My Bestie’s Brother

Heat Waves

*Riley’s POV*

No no no not again. I hated that he would embrace me like that. I had to show I was in control. “Wyatt remove your hands from my waist.” I said calmly. He did. He looked like hell. It was like he got no sleep. I’m sure he was upset about what he did. He deserved it for breaking my heart.

“Riley I’ve been trying to reach you. I’m so sorry for everything. I know you’re upset and I don’t blame you, but please don’t tell Bradford. I need this credit as much as you do.”

He had those puppy dog eyes that could get me to do anything in high school. Why did he have to use that against me right now. He was right I was upset. But I didn’t want to ruin his life as much as he had ruined mine.

“Alright Wyatt here’s the deal. I won’t tell anyone what happened as long as you call off all the things you’ve been doing to me.” He nodded quickly. “Yes. I was going to stop anyways. I’m so sorry. I’ll go to my side now. Good luck.”

Once he was gone. John approached. He looked like he was going to attack Wyatt. I had to step in and calm down. “Hey knight I don’t want you getting kicked out of band because of me. I’ve handled everything sweetheart.” That did it. He immediately relaxed and got his horn out. We got to our spots on the field. Since there were so many trombones, we had to be in lines of 10. That meant John was right behind me if I needed him.

Bradford got to the podium. Everyone silenced themselves as he spoke, “It seems like we had an incident at our event on Friday. As a reminder foul play will result in you sitting for a game, no matter what it was.” Oh crap. That meant all those trombone players had to sit? That’s a lot. He spoke again, “You will notice that 5 trombones are going to sit out for our first game.” Wait 5? That’s half of who attacked me. Unfair. I looked at John. I wondered if it was Wyatt, Brody and the other 3.

Practice went well. I put my horn up and went to my last class of the day. Keyboard techniques 3. I sat at an open piano. That’s when Wyatt walked in. Crap. Why can’t I seem to get away from him? I was scared he’d sit next to me but he went to the other side of the room and sat down. Good. He got the message.

Class went by quickly and I texted John.

ME: Oh knight! I am done for the day. I’m going to take a nap. Text me at 6:30 pm to wake me up for The Office.

JOHN: Okay princess. Enjoy your nap!

I got home and changed into some shorts. I was able to let my knee breathe by taking off my brace. I got in the bed and drifted to sleep.

*John’s POV*

I hated being a history major sometimes. These upper level classes give us papers on the first day! I just wanted to go see Amy. I missed her. I occupied my time with Riley and texting my younger brother Brock. Since Riley was napping, I texted Brock.

ME: Hey there stranger. Haven’t heard from you in a while. You good?

BROCK: Hey bro. I’m good just busy getting my HVAC cert done soon. What’s up?

ME: I miss Amy so much.

BROCK: I’m sorry bro. I know the feeling. I just broke up with Marissa.

ME: Oh man. That sucks. I do have someone you should meet though. Sweetest girl ever. Her name is Riley.

BROCK: Thanks but I’m not interested in going to Abilene and back to El Paso every weekend. You’re into a different girl than I am.

ME: That’s the thing though. She’s not what I usually like though. She’d be perfect for you.

BROCK: Okay I’ll try to meet her up after I graduate. Just don’t fall in love with her first.

ME: You know my heart is set on Amy. Riley is all yours.

He didn’t respond to me. Typical Brock. My last classes ended and I was home by 5:00 pm. Now to wait to text my princess at 6:30 pm

*Wyatt’s POV*

I felt awful. Even though she was in class, Riley still looked weak. It was all my fault too. Brody and I had pushed things far before but not to the point where people got hurt. I felt like my time was up.

I spent the whole day thinking about all the wrong I had done. I sat in my dorm room looking at an old picture of Riley and me. It was junior year on our way to the competition. She and I just started dating again.

*FLASHBACK*

I got Riley to start accepting my help. She needed it. By the time for our competition in Louisiana, Riley surprised everyone with some major progress. Her cast was a little less restrictive and she accepted help from anyone who offered. I packed my bag and decided to bring my camera. I wanted to take pictures of everything and everyone.

We got onto the bus and I noticed Riley was a little apprehensive. The steps were big and she wasn’t fully healed. So an idea crept into my head. “Let me help you out. Get on my back.” She looked shocked but I crouched down to help. She hopped using her good leg and wrapped her arms around me. I felt sparks flying again.

I took her to a seat where she could prop her leg up. I started to turn away and she said, “Where do you think you’re going? Sit with me please?” She had the cutest look on her face. How could I say no? She lifted her leg and I got in the seat letting her use me as a prop. I smiled started to rub her leg. She moaned in delight. Her muscles felt really tight. I needed to relieve those knots.

The drive wasn’t too bad. We shared headphones and watched movies. I would occasionally give her leg a massage and sometimes our fingers would touch on the arm rest. We caught up on everything and I told her how Kendal left me because she wanted to try to date Damien. We both laughed. We knew Damien didn’t want a girlfriend now.

We had so much fun in Louisiana. I helped Riley the whole time and spent most of my time close to her. Our performance earned us first place and we all went out to celebrate. Riley had been wearing basketball shorts and t-shirts but the performance she had on the band uniform. As we went to celebrate, I went to Riley’s room to help her out. I knocked as Jennifer opened the door. She smiled and let Riley know I was there. Then I saw her. Riley had on a blue sundress and sandals. She was gorgeous.

I took her down to the busses and we went to the restaurant. We were all so happy and I was taking pictures. I looked over at Riley. She was so beautiful in that moment. I asked, “Hey is it okay if we take a picture together?” She smiled and nodded. I aimed the camera at both of us. I clicked the shutter and looked at the result. She had the biggest smile on her face. You couldn’t even tell she was recovering from an injury.

That night I decided I wanted to be with her again. I helped her on the bus again and sat her down. She was smiling and looked happy. I wanted to keep her happy. I looked at her and asked, “Would you be my girlfriend?” She teared up a little and nodded. I went in for a kiss. I could taste the salt from her tears. We were happy.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

That felt so long ago. I mean I loved her then and I love her still. Did she feel the same?

*Riley POV*

I love one up to the sound of a new text. It was John waking me up to watch The Office: I got some snacks and some sweet tea as I sat down for my favorite sit com. As the show continued on, I got really hot all the sudden. I guess that summer heat was coming through. I changed into a tank and some pj shorts and finished the episode. Once it was over, I turned the thermostat down and went to bed. It would be warm tonight.

I woke up in a sweat. My alarm hadn’t gone off yet. It was 5:45 am. I didn’t like being sweaty. I got into the shower to cool off. That helped a little. As I got ready for the day, I realized I would need to put on my shorts. I couldn’t handle jeans or sweats during this time. I nervously put on a light grey t-shirt and my pink shorts. I put on my trusty brace. I have to wear it almost all day every day for the rest of my life or until medical science advances more.

Even with this brace, my scar is still very visible. I prayed no one would mention it or anything today. Just keep the focus away from me.

I got to Trombone choir and everyone greeted me warmly. I stood by Steve and Greg today. They surrounded me. Wyatt showed up on time and stood by some other guys who’s names I didn’t quite catch. Everything went smoothly and no one mentioned my brace or scar. Okay we could do this. Tuesdays and Thursdays were easy for me. 2 classes. One at 8:00 am and one at 12:00 pm.

We finished around 9:30 am. Instead of going home, I decided to hit up the student union building. It was a short walk from the music building, but it was as worth it. I was welcomed with nice cold AC and nice music. The smell of coffee hit me suddenly so I got in line for a cup. I got a coffee and blueberry scone to go. I decided to relax somewhere and enjoy this. I wandered around for a bit when I got to a new area. I don’t think many people knew about this area. There were several rooms for different needs. I looked and saw a room called “Entertainment room 3” and knocked. No response. Sweet I would be able to use the room. Inside there was a nice chair, calming lights and a tv. I locked the door and placed my food down as I sat. I got the remote and turned on Nickelodeon. I knew it was usually kids stuff, but they had on Spongebob and I knew I couldn’t resist.

My phone beeped. 11:45 am. Text from John.

JOHN: Hey I don’t see you. Are you here?

ME: I’m in the union. I’ll be there soon knight!

I turned off the tv and threw out my trash as I hobbled to the music building and field. I got there and suddenly felt like hundreds of eyes were watching me. Sure enough, they were. I looked around for John and couldn’t see him just yet. Great everyone was looking at my scar and my major weakness.

Suddenly I felt John’s presence. He spoke up, “Oh my God, Riley.”