Chapter 5 005

Easton's POV

"What? You think I sent that?" I shot back, stepping closer. My voice came out rougher than I intended, but I kept it that way to hide how shocked I was.

Riley held the phone firmly, the screen still glowing with those mean words about her mom. Her eyes searched my eyes like she really wanted to know the truth.

"I don't play kid games like this," I said sharply, hiding my hands behind my back so she wouldn't see that they were shaking. "If someone's messing with you, it's not me. Deal with it yourself.”

Riley clenched her teeth, but she didn't scream or cry. "Fine," she said in a low voice, her hands so tight on the phone that her knuckles turned white. "I'll figure it out. Don't worry, I won't bother you again."

She turned back to the carrots, the knife moving quickly like she needed something to do with her hands.

I stood there for a while, my chest heavy with something I didn't want to name. Then I walked out without saying another word, leaving her alone in the kitchen.

The next morning started normal: Lila was jumping around and asking for pancakes, and Riley was flipping them for her with a smile.

I grabbed a plate and asked for mine, muttering thanks without looking at her as she dished out my food.

After eating breakfast, I headed to school early to avoid the awkward air. But by afternoon, my phone rang nonstop with texts from Riley saying Lila had a fever spike and she was handling it at home.

My mood changed immediately, making the fries I was eating taste like cardboard. I told the coach I'm feeling sick and I couldn't practice today.

I grabbed my bag, and drove back home quickly, my heart thumping all the way.

Arriving home, I stormed through the door and found Riley in Lila's room, with cold cloth on my sister's forehead.

"Hey, little one, drink this water slowly. It'll help," she said gently, helping Lila sip from a cup.

Lila whimpered, "It hurts, Riley.”

Riley shushed her with a hug, rocking her easily like she'd done it a hundred times. I stood in the hallway and paced back and forth with my hands in my pockets, feeling useless and mad at myself for not being here sooner.

"How bad is it?" I asked roughly, stepping in closer than I meant to.

Riley looked up, her eyes tired but calm. "She has a high fever, so I'm giving her medicine and keeping her cool. Call the doctor if it doesn't drop soon.” She pressed the fresh cloth on her forehead, and Lila let out a sigh, leaning into her.

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching them, my bad-boy mask slowly cracked. "Mum and dad should be here right now, but they are always away," I said quietly, more to myself than her. "It scares me when she's like this and I'm the only one here.”

Riley paused and ran her hand through Lila's hair, then she looked at me softly. "You're not alone right now, I'm here," she said quietly.

I reached out without thinking, grabbing her hand, my fingers squeezing tight for a second. “Thank you.”

Her skin was warm on my cold palm, and something hot sparked up my arm, making my breath catch. I held on to her longer than I should, my thumb brushing her knuckles, then I pulled back quickly when the doorbell rang downstairs.

I stood up quickly, my heart beating fast and went to answer it. Opening the door, Cass stood there smiling sweet but her face hard with a bag of get-well treats: cookies and juice.

"Heard you are sick, so I thought I'd bring stuff over," she said, pushing past me into the house without waiting. She saw Riley coming down the stairs and her smile dropped cold.

"Oh, look. The babysitter is still here," Cass said, setting the bag down. "Don't get too comfy, Riley. Easton is mine.”

Riley crossed her arms, her chin up. "Like I always tell you I'm here for Lila, not him," she answered, but her voice was rough now.

Cass laughed and stepped closer. "Sure you are. But just remember that I can quickly get rid of you."

Cass turned to me, blinking her eyes. "Right, East?" I stayed silent, my jaw tight, not wanting to pick a side yet.

Cass huffed and left when I didn't respond to her, the door slamming behind her, leaving the air thick with her jealousy.

The school next day hummed with new rumors. In the hallways, students were saying that Riley took the job to get close to me on purpose. I overheard it in the locker room when the guys were talking about it.

“That chubby girl called Riley is trying to seduce Easton,” one of them said.

“Her loss, everyone knows Easton only has eyes for Cass despite the fact that they are no longer together,” the other one replied.

My blood boiled where I stood, but I composed myself.

Later that day, I saw Blake walking past Riley in the hall, his usual smirk gone.

"Don't listen to them Riley. As long as you're good with Lila, that's all that matters” he said. Riley blinked in surprise, but he kept walking like he didn't want anyone to see.

Later, Cass cornered Riley near the bathrooms, her voice low and venom as she said.

"You think you can just walk into his house and steal him? I'll make your life a living hell and make sure every day is worse than the last."

Riley met her eyes straight. "I'm not stealing anyone from you so back off," she said firmly, walking away without another word. I watched from down the hall, my chest tightened again, hating how Cass's words made Riley's shoulders drop just a little.

That night, after Lila fell asleep fever-free, I saw Riley moving in the living room. She sat on the couch with her laptop, she seemed to be scrolling through old texts or something, her face lit up in the dark. I walked in quietly, leaning on the doorframe.

"Still up?" I asked in a rough voice. She looked up quickly, closing her laptop.

"Yeah, just checking some stuff," she said, but her voice sounded off, like she was hiding something.

I stepped closer to her and saw her hands shook a little bit. "What is it?" I asked, my voice softer than I meant.

Riley stood up slowly, holding up her phone with a screenshot. It was a message thread from an unknown number that looked a lot like one of my old burners I used for team stuff.

"This matches a number you had last year," she said, her eyes blazing now with anger. "You said you don't play games, but this message came right from the number.”

I stared at the screen, with my mouth dry from shock. "Riley, I swear—" I started, but she cut me off sharp.

"Did you send it? Be honest." She walked

up to me so close that I could feel her anger.

“Tell me the truth, Easton. Right now.”