Riley froze mid-scream when she saw who it was.
Liam.
"Can you not sneak up on people like that?!" she snapped, clutching her chest.
Liam leaned against the wall, that same lazy grin tugging at his lips. "You scare easy, huh?"
Riley glared at him. "Do you enjoy showing up everywhere I go?"
"Maybe," he said with a smirk. "You ran into the bathroom with this weird look on your face, thought you were gonna cry or something."
"Weird look? Seriously?" she frowned, punching his arm lightly.
"Ow," he laughed. "I'm just saying! You looked off, so I came to check if you were okay. But then you came out all serious with your face slightly wet"
Riley froze for a second before glaring at him. "And why do you care?"
"I don't know," Liam shrugged. "Guess I was just… concerned."
"Jeez, you're unbelievable," Riley muttered, turning away and walking toward her next class.
"Hey, where are you headed?" Liam asked, walking beside her.
"To my next class."
"Lunch isn't over yet, though."
"I know." She rolled her eyes.
Liam stopped in his tracks, watching her go. "Ha, she really is something else."
He jogged after her. "Hey, wait up!"
School finally ended, and Riley practically sprinted home just to avoid another run-in with him.
She tossed her bag onto her bed, changed into comfy clothes, and collapsed with a long sigh.
"Finally peace" she said closing her eyes"
"Ey… … Riley!!"
Riley's eyes shot open, Lily was staring down at her.
"I must've fallen asleep," she mumbled, yawning. "What do you need?"
"Get your butt off that bed, we're going out," Lily said, crossing her arms.
Riley frowned. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Lily grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. "No questions. Just go change."
"Okay…" Riley said, still confused. She grabbed some clothes and changed quickly.
Lily smirked as she watched. "I'll be waiting downstairs."
---
"Lily, what the heck? Why did you bring me here?" Riley asked as Lily dragged her into the mall.
Lily didn't respond, she just led her to the clothing section.
"I told you already, I don't need those kinds of clothes," Riley sighed.
"I know" Lily said sweetly. "They're for me, I just wanted you to come."
Riley groaned. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, sorry."
Riley smiled a little. "Well, what can I do? Let's go get you some clothes."
"And accessories," Lily added.
Riley laughed. "Okay…"
As they walked through aisles, Riley didn't notice how Lily kept glancing around like she was waiting for someone. Riley was too distracted holding up random earrings and laughing at how over-the-top some were.
Then Lily's eyes lit up.
There he was.
Perfect timing.
"Hey, I'm gonna grab some snacks real quick," Lily said, too quickly. "Don't go anywhere!"
"Yeah, yeah," Riley said, still comparing two pairs of earrings. "Take your time."
Lily walked off with a sly smile.
Everything's going perfectly.
---
"This would totally suit Liam if he had a piercing," Riley murmured, staring at a black earring.
Then she caught herself. "What is wrong with me…"
"Riley?"
She turned and nearly dropped the earrings. "Oh..... Jake! Hey."
He smiled awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "Buying earrings? But… you don't wear them."
Riley chuckled. "They're for my sister. I'm just tagging along."
"Oh, right." He hesitated, then glanced at her. "Listen, about what happened in the cafeteria… don't let those idiots get to you, okay? Everyone's got their own thing. That's what makes people interesting."
Riley blinked, surprised.Then she smiled"Thanks. I won't."
Jake grinned, relieved. "Good. Also, uh… I've got a match on Thursday. I was wondering if you'd come?"
Riley raised a brow. "Me?"
"Yeah," he said, not meeting her eyes. "Only if you want to."
She chuckled softly. "I actually like football. So yeah, I'll come."
His whole face lit up. "Really? Great! I thought you'd say no."
"I'll be there for sure."
Jake's grin widened. "See you on Thursday then."
"It's on Thursday?" Riley asked.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Well, I gotta go. Don't forget to come."
"I won't."
He waved and walked off toward the other section, leaving Riley smiling at the earrings.
"Well, well… what got you smiling? I'm sure it's not those earrings," Lily teased as she walked up.
"I just saw Jake leaving. What did he say to make you smile like that?"
Riley rolled her eyes. "He didn't say anything. He just invited me to his match."
Lily smirked. "Oh, he did? Does he like you or something?"
"Come on, he was just being nice," Riley said, showing her an earring. "You like this one?"
"Yeah. Let's go pay for what we bought," Lily said, grinning. "But I'm not sure he was just being nice."
"Ugh, for God's sake, Lily, he was just being friendly. I'll wait outside before you start with that again," Riley said, walking off.
"Come on, Riley…" Lily called after her.
Once Riley was gone, Lily's smile twisted.
"Well, everything's going as planned better than I thought. Sorry, sis, but I gotta do this."
She laughed quietly. "Time for phase two."