Riley
I'm pissed! pissed, annoyed, upset, angry, and just plain fucking gutted! I didn't plan anything when I went to see Gemma... Julia tonight but still, I feel like a massive failure and just... fuck, I don't even know what I'm feeling right now.
When she finally told me her real name, I felt my heart kick up a beat. Julia... such a beautiful name. I wonder what the little girl's name is. I doubt that she would tell me her real name and I can respect that, she has to protect her and I get it. Tonight was the closest that I have gotten to her and somehow she seemed even smaller than before but still absolutely perfect.
Seeing her hurt angered me like never before. Why would anyone hurt her? Those men are sick bastards and if I ever get my hands on them I won't be responsible for my actions!
"How's that whiskey treating you?" Josh sits on the empty bar stool next to me as I finish up my drink. My reply is a grunt because I don't know what to say, and don't want to talk but I know Josh, and I know that he won't just let it slide. We've been best friends since we were small boys which means that he knows when to leave me alone but that also means he knows when I need to talk through something, even if I don't want to.
"How did you know I was here?" I haven't spoken to him since this morning, didn't even tell him my plans for tonight. "Your mom. She told me where you went and that you had text saying that it was a fail and you'd be home in a few hours so I figured it out."
Of course, my mom told him. "Don't be mad at your mom she was just worried about you." He often appears to read my mind and it always freaks me out.
"What did she tell you?" If he's going make me talk then I'm not giving him any more than he already knows. I already feel like a massive let down and I don't need to make myself look any worse. He orders a drink and then starts talking "That you went to find that girl... Gemma is it? That she didn't know what your plans were but that she had a feeling that you were going to try and get her out of ... her situation. She also told me about her daughter."
I don't speak for a few minutes as I wait for his judgment. Josh is my best friend but he's a judgemental asshole when he wants to be but I'm shocked when it doesn't come. "Don't you have something to say? She's homeless, not like you to leave something like that slide!" Yes, that was properly a dick comment on my part but I can't help it. "I'm sorry, bro. I shouldn't have said that."
"Why not? Your right, I'm always the first to make a crappy comment but not now, not in this situation. I'm your best friend Ri and I've been watching you these past few weeks and I've noticed the difference in you and when your mom told me all that she knew I wasn't even surprised. In fact, I was happy. I've not seen you like this since... anyway, I'm just glad that you are finally willing to move on."
Yes, he's a judgemental asshole at times but this right here just reminds me of how he's also one of the best men that I have ever known. Regardless of what my situation is and his thoughts on it he will always support me, he always has. "Maybe this is for the best, anyway." I wave for the bartender to bring me another drink as I finish off the one I currently have. "How so?" he looks genuinely curious as he also orders another drink. "Well, let's be honest, I don't have a great track record for relationships and there's a child involved here so maybe I'm best just forgetting about her... about them and moving on."
"You can't let her, let the past destroy your future Ri. Yes, I'm all for you remaining single and playing my wingman but I've also seen how you've been these past few weeks. I listened to what your mom had to say and we both know that there's more here than you want to admit right now."
Damn this guy for knowing me so well. "It doesn't matter either way. She doesn't want to know." We both remain quiet for a few moments as we enjoy our drinks but I know that he's just thinking everything over while I'm here trying to block it all out. "Did she mean it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did she mean it when she said that she didn't want to know?" I shrug as I sip more of my drink. "I don't know." he gives me a disbelieving look as he works on his own drink. "Bullshit, Ri. You are one of the best people I know at judging people, at figuring them out so I'm going to ask you again and this time I want a truthful answer. Did she mean it?"
I rake my hand through my hair feeling frustrated once more. "No, no she didn't. She never said the words 'I don't want to' she kept saying 'I can't' I think she's scared but I don't know of what. I don't think she's scared of me but she definitely scared of something... or someone. Fuck! what if she's scared of someone else and I've just left her there?"
I down the rest of my drink and jump off my stool so fast that I almost fall. I'm not drunk, not even close, it takes a lot to get me drunk so I'm not worried about that but I do know that I can't drive. "Where are you going?" I turn to face Josh while trying to figure out what to do next. "I need to go see her, if she's scared of someone then I need to help her... even if she doesn't want it."
I go to walk towards the door but get pulled back by Josh. "Give it some time before you go back." that's a strange thing to say and makes me suddenly feel nervous. "Why? What aren't you telling me?"
Julia
Just when I thought that my night couldn't get any worse, not 30 minutes after Riley left the worst snow storm that the city has seen in over 30 years has hit and temperatures have dropped to the coldest that I have ever lived through. It's still pretty early but everyone has called it a night and gotten in their tents to try and keep as warm as possible. The wind is rough and I can feel it pulling at the tent but thankfully we seem to be holding down just fine. We all have house bricks placed along the edges of our tents to help keep them down and thankfully, it seems to be working right now.
I've got Nina in as many layers as I can without suffocating her and thankfully she's gone to sleep and seems to be keeping a good temperature but of course, to get her this warm I have given her all of the blankets and extra layers of clothes that we have here so I'm only in a thin pair of leggings. shirt and hoodie and I'm beyond cold. Our tent isn't the best and usually, we manage just fine but for the first time ever I'm worried, seriously worried about making it through the night in this cold weather.
I'm trying my best to get some sleep but worry is keeping me awake, worry and memories. All I've done since Nina went to sleep is relive those moments with Riley. Well, the truth is I've been reliving every moment since the first time that I met him and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't sad about it all. I don't trust easily but deep down I know that I can trust him but I just can't do it... I made a promise a long time ago that I have no intention of breaking, no matter what happens.
A scream tears me out of my day dreaming followed by more screams. They sound like Hanna and Tony and make my blood run cold. I go to unzip my tent to see what's going on when a huge gust of wind pulls at the tent and I swear I feel it lift off the ground. I go back to laying down and pull Nina in close to me but all too soon another gust hits our tent again and I'm scared to death when the wind hits with so much force that it tears open the side of our tent and within seconds the whole thing is torn to pieces and we are left laying on the ground on a small leftover piece of the tent.
All the commotion and noise wakes Nina and she instantly starts screaming and crying as her whole body starts to shake from how terrified she is and all my instincts kick in. I lift myself off the ground and completely cover her with my body to shield her from the weather as I look around us and see that only two of the tents are still in one piece and everyone else is holding on to whatever they can to keep themself from getting blown about.
The snow falling down on us from the storm is so cold that every time that it hits my body it stings and there isn't a dam thing I can do about it. Nina's screaming has stopped but she's still sniffling underneath me and as much as I wish that I could reassure her here, the truth is I can't as I don't know what we're going to do here. we're screwed. We are well and truly screwed!