When They Just Won't Leave You Alone

"You're much better friends."

Riley scoffed in a soft, yet bitter manner as those words crossed his line of hearing. It was a joke to him, really. He couldn't make friends. He could never have friends- especially not someone like this, who was just asking to get hurt. Perhaps the insults didn't hurt her, but..

"Well you're in the wrong place, bitch," He muttered quietly. He was trying to be venomous, but just couldn't muster it with so many thoughts clouding his head. "I'm not a friend. I would never be friends with someone like you, not in a million years. You're wasting your own time at this point."

@Sissel

This Celeste person was extremely stubborn, Riley would give her that. To some degree, her words were piercing, he could feel them insert themselves into the armor he'd built around his heart, trying to expose it fully so it could be examined in all its glory. As if this was a physical thing, Riley curled up on himself as an attempt to escape this, as his gaze remained somewhat.. cold.

"You don't fucking know anything," he murmured lowly, his nose wrinkled. "I'm 'toxic' because it doesn't matter to me. Not because I'm hurting, not because I need someone to come fucking save me. No one can do that." There was a long pause, before Riley's gaze fell. His words became much softer, and barely audible. "... And even if you did, I'd forget it all by tomorrow. So there's no point... So.. please. For your own sake, leave me alone." It was a plea, at this point, desperation to push her away before his shields weakened fully. Though, in a sense, they just had.

@Sissel

Riley stared that chocolate bar down like one would the barrel of a gun. He wouldn't accept it. He wouldn't let such.. kindness infect him, not just yet. Instead, his gaze, after a pregnant pause, fell away from the candy and the girl, instead investing his attention into some sticks that were scattered throughout the woods.

Despite this, it seemed Riley was at the end of his rope. He was tired of pretending when it wasn't doing anything. "That's not how it works," he muttered quietly, a sigh following it, "I could enjoy myself, sure. But that doesn't change that, when I forget, it hurts anyone who gave a damn. So, I became something no one would give a damn about. And you shouldn't either."

@Sissel

Riley listened to Celeste's words. They were so.. positive, full of optimism and hope. It was so.. pure, pure in a way that Riley felt he was tainting her, unworthy of her presence. Regardless, she was here and adamant about not leaving. "You.. wouldn't understand. I.. maybe I don't remember, but.. my writings. About the faces they would make, it.. it wasn't good. I'm not good. All I've done is hurt people, and that's all I'm ever going to do while I'm like this, unless I shove them away."

He still wouldn't look at her, his expression tired, more than anything. His telekinesis, though, took the last piece of chocolate, which he finally munched on. Perhaps it was the sweet taste of it, more than anything, but he'd teared up a bit as he continued, "But I'm just.. sick of it. Sick of hurting people. And no matter what I do, I can't stop that from happening. It'll only be a matter of time until you're hurt too... shields don't last forever." The tone was a tone of a man who had given up. He had no hope left for himself or the world around him.

@Sissel

The offer for lunch caused Riley to lift his head to look at her, for just a moment. Perhaps it was just that he didn't remember, but from the feeling he'd gotten from it, no one really ever offered him that kind of thing. This was new.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to run away from this before he fell in too deep, scream at her until she ran away. But he was tired, and he felt it would fall on deaf ears, anyway.

So, with a sigh, he stood up, brushing the dust and dirt off of his clothing as he murmured, "Okay. I'll accept your lunch offer- just this once. Don't.. think this is gonna be some grand thing where we do this all the time, got it?"

Perhaps he would forget- but maybe forgetting that he would forget, just this once, would be nice.

@Sissel