Gen 3-Take a bow

I stood on the doorstep of the Goodman's house, cursing at my mom for making me do this. My mom told me before she left that she wasn't punishing me for anything and that she loved me and that she's just trying to help us become friends. She didn't see me flip her off as I left.
I could have gone anywhere but I'm trying to work on my obedience.

 "Riley! Please get the door?" I heard Mrs. Goodman yell from what I remember was the kitchen. She opened the door and the first thing I saw wasn't the Riley I remember...The punk bad ass chick that ruled the school. Instead I saw a girly girl who was dressed from head to tow in pink. Her blonde hair was rested on her shoulders and when she saw me...she slammed the door in my face.

"MOM! WHAT IS ANDE-UGLY LANGLY DOING HERE?" I heard her scream so I knocked again. Arley answered this time and invited me inside.
"What a pleasant surprise, beautiful." He whispered, touching the small of my back as I passed. I pushed his hand away and walked into the kitchen awkwardly.

"Ande! How have you been, sweetheart?" Mrs. Goodman greeted me with a hug. "We've missed you in class."
 Riley sat in the corner and just stared at me as I hugged her mother and her brother seemed to fall at my feet with compliments and pet names. I realized that this was better than I thought it would be...I get to sit here and watch Riley smolder at how her family adores me.

"Riley, go show Ande your room. Be down for dinner in at least an hour."

I was sitting there awkwardly on Riley's bed, a pile of clothes where on the floor and Riley was standing up next to the mirror. Trying hard to do what my mom wanted me to do...I started to make small talk.
"So...what do you do in spare time?"
 "Nothing."
 "At all?"
 "Nothing."

She looked at me and walked over to where I was sitting. I became nervous at once, I realized that I was alone with the girl who tried to kill me but little did I know...I had a much bigger reason to be scared of her...

Because only a few seconds later, she had leaned in and...She leaned in...and kissed me

 Holy mother of hell. Riley....just fucking kissed me.

I pulled away and a billion emotions flew across my face as she grabbed my shoulders and pushed me onto the ground.

"Speak to ANYONE about this and you're going to DIE. Understand?"

 I nodded and just sat there blankly as she kicked open the door and screamed "Mom! Dinner better be ready."
My breathing finally pulled back into its normal pattern and I stood up, unlocked the window, and jumped out. scaled the roof and jumped into a pile of hay. I took off into the darkness and didn't look back in fear of...well everything in that house.

Soon enough, I found myself curled up on the edge of the dock, my mind was blank and I wanted it to stay that way. If I allowed myself to think about it...I'd be a little more freaked out about this whole thing.

Four hours later, I flopped onto my bed in exertion and fell asleep. But Riley's face seeped into my dreams...I saw her with her hands around my throat and then with her lips pressed to mine. My mind was betraying me in every possible way.

Relief came soon as Aphrodite was shaking me awake and rummaging around my room telling me that it was a "big big big day!" I was confused until she pulled my ballet outfit out of the closet and threw it at me.

I gulped...People were waiting out there to watch us...I smoothed down my skirt one last time while Aphrodite helped me do my hair up. Jose was working on putting little decorations on the dresses and in our hair. Aphrodite looked wonderful and told me that I did too. I had been able to keep Riley and what happened at her house off my mind for long enough and the day was filled with enough distractions...

But when I stepped into that spotlight next to my best friend...everything was gone but that exhilarating feeling that comes whenever I'm about to do this routine.
Jose smiled at me and Aph as we perked up on our toes and the music started...There is always this chill that runs up my back as I realize that people are watching me and most people would find that annoying, but to me its the best thing in the world.

And right now, the world was nothing because I was dancing.

As soon as it was over, my mom and dad dropped me and Aphrodite off at our favorite cafe and hugged us both, saying

"Good job girls!" and "I almost started crying...just so beautiful."

Eden, on the other hand was not quite as amazed as everyone else was. She just sat and watched with a very blank look on her face and didn't say anything when they dropped us off.

I leaned over on the table as if to whisper something to Aph but instead handed her a note that said "I have some new info on Riley."

She folded it up and stuck it in her purse before actually starting the whispering conversation. "What happened when you went over to her house?"

 "Her mom sent us up to her room alone..."

"AND?" She broke in again. "Did she hurt you? Do I have to skin her?"
 I shook my head and promptly replied "She didn't hurt my outside this time."

"So, what happened?" I pulled Aph closer so that no one could hear and whispered it into her ear, just loud enough for her to catch it and gasp and she pushed me back into my chair. I stared at the emotion crossing her face and she just laughed when she asked "Did you like it?" I screamed at her and kicked her under the table. "No! It was the worst thing to happen to me since Eden!"

"So, she's a lesbo and tried to make a move on you." I scoffed and asked to change the subject so Aphrodite started to talk about...get this...prom.

"I was thinking that I could wear a dress covered in cheetah prints and wear a cat mask." She laughed and purred at me from across the table, knocking over her coke. She quickly picked it up but it was already too late, I was laughing my head off and disturbing the people at the next table.

"Your recital went really well..." I heard Riley Goodman's voice from behind me. Aphrodite huffed and treated Riley exactly how she has been treating us since 5th grade.

"What do you want Riley? No one likes you." I gulped and Riley pulled up a chair next to us. "I need to talk to you guys..." Her voice sounded hoarse and she seemed strangely...nice for a change.

"What is it?" I exchanged glances with Aph, hers said "Ande...what are you doing?" I shot back one that told her just to trust me and that I'd take care of it. "I have something to give you...I swear, I wont touch you." So...Us being the little naive girls that we are...followed her. For some reason, I felt that I could really trust her! She had that shy innocent look that I used to use and I couldn't help it...Not knowing that I'd be making another mistake.

She took us to this little hut by the water. It was cute, filled with computers and seemed to be the Goodman's storage area.
I walked inside and tromped all over the pink carpet. Aph had her guard up, I, surprisingly let mine down for once and tried to accept that Riley was just trying to be nice to us.

"I have something to give you, but you have to swear not to tell anyone." We both nodded and she sat a bag in our hands, before we had the chance to open them in of her, she sprinted out the door yelling
"Be right back..I have to go get the rest of it." Aph and I sat down on one of the couches and started to open the package...

I pulled out a bottle of white liquid that I've never even heard of before and Aphrodite was handed what looked like a bag of flower but once she opened it...we both knew that it very well wasn't flower...but what was it?
She put her nose into the bag and sniffed it and then handed it to me...My mind was instantly buzzed and the feeling felt amazing. Aphrodite pulled the bottle out and sniffed that as well, then put her lips to the rim and and took a deep drink.

"Aphrodite! You don't know what that is..." I pulled it away and shoved the lid back on it...the buzz forming a cloud around my thoughts made it hard for me to keep focus on Aphrodite and how childish she was acting, especially now with her slurred speech and how I had to sit her down to help keep her balance.

"They're in there, sir." Riley's voice echoed though the room and I heard, instead of one pair of footsteps, there were 3.
Two police men came in and one of them took the brown bags from us and looked inside them. The other police man told Aphrodite to stand up and checked her pupils and her breath. He did the same thing to me.

"I'm officer Lucian O'Conner and you two are coming with me. Not only for illegally obtaining cocaine but also being in possession of alcohol at age 17."
He flipped out his badge then quickly put it away again. The other officer had already left and Aphrodite and I were handcuffed and lead away by officer O'Conner...I looked over at Aph and gave her a look that said it all... "My parents are going to kill me."