Chapter Two: New Friend?
Riley's POV
I woke up staring at my ceiling.
It was finally the day I'd be starting at my new school. Nervous didn't even begin to cover it. I'd been dreading this moment ever since the dinner with the Silvers.
With a sigh, I forced myself out of bed, stretching until my joints cracked. I grimaced at the sound.
After brushing my teeth and taking a warm shower, I got dressed.
I wore a white tank top under a red hoodie, paired with black leggings and sneakers. I tied my hair into a loose ponytail, grabbed my backpack and purse, and stuffed my phone and some lunch money inside before heading downstairs.
The living room was almost empty, except for Mom. She sat at the table, poking at bacon and eggs with her fork, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.
Ahh… coffee. The beverage of life.
"Morning, Mom," I greeted with a smile.
She turned, as if just noticing me. "Morning, darling. Did you sleep well?"
Mom had always been easy to talk to. She was there whenever I had problems—school or otherwise. Truthfully, she was my only real friend. Cleo had been the popular one back at our old school, always out with her friends and her boyfriend, Luka. Now she was in college, probably living on campus and enjoying her freedom.
At my old school, I'd always struggled to interact with people. I was the quiet, shy girl—the one who sat in the darkest corner of the cafeteria, watching others laugh and joke while I ate alone, imagining what it would feel like to have a real friend.
Strangely enough, I had a good feeling about this semester.
"Yes, I slept well," I replied, kissing her cheek. I grabbed the extra cup of coffee and an apple from the table, slipping the apple into my backpack for later.
I took a sip, smiling as the warmth soothed my throat. Bitter, comforting—perfect.
"Here," Mom chuckled, sliding the plate toward me. "Don't tell me you're only having your beverage of life and an apple for breakfast."
"I'll get the orange juice. Dig in," she said before I could protest.
"You're the best, Mom," I said, smiling.
"No worries, darling."
Soon after, we were in the car. As she drove out of the garage, I buckled my seatbelt.
"Mom, where's Dad?" I asked. "Has he already left?"
"Yes," she replied. "He had to go early to the new branch because of my transfer."
"Oh." I hesitated. "What about you? Don't you have work? I could've gone on my own."
She smiled softly. "The manager let me take the morning off. Besides, I wanted to talk to you."
That tone—the slight frown—made my stomach tighten.
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked cautiously.
"I know school hasn't been easy for you," she began. "The lack of friends… the bullying. Especially that Darla girl."
My chest tightened. Darla was something I'd only ever told Mom about. She'd been furious when she found out, but I'd begged her to let me handle it.
Darla had transferred to our school in ninth grade. At first, she'd seemed nice. I'd tried to befriend her, but after a while, she changed—started hanging out with people who broke rules, partied, and smoked. When I tried talking to her about it, she laughed it off.
The day I confronted her in front of her new friends was one of my biggest mistakes.
They humiliated me. After that, the bullying never stopped.
"I want you to have a good time at this new school," Mom said gently. "I hope you make friends, I know you can do this."
"Thanks, Mom. Nice pep talk," I joked, making her roll her eyes playfully.
We'd already arrived at the school. She kissed my cheeks before I stepped out.
"Bye, baby."
As she was about to drive off, she added, "Besides, you already made your first friend."
"Huh?"
"You know—Xander," she said with a knowing smile. "You're in the same grade. I'm sure you'll get along."
I laughed softly. "Thanks, Mom. I'll keep that in mind."
She waved and drove away.
The school was huge, painted in blue and black. I went to the main office, collected my schedule, and made my way through the crowded hallways.
I took out my apple and bit into it, letting out a soft sound of satisfaction. Sweet.
"Shit—my smoothie!"
Before I could react, I slipped and landed hard on the floor. My apple flew out of my hand. Laughter and snickers surrounded me as heat rushed to my face.
"Need help?" a cheerful voice asked.
A girl stretched out her hand, smiling brightly. I took it and stood, brushing myself off.
"Thanks," I muttered.
She looked my age, wearing a black cropped top, a pink mini skirt, and white Adidas sneakers. She had green eyes and ruby-red hair—natural or dyed, I couldn't tell.
"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied shortly, trying to walk away.
"I can show you around!"
"No thanks, I'm already late—"
"Relax, new girl. You're in eleventh grade, right?" she asked, already dragging me along. "We still have seventeen minutes before class.
I didn't even get the chance to argue.
"So this," she said dramatically, "is the oldest janitor's closet in the world. It's been here for, like, seven years. They could've renovated it by now."
"I heard guys even do girls here," she whispered.
She finally stopped talking and turned to me. "Wait—I don't know your name. I'm Harleen, but you can call me Harley, Harls, Leena—well, that's what my mom calls me. What's your name?"
"Riley Grayson."
"Cool. I'll call you Lily," she decided. "So… are we friends?"
She stretched out her hand.
"Yeah," I said slowly. "I think so."
The bell rang.
"Come on, girl! I'll walk you to your first class," she said, pulling me along again.
I hope she doesn't turn out like Darla.
But for the first time in a long while, I smiled—because I had a good feeling she wouldn't.
A/N:
Thank you so much for reading Chapter Two 💕
What do you think about Harley? Friend material or trouble? 👀
Don't forget to drop a like, comment, and follow—your support really keeps me going.
See you in the next chapter ❤️