A Sweetheart Corruption
Chapter 24
Riley's POV:
"Ri, wake up." I heard Zayn whisper, shaking me softly. Little did he know, I was already very much awake. How can someone sleep when their life has evolved into complete shit?
"I'm up." I muttered turning over to face him. His eyes go weak at my appearance and I sniffle slightly.
"Take a quick shower before you go downstairs, alright?" He suggests and I nod. I notice that he's wide awake and that my bedroom door is open. "I spoke to your parents already." He says, reading my mind.
"What did they say?" I choke out, hiding my face in my pillow. Maybe if I lay here long enough, I'll suffocate myself and won't have to deal with any consequences.
"They weren't happy, but I think they're more worried than anything else. They know it was Seth from Harry's old town and they're gonna call the pol--"
"No!" I screamed, frantically jumping out of bed. "They can't call the police, that will just make everything worse!" I shrieked. My eyes scanned across the room to my laptop sitting open on the desk and I raced towards it. Immediately I saw edits of the picture of me with stupid sayings on them, dirty jokes and all my "friends" talking major shit.
"Riley, please don't read into it." Zayn begged slamming it shut. I turned my head around to him, and found my parents and Joni in the doorway.
"I'm so sorry you guys. I never meant for this to happen, I don't even know what--" my voice trailed off and I found myself sobbing into Zayn's arms again.
"We know baby, we're gonna figure everything out." My mom whispered with tears in her eyes. I glanced up at my dad and he refused to make eye contact with me.
"Riley, this is unacceptable..." he uttered, shaking his head in anger.
"She didn't do it, John... You can't blame her." My mother reminded him.
"You are never to see that boy across the street again, nor any of his friends aside from Zayn. Do you hear me young lady? How could my sweet, sweet girl get mixed up with all this damaging stuff? I just..." His voice trailed off and he stormed out of the doorway and disappeared from my sights.
"It's gonna be ok, Ri." Joni smiled, before walking away with my mother following. I looked up at Zayn and shook my head.
"I don't know what to do." I sighed in defeat. He took a step towards me and lifted my chin up.
"You're gonna take a long hot shower, drink some tea and relax. I promise you, I won't leave your side ever again. I'm sorry for everything that's I've said or done to you the last couple mon--"
"I know." I replied softly. "Why don't you go home and get cleaned up and I'll call you from the landline phone since Harry broke mine last night...."
Harry.
What the fuck was I ever thinking getting myself involved with him? He said everything I wanted to hear, that I was different, dark, sexy and mysterious... Now look where that's all gotten me.
I said my goodbyes to Zayn and watched as he traveled down the steps to say goodbye to my parents and probably tell them to take it easy on me.
My feet carry me to the shower and the tears just keep flowing out of me. I've never been more humiliated, embarrassed and scared in my whole life.
I'm a slut.
A whore.
A skank.
A bitch.
Easy.
You name it, and I've been called it in the last 15 hours all because of one single picture. I keep telling myself not to care, but I do. I care so much it's ripping me to pieces, and I have no one but Harry and myself to thank for that.
Harry's POV:
I've been watching Riley's house all night and Zayn never came out, and I swear if that bastard tries anything on her... Fuck there he is!
I busted out my front door and sprinted over to him as fast as I could.
"Zayn!" I shouted grabbing his attention immediately.
"What's up, mate?" He asked pulling his jacket on. Is he for real?
"What do you think?" I say with annoyance. "How's Riley?"
"Honestly? She's not good." He answered. My heart dropped, I was expecting something like 'she's hanging in there' or 'she's alright'.
"Should I go see her? Does she know I'll take care of Seth?" I questioned frantically.
"No you shouldn't go see her... Her parents are furious, mate. I don't think you'll be seeing much of her anymore, none of you will." He replied coldly.
"None of us? What about you?"
"She needs me right now, I'm not the one who wrecked her. You know what Harry, you should have been a lot more careful with her. She's not some fucking random girl from your old town, she's fragile and you broke her." He shouted in my face. My hands balled into fists and I was ready to swing at him, but he was right.
"I need to explain to her what I meant by this happening again... She needs to know the full story about Eric." I sighed and Zayn gave me what appeared to be... a death glare?
"I think it's in your best interest to back the fuck away from Riley. You've put her through hell and expected her to take it... not everyone is like you Harry! Not everyone can take it! You tell Riley not to care what everyone thinks and try to change her, when inside she's the same person." He growled at me.
"She's stronger than she thinks..." I muttered, holding back the tears in my eyes.
"Tell that to the girl who's probably banging her head against the wall in the shower, humiliated and ruined. If you had been honest with her about Seth or just not got involved and tried to change her, things would be different." Zayn said coldly, walking away from me.
"You're out of the gang you piece of shit! You were never strong enough for it anyway!" I called after him. He froze in his tracks, turned around and swung his fist which connected directly into my jaw.
"Not strong enough? Look who's lying in the dirt now. The difference between you and Riley is that you can pick yourself up from the ground on your own, while she'll be busy putting back together the pieces of her life." He chuckled while walking away.
Ow. I don't know what hurts more... the hole in my heart, Zayn's harsh reality check or my throbbing jaw.
Either way, I know that I need to make things right, and I still believe Riley is stronger than she realizes. The only question is, how do I make her see that?
"Ri, wake up." I heard Zayn whisper, shaking me softly. Little did he know, I was already very much awake. How can someone sleep when their life has evolved into complete shit?
"I'm up." I muttered turning over to face him. His eyes go weak at my appearance and I sniffle slightly.
"Take a quick shower before you go downstairs, alright?" He suggests and I nod. I notice that he's wide awake and that my bedroom door is open. "I spoke to your parents already." He says, reading my mind.
"What did they say?" I choke out, hiding my face in my pillow. Maybe if I lay here long enough, I'll suffocate myself and won't have to deal with any consequences.
"They weren't happy, but I think they're more worried than anything else. They know it was Seth from Harry's old town and they're gonna call the pol--"
"No!" I screamed, frantically jumping out of bed. "They can't call the police, that will just make everything worse!" I shrieked. My eyes scanned across the room to my laptop sitting open on the desk and I raced towards it. Immediately I saw edits of the picture of me with stupid sayings on them, dirty jokes and all my "friends" talking major shit.
"Riley, please don't read into it." Zayn begged slamming it shut. I turned my head around to him, and found my parents and Joni in the doorway.
"I'm so sorry you guys. I never meant for this to happen, I don't even know what--" my voice trailed off and I found myself sobbing into Zayn's arms again.
"We know baby, we're gonna figure everything out." My mom whispered with tears in her eyes. I glanced up at my dad and he refused to make eye contact with me.
"Riley, this is unacceptable..." he uttered, shaking his head in anger.
"She didn't do it, John... You can't blame her." My mother reminded him.
"You are never to see that boy across the street again, nor any of his friends aside from Zayn. Do you hear me young lady? How could my sweet, sweet girl get mixed up with all this damaging stuff? I just..." His voice trailed off and he stormed out of the doorway and disappeared from my sights.
"It's gonna be ok, Ri." Joni smiled, before walking away with my mother following. I looked up at Zayn and shook my head.
"I don't know what to do." I sighed in defeat. He took a step towards me and lifted my chin up.
"You're gonna take a long hot shower, drink some tea and relax. I promise you, I won't leave your side ever again. I'm sorry for everything that's I've said or done to you the last couple mon--"
"I know." I replied softly. "Why don't you go home and get cleaned up and I'll call you from the landline phone since Harry broke mine last night...."
Harry.
What the fuck was I ever thinking getting myself involved with him? He said everything I wanted to hear, that I was different, dark, sexy and mysterious... Now look where that's all gotten me.
I said my goodbyes to Zayn and watched as he traveled down the steps to say goodbye to my parents and probably tell them to take it easy on me.
My feet carry me to the shower and the tears just keep flowing out of me. I've never been more humiliated, embarrassed and scared in my whole life.
I'm a slut.
A whore.
A skank.
A bitch.
Easy.
You name it, and I've been called it in the last 15 hours all because of one single picture. I keep telling myself not to care, but I do. I care so much it's ripping me to pieces, and I have no one but Harry and myself to thank for that.
Harry's POV:
I've been watching Riley's house all night and Zayn never came out, and I swear if that bastard tries anything on her... Fuck there he is!
I busted out my front door and sprinted over to him as fast as I could.
"Zayn!" I shouted grabbing his attention immediately.
"What's up, mate?" He asked pulling his jacket on. Is he for real?
"What do you think?" I say with annoyance. "How's Riley?"
"Honestly? She's not good." He answered. My heart dropped, I was expecting something like 'she's hanging in there' or 'she's alright'.
"Should I go see her? Does she know I'll take care of Seth?" I questioned frantically.
"No you shouldn't go see her... Her parents are furious, mate. I don't think you'll be seeing much of her anymore, none of you will." He replied coldly.
"None of us? What about you?"
"She needs me right now, I'm not the one who wrecked her. You know what Harry, you should have been a lot more careful with her. She's not some fucking random girl from your old town, she's fragile and you broke her." He shouted in my face. My hands balled into fists and I was ready to swing at him, but he was right.
"I need to explain to her what I meant by this happening again... She needs to know the full story about Eric." I sighed and Zayn gave me what appeared to be... a death glare?
"I think it's in your best interest to back the fuck away from Riley. You've put her through hell and expected her to take it... not everyone is like you Harry! Not everyone can take it! You tell Riley not to care what everyone thinks and try to change her, when inside she's the same person." He growled at me.
"She's stronger than she thinks..." I muttered, holding back the tears in my eyes.
"Tell that to the girl who's probably banging her head against the wall in the shower, humiliated and ruined. If you had been honest with her about Seth or just not got involved and tried to change her, things would be different." Zayn said coldly, walking away from me.
"You're out of the gang you piece of shit! You were never strong enough for it anyway!" I called after him. He froze in his tracks, turned around and swung his fist which connected directly into my jaw.
"Not strong enough? Look who's lying in the dirt now. The difference between you and Riley is that you can pick yourself up from the ground on your own, while she'll be busy putting back together the pieces of her life." He chuckled while walking away.
Ow. I don't know what hurts more... the hole in my heart, Zayn's harsh reality check or my throbbing jaw.
Either way, I know that I need to make things right, and I still believe Riley is stronger than she realizes. The only question is, how do I make her see that?
Notes
hiiiii , sorry i haven't updated in a few days I've been really busy!what should Harry do about Riley?
comment & vote! xx :)
@londonstar23
ah, i don't know if i will ever update again... but so happy you enjoyed this story! wishing you all the best.
12/14/17