Torn

Torn
Chapter One
“Caleb, you really need to chill out.” I said rolling my eyes. Could he be any less mature?

“Dude, she is driving me crazy! She wants to apply at the same colleges, go to the same classes; she
wants to do EVERYTHING together! Ryleigh, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she wants to get
married the second we get our diploma! I don’t know if I am ready for that even in the next 10 years!”

“Look, why don’t you have this conversation with her?” I asked holding out his phone. “She could be
more understanding if you didn’t blow off her phone calls or ignore her texts. I mean, come on, she
might actually cool it, if you tell her what you just told me- but in a chilled manner.” I can’t believe I am
the one that is giving the relationship advice; I haven’t had a boyfriend all year. Not that I really needed
one, this year is our senior year and while some people take all the slack classes, I have decided that I
needed to get my butt in gear and get ready for what college classes have in store.

“I don’t know, maybe if I just ignore her she will get the picture, you think?” He said with the most
amazing devilish smirk.

 

I rolled my eyes and put my books back in my messenger bag.

 

“I am gonna head home, Mom is on the edge again, she still can’t believe that I am going to be
graduating in less than a month.”

 

“Ryleigh, you know that she is going to lose her shit while you are gone. That or she’s going to move into
the dorms with you.”

“I know, I know. She’s already following me around the house like a lost puppy every time I start to pack
something up.” My mom had been very clingy since her latest relationship ended three months ago. She
finally woke up and realized that I was not going to be at home to help her eat a tub of ice cream and
watch chick flicks. After she and my dad divorced, I thought that her dating again was a great idea; he
had no problem moving quickly into the dating scene. Unfortunately, her dating hasn’t led to the best of
situations. I think I alone have gained ten pounds just on ice cream.

“Want a ride?”

 

“Nah, I’m gonna walk. This way when she asks if I want take out for dinner, I don’t feel as bad. See ya
tomorrow, or better yet call me after you have talked to Sasha!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go home.” His smile and eyes alone were enough to make my heart skip a beat. The
green of his eyes were always amazing and after he got his braces off in seventh grade he had the smile
of Brad Pitt. Gorgeous. Then he had to have the most beautiful dirty blonde hair, he almost made me
sick. He never had a bad hair day in his life, or at least he was total guy and never would share.
I on the other hand had to rely on the wonderful works of Cover Girl to create the “I Woke up Beautiful”
look and became thankful for the moment that my mom allowed me to get highlights in my hair. My
mousey brown hair was anything but exotic. The blonde hints made it at least a little glamorous.

Caleb and I had been friends since sixth grade. We both had been social outcasts, we never really were
in the “in crowd” and didn’t see why we would want to try that hard to just sit at a certain table or shop
some place where we would have to save our allowance for 2 years for just a shirt. We decided that we
were cool just us two. Seventh grade, he became a catch. He had all the girls drooling all over
themselves, or at least he thought so. No matter what, he didn’t convert though. He always made me
feel like I was the coolest girl because I got to hang with the “hottie”.

High school was the time where I thought that I had really lost him. He ended up becoming a star player
for the baseball team and if he hadn’t hurt his shoulder in the last inning of the playoff games, I really
think that the scout would have recruited him to State. I was hoping he would still be interested in
applying since that was where I was heading, but he decided that the Military was going to be his calling.
He didn’t think that it would be necessary to tellthe girl that he was dating that he didn’t apply to
college or going for that fact.

I opened up the door to walk out to find him right behind me.

 

“You know I am going to miss you, right?” Caleb said with a sigh.

“Of course! I hope you know I am going to miss you too! Especially while you are off in some part of the
world playing G.I. Joe. Uh, didn’t you grow out of that like when you were seven?” I said punching him in
his arm.

He grabbed my wrist and just when I thought that he was going to slug me back, he pulled me in for a
hug.

“Ryleigh, you really are my best friend.” He pulled my chin up to look at him. I think at that point in time,
my heart actually stopped. I had maybe two boyfriends the entire time I had known him and not once
had I thought of Caleb as boyfriend. Until now.

He made me start to believe that he was always so sweet to me, made sure that I was always taken care
of, because deep down he wanted us to be together this entire time but just never had the guts. God!
Why did he wait until he was almost ready to leave to pull this.

“Yeah, I know. You are mine! I can’t believe you leave in a week, what am I going to do without you?” I
asked, trying to turn my head away from him. Right then, he leaned down and kissed my lips so gently.

 

“Caleb? What are you doing?” I asked just as I feltmy feet touching back on the ground

“Ryleigh, I do love you, more than you will ever know. I just wish I would have done this sooner. I am
going to write you every day and know that I want to be the one that you always love.” He said
squeezing me a little tighter.
“Ugh, Caleb! You have the worst…” I stopped and looked down at my feet as I braved up enough
courage up a quiet reply. “God, I love you too.” I paused. “Do you promise? You promise you will write
every day?” I said as I looked back up at him. I was trying so hard to hold back the tears.

“Well for six weeks, I will be out of touch because of basic training. When I get settled into base I will be
writing you every moment of every day. So, yes, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed me once more.

I walked out the door; I knew that moment was one I had to cherish for every second. If I didn’t leave
then, I was going to never let him go. Could he really have been the love of my life that I never really
noticed? What was so wrong with me!

I walked in the door of my house, still mesmerized by the kiss that just occurred. My mom, true to what I
had thought, ordered take out. Chinese. She really needed to take some sort of cooking lessons, she was
killing me. I couldn’t wait until I could move into my own place and then I would be the one that would
choose dinner. I sometimes would make dinner if I beat the woman to the phone, but tonight did not
seem to be one of those nights.

“Hey Mom! I’m home! Mom?” I called out looking around before poking my head into the kitchen.

 

“Oh hey, honey, how was your day? Did you make your final goodbyes with Caleb? I hear he leaves
tomorrow.”

 

“Next week, actually, but yeah I was over there. Getting some last minute study questions answered
and…wait, you hear he leaves tomorrow?” I asked astonished.

“Yeah, I saw his mom down at the grocery store; she was just about in tears with me while I was saying
how I couldn’t believe how fast time has flown with you two. She told me that he changed his mind
about waiting until after graduation and decided not to walk and just accept his diploma.”

“What?! He didn’t tell me!” I was so angry that I forgot about that beautiful moment that we just
shared. I stomped out of the kitchen, passed on the Lo Mein and grabbed my cell phone from my bag. I
dialed his number as I stomped up the stairs.

Voicemail.

“Caleb, you douche! What are you doing leaving me a whole week early?! I need you, no take that back,
you better call me or I will run back over there!”I pushed the end button and sat on my bed. Did he
mean what he said or was that a ploy to get me to ignore the fact he was ditching out on me a week
early.

BUZZ, BUZZ

It was Caleb. I was so incredibly mad and didn’t even know what I was really going to say. Without really
thinking, it was like my heart answered the phone.
“Before you say anything, I really wanted to tell you that I was leaving but I just couldn’t. I don’t want to
leave you and wish that I could rewind to the day where you told me I should still apply for State and
that we could stick together. I can’t though. I did mean everything that I said earlier, I love you. I really
do, but an opening came up I figured I would take so I could get in there and get out sooner. This way
we can be back together sooner. Please don’t be mad at me.” It sounded like he said it all in one long
breath.

“Well… when you put it that way, I still think that you are a douche. I wish you could have told me,
rather than hear it from my mom. You are going to get your payback; it’s called your ass handed to you
in basic training.” I laughed.

“Gee, thanks.” He said with a chuckle.

 

“I forgive you. Please, be careful!”

“I will, don’t worry. Now, I gotta finish packing up. I also thought that you should know if you see her
tomorrow, I broke up with Sasha. She wasn’t happy, but I think she felt better that we ended. She still
doesn’t know that I am leaving, but if you want to break her heart in telling her that’s cool.”

I had totally forgotten about the very girl we were just talking about. I couldn’t believe that I forgot that
as I was telling him that I loved him.

 

“Nah, I’m sure that some other story will come up. It will be fun to hear the rumors, especially the one
that she got so mad she killed you and that is why you aren’t around anymore.” I said giggling.

 

“Who is going to start that one?” He said, trying his hardest not to chuckle.

 

“Me!” I laughed a bit harder.

 

“Alright, nerd. I really should go, but I’ll talk to you in a few weeks. Promise.”

 

“Okay. Hey Caleb?” My heart began to race, the butterflies began to swarm.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Don’t forget, Okay.” I said softly.

 

“I won’t forget anything. Talk to you later.”

 

Then I heard the phone disconnect. My heart felt like it had stopped.

That had to be the hardest thing I have ever had to encounter. Seeing my mom go through breakup
after breakup and not knowing the true pain she was feeling was so unknown to me. Yet, I wasn’t even
dating Caleb and the sweet kiss that we shared earlier that afternoon, him hanging up was the pain I am
certain she felt.
I pouted down the stairs. I saw the Chinese food piled on the plate with a glass of juice next to it. I heard
the TV on in the living room. I grabbed my plate off the bar and walked into the living room. She could
sense I was moping when I sat down next to her. She put her arm around me.

“Ryleigh, sweetheart, he will be back.” My mom said soothingly.

 

“I know mom.” I said in a sulking tone.

 

“So you are finally realizing that you are in love with him, huh?” She said with a smile.

 

“Yeah, mom. I think that I do.” I paused and sighed. “I do.”

I knew I couldn’t be any less obvious with the way I was sulking. Six weeks, that’s it. Just six weeks and
then I could hear him, see him. I smiled but I knew that this was going to be the longest two months.
Ever.

Chapter Two
Ten Years Later.

 

“Ryleigh? Have you seen my red tie? The one with the black stripes, I can’t seem to find it where I
thought I put it.” He yelled down the stairs.

 

“I put it on the hanger with the shirt you said you were going to wear. I thought it’d be easier to keep it
all together.” I yelled up as I pinned the last strand of hear back into my up-do.

 

“Yep, there it is.” I could hear muffled from the closet. I zipped up the back of my dress and started to
slip on my stilettos and headed back upstairs.

 

“Holy shit Ryleigh! You look amazing! Red is definitely your color, babe.” I felt his hands slide around my
backless dress, reaching up to the halter strap.

“You say that about every color I wear. Hey, if you undo that we’re going to be super late. This is your
friend’s birthday and I think us being late to thelast dinner party wasn’t a good thing, so I don’t think
that being late for his birthday would keep him around” I said kissing his neck, running my nails up his
pants.

“Ryleigh, you’re the best wife ever. Have I told you that before?”

 

“Yes, Liam, I think you’ve told me once or twice. Do you know how lucky I am to have you? I love you so
much! Now, hurry up get those pants off, we have five minutes.” I laughed lifting my dress.

Liam and I had the most amazing sex life. When we met my junior year of college, I couldn’t wait to
spend the rest of my life making love to this man. He touched me, my body and heart, more than
anyone else could. Well one other could. However, Caleb had gone off to basic and we talked for about
a year after he had been stationed in England and then the emails went from once a week, to once a
month, then they just stopped. I had slowly lost my mind, but realized that things between us were only
meant to be in high school. We were starting to grow up and learn we were not going to really happen,
unfortunately.