Page 49 of Now and Again

‘But he was handsome,’ India argued.

‘Is that all you need?’ Riley asked.

‘Pretty much,’ India said defensively. ‘At least for now.’

‘What about later?’ Riley asked.

‘What do you mean?’ India said.

‘I mean, what do you want out of life? In the long run. You’re having fun now, fine. What comes later?’

‘I don’t… I don’t know what you’re asking,’ India frowned.

Riley slumped onto the couch, feeling bad. She shouldn’t be doing this to India. She was who she was. It wasn’t Riley’s place to question that. Especially since she barely had an idea of what came next herself. ‘I’m sorry, ignore me. And I’m sorry I was a fun suck tonight.’

India dropped the pout, already over it. ‘The evening isn’t over. Let’s put the telly on. Order some food. Have a drink.Make it a girl’s night.’

‘Yeah, OK.’

They put the TV on. India automatically put on the bloody Kardashian’s. Riley did her best not to let her blood pressure shoot up as she watched.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked it and saw she was getting a phone call from Amanda. It became a question of the lesser evil. Did she want to keep watching the show or take a browbeating from her stepmother?

‘India, I gotta take a quick call,’ she said, getting up.

‘Whatever,’ she said, barely noticing Riley get up, glued to the screen. Riley went into her room, shifting a box from a comfy chair and sitting down. ‘Amanda. Are you home? Is your dad still alright?’

‘Riley, hi, I just got back. Yeah, he’s gonna be alright. He’s got to stop eating red meat though, and he’s livid. But I just found out you’ve moved out! Your father’s quite upset.’

‘Is he?’ Riley asked. ‘Isn’t he still in France?’

‘Fine.I’mupset,’ Amanda admitted. ‘I thought… Was it that bad?’

‘Look, I just felt like… I felt like it was getting a bit cramped. With all of us.’

‘Four and a half people in a six-bed house?’ Amanda said, flummoxed. ‘Then you’d have hated where I grew up. There were six of us in a three-bed. I had to be on a bunk under my younger brother. My god, the farts.’

That made Riley feel like an entitled brat. She couldn’t bear for Amanda to see her that way. ‘It’s not really… It’s not about that.’

‘Is it me? Was I being a bit… Your dad says I can be a bit suffocating.’

That prick.

‘God, no. You’re like the lottery win of stepmums, Amanda. I like you more than my dad, actually.’

There was a pause. ‘Is that the problem? Your dad? Because I could talk to him. I mean, it’s not too late for you to come back.’

‘Itistoo late. But no, it’s not about him.’

‘Well, that only leaves Mia and Juliet…’ Amanda trailed off. ‘Hang on, is that it?’

Is what it?’

‘I don’t know, I just… Juliet seemed a bit off when I got back. Did you two have a row? Is that what’s happened?’

Riley was desperate to say yes, and for it to be the truth. It would be so much easier if Juliet just got on her nerves. ‘No. We…’ She stopped because she couldn’t think how her sentence was going to end.

She didn’t need an end, however, because for once, Amanda was ahead of the curve. ‘Oh.Oh. I see.’

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