"I swear I didn't tell a soul!" Kelsey threw up her hands in defense.
"Yeah, well obviously Shannon did," Riley sighed, avoiding eye contact with anyone but Kelsey.
The secret was out. Riley didn't know how or when it got out, but it did. Every last detail of Riley and the Jonas Brothers' close friendship was broadcasted on myspace and chain texts. She was then power walking down the halls of her school, since it was then September. She made her way to the principal's office as fast as she could, hoping to get out of the entire mess.
"Good luck. I have to get to shop. Trust me, it had to be Shannon," Kelsey half-smiled before disappearing somewhere in the crowd of people behind her.
Riley sighed before pushing open the door to the main office. "Riley Sitton. In here please," Leona Kellman's voice immediately filled the room as Riley entered. She did as she was told, entering the principal's private office where her adopted mother sat patiently in a chair across from the principal's desk.
"Riley," Leona sighed as she sat down in the brown leather chair before her desk. "Your mother and I have come to an agreement." Riley looked over to Elise.
"Riles," she said. "Since the girls here really don't know how to react properly, we have decided to take you out of the public school system. You will be home schooled, that is if you want to keep contact with the boys."
Riley''s eyes widened, but she did not protest. The last thing she wanted to do was give up her second family because some loser had opened her mouth.
"Does this mean today is my last day here?" she questioned.
Leona nodded her head. Riley nodded her head also, in understanding. Now all she had to do was find Shannon.
I'm feeling alive all over again,
As deep as the sky, under my skin
Like being in love, she says
For the first time
"Can you believe that hoodlenicker?" Kelsey asked, steamed.
Riley paused for a moment before shaking her head. She didn't even want to know what a hoodlenicker was. Kelsey tended to make up her own curse words instead of using the common ones.
"I can't believe she pretended to be sick because she knew what was coming."
"Exactly. So now you're being home schooled?" Kelsey asked. Riley nodded.
"This sucks. Don't worry. I'll keep you updated on everything that happens here."
Riley rolled her eyes. Kelsey had said it as if exciting things happened all the time at Liberty High.
"Riley!" A girl's voice called. The two turned to see Adri, a quiet girl in Riley's history class.
"Hey, Adri," Riley smiled.
"Is it true?" she questioned, trying to catch her breath from running to the girls.
"Depends on what your talking about," Kelsey crossed her arms over her chest.
"That your getting voice lessons from Nick Jonas and you two are dating, so your getting pulled out of school?"
"Um... everything but the dating part is true. Nick and I have known each other since we were 12. We're just good friends," Kelsey replied.
"So do you know the Jonas Brothers?"
"Yeah."
"Mmhmm."
"The Jonas Brothers?" Adri raised an eyebrow.
"Nick, Kevin, and Joe? Yeah..." Riley answered.
"Just wanted to get the facts from the source herself," Adri shrugged before jogging back down the hallway.
Kelsey and Riley shared a look. "Okay..."
Well maybe I'm wrong,
But I'm feeling right where I belong
With you tonight
"I am so sorry," Nick sighed, sitting across from Riley.
"Its not your fault the girls at my school don't know how to react. I really shouldn't have introduced Shannon to you guys in the first place. Kelsey is trustworthy. Shannon? Not so much," Riley shook her head.
"So did you ever finish learning the song you wanted to show me?" he asked.
"Its going to take a while, Nicholas," Riley said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"What's so hard about it?"
"Its in friggin spanish!"
"Oh."
Riley shook her head. "Well its not like I've ever seen or heard it." Nick threw up his hands in defense. "What's it called again? Angel?"
"Its pronounced Anhel in spanish," she corrected him, not once taking her eyes off the horizon in the distance.
"Riley... Riley... RILEY!" Nick's voice broke through her dream-like state of mind.
"Woah... yeah, huh?" she shivered, reality closing back in on her.
"Focus," he sighed.
"Its hard to focus! I mean look at that!" she pointed to the horizon.
"Do we need to relocate inside?" he asked.
"Can we skip the lesson today? Lets just hang out. Me and You," she suggested, closing her sheet music. Nick sighed. She looked over at him, pleading prominent in her green eyes.
"Okay, whatever." She smiled, loving how she got her way.
"Come on, lets go to the park," she grabbed his hand, pulling him up. She let go after a short moment, a pang of electricity running up her spine.
"That was weird," she said, feeling the electric flow for the first time.
"What was?" he asked.
"Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"Nevermind," she shook it off before walking into the house, then back out, side by side with Nick.
"So what do you plan on doing for homeschooling?" Nick asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked.
"Not a clue," Riley answered, scuffing the bottom of her flip flops on the sidewalk as she walked.
"You could always come over and get homeschooled with us," he suggested.
"You only want to do that so you have someone to copy off of," Riley punched his arm playfully. He laughed. "That too. Plus I wouldn't be so lonely," he smiled.
Riley smiled too. There was a moment of silence between the two before Nick delcared, "race you to the swings!" He darted off, leaving Riley standing, staring at him, his words notr registering in her mind yet. She then took off, right behind him, the swings in her sight.
"You cheated!" she yelled after him.
"I never said I couldn't cheat!" he yelled back over his shoulder.
She rolled her eyes before slowing down to a walk. He was a good seven feet before her and there was no way she could catch up.
"What took you so long?" he panted, sitting on a swing.
"I gave up," Riley simply shrugged.
"You should have told me that so I hadn't run all the way up here," he said, trying to catch his breath.
"Get over it," Riley rolled her eyes before sitting down on the swing next to him.
"So..." Nick looked over at her. "What were the girls at your school saying about me?"
"Oh no. I'm not telling you. You have a big enough head as it is, and a matching ego," Riley replied.
He laughed. "Its not that big," he protested.
"Oh my gosh, look at that," Riley pointed to the sunset, changing the subject.
"You act like you've never seen the sunset."
"I have, but never really paid attention," she shrugged.
She looked over at him, the colors of the sun splashing across his face. And thats when she saw him for the first time.
Like being in love
Can feel for the first time
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