Shadow Love

-Riley-

“Why do we have to move?” I complain for the last time on the way to Denver, Colorado.

“We’ve told you this before, Riley,” my mom says, getting pretty annoyed at my repeated question, “your father got accepted for a job and since it’s hours away, we had to move.”

“But I had friends, mom!” I argue, “friends who care about me. Friends who understand me. Friends who don’t think I’m a crazy goth as everyone else does. Friends that support any decision I made. I can’t leave them, mom. Please don’t make me move.” I beg.

“Enough, Riley,” she uses the same tone that always makes me shut up, “our decision is final. We’re moving to Colorado if you like it or not.”

“I hate you.”

“We love you, Riley.”

Yeah, right, I thought to myself, bitterly.

I slouch into my seat and push my black hair in front of my face.

“You’ll love Colorado, Riley,” my dad said, “you just wait and see. It’ll be great.”

“Yeah, sure,” I reply, grumpily.

Twenty-three agonizing hours later, we arrive in my “Home sweet home”. Colo-stinking-rado.

I pull out my phone, exasperated at the fact that I have to move here in the first place.

I scroll through my contacts until I find the one that I was looking for: BFFF Criss. Her real name is Chrissy, but I can call her Criss

I hit the phone button and put the phone up to my ear.

“Hey,” I say, happily.

“Hey, Ry!" Criss replies, excitedly, "how's Colorado?"

"We just got here, but..." I look out the window to see mountains and sparkly rivers; it makes me want to die, "it's nice, I guess. It would be better if you were here though."

"Yeah, I know," she pauses for a minute, "but hey, you get to meet new people. Maybe even impress girls there like you tried here."

"Criss!" I complain, "why do you always have to bring up my sexuality?"

"Because I love it when people aren't always the same, boring thing as everyone else."

"Okay, well, can you stop? It's getting pretty annoying." I say, resting my head on the window of the car.

"Yeah, I'll stop."

"Thank you."

"Of course, best friend forever."

I can't help the small smile that plays on my face.

"Well, I guess I'll let you go," she says, "oh, and Rylie?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't fall in love with your shadow, okay? Fall in love with a real person."

I laugh, darkly. "Very funny."

"I mean it. Don't make a repeat of 7th grade okay?"

"Okay, time's up. Bye."

I hang up before she can tease me anymore.

"Who was that?" My mom asks, curiously.

"Criss," I answer, automatically, "she's still the same Criss I love."

"She still teasing you?"

"Yeah, a bit. But I'm okay with it. It makes me laugh."

"Okay. That's good. What was the thing she said that made you laugh at the end?"

"She told me that I shouldn't fall in love with a shadow and that if I wanted to love someone, they should be real."

"She seems like a good friend."

"Yeah, she is."

"I hope you do meet someone you like."

"Me too. It would make this less dreadful."

"Rylie, it's not going to be that bad," my dad says, "we promise."

"Yeah, so you say."

We don't talk for the rest of the ride.

Seven hours later, we arrive at our house in Denver, Colorado.

It's a pretty place, I'll give it that. The rivers are beautiful, the mountains are massive. The streets are well, streets. The plains are magnificent. If sights alone could sell you on a new place, I'd be sold.

I smile at myself, thinking, maybe Colorado isn't going to be that bad after all. The only problem left is school in the morning. That's what I'm really not looking forward to.

It's going to be fine, Rylie, I tell myself, no need to stress over something you can't predict. You might even enjoy it. You might get friends. A girlfriend. That would be a nice change.

"Rylie, if you're done daydreaming about you marrying Kristen Stewart, can you help your mother and I unpack?" My dad asks, effectively snapping me back to reality.

"That's not fair, dad!" I exclaim, blushing, "I was a hormone-driven fifteen-year-old. Give me a break."

"I'll give you a break when you stop doing it." He says, grinning.

"I'm not- ugh. I'm not daydreaming about her!"

"Then who took her place? Beyonce?"

"Dad! Just stop."

"Okay. Fine. If you don't want to own up to it, I won't try to make you."

"You're impossible."

"No, I'm dad."

"Argh."

He chuckles, walking into the four hundred square foot house.

Parents can be so annoying sometimes! I thought, angrily, as I carry a box full of tupperware into the kitchen.

I set it down on the island and sit on a black stool, scrolling through Instagram.

Ooh! Kyle and Sadie went out to the Philippines for their second date? He's fancy! I would kill to have a boyfriend- or girlfriend- like that. Too bad I'm going to be lonely, desperate Canadian girl forever.

I scroll through more posts until I see one that sparks my interest.

The headline reads: New School day tomorrow in Colorado! Can't wait! DSS Montview, here I come!

Wait- what was that last line? DSS Montview? Holy smokes! That's the school I'm going to tomorrow! I might meet this person. What's her name though. I look at the bottom of the post where it shows who posted it: Riya Darkling.

Her name's Riya? I imagine myself saying, Hey, Riya. I'm Rylie. I'm not that cool, but would you like to be friends?

Like she would want to be my friend. I bet she wants to be popular so she'll hang out with the cheerleaders. No luck for me because I'm not cool, as I said before. I guess I'm going to be forever lonely.

I head up to my room and I don't bother unpacking. I can do it when I feel better about myself.

I fall asleep, listening to my Depression for life playlist through my headphones in my Ipod.