Can You Love Me – Sequel

The Truth About Riley

On an autumn day, the leaves are falling all around the school yard, children scrambling out W.S. Hawrylak School to get home. Every one left, except one little girl. She was usually mistaken for a boy and her short black hair wasn't helping. She sat on top of a small gray rock that made a good chair, silently waiting for her mother.

Her blue eyes scanned the road waiting for her mother to come and when she looks up to the sky she smiles. She always looked at the sky when she was feeling in need of someone, the sky calmed her since the color of her eyes blend into the cloudy sky. She waits patiently, her mom was always late, but this time wasn't she too late.

The little third grader look at her clock and sighs, 6 o'clock. Blinking back tears, she stays there and waits. She waits and waits, always waiting for some one to not forget her. That little girl just stays there and waits for some one to find her, and tell her it's time to come home.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Riley's alarm clock rings beside her head. She hops out of bed and stares at it. 7 o'clock, she pushes a button and it stops beeping, she gets up, puts on her usual jeans, shirt and varsity jacket then packs up her homework and heads downstairs. When she gets down she packs her lunch and her little brother's, and eats cereal.

After about 5 minutes she hears her parents upstairs shouting about some other stupid thing, “Just 3 more years, then I'm out of here.” she mutters to herself.

She looks at the time and puts her bowl in the sink and she gets her stuff and dash outside. It's a chilly October morning and waiting for the city bus is a pain in the ass. So she sits on the plastic bench and listens to Maroon 5, singing She Will Be Loved.

When she hears it her head swirls with thoughts, I don't mind standing everyday, out on your corner in the pouring rain, look for the girl with the broken smile and asks her if she wants to stay for awhile, and she will be loved, oh she will be loved. Hearing that song always puts a smile on her face.

At school, Nikki, Riley's best friend who has curly brown hair that cascades above her shoulders and carefree hazel eyes that knows Riley better than herself, waited for her at her bus stop.

She smiles when she sees her best friend and if Nikki wasn't completely straight and didn't know Riley was a girl, she would have swooned over that smile.

After school she has to study and Riley isn't looking forward to going home and hear her parents scream at each other. So she stay at the library, and after awhile she finally heads home.

December, the snow is falling and the ground is shimmering, but the bitter cold ruins the beauty. Riley stares out her window as the snowflakes gently cover her windowstill, and it's Christmas, but her parents just had a fight and her father left the house to get some space from her mother.

She studies the snowflakes, how each of them land and how they are formed, then she got the craziest idea. She gets out of her room and dresses in warm clothes and does the same to her brother and together they leave the house.

Outside the hills of freshly fallen snow looks perfect to roll and play in. She jumps into the snow and when she does her brother's face lights up and his eyes shine. He jumps in to join her and after a snowball fight and a snowman, little Matthew lays in the snow looking at his sister.

And Riley starts singing Christmas carols, her favorite was Carol of the Bells, when she sings her brother looks at her smiling like an idiot. When she's done she looks at him and for the first time that night she felt like she was home, with her brother in this winter wonderland.

During the summer of Riley's 16 year, her father coldly left their house and he never returned. He abandoned his two children and wife to start life else where.

Taken a back her mother decided that they should move to London, to start a new life there. On the plane there, Matthew watched a movie and he was grabbing onto Riley's hand.

And all she could do was hold onto it, to make sure that he won't slip away. When they arrive at their grandma's house to settle in, Riley couldn't help but feel incomplete, she still didn't feel like she was home.

Christmas a year later, this year was crazy for Riley, she went form being a nobody to a star in London, part of the band One Direction.

And she meet Liam Payne, a person who made her feel complete and at home. Liam was staring at the dark starry night, and holding onto Riley's hand he felt like he could finally be happy.

Riley's face relaxes and only infront of him does she look like an actual girl. She grins and her blue eyes look at the snow. The she takes a little in her hand and throws it high in the air. Clearly amused, Liam joins her and they laugh and throw snow at each other.

They were on the other side of the hill so the others couldn't see them. And when they were both out of energy they just sat there together staring at the sky.

Liam couldn't control himself anymore seeing Riley so beautiful, he grabbed her into a warm hug. He talks to her each of his words forming small smoke clouds, “Riley, I love you as more than a bandmate and a best friend. I really truly feel something special for you. I will love you over the boudaries of time.”

She just stares into his eyes, scared that he might take it back and seeing how sincere he looked, she lifted her head to give him a light peck on the lips. Feeling her soft and frozen lips electricity shot through Liam, and he felt instantly warm.

She pulls him above her and she stares into his chocolate eyes and says, “I love you too, more than you can think. You stole my heart when you sang Cry Me A River and when I first saw you, I fell desperately, head over heels in love with you.”

Liam takes Riley's hand and together they head to the contestants house as lovers instead of friends. And Riley had finally found what she was looking for, a home and someone who can love her with all his heart and give her all of his attention, and never forgetting her.