Chapter 3.

That Friday afternoon, Amy was putting books away on their assigned shelves. As she did so, she was lost in thought about how she would get through the weekend once again. She doesnt work on weekends so that means two days of her and Conrad alone together. Her lack of friends made it hard for her to find a reason to leave the house.

"Excuse me Miss, can I get a library card?" A male voice asked as she was putting the last book away.

"Yes sir, of c-" When she turned around to greet him she recognized him immediately. "Follow me.." Blushing, she put her head down and quickly brushed past him toward the front desk. Opening the desk drawer, she pulled out a card. "Name?" She asked him looking at the computer as she filled in his information.

"River Skyle." He smiled at her, making her blush deeper as she tried to focus on the screen.

"Date of birth?" She asked with her eyes glued to the screen, too embarrassed by his presence alone to find the courage to look at his perfect face. He hesitated for a long moment. He then gave her a date, but to her the amount of time he took to give it was a bit suspicious. When she finally looked up at him, he was biting his lip nervously. She found this so incredibly cute, that she pushed all her suspicion aside. "Just sign the bottom of the card there, and its all yours." She slid him a sharpie and the card.

"Thank you, Amanda." He signed it, returned the marker, and slid the card into his back pocket. Her wide eyes regarded him curiously.

"How did you know my name?" She asked not bothering to hide the shock in her voice.

He winked at her, "I asked around." He informs her leaning on the desk and half smiling at her.

"O-oh. Well I prefer to be called Amy. Only my step dad calls me Amanda." Even her teachers and her boss called her Amy. It was the nickname her mother had given her. They were the closest things to friends that she had and so she made sure they knew to call her by her nickname instead. Rivers crooked smile had her mesmerized, as she found herself staring at him awkwardly.

"Well then, thankyou Amy. Have a good night." He turned around and left. Mortified that she had come off slow, she started to wonder why he came in for a card but didn't bother looking for a book. One look at the clock answered her question. It was closing time. Grabbing her bag, she turned out the lights and locked the doors. She thought about River on her walk home. He was so handsome, like a model or a greek god. She felt that he was almost too perfect, or atleast his looks were. Blushing bright red at the thought of him asking around about her, she frowned. 'I cant imagine what kinds of things people said about me. I'm sure it wasnt good. I wonder what someone with his good looks is doing in our rinky-dink town. Perhaps he is an actor trying to live a normal life...or a model from another country.'

Walking into her house, her jaw dropped. The place was clean, spotless actually. There were candles lit, and flower arrangements in three different locations. Dinner was also waiting on her, and for a moment she considered re-entering the house to make sure she wasnt delusional. Twice in a matter of one week Conrad actually helped clean, but this was a bit extravagant to say the least.

"Uh, Dad?!" She called out for Conrad. Even though she hated calling him that, he would often tell her, he prefers it. What he didnt tell her was that she reminds him too much of her mother when she uses his name.

"Right here." He said emerging from the hall bathroom with a towel around his waist. Steam was rising off his skin and a few drops of water were hitting the floor at his feet.

With a shiver, she averted her gaze. "You didnt have to cook. I would've done it."

"I figured that you deserved a break. You work hard everyday, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. I wanted to show my appreciation." He smiled at her. This behavior...was very unlike him.

To her, his smile looked almost mocking. Anger bubbled up inside her. After all she hated it when he acted this way. That is because it was only an act. He doesnt mean it. That much she was sure of. His mood swings were putting her in a permanent state of whiplash. 'Sometimes I really cant tell if he loves me or hates me.' She thinks wishing she had the guts to ask him out loud.

Yet, with a sigh, she thanked him. She refused to look at him and turned to go to her room. Hoping he wouldnt find her behavior rude. "You're welcome, my dear. Dont let your food get cold." He told her headed for his own room. When he closed his door, she stopped and went to the table to eat. She actually enjoyed getting to eat dinner alone and in silence. The food was good too. Still, she was waiting for something bad to happen.

After dinner, she took a shower and did her homework. At about 11 o'clock, she opened up one of her bedroom windows and lit a doobie. Conrad often brought her some weed when he got it for free, due to buying much harder drugs in bulk. Sometimes he would get it for her upon her request but that was rare. The fact that he was willing to give it to her made her feel as though she had, even in the smallest, a piece of his trust. At the very least he had a level of understanding that she needed a vice to unwind. Especially since he had no room to lecture her about drug use.

The temperature outside was steadily dropping and the moon hanging in the sky only shined a dim light over the woods behind the house. She pulled a blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her as she sat in the floor smoking. She held each hit in as long as she could, waiting for its medicinal properties to kick in. Soon she felt lifted and numb, as if her worries had melted away. This was the most relaxing way to deal with all of her stress toward Conrad and toward herself. After a while she figured she was in the clear, and that he wouldnt pick a fight with her that night afterall. Soon she crawled into bed and turned out her lamp, slowly drifting off to sleep.

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