My Boring, Shitty Life Ch. 12

Riley is just starting out in life, but thus far, is unimpressed. He's still in high school and having trouble finding himself in a world where everyone around him feels like they have it all together. In the past few weeks, he's joined a motorcycle club and started wearing his grandfather's legacy cut, gotten his first tattoo, rescued a damsel in distress, crushed on a few different girls, hooked up at a party, and gotten into a few fights. Recently, he was used and abused by the older woman next door again, this time with no explanation. Things will heat up bit by bit along the way. All characters mentioned are over the age of eighteen, because, reasons, and as always this is a work of fiction.

Matt finally showed his face at school on Wednesday. Everyone could see that he was sulking, but he even brushed me aside when I tried to talk to him. I let it go, knowing how hurt he was, but it really bothered me. I was there for him, so what the hell? Right?

Darcy grabbed my arm before I could get to the cafeteria at lunch time. "We need to talk!" She told me, dragging me away by the hand.

I followed her out to my truck and let her in on the passenger side, joining her moments later. "What's up?" I asked.

"Ok. So. I was lurking on the rumor mill, and you won't believe what I saw."

"Ok. And?"

She pulled out her phone and held it up as she read, "Riley Stephens. What's his deal?"

"Seen it." I told her.

"Nope. Get this, I'm quoting here, 'Riley was the best, like THE BEST,' all caps there, 'lay of my life.'" She squealed, hitting my arm. "'I was super into him before, but now that I had a taste, I'm calling all you bitches out.'" She paused for a breath before continuing, "'how has nobody been talking about this? I clearly wasn't the first, so what the actual eff?'" She punctuated her speech by hitting me on the arm repeatedly while giggling. I wasn't even sure how to respond. "There's a bunch of thirsty bitches commenting after that, but damn. You really punched your ticket here Stud."

"Uh. Thanks. I guess."

She stared at me incredulously. "That's it?"

I shrugged. "What am I supposed to say? I'm just me. Nothing special."

Her jaw dropped open. "I can't tell if you're seriously being humble about this or yanking my chain."

I shrugged again.

"That aloof shit will get you everywhere Riley my dear boy." She told me, still eyeing me warily. "Asshole." I laughed as she chuckled along. We spent the rest of lunch hanging out in my truck.

Dad was waiting for me when I got home that day. "Drop your bag. We're headed out." I stood confused for a minute before following him out to his car. He ignored my questions about the situation and drove us out of town in silence. It wasn't until we got there that I realized where he was taking me. I'd never been there, but I recognized it as his childhood home from some pictures I had found in an old shoebox.

The place was kind of a cross between trailer trash and farmland. My grandfather sat in the screened-in front porch smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. He made no move to get up, so Dad and I sat down with him. There were no pleasantries shared.

Dad spoke first. "It's time he knew, Pop."

My face scrunched up in confusion, before it registered that I was going to hear about the rift between them. I sat quietly, waiting for the story.

My grandfather stubbed out his cigarette before lighting another one and offering one to us. Dad declined, so I did as well. I honestly didn't know if Dad knew I smoked occasionally. "You expect me to tell him? Not happening. You tell him, and I'll fill in the gaps."

Dad grumbled. "Alright. Riley, when I was just a few years older than you, your mom and I were going through a rough patch." He NEVER talked about mom, this must be big. "You were just a baby. She was having trouble coping. Postpartum, you know what that is?" I nodded. "Well she was in a bad way. She took to lashing out, and drinking, and-"

"And fucking anything that moved." Grandpa interrupted.

Dad sighed. "And fooling around. Yeah." I could see it still bothered him. "Back then I was prospecting, or I guess just hanging around thinking about it." I knew he'd never been a member, so this was news to me. "We'd had a fight, and I told a few of the guys what had happened."

He paused, so Grandpa jumped in. "Word got to me. I don't play that shit and your daddy knew it. I told him to man up and make it right."

"I told him to stay out of it. It was my problem, and your mom was just sick. I wanted to handle it my own way."

"So I did exactly what I was supposed to do. I protected my boy." Grandpa threw in.

"You went against my wishes."

"SO DID SHE!"

"Yeah but you fucking killed someone Pop!"

They both got quiet. "So the club took care of it, and what?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

Dad shook his head. "I know you're not going to understand this, but as much as I hated the guy. It wasn't just on him."

"Bullshit! He saw what you had and stole it. You said yourself she wasn't right." Grandpa rebutted.

"She wasn't, but I could look past that."

"So could I. At first." Grandpa paused. "Look Son. I let it go, despite the boys chomping at my heels. I only got involved when he came back sniffin' around."

"He came back to apologize." Dad responded.

Grandpa shook his head. "That's the part you don't get. I told you what he was doin.' That he was lyin.' I told you all that and you still wanted me to let it go." Grandpa turned to me, "your daddy don't wanna hear it, but when your momma got better, she didn't give him up."

"Shut up."

"She met with him at a hotel."

"Shut up!"

"We had a prospect tailin' her. He got pictures."

Dad stood up in a huff. "SHUT UP!"

Grandpa looked at him, unbothered by his outburst. "You gotta let it go Son. He's in the ground now-"

"BUT SO IS SHE!!!" Dad sank down into his chair, defeated and breathing heavy. "So is she." He whispered.

I suddenly didn't want to know what else happened, but I knew I had to hear it. I never knew my mom, and now I had an idea as to why. I would've gotten up and left but they kept on.

"Boy. I know she hurt you, leaving you like that, but you've got to move forward."

"I can't." He whispered, staring at the ground. I pretended I couldn't see the tears streaming down his face.

Grandpa looked to me, "your momma introduced herself to the Lord that way. It wasn't her time, but she blamed herself for what happened to that man."

"What you did to him." Dad whispered.

"I told your daddy that if he wanted to blame someone, he should blame me."

I nodded, seeing how painful this had all become. "That clearly worked out for everyone then." I cut harshly.

Dad looked up at me, his tears paused. "What did you say?" I could tell he was mad. Grandpa watched silently.

I sat up a little straighter. "The only one who's been hurt long term here is me. Your shit is now my shit. I don't get to know my grandfather because you two can't let the past die. Dad I never knew mom, but it sounds like she fell in love with another man. Grandpa I get why you did what you did, but it wasn't your call to make. Now that the air's been cleared, can we all try, just try, to let it go?"

They both looked shocked at me, then looked at each other, then back to me. "You think it's that easy?" Dad asked.

"World don't work like that Kid." Grandpa added.

"Okay well, by my math it sounds like you two have been mad at each other for seventeen plus years. How long did you even know mom for? Grandpa, have you ever even apologized? It's not easy because everyone in the family is so fucking bullheaded." The looks on their faces made it seem like I had reached them a bit. I went for broke. "Can we PLEASE just let this shit go?"

My dad's response caught me way off guard. "Fuck you Riley." I watched as he started busting out laughing. Grandpa and I joined in.

"Fucking hell Marcus. What the hell kind of kid are you raisin'?"

"Beats the fuck outta me." Dad replied.

I had a feeling we weren't whole yet, but it seemed like a step in the right direction. We didn't make it home until late that night. Dad and I had stayed and talked with grandpa about nothing for hours, but it felt like we were making strides towards being an actual family. I learned that grandpa and I actually had a lot in common. It was pretty cool.

At school the next day I came across Brett arguing with Bianca in the hall. It looked like that bubble was bursting, so I smiled at them as I walked by. Brett was not amused. He cornered me at my desk, slamming his hands down on it and glaring at me. He didn't say a word, and neither did I. People were staring, wondering what was going on when the teacher came in and broke us up. "Mr. Massey, I believe you're in the wrong class. I suggest you be on your way."

He didn't move at first, but eventually got the message. His look told me he wanted more, and God help him if he did. I noticed Bianca grinning as he made his way out of the room. Not for the first time, I got the feeling that Bianca was reveling in two boys fighting over her. Filing that away for future reference, I hoped that she would find someone else to pine over. Yeah, I had a crush on her, but I wasn't trying to be in the middle of that mess. I didn't want her using me to bait her boyfriend.

After school, I got a text from Kelsey asking me to keep an eye on Matt. She said he was in a bad way, and it was scaring her. I responded that I would, and that I was there for her too if she needed me. Her reply just said, 'Charmer'.

With all the buzz going on about me on the rumor mill, I still hadn't seen anything come of it. Where were all these supposedly interested women...?? I didn't see it until Naomi cornered me after school on Friday. "Hey Riley!"

I turned to see her rushing over to my truck in her cheer practice short shorts and tank top. It was a classic look, resembling an eighties outfit, just a bit modernized. I had to stop myself from drooling. "Hey Sexy! What's up?"

She grinned, "I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind giving Irene and Me a ride. Her car stopped working."

I looked over her shoulder to see a brunette leaning over the hood of her car wearing the same getup as Naomi. Seeing her bent over like that had me practically foaming at the mouth. I shook my head. "What's wrong with it?" I asked.

Naomi just shrugged, so I dropped my bag off and walked over to the brunette. "What's wrong with the car?" I asked.

She stood up and turned to me, displaying a mortified look on her gorgeous face. "I don't know! How should I know? I just drive it." Her hair was in a ponytail and seemed to whip back and forth as she spoke. "I don't know what to do!"

I could tell she was exasperated by the ordeal. I nodded. "Well at least you got the hood open. Can I see the keys?"

She handed them to me and I sat down in the front and flipped the ignition over. I should've known by the overhead light not turning on with the door open, but when I flipped the ignition and no lights came on, I figured it out pretty quick. "Looks like the battery is dead."

"Is that bad?" She asked.

I gave her an amused look. "Only if you want to go anywhere. If you just need a paperweight then right now you're golden." She looked more confused than I was going for. Well, I'll try being funny later then, back to serious.

Naomi asked, "is it expensive?"

"Well yeah. A good one's probably $150-200."

"Oh god." Irene gasped. "My dad is gonna kill me."

"Don't worry Chica. It's a newer car, I bet it just needs a charge." I posited. "Wait here a sec."

I ran over to my truck and pulled it around. Always ready, I pulled out the jumper cables and got to work.

"YOUR TRUCK IS LOUD!" Irene shouted.

I grinned, letting her battery soak up some juice before bringing it back to life. Both girls were doing the giddy cheerleader thing, bouncing around and clapping.

"GO RILEY!"

"Thank you so much!"

I shrugged and disconnected the cables. I shut my truck off so I wouldn't waste gas. "You need to keep it running for a bit to let the alternator do its thing." I saw two confused, but gorgeous faces. "Your alternator charges your battery while the engine runs. If you draw too much power with the engine off then the battery dies out. With me?" They nodded. "What were you doing the last time you were in the car?"

Naomi giggled, causing Irene to blush and interject. "NOTHING! We were just listening to music. Same as we always do." She said, elbowing Naomi.

I nodded. "Yeah. That checks out. So you guys listen to music and hang out, but leave the engine off right?"

"That's wrong?" Naomi asked.

I leaned close and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Yes baby girl. That's bad for the battery." I could see fire in her eyes after I kissed her, so I ran my hand down her back and cupped her ass in my hand. Irene was watching us speculatively. I was feeling bold.

Naomi purred. "Mmmm. I like it when you call me that."

"Me too." I told her. "How's about you and I go get in trouble somewhere?"

She leaned back and looked at Irene. They didn't say anything, but it looked like they could speak telepathically. "Actually, we had plans to do a little shopping at the mall."

I un-cupped her cheek and smiled. "Alright love. Maybe some other time." Disappointed, but not wanting to show it, I walked off.

I heard a giggle before I got to my truck door. "Hey Riley!"

I turned around. "Yeah?"

"We're going to Victoria's Secret." I watched as the two girls locked eyes, lean in, and kiss each other sensually before turning back to me. "Wanna come with?" Naomi asked.

My mind did a backflip as I deduced EXACTLY what they had been doing in the car while 'listening to music.' I didn't know what was about to happen at the mall, but I knew damn well that I wanted to be there. I couldn't help grinning as I thought that my life, my boring shitty life, was finally getting started.