Chapter three - the first day

Come Monday morning, both Riley and Sharon were getting used to their new penthouse and neighbourhood.

Sharon has a new job to attend to at a law firm as a paralegal. She is going to start today, so she feels rightfully nervous for her first day.

Sharon is also starting university to study law in Florida at University of Miami, so she can become a qualified lawyer. That starts on tomorrow but for today: it's work.

Riley also starts at his new school, Miami central high. That's where he'll see Ranae. He hasn't seen her since the day he saw her in the lift, as he was moving into his apartment on his first day. He often thought of her throughout the weekend since then.

He thought, 'I might see her on my way out of the building to school this morning. After all, I am going to be at attending the same school as her.'

8:00am

"Bye, mum. I'll see you later. Ps. Don't forget your meds. I know you didn't take them, I counted." Riley shouted as he left leaving the front door slightly open, taking his keys with him and his bag on shoulders. "Alright sweet pea. I'll see ya for dinner." Sharon yells back as she is packing her iPad, notebook, red pen and wallet in her bag.

She pauses for a moment before quickly walking into the kitchen towards the medication cabinet. She takes her meds from the cabinet, grabs a glass and fills it with water. She swallows her pills with disgust on her face, water quickly following.

A few moments later, she is downstairs waiting for a cab to come by in the morning traffic and busy streets. She sees Riley on the other side at the bus stop with a girl. The same girl who they saw in the lobby, on their first day in Miami. Sharon couldn't help but feel dizzy as she watched their interaction before refocusing her attention back to getting a cab and going to work.

— time skip —

Riley saw Ranae as soon as he reached the bus stop. She noticed him walking towards her and she waved shyly at him.

A small blush appeared on cheeks as he waved back at her. "Hey, so we meet again." Riley starts the conversation smiling. "Hey, and yes we do meet again." Ranae responds eager and excited to seek him. "How are you and your mum settling in?" She asks too quickly for her own good. Riley took his time to answer before explaining, "Not too bad actually. Better than I thought. Did some exploring and went shopping with mum." Riley gives her his winning smile as she blushes a deep crimson red, covering her large grin in the process.

The bus arrives before Riley even got a chance to ask about her weekend. Riley and Ranae hop on the bus and sit together near the front.

"So how was your weekend?" Riley shoots back as he places his bag on the floor besides his feet. "It wasn't too bad. I visited my sister over the weekend, which is why you saw me at your building the other day. I was staying at hers over the weekend." Riley gives her a small nod after his curiosity being filled.

"So how often do you stay with your sister?" Riley asks interested to get to know Ranae better. "Often enough. My brother is always in the military and I can't stay home alone since I'm a minor and all." She rolls her eyes at the last part as she explains.

"Oh awesome. Which branch is your brother working for?" Riley inquires.

They continue to converse and get to know one another until the bus reaches the school. It was quite a lengthy journey on the school bus but they got to school just before the school bell.

Riley ended up finding out a lot about Ranae (and vice versa) such as her favourite colour, food and hobbies.

Ranae showed Riley to school office to get his timetable and show him to class. They both end up being in the same classes for advanced students.

The rest of the day goes by without a hitch. Until Riley gets a phone call from a random number that appears from his phone during lunch hour.

"Hi, how may I help you?" Riley says into the phone in a puzzled manner as he takes a step to the side to have the conversation.

"This is Mrs. Anderson, your mother's boss. Is this Riley Johnson?" Riley was even more confused as woman spoke. "Yes, this is he." The lady goes on to ask, "I was wondering if Sharon took her meds today? I have it on her files that she is bipolar?" Riley thinks back to the morning. 'Mum don't forget to take your meds, I counted. I know you didn't take them.'

"I'm sure she did, did something happen?" Mrs Anderson's silence was enough for him to ask further questions. "What happened to her? I can come get her, if need be." He offers with a concern in his voice.

"Aah, there's no need for that Riley. She just had a breakdown not long ago and I wanted to inform you as her carer." Riley whispers a small thanks to her before hanging up. He was really disappointed in his mum for forgetting.

3:00pm

The end of school day came by and Riley decided to go straight to the bus stop and not hang around. He desperately needed and wanted to check on Sharon.

Riley got on the first bus that came and headed on the journey home.

Twenty minutes later and the bus stops outside the front of the building. The doorman notices Riley's arrival as he gets off the bus and opens the door with a grin on his face. The doorman greets Riley as he walks in and vice versa. Riley swiftly and quickly heads towards the stairs as he is too impatient to wait for the lift.

Once he reached the second floor, Riley is out of the stairwell and walks through the corridor. He opens the door to find his mum in her pjs, collapsed on the sofa sleeping soundly.

Riley rushes over to Sharon who is laying on the sofa. He shakes her gently wanting to wake her up and ask about her medication. "Mum, why didn't you take your meds?" He whispers and Sharon opens her eyes slowly and sees a concerned Riley in front of her. "I did take them, but I don't know what happened." Riley sighs assuming the worst.

"Are your meds not working? If not, you need to tell me these kinds of things, mum. I'm your carer." Sharon only manages to nod at Riley before drifting off to sleep again.

Riley hurries to his closet in his room to collect some extra blankets packed away (for guests purposes) and heads back into the living room with them in hand. He lays the blankets over her tired body. He goes to the kitchen to pour her a glass of water by the sink. He places the glass in front of her, in case she needed it.

He didn't want to ask her too many questions straight away, plus he didn't get to grill her too much. Or else she'll close up and not say anything. Riley left his mum to sleep before heading back to his room to complete his homework.