Riley nodded, relieved that he let Rick go. The fight was old news as everyone disappeared back in the house, returning to the party. She thanked him when he draped his jacket over her shoulder. He offered her his hand and she grabbed it. Taking a step, she stumbled a little, so she leaned against him for support.

When they got home, she stopped him. "Wait, before I get the third degree from the folks." She said, laughing, but winced in pain. She sat down on the porch swing, inviting him to sit down with her. "Thank you, for coming, and for rescuing me." She said with a small smile. "You know we're, or you should I say, will become insanely popular in school now for bringing the school's toughest guy down effortlessly." She said, turning to face him. She felt warmth in her eyes as tears started to build up.

"I've never had anyone stand up for me like that, Alex." She said. She moved a little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I promise, Alex," She took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "whenever you need someone, I'll be here, just like you were for me." She said, looking up at him. "Always." She said, then stood up, wincing. "Well, lets get this over with. You, my friend, are about to know the meaning of being grounded." She said, holding out her hand. "Let's do it together." She offered him a smile.

[b]Six Years Later[/b]

"Riley, where's the paperwork you filed yesterday?" The middle-aged woman dressed in a black pants suite called from over her desk. "Just a minute, Mrs. Montgomery!" Riley called from her cubicle. She walked over to the filing cabinets where they kept the important files and took out the one Mrs. Montgomery had asked for, bringing it to her. "Thank you. Go ahead and finish that small stack on your desk and you can leave for the day, I'll see you back here in the morning." Riley smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. Have a great night." Riley said. She finished the last bit of work she had left quickly and once done, she grabbed her red leather jacket and headed out, making sure she had the keys to her Dodge Ram Pick-up truck. 

She felt in the mood for coffee, so she headed to her favorite local hang-out, the coffee shop. It was five in the afternoon, so they weren't as busy as they were earlier in the day. She had on dark blue jeans and a black blouse, her hair was curled, left down. She had been keeping it cut just a little past her shoulders, finding it difficult to keep up with otherwise. Riley walked into the coffee shop after parking her truck and waited at the counter. When it was her time to order, she got herself a skinny latter with extra whip cream. She waited patiently as they prepared her coffee.