he remembered how exhilarating it was.

"Get in, hun."

It was as if Alex could feel the words being directed at him. "Thank-you." He replied. Confused and honestly a little dazed, Alex opened one of the back doors and got in the car, taking one last look at the events happening around him before pulling on his seat belt. As the car took off, he leaned back into the seat, comfort he hadn't felt in a while. Closing his eyes, a small smile cracked his lips.

[Heaven]

They reached Riley's home about fifteen minutes later. Everything happened so fast. Her mom agreed to let Alex stay for awhile, as did her father, and they set him up a room in the spare bedroom. The following week they went to enroll him in school, the same school Riley went to. A couple weeks later, Riley's mom brought up the idea for Alex to just live with them, after not having found anything out about his family.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Riley did not feel like getting up and getting ready for school that morning. She had to stay up later all night cramming for a big English exam she had that day. She didn't both taking a shower, but just pulled her hair up in a messy bun and wore skinny jeans with a cream colored sweater and brown boots. It was mid-winter, so the weather outside was nippy, but other then a crappy school year, everything at home seemed to be going good. Alex was adjusting okay to everything, and school. Once she was ready, she skipped downstairs and grabbed a banana. "Morning, Mom, Morning, Dad." She said, smiling. "Is Alex up yet?" She asked, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"I'm not sure. Alex!" Riley's mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

[evershadow]

Alex looked up from his English book as he heard his name being called. He had been up for a couple of hours already and had everything done, including the bag packed for school. Scrunching his face for a moment, he closed the book and stood up from the wood flooring of the spare bedroom. Wearing a pair of straight-leg jeans, dark blue and a light grey t-shirt he made his way to the door, opening it he peeked from side to side before walking down the stairs. The flooring was warm beneath his bare feet until he reached the tiling of the kitchen.

"Yeah?" He asked, a curious look on his face as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Alex's gaze switched between Riley, Riley's Father and her Mother before glancing out the window. Winter had always been his favorite time of the year. It was things like this that he had never thought about until recently, until his escape. Of course, he still hadn't spoken a word of anything to anyone, even to Riley's Mother. Occasionally his thoughts would trail back to the night he met Riley and his life before then, mostly he would think of the other kids who had been with him in that place and wondered how they were. A sense of guilt would flood over him whenever he delved too deeply into the subject for not helping the others, but it would have only compromised himself.

"Everything alright?" He asked, a thin smile forming.

[Heaven]

Riley smiled at Alex when he came down. "Well, good morning sunshine." She said jokingly. In the two months had had been there, she developed a connection with him. Riley's mom shook her head, laughing. "We just want to make sure you were up, sweetie. Would you like some cereal or something to eat?" She asked, grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and already pouring him some Fruit Loops and milk in a bowl. "Here you go, eat up. Riley said you two have a big English test today." She said, getting eye rolling from Riley. "Don't remind me, Mom. I've been up all night studying. Luckily, Einstein here didn't have to." She said, pointing towards Alex, but humor was in her voice.

She looked down at her feet, smiling at him. "Don't forget your shoes... again." She said, remembering when he forgot his shoes one time. "Okay, guys, the bus will be here shortly." Riley's mom said, rushing the kids out. "Okay, okay, we're going." Riley said, giving Alex a 'she's crazy' smile. "Have a great day, love you both." She said. Riley grabbed up her bag, glancing at Alex. "She's something else, isn't she?" She joked, laughing.

[evershadow]

"Um, no I'm..." Before Alex could refuse food, a bowl of cereal was being poured out for him, "Thanks." He replied to Riley's mother as he took the bowl from her hands and proceeded to eat it while standing. A mouth full of cereal, Alex simply nodded when the English test was brought up, and raised his eyebrows briefly when Riley began to complain, mainly with worry about the test. The Einstein comment wasn't too far off, where Alex had spent all of his life leading up to the past two months, academics had been as important as physicality. Being a genetically perfect soldier wasn't just about the brawn side of things but also being able to use your brain whenever it may be needed. Of course having been genetically engineered was part of the reason for the intelligence of the boys and girls that Alex had left.

Looking down at his own feet after Riley had reminded him of the time he had forgotten his shoes, he felt another feeling that was new to him only in the last couple of months. Embarrassment. He had learnt however that teasing other seemed to be a custom in this new world and he had learnt to take it on the shoulder with a pinch of salt, so to speak. By the door Alex put on thick white socks and a pair of black trainers, skate shoes as his new social circle called them. He took his jacket from the coat hanger, it was black and hooded with a fur trim along the hood, he threw it over himself but didn't bother zipping it up, something he had learnt was more fashionable, sacrificing functionality. As he passed the mirror he noticed that his hair was scruffy, something he didn't mind and had by this stage gotten a normal length to it, he remembered how confused he felt the first time he sat in a normal barber shop and was asked what he wanted done. He ran one hand along his well defined cheekbones and another through his brown hair before leaving the house with Riley.

"She's something else, isn't she?"

"I suppose so." Alex replied, "But, everyone to their own." He joked back, smiling. Laughter was something that forced Alex to smile, it was something so rarely heard to him before, it was almost an intoxicating expression.

As the pair approached the school gates, Alex stopped, stopping Riley with him by placing his hand on her shoulder. "Say, what do you think of baseball?" He asked as he stared at the field. It was still early and dew covered the grass but no snow had set in yet, so the school still used the field for sports and physical education. "I'm thinking of having a go at it today when the team is training..." He added. The game had intrigued him since he had first seen it being played, and honestly, it looked like a lot of fun.

[Heaven]

Riley laughed and nodded. "That is so true." She told him with a shrug, She looked up at him when he stopped her, asking about the sport of baseball. "Well, I've never played sports, but baseball is fun, I guess. Simpler then football." She said, smiling. "Go for it, I'm sure you'd be great. You seem like an athletic type, I can tell just by your body build." He said with a shrug, "They are having try-outs this afternoon, though. Go try out, I'll come and watch. Moral support." She said, gently nudging him. "I'll see you at English." She said before going through the gates and heading to her locker.

After she brought out her notebook and English book, which she had first period with Alex. She wasn't looking forward to it, giving the exam she had been studying for about two days now. She took her usual seat close to the back , putting her book down on the desk. Today there was a substitute, but a test still, unfortunately. She leaned over to Alex. "Good luck." She whispered with a soft smile.

[evershadow]

"You too..." He replied, shaking his head, "You'll need it." He teased, not really meaning it. The substitute teacher began walking around the classroom handing out the tests while explaining that she was going to be standing in for the usual teacher today. She passed Alex and Riley, handing them their tests respectively. The substitute teacher was young, probably fresh out of training, she was attractive too. A tall, slim woman with red hair cut relatively short, if the back had been a bit shorter it would be fair to say she had a bob. She wore a tight skirt with stopped just above her knees and as she passed Alex watched her, not necessarily "checking her out" as most of the other guys (and a couple of girls too) in the class were doing, more so just curious. Curious about her story, her life, why she chose to teach, it was something Alex found himself doing to a lot of people he had just met.

The substitute teacher made her way back to the front of the class and asked if everybody had their copy of the test. The lack of a response was an indication that nobody had been missed which was weird to Alex with his military background, it almost seemed disrespectful to not reply with a strong "Yes Ma'am."

"You can start now, you have until the end of the class." The class began writing, well most of the class save the hopeless few who had been too busy with other activities rather than study for the test. Alex flipped over the front page and read through the questions fully before beginning the test, something most people failed to do. It helped give Alex a better idea of what to expect and also cleared his head somewhat.

---

Ringa-ring, Ringa-ring-ring The shrill screech of the school bell sounded, "Alright class, pens down, the test is over." Alex had finished only a few moments earlier and now watched people around the room, some who like him had finished and others who were furiously scribbling down their last words onto the paper. Of course there was one up the front who hadn't even bothered to do anything on the test at all and rather had made distracting noises and thrown bits of rubber at people for the duration of the class. "So, how'd it go for you?" He asked, turning in his chair to Riley after turning his paper upside down.

[Heaven]

The bell rang, signaling for the test to start. Riley took a deep breath and let it out, starting the test, putting down her name and the date. She started scribbling and writing, it wasn't all that bad, she knew over half the questions. She finished the test five minutes before the bell rang, ending the class. She looked over at Alex and smiled. "I think I did okay, I hope. We'll see whenever the grades come in." She said, taking a deep breath. "I know you did well, so I'm not even going to ask." She joked with a smile as she stood up.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch." She said, grabbing up her books and turning on her heels to walk out. She went to her locker to switch her books get and to get ready for Biology. "Riley!" She turned to see Rick coming her way. She hadn't returned any of his calls or texts since that he ditched her at the dance to make out with Tiffany Burke, head cheerleader and most datable girl in the school. "What Rick?" She asked turning to look at him. Boy did he look good. "I just wanted to see how you were, you never answered any of my texts." He said. Riley rolled her eyes. "And there's a reason for that Rick, you've got Tiffany. I'm okay." She said and without another word, she closed her locker and pushed past him, heading to Biology class.

...

School ended quickly, or it seemed like it did to Riley. She put all her books up and grabbed what she needed for her homework that night and headed to the practice field where they were having baseball practice. She promised Alex she'd be there and she usually kept true to her promises.