Outcasts

by B. D. Fresquez

  I’m sitting in the kitchen with Alyssa when the front door opens and I hear a small girl talking.

  “What’s my surprise, Daddy? Is it a dog?” I hear her ask.

  I am not a dog.

  “No, honey. Why don’t you go look in the kitchen?” I hear my dad tell her.

  It kind of hurts to hear him say that. Why wasn’t he there for me? I never got the chance to say Daddy.

  A small girl walks through the doorway. She has big brown eyes, like Alyssa’s. Her hair is dark brown and curled slightly at the ends. Her eyes land on me and she doesn’t say anything.

  “Who are you?” she asks me.

  I give her a small smile. “I’m Riley.”

  “She’s your half-sister, Amanda honey,” my dad tells her.

  She squints her eyes at me like she’s analyzing me or something. It’s similar to what Alyssa did earlier. She then looks up at my dad. “You said I was your princess.” She crosses her arms.

  Something tells me she doesn’t like me.

  He kneels down to her level. “Well, you can both be my princesses,” he says, smiling. “Haven’t you always wanted a big sister?”

  Amanda looked back at me. “No.”

  “Amanda,” Alyssa warns. “Behave yourself now. Riley is staying at our house this weekend and we want her to feel welcome.”

  “What’s a half-sister?” Amanda asks my dad.

  “That means Riley has a different mommy,” Alyssa explains.

  She raises her eyebrow. “But the same dad?”

  They both nod.

  “Why couldn’t you get me a pretty big sister?” Amanda puts her hands on her hips.

  Okay. That’s rude. I already don’t like this little girl.

  “Amanda.” My dad snaps.

  I need to speak up or something. I’m not going to let some seven-year-old have the upper hand. “Well, I didn’t want a younger sister anyway.”

  Amanda frowns and walks up to me. “My daddy is my daddy. I’m his princess and he loves me more.”

  I cross my arms. “You’re probably right about that. That must be the reason why he hasn’t talked to me in fifteen years.” I shock myself with the words that just came out of my mouth. I notice my dad’s eyes widen slightly and Alyssa looks shocked as well. “I’ll be in my room,” I say quickly as I grab my phone off the table. I walk past them and make my way to the hallway. I go into my room and shut the door.

  I don’t hear any footsteps behind the door, so they’re probably giving me my space right now. I can’t believe I can defend myself against a seven-year-old and not Nicole. Why can I never stick up for myself when Nicole was around?

  I run my fingers through my hair and sigh in frustration. It’s not fair. It’s not fair that Amanda gets to have the relationship with my dad that I never got the chance to have. How could my dad leave my mom and me?

  As I sit on my bed, I pull out my phone and am tempted to call my mom and tell her I want to go home. But I can’t bring myself to do it. I think I want answers from my dad before I leave though. I’m not going to go on with my life without knowing why he left us. My mom told me it was because they didn’t love each other anymore, but I find that a little hard to believe.

  I debate with myself on whether or not I should call Ryan and talk with him about it. I decide against it. The thought of calling Aiden enters my mind, but that idea quickly leaves.

  You’re supposed to be mad at him, remember?

  I lay back on my bed and sigh. I hold my phone up tightly so it won’t fall on my face. I’ve dropped it on my face before, and it left me with a busted lip. Pathetic, I know. My thumb roams over the call button for Aiden. I close my eyes and tap the screen. I slowly hold it to my ear.

  “I knew you couldn’t stay mad at me,” Aiden answers. I can practically see him grinning.

  “You’re not completely forgiven,” I warn him. “But I just wanted to…I don’t know…talk, I guess.”

  He stays quiet for a minute. “What’s up?” he finally responds.

  “All of this,” I start as I look around my room. “Is a little overwhelming.”

  “What’s your dad like?” he asks curiously.

  I blow a piece of hair out of my face before answering. “He seems pretty cool. But he has a wife and a little girl.”

  “Oh,” he says. “Is that what’s bugging you?”

  “Yes.” I close my eyes. “I just don’t understand why he would leave us, only to be put back in the position he was in before. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “Have you talked about it with him?” he asks.

  “No.” I sigh. “There was a small fallout a while ago and I came into my room.”

  He chuckles. “What did you do?”

  I frown. Why does he assume it was my fault? “I didn’t do anything. His daughter started it.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Seven.”

  Aiden starts to laugh. I glare at the phone. “What are you laughing at?” I demand.

  “You’re blaming a seven-year-old, Summers? That’s a little immature,” he tells me.

  “You’re more immature than me!” I exclaim. “You should have heard what she told me! She said she wanted a pretty sister and that she was my dad’s princess and he loved her more.”

  He sighs. “And what did you tell her?”

  “I told her she was probably right.”

  “Riley…”

  I sit up and lean back on the pillows on the bed. “Well, it’s the truth.”

  “First of all, she’s seven. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. And second, you are pretty.”

  My heart beats a little faster. Then I realize that he can be messing with me again. “You don’t have to lie, Aiden. Just stop,” I tell him.

  “Stop what?” he asks. “You know, you don’t take compliments very well.”

  “Not from you,” I say. “I don’t trust you as much as I used to.”

  I hear him sigh in frustration. “What would you say if I told you that you really are beautiful?”

  I end the call right there.

  Chapter 24

  The next morning, I wake up feeling refreshed. The bed in my room is extremely comfortable, and I actually don’t want to leave. But a knock on my door interrupts my thoughts on stealing this mattress when I leave.

  My door opens slowly and Alyssa walks in. She offers me a smile. “Morning,” she says slowly.

  I sit up in my bed. “Morning,” I say, looking down. I feel guilty for the way I acted yesterday. It was childish, and I regret some of the things I had said.

  “We’re going out for breakfast in an hour and a half. I thought I’d let you know ahead of time so you can get ready,” she tells me.

  “Okay. Thanks, Alyssa,” I say as I pull the covers off. I slide my legs over the bed and my feet meet the carpeted floor.

  Alyssa stands at the door for a moment. “Riley, can I talk to you about something?” she asks cautiously.

  “Um, sure,” I say awkwardly. She walks towards me and sits next to me on the bed. I smooth out my hair since it probably looks like a disaster right now.

  She sighs before she starts talking. “Riley, I know it must be a little difficult seeing your dad right now. I’m not trying to become your best friend or anything, but I want you to know that I’m here if you want to talk.”

  I nod, understanding. “Thanks.” I offer her a small smile then take a deep breath. “I’m going to be honest with you, Alyssa. It hard seeing my dad, especially with you and Amanda.”

  She purses her lips. “I know, Riley. I talked to him about all of this last night and he told me he doesn’t expect you to forgive him for leaving you and your mom when you were younger. But I can tell you that he really wants you to know that he does love you.”

  I look down at my hands. “I’m sorry for snapping yesterday. It was uncalled for and childish of me. I guess I just got jealous that he’s here for Amanda and he wasn’t there for me when I was growin
g up.”

  “I’m going to tell you right now that I had no idea he left you and your mom when I was first with your dad,” she tells me. “I found out about you a few weeks after Amanda was born.” I lift my eyebrows. “He told me that he already had a daughter and wife before me. I’m going to be honest also and say that I was not happy. I thought he was going to leave Amanda and me and go back to you and your mom.”

  “But he didn’t,” I comment.

  She shakes her head. “I wasn’t sure what to think when he told me that he wanted to see you after all these years.”

  “I wasn’t sure what to think either.” I shrug. “But with the help of a friend, I decided that it wouldn’t kill me to visit.”

  She smiles. “I know it’s none of my business and I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but it sounded like you were on the phone with a boy yesterday.”

  My cheeks flush. Oh God, she heard my conversation with Aiden yesterday. I sigh. “I was,” I admit. “A very frustrating, annoying boy.” I shake my head.

  She chuckles. “All boys are frustrating and annoying.”

  “I know that now,” I tell her.

  She smiles and stands up from the bed. “Well, if you ever want to talk some more, just know I’m here.”

  “Thank you,” I say to her. She walks out of my room and shuts my door behind her.

  Soon enough, I start to get ready. I start off by taking a shower. My room has its own bathroom, which I’m thankful for. I strip out of my pajamas and take a nice shower. After that, I let my hair dry naturally as I usually do and pick out some clothes. I decide to wear some jeans with my AC/DC band t-shirt and my Converse. Once I’m somewhat happy with my appearance, I walk out of my room and make my way to the kitchen.

  As soon as I walk in, I notice Alyssa and my dad drinking coffee at the island while Amanda sits and plays with what looks like a Nintendo DS.

  My dad looks up and sees me at the doorway. “Good morning, Riley,” he says, offering me a smile.

  “Morning,” I speak softly. I take a few steps further into the kitchen.

  Alyssa nudges Amanda and Amanda looks up at her mom. “Amanda honey, I want you to apologize to Riley.”

  Amanda sighs and looks at me. “I’m sorry, Riley,” she says with no emotion.

  “It’s fine,” I mumble.

  “So, who’s hungry? I know I am,” my dad says.

  Amanda hops off her seat and raises her hand. “I’m hungry!”

  I feel my pocket to make sure I have my phone before we leave. We all walk out of the house and get into one of their vehicles. I sit in the back with Amanda. My dad pulls out of the driveway, and we’re on our way.

  My phone buzzes in my hand and I look down. It’s a message from Aiden.

  Good morning Led Zeppelin Girl ;)

  I stare at the screen, debating whether or not I should respond to him. I give in and type a message back.

  Hi

  Plain, I know. But he isn’t completely forgiven.

  —All I get is a hi?

  —Yes. Be lucky you even got a response from me.

  —I know you love me Summers ;)

  I smirk. I don’t love him. Sure, I have a slight crush on him, but I don’t think I can ever love Aiden Callaway.

  —You just keep telling yourself that

  —Oh I will. Can I ask you something?

  I brace myself.

  Sure

  I wait for him to respond. Though it only takes a couple of seconds for him to respond, it feels like an hour.

  Wanna hang out when you get back?

  Part of me feels like that isn’t what he wants to ask me. But I brush that aside and think about it.

  “Who’s Aiden?” Amanda suddenly asks.

  I look at her and frown. “What?”

  “The Aiden you’ve been talking to,” Amanda says to me. “Who is he?”

  Has she been reading my text messages? “Um, he’s a friend,” I answer plainly.

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Amanda asks in a teasing tone.

  I feel my face heat up as soon as she says boyfriend. Alyssa looks back at us and shakes her head. “Amanda, I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Alyssa tells her.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I tell Amanda anyway.

  I text Aiden back, but I make sure Amanda can’t see.

  —Sure, why not

  “We have arrived,” my dad says. I look out the window and notice we’re at Village Inn. My stomach instantly growls.

  Aiden

  The doorbell rings, and Alex and I look at each other. It’s Saturday morning and we’re just lounging around. We usually don’t do anything until the afternoon.

  “Did you invite someone over?” Alex asks me.

  I shake my head. “Did you?”

  “If I did, I would have told you,” he says as he stares at the TV. Seeing how he isn’t the one who will answer the fucking door, I stand up and start walking in that direction.

  I unlock the front door and open it. I’m surprised to see Ryan Dixon standing in front of me with his hands in the pocket of his Nike hoodie. “Well, if it isn’t my loving stepbrother,” I remark.

  He rolls his eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Aiden.”

  “How can I help you this fine morning?” I ask in a bored tone. I lean against the doorway as my phone buzzes in my hand. It’s probably Riley texting me back.

  “Your dad wants to have a big family dinner tonight, and he wants you to know that you’re invited,” he informs me.

  I smirk. I’m actually invited to a family dinner? “Why did he send you?” I ask curiously.

  “He didn’t send me. I volunteered to come over here,” he says.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m getting the feeling that you didn’t just come to tell me that.”

  He smirks. “And you’re right.”

  I sigh and glance behind me. “Come in.” I hold the door open for him. He walks inside and looks around. “Let’s go in the kitchen,” I say, walking past him. He follows me to the kitchen, and I go straight to the fridge. “You want anything to drink? Water? Vodka? Jack Daniels?”

  He takes a seat at the bar in front of the sink. “Thanks, but I don’t want anything.”

  I grab a water bottle for myself since I’m feeling a bit thirsty. “So what else did you want to tell me?”

  “Have you talked to Riley?” he asks curiously.

  That question takes me slightly off guard. Why is he asking that? “Why do you want to know?” I ask him.

  “I’m just curious,” he says, looking down at the counter in front of him.

  I’m pretty sure he’s not just curious. I squint at him. “You like Riley, don’t you?” I find myself asking him.

  He looks back up at me and shakes his head. “I don’t know. I mean, I really thought I just liked her as a friend when I got to know her, but now…”

  The thought of Ryan liking Riley makes me feel weird. If he ends up asking her out, she’ll spend more time with him than with me. I honestly like spending time with Riley. She’s like no one else I know.

  “Now you like her more than a friend.” I finish for him.

  He shrugs. “With Nicole off my back, I actually want to hang out with Riley more. But I wanted to ask you…”

  “You wanted to ask me…what?” I ask.

  “Do you like Riley?”

  He catches me off guard with that question too. I frown when he asks. Do I like Riley? No. I can’t. And even if I do, she probably won’t like me like that anyway. I pissed her off, and I’m still not forgiven.

  “Why does it matter?” I ask, turning around and taking a drink from my water bottle.

  “We all know you like Riley, Aiden,” he tells me.

  What the fuck does he know? I turn back around and look at him. “Oh really? Well, you’re wrong. I don’t like Riley like that.” I snap at him.

  My answer seems to amuse him. He smirks. “So, you’re okay with me asking her out then
?”

  I clench my jaw. No, I’m not okay with you fucking asking her out. Dammit. “Do whatever the fuck you want, Ryan.”

  He smiles. “Great. Well, I’m out of here.” He stands up and walks out of the kitchen. I don’t move from my spot. My mind is still trying to process what the hell just happened.

  Alex walks in with a puzzled look on his face. “Who was that?”

  “My stepbrother,” I say, taking a drink from my bottle of water.

  “Oh,” he says plainly. “That’s interesting.”

  I tap my fingers on the counter in front of me. I find myself thinking about everything that has been going on. I look at Alex who’s still in the kitchen.

  “How do you know when you like a girl?” I find myself asking him.

  He raises his eyebrows. “Um, I don’t know.” He frowns. “I guess when you like being around her more than anyone else. Why?” He looks at me skeptically.

  Hmm. “No reason.” I shake my head. I start towards the hallway.

  “Get your ass back in here,” Alex says behind me. “You can’t just ask a question like that and get away with it.”

  I roll my eyes. Leave it to Alex to be a drama queen about this.

  “Do you like someone?” He grins as he asks me.

  “No,” I answer flatly.

  He smirks at me. “You’re a damn liar. Fess up, Callaway. I know you like someone.”

  “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Alex.” I deny.

  “I already know who you like actually. I just want to hear you admit it,” he says, continuing to smirk.

  I don’t like anyone. Alex and Ryan have both gone off the fucking deep end. “Who do I like then, Alex? Please enlighten me,” I say to him, crossing my arms.

  “You like that Riley girl.” He has a smug smile.

  Why does everyone assume I like her? “We’re friends, Alex. Besides,” I say, “Ryan likes her. And since he’s Ryan fucking Dixon, he always gets what he wants.”

  “What do you mean?” he asks, raising his eyebrow.

  “I mean, he’s going to ask her out and she’s going to say yes, then they’ll be the happiest damn couple around,” I ramble.

  Alex shakes his head when I finish talking. “Why are you shaking your head?” I demand from him.