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Two weeks later. The day before Christmas Eve.
Riley
"I'm so excited, Rosie. An actual party hosted by us. I don't believe it!" I’m so excited and happy to have my friend back. I can't believe I nearly lost her over a boy. I'll never let a boy dictate my friendships ever again. Although, it all worked out in the end.
Rosie shakes her head in disbelief. "I don't quite believe it either. This time last Christmas, I was so miserable. Now, I have these amazing friends, the best boyfriend, and I'm having an actual house party."
I roll my eyes. "Alright. We get it. Your life is wonderful. Now, come on. You need to help me look gorgeous; everyone will be here in 10 minutes."
Now, it's her turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah. Like you need any help with that."
"Well, you tell me I'm gorgeous all the time. Why don't guys think so?" It doesn't matter what she says. The truth is that guys just don't seem to like me in that way. I must be sending out the wrong signals or something, because no guy ever approaches me.
"Riley, do you not think it might just be because you're intimidating to boys? Your red, curly hair and green eyes just make you stunning. Then, you have this figure to die for; you’re always training, so guys know you are so fit that you can run rings around them. And then, there's the small fact that you would have very little time to spend time with a boy. You are always training, and you're right to spend so much time training. I've seen you perform a few times now; I know how good you are. Stick with it, and you will be in the Olympic squad. So, it's just a matter of time. There will be plenty of time for guys."
I shake my head. "Easy for you to say when you have one. No. I know you're right. I don't have time for a guy, but I just wish I’d get the option, you know?"
My stomach flips as Russ walks into the living room and looks at us both. He's the chaperone for the party tonight. I mean, is it wise having a 19-year-old as a chaperone for a teenage party? In normal circumstances, I'd say probably not, but Russ is so serious all the time. He's probably more responsible than her parents.
He looks at Rosie. "You look nice. All dressed up. Don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before." He leans in and kisses her on the cheek. Then, he looks up at me and looks uncomfortable, like he doesn't know whether to kiss me on the cheek or not.
"Hey, Russ," I say quietly.
He clears his throat, and then, his eyes run down my body, taking in my outfit. I decided to go girlie tonight, too. It is Christmas, after all; I don't get many chances to wear dresses. I went for a deep green, body con dress with lace at the top. I don't need a bra. My boobs aren't big enough, and I might as well wear something fitted, might as well show off my slim figure. Lord knows I put enough hours in at the gym. So, I feel nice, sexy even. I’m determined to get guys to notice me. I feel like Russ is looking at me like he's noticing me. Yeah, he's too old for me, I know, but still. He is so hot. And, he's always been so lovely to me. Still, I'm 15, and he's 19. So, I can't even see him like that, but he's certainly nice to look at.
"You look beautiful, Riley." Wow. I'm taken aback. No one has ever said I look beautiful before. Early Christmas present for me.
I smile at him. "Thanks. Happy birthday for yesterday. Nineteen . . . Wow."
He smiles at me, and my insides do a flippy thing. "Yeah. Thanks. When do you turn 16?"
"January . . . Not long now."
He looks thoughtful. "Cool . . . Well, enjoy the party. You get any trouble, you come to me, yeah?"
I frown. "Why would I get trouble?"
He looks me up and down again. It's quick, but I catch it. "You look . . . The way you look tonight... Just, you may get a lot of attention. Just come to me if any of it is unwanted."
"Wow. Thanks. I will. I doubt I will need you, but thanks for the offer."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," he mutters as he wonders off.
Liam walks in as I watch Russ leave. He knocks on the open door of the living room. He's a regular face at Rosie's now. His family don't mind him spending so much time here. Liam’s home life isn’t up to much, according to the little bits that Rosie has told me. She hasn't gone into detail, but his parents work a lot. So, Rosie’s mum and dad are happy for him to hang out here as long as they're not here alone. If they go to her bedroom, the door has to be open at all times.
"Hello. We all ready?"
Rosie turns around and grins at him. "Liam!"
She always looks so happy to see him. I wish I had what they had. I'm over my crush now. When you see your crush looking at your best friend like she hung the moon, you tend to get over it.
He goes over to her. "You look so beautiful," I hear him say to her in a quiet voice. He leans in to kiss her.
"No! You can't kiss me; I've just done my lipstick," she squeals.
"Tough," he says. "Do it again in a minute."
He kisses her without any argument from Rosie. They're so happy. They couldn't be more opposite. She's brainy and quiet, and he's the bad boy of the school. Or, he was. Rosie is a good influence. They might be different, but the truth is that they are a perfect match.
I make myself scarce and go downstairs to see if Russ needs any help. He has his back to me in the kitchen. He's so tall now, and I notice how broad his shoulders are. Nice.
"Hey. You need any help?"
He spins around, startled. "Hey. I didn't hear you come down."
I laugh. "Sorry."
He looks at my mouth. "Where’s Rosie?"
"She's upstairs."
He nods, walks toward me, and puts his hand on my shoulder, brushing my hair down my back. "Don't settle, Riley. You won't settle, will you?" His voice sounds gravelly.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you saying that boys don’t pay any attention to you, that you want to get their attention. You deserve a guy who knows what he has when he has you. You won't settle for anything less, right?"
Okay. What is happening here? "Of course not. I won't."
"Promise?"
I nod. "I promise."
"Good." He pats me on the arm as though I'm a child, needing to be comforted. Okay. What was that about?
"Wait." He looks startled. "Who is Rosie with?"
"Liam. Why?"
His eyes widen, and he runs to the bottom of the stairs. "Liam, Rosie, get down here. Now! No being alone in the bedroom tonight while I'm on duty."
I laugh. "You don't have to worry about those two, you know."
Rosie and Liam make their way downstairs. "Russ, behave. What do you think we will do up there?"
"I don't want to know. Just no disappearing, okay? I'm in charge tonight."
She pats his arm. "Ah, always so sensible, following the rules, doing the right thing, aren't you big brother?"
She walks past him. I look up at him. His eyes are on me again, something unfathomable in them. "Yeah. I guess."
They both walk up to me, hand in hand. "Come on, Riles. Let's find you the man of your dreams."
I look over my shoulder, and Russ is watching me walk away.
Interesting.
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The End
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ARROWSMITH HIGH BOOK Two: Russ and Riley’s Story is now available! Chapter One below;
Prologue – Meet Me at the Gym
Riley
How bad would it be, really, if I fell flat on my face? Yeah. Bad. That can’t happen. I can do this. I’ve practised this routine so many times that I could do it in my sleep. The line of judges watching and hundreds of people in the audience don’t make my butterflies any better, but I’ve got this.
I bite my lip and smooth down my purple leotard with sweaty hands; purple is the new team colour. I try to put to the back of my mind how it clashes with my red, curly hair. I'm sure the last thing the judges will care about is if my skin tone goes with my outfit. There is one thing and one thing only that they're interested in: gymnastics and how precise I can be with my moves.
I close my eyes and inhale slowly as the music starts. As soon as I take that first step onto the mat, that’s it; all the nerves disappear. How I do today and what everyone expects of me, everyone pinning their hopes on me, vanishes, and it's just me and the music and the mat, my comfort zone, my happy place. It shows.
My opener is so good that I know I will sail into the rest of the routine if I get it right. I start to run, picking up speed as I go, and then take the leap, a forward somersault and a twist then turn around into a backflip and spring. I nail it! My heart soars as I continue with the rest of the routine. It's over in minutes. This is going to be a good score; I know it. I turn to the crowd with my finishing backflip into a twisting somersault and land smoothly, get my balance, and my arms go up into the air. I give a slow smile and let out a huge breath. I did it. I see big smiles from my coach, and all my teammates are whooping and clapping as I make my way back to them, my face flushed.
If I could bottle this feeling right now, the exhilaration, the high I get from doing this, I would be the richest girl on the planet because there is nothing like it.
Winning at life is what it feels like, even if it is for 10 minutes while everyone is watching. Winning. It’s something that is ridiculously important to me.
As I reach them, Coach Marie comes over and pats me on the shoulder. “Bloody amazing as always! You always deliver, Riley, and that twist backflip was perfection. You've got this comp in the bag.”
I grin widely. She’s my mentor, my coach, sometimes my friend, but sometimes my worst enemy. She pushes me to my limit, but I have immense respect for her.
She hugs me, and I exhale; I’ve made her proud. I look into the crowd to find the other person I want to make proud, my dad. I search the crowd, and my eyes land on a beautiful, brown, familiar pair of eyes staring straight at me. My stomach lurches as my heartbeat quickens even more. My mouth goes dry. What is Russ doing here? He watched me. Next to him, my best friend, Rosie, is smiling broadly at me and waving rapidly. Rosie has been saying that she wants to come and watch me. I love that she bought a ticket to this event, but why did she bring her brother? And why do I react like this every time I see him? I turn into a bumbling idiot. I can’t even get my words out. On a quick glance, I see he is looking as good as always, his brown hair just long enough that it comes down onto his forehead. He is head and shoulders above Rosie... And what shoulders they are, broad from all the sports he does; he’s in good shape. All that aside, there is something about him that I can’t put my finger on, an intenseness there that I recognise in myself.
Get a grip, Riley.
He’s 19. Three years difference might not seem like a lot when you’re in your 30s or whatever, but a just-turned 16-year-old girl and a 19-year-old boy wouldn’t go down too well right now. He sees me as his kid sisters’ friend, someone who is way too young for him. The way he looks at me sometimes, though... It’s as though he sees me. Still, as much as I shouldn’t let my head go there, I can’t help but appreciate everything that is Russ because there is so much to appreciate. He is lush in every way, and the slight smile on his face right now might be small yet so beautiful.
I shake my head to bring myself back into the now. Dad is sitting next to Rosie, cheering and clapping, and my heart warms at the sight of him, never missing a competition unless work doesn’t allow it. He’s my number one supporter. After Mum left, he could have crumbled, but he didn’t. He stepped up and is a better parent than she could ever have been, and for that, I’m so, so grateful. I wave at them all. I'm not allowed to go to them just yet, not until the competition finishes. I take a seat with the rest of my club as they all congratulate me on my floor performance, my peers patting me on the back, the little ones looking at me in awe. I remember all too well being the little one, looking at the big ones with the same look they’re giving me right now. I take a deep breath and smile to myself; I’m doing ok. I still have my beam to do, and I’ve already done the bars. I just hope that knowing Russ is in the audience now won’t make my nerves take over my performance, because the thought of him watching me is making me want to be sick.
****
I STEP DOWN FROM THE podium, giving Dad and the rest of them a big grin and a thumbs-up, heat radiating from my chest with my first place medal dangling from my neck. I’m so happy. In fact, happy doesn't even cover it. I’ve made everyone proud, my dad, my club, Rosie... And Russ. I wonder what he thought, if he was impressed. Rosie says he's grumpy all the time at home. He's never like that when I've seen him, but Rosie says he’s different with me than he is with everyone else. She thinks he has a soft spot for me; he doesn't. He’s just nicer to me than his little sister, and that’s not hard. He has a girlfriend anyway. She's new, but I hate how jealous I am about it. Rosie said she's pretty and seems nice. That makes it worse.
Everyone is waiting for me once the ceremony is over, and I go up to them.
Dad is holding his arms open. “Honey, you were fantastic! I knew as soon as you finished your floor routine that, unless something went totally wrong on the beam, that first spot was yours. Everyone in the audience went crazy. It was breathtaking.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, prying myself away from his hug.
Rosie speaks. “Oh, my God! I never knew... I mean, I knew you did a lot of training and won medals and stuff, but I didn’t know you were that good. You should be on TV. You are 100 percent going to the Olympics. How did I not know that my best friend could do that?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up.” The flush creeps up my cheeks. Russ is standing to the side of her, and my ears are getting hot with embarrassment. I am purposely not looking at him.
“Seriously, I am in awe. You deserve first place. I’m a big fat lump of mud or something stood here with you right now after seeing what you can do and how you can throw yourself around!”
I laugh. “Rosie, seriously. Shut up.”
“No, she’s right.” I hear Russ’s deep voice.
Rosie's head snaps around to look at him, a scowl on her face.
Russ shakes his head. “Not about you, sis. About her.” He turns to look at me. “Seriously good, Riles. Seriously.” He’s a man of few words, but he gets the point across fine. I try not to feel all warm and gushy inside at his words. I fail. I can’t help it; he gets to me, and it’s about time I just accept it.
“Thanks,” I say quietly, unable to make eye contact with him. I'm usually not quiet or shy, but for some reason, I am around him. I hate it, hate that I have that reaction to him.
“Hey,” he says so that I’ll look at him.
I do what he wants and look at him.
“You’re welcome.” He winks at me.
He winks! My lips part as I draw in a breath. He just winked at me.
I look at Rosie. I need to be normal and quick; she is frowning at me. “You ok, Riley?” she asks.
I nod, my eyes quickly flitting to Russ and then back to her. “Sure. Just excited, you know, for the next stage.”
She grins. “When is your next competition?”
“I’ve got the nationals in a month, and there is a competition for Europe that takes place in Madrid.”
“Yup. She’s a busy girl, my girl,” Dad says.
He's right. It's going to involve a lot of training and hard work, but if I continue on this route, I will make it to the Olympics as long as I don’t let things get in my way, things like parties and boys... And crushes on my best friend’s brother. Things like that.
How easy it would be to let him distract me. Those brown eyes, with eyelashes... They should be illegal. Yes, I’ve examined them and those lips. When they smile at me, those lips make me feel like I’m the only girl that exists.
I look around at everyone greeting their families, everyone being congratulated. The atmosphere of the gym never fails to get to me. I remember how it just felt up there on that podium. Being there, receiving a gold medal at the Olympics, would be a million times better. I have to do it, not just for Dad or for Coach but for me. It’s what I want. But getting what I want brings consequences, and those consequences are no time for boys or for socialising. I look back at my dad; he’s looking at me with such admiration, so proud. Nope. That’s it. I will not get distracted, and I will do this. I want that Olympic gold medal, and nothing is going to stop me, even if it means sacrifices.
Chapter 1
Riley
I stare out of the bus window while I wait for Rosie, not really taking in the view. Instead, I’m going through my new routine in my head. I see her and Liam walk towards the bus and smile. They are so cute together, and who knew Liam had a soft side? I'm still sad that my crush fell for my best friend, but what can I do about it? One way to get over your crush is to have your best friend fall for him; it really helps you get over him super quickly. Besides, that’s all it was, just a crush.
I’m the queen of crushes. I seem to get a new one every couple of months. I’m not stupid enough to think that real feelings were involved. Liam had never even spoken to me before Rosie came to our school and started hanging out with me. Rosie and I couldn’t look more different. She’s a curvy brunette, and I’m a skinny redhead. Liam is gorgeous, though. No doubt about it, but he only has eyes for Rosie. That’s fine by me.
She steps on the bus, and her eyes fall on me. She sits beside me, and Liam sits in the empty seat adjacent. The minibus that takes us to and from school is practically full now; all the regular faces are here.
"Hey, babe. How was food tech?" Rosie asks me.
I shrug. "I produced the best crumble ever made."
Rosie rolls her eyes. “Competitive much?”
I laugh. Yup. Self-confessed.
Liam shouts, "Mine would have been the best, you know, if I’d remembered the ingredients."
I huff as Rosie's head spins to where he’s sat. "What? Why didn't you take the ingredients? Did you get into trouble?"
He winks at her. "Doesn't matter, does it? I'm not gonna be making apple crumble in the future."
"Argh." She turns to me, frowning. "He makes me so mad. I hate it that he doesn't just stick to the rules."
"Babe, you love it when I don't stick to the rules," he says, smirking.
She shakes her head at me. "I don't. I really don't."
My best friend is a stickler for the rules. How she found herself dating the guy that likes breaking them all is beyond me.
Liam looks over at me. "Heard how awesome you were yesterday. Well done and all that."
I blush, not used to his attention. "Thanks."
Rosie smiles at me. "You were awesome."
Liam leans back into his seat. "Yeah. Russ was saying that you were head and shoulders above the rest."
I straighten in my seat and raise my eyebrows. Russ was talking about me? "Russ said that?"
Rosie tilts her head at me, assessing my reaction. I may have mentioned to her in the past that her brother is hot. I know he’s her brother, but she has eyes; she can see how good looking he is, but if I don’t tone down my reactions when he’s mentioned, she will twig that I’m crushing on him bad.
Liam is oblivious. "Yeah. He said you've seriously got moves, and you are the fittest girl he’s ever seen."
My eyes widen, and my breath catches in my throat. He said I was fit? "He said that?"
"Yeah. Said that based on the speed you go at to enable you to make the moves you can, you must train four hours a day or something. He said your fitness levels are off the charts."
Okay. So, any hope that was building in me comes crashing down and dissipates. He meant physical fitness levels. Of course, he did.
"Oh, yeah." I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice.
He turns to Rosie. “Is he still seeing that girl? What’s she called? Carrie?”
I lean in more intently. I am way too interested in anything that involves Russ.
Rosie shakes her head. "I think so. He seems to like her; she’s okay, I guess. She doesn’t make much of an effort to talk to me, but I’ve only met her a couple of times. Maybe she’s shy."
I shrug. "I haven’t met her."
"You coming over later?" Rosie asks me.
Monday is my night off from the gym. I usually go and hang. "Yeah. If that’s okay."
Liam shouts over my answer, "What about me?"
Rosie rolls her eyes. "You have friends, babe. You'll manage."
I chuckle to myself. It’s so good to see how relaxed she is with him. It’s a different Rosie than the one that started at our school in September.
"I'm gonna run over, get my exercise in for the day."
She shakes her head. " No way. It's dark by then."
"I go running all the time, in the morning and at night, and it's dark. It's fine. I can outrun anyone anyway."
"Are you sure?"
I nod. "Of course. My dad will come for me when I'm ready to go home."
I have been running for as long as I can remember, and I live in a neighbourhood where nothing ever happens. I’m not scared to be out alone.
Running is a favourite pastime of mine. I love to just be able to forget everything else and focus on my feet hitting the pavement. Fitness and keeping in good shape are my mindfulness. It keeps me in a good place.
****
IT’S A CRISP, CLEAR night as I set out on my run. I check my Fitbit to see how many steps I work up on my run. I lose myself in the rhythm of my footsteps and my music. I have my running playlist on and am in my happy zone, dressed in gym leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt with a fleece over top; it’s a cold February night even though I’ll be working up a sweat.
I'm five minutes away from Rosie's house when I see them on the road ahead. It’s not something I would normally bother about, approaching a group of boys, but it's particularly deserted on the streets tonight. I can see their heads turn my way. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that they’re looking in my direction. I’ve never seen them before. I reach to my arm where my phone is in an armband and turn the music off, but I leave my earphones in. They’re laughing, and their eyes are definitely still on me. I exhale as I run with trepidation towards them. There are four of them. It's dark, and they’re in hoodies, apart from one of them in a bright red puffa jacket. They all get in a line, shoulder to shoulder, as I approach, and my stomach plummets. They’re going to stop me from getting past. I know this area; there is nowhere I can detour. I slow down to a leisurely jog. Maybe I could pretend I’m going to a house. I glance up the lane. There are no houses immediately near me; they’re way up the road. No! Why is it so quiet tonight? There are no cars in sight. I glance across the road and decide to cross quickly. I have my earphones in, so I quickly reach up and pull them out, grabbing for my phone to call Dad.
"Hey! Where are you running off to?"
My stomach plummets. Images start flashing through my mind. They could attack me here, and no one would know until Rosie realises I’m late. I put my head down and keep running, ignoring them.
I hear another one of them shout, "Hey! We're talking to you."
I still say nothing and carry on, going faster. Just as I start to get my hopes up that I’m going to get past them, two other guys step out of an alley in front of me and block my path.
"Where are you going? My friends want to speak to you. Don’t be rude."
I have no choice but to come to a stop. My mouth goes dry. I look around. The other four have joined us now. I'm surrounded by six boys.
"Do you want something?" My voice is shaking as I try to sound normal.
One of them beside me nods. "Yeah. We want to have a chat. We’re bored. You look like you'd be fun. Stay and talk to us."
"I'm sorry, but I have somewhere I have to be." Is that my voice? Don’t show them you're scared, Riley. They will feed off it.
"What are you doing out here on your own? It’s like you’re asking for trouble," the guy in the red coat says to me in a low, steady voice. He stares at me, waiting for an answer and cold chills run up and down my body. He is creepy. Dangerous.
Think, Riley.
I take a deep breath. If I'm nice to them, maybe they’ll relax, and I can somehow get past them. I try to make my voice sound as normal as possible. "I am going to my friend’s. I thought I would run there. She's expecting me, actually, so I need to go."
"In a minute," one of them says. "You look in good shape. I guess you must run around here a lot."
Not anymore, I won’t. "Not really."
This situation just got serious. I don't know any of these guys; they don't go to my school. If they're still even in school.
Think, Riley.
Keeping my calm is the main thing. My dad has always said that if you get yourself in a situation you can’t handle, always believe you can handle it, and the way forward will be clear. They don’t know me or what I'm capable of. They have no idea how strong I am. My upper body is strong enough to do the bars. I can barge past these guys if they're not expecting it, right? I'm only five minutes away from Rosie's. If I go at full speed, I’ll be faster than all of them, but I need to move quickly.
The one that is scaring me, the one in the red coat, grabs my arm roughly. "You're not going anywhere until we tell you that you can leave."
One of the other guys speaks. "Dude, let her go. You're hurting her."
The red coat guy doesn't say anything. He just stares at me, giving me the chills. His grip on my arm is painful.
"Come on. Hang with us a while."
Bile rises in my throat. I will not let my mind go to a dark place. I'm getting past these guys. I wiggle my arm free, and he drops his hand. A car comes into view, thank God! As it comes, they all step back a little, probably so they won’t look suspicious. As the car comes to pass, I realise that they're not going to know anything is wrong, and they're not going to stop. Crap! Still, it is distracting the boys. Now is my chance.
I muster everything I have and barge quickly through the two stood in front of me. I manage it and take off running.
"Hey! We're not done talking with you yet!"
They start to chase me, but they can’t match my speed. No way. I run as fast as I can. Instead of going my usual route to Rosie's, I make my way to the main road where there should be more traffic; safety in numbers. I strain my ears to see if I can hear them behind me, but all I can hear is my rapid breathing and my footsteps. I turn to see if they're behind me but lose my footing. The trouble is, going at the speed I'm going, I go flying into the air, my head hitting the pavement. The momentum of my fall carries me forward, and my head scrapes across the pavement. I yelp in pain and am momentarily dazed. I shake my head to right myself. I need to get up and quick before they catch me. I force myself back onto my feet and carry on running. I hope to God they're not coming in my direction now because my speed has slowed considerably. I can see Rosie's house and nearly cry. My legs are going to give way. Something warm and wet from my forehead trickles down, contrasting against the cold winter air. I need to get there fast. My adrenaline is running out by the second.
***
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR reading my novel. I hope you enjoyed it! The best way to thank an author for writing a great book is to leave an honest review. I would be so grateful if you did that.
I'm a Northern girl born and bred, living in a little town near Manchester, England, where I like to do fun stuff with my kids, getting drunk with my friends (not as often as I’d like) and watching American TV shows with my husband.
I’ve recently had a break from writing, due to caring for my parents and working as a childminder, but I missed writing so much I have somehow managed to fit it back into my schedule.
I was a legal assistant for many years before I started a family. Now I am a personal slave and taxi to my two young children and wouldn’t have it any other way.
