Don't Try To Hold Me Back (Riley)

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Kinsey was excited. She and Riley just got out of potions and it was their last class for the day. Since they were now dating one another, she was sure that they were going to do something fun together. She honestly didn't care what they did, because she enjoyed even the simplest things when she was with him. Even just a walk would be plenty. She held his hand as they walked up the stairs and got in the entrance hall. She turned to Riley with an excited smile on her face, pulling them to the wall so others could pass while they talked. "So what are we doing today, now that we're out of classes?" He had her full attention.

That didn't last long, however. A few minutes later, Kinsey tensed when she felt negative, dangerous intentions somewhere behind her. Normally it wasn't this easy to sense when someone's intentions were this dark, but they were particularly strong intentions, ones that definitely would not change for anything. Her first thought was that it was Dom and that for some crazy reason he was coming after her in front of people. She spun around, her eyes searching through the crowd. It only took a moment for her to realize who the intentions were coming from. Diana. Without realizing what she was doing, Kinsey's hold on Riley's hand loosened and she started moving toward her sister, who was clearly leaving the entrance hall. What in the world could she be doing with intentions like those? Why did she have them? Kinsey needed to know. Something was clearly wrong.

@riley


@diana (just thought you'd like to see it)

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The had been having an ordinary day, potions class had let out and it was thankfully their last class. Riley was fine at potions, but it was by no means his favorite. However, since it was the last class of the day it had to be one of his favorites. It signified the relaxation and freedom that would follow. He was glad to have the class with Kinsey, his new girlfriend and also his best friend. He had never met a person that he trusted like he trusted Kinsey Bainbridge. She made him happier than he ever remembered being. He pulled him to the side of the corridor as they got to the main floor so they could talk without being in the way of the other students. "I don't know. I'm kind of in the mood for some food actually." he admitted, his belly had rumbled a little during the lesson and he had spent most of the rest of the class thinking about dinner.

Riley felt the shift in Kinsey pretty instantly as her eyes began panning the crowd around them. Was her bully near by? Could she sense someone's negative intentions? Riley guessed it was the second one. Her eyes locked up a person and Riley turned to see who it was: her sister, Diana. Riley's heart began to firmly pound in his chest. Diana had told him to keep Kinsey away from her. Kinsey took her hand back from Riley and began walking towards her sister. Riley, who wasn't sure exactly why he was keeping Kinsey away (even though he had many ideas) instantly went after his girlfriend, running so he could get in front of her and grab her hands again. "Kins stop." he said, trying to sound calm and casual, but knowing that she would likely sense that strong protective vibe from him again. he tried to make eye contact with her, holding her hands tightly in his, getting her to register that he had stopped her. 

@kinsey

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Kinsey couldn't help but smile when Riley started to talk about how he was really in the mood for food. "But it's not even time for dinner yet," she teased lightly. Of course, if he really was hungry, she had no problem going down to the kitchens with him to get some food, but she might make fun of him a little on the way. That all was in good fun however.

Kinsey was so focused on reaching Diana, on finding out why she would have the kinds of intentions that Kinsey was now sensing, that she didn't really realize she was leaving Riley behind. Nor did she hear him hurrying to catch up with her. Then he was standing in front of her, between her and Diana. He took her hands and Kinsey felt a strong wave of protective intentions wash over her. It wasn't uncommon for her to sense that from Riley, but this was different. Kinsey frowned, but turned her attention to her boyfriend for now. Diana was still in reach, and hopefully she wouldn't leave too soon, but Kinsey needed to know why Riley felt the need to protect her so strongly now, of all times. His words, telling her to stop, registered and she looked at him curiously, an eyebrow lifting high. "Why? And why do you feel like you need to protect me so much right now?" Maybe that was her repeating the same question twice, but Kinsey wanted to be sure. Maybe he stopped her for a different reason. Only after asking her question did she fully realize how tight his grip was on her hands. He wasn't going to let her go. She looked down at their hands and frowned, looking back up at him. "Why are you holding me so tightly?" It wasn't necessarily that she minded. As a general rule, she liked it when Riley held her hands, but this felt more restrictive, like he was restraining her and that was not something Kinsey liked at all. "Riley, what is going on?" She knew she was asking a lot of questions, but there had to be something he wasn't telling her. There was no other reason for him to behave this way.

@riley

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"I think I can just grab something from the kitchens." he shrugged, knowing that dinner was still a few hours away, however, he was a growing, teenage boy and he liked food. And food liked him, the had a wonderful and tasty relationship. He was pondering how he really should start carrying more snacks on him when Kinsey began moving away from him, ending their conversation about food entirely as he began to focus on something else.

She asked why he was feeling like he needed to protect her so badly and he wasn't sure what to tell her. He didn't want to throw Diana under the bus and he wouldn't. He was glad that Kinsey wouldn't be able to tell that he was going to be keeping some information out of his answer. She mentioned that he was holding her tightly and he let go a little, keeping hold of her though. He understood that it was suspicious and maybe he should have gone about it in a better way, but what was done was done and there was no way to change it. "Nothing." he lied. "I just saw you go after Diana and I freaked out. She was so rude to you the last time you talked and I didn't want her to upset you again." he said, and he did honestly mean it, it wasn't as much of a lie as he thought it would be. "Why would you subject yourself to that again?" he asked. 

@kinsey

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Kinsey nodded when he said that he would grab something from the kitchens. Obviously, if he went down to the kitchen, she'd go down with him. However, at the moment ... she was just looking around a little bit. Then everything changed.

The first thing he said was a lie. He was touching her, holding her hands still so she could feel his intentions strongly. Of course, his strong desire to protect her was still there, but when he said "nothing" it flickered and she saw the lie. Kinsey frowned, not knowing what to say back to him, but then his intentions turned back to protective and she could tell he was telling the truth with his explanation. Why would he bother lying about one word if he would tell the truth about all the others? His reasoning was solid, that he didn't want Diana to upset her again, but that was because he didn't understand. She shook her head, "No, Riley it's not like that. You didn't- you can't. Something's wrong. Something is very, very wrong with her. She was dark and dangerous and I ..." her eyes looked toward the door, her worry and anxiety coming out. "I have to see what's going on, I have to help her. This is more than just me." She didn't know if he would understand, but she hoped he would. "Help me?" she asked, trying to tug him toward the doors. She needed to see where Diana was.

@riley

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Riley understood why she wanted to go after her sister, he really did and he felt really awful for not letting her, however, he did really know that it was for the best. He really thought so. He didn't know exactly what Diana was up to right now, but he knew if it was enough to upset Kinsey so much from her being so far away so Riley had to think that it was nothing good. Nothing he would have got involved in and something that he desperately wanted to keep Kinsey away from. "Kinsey, I get it." he admitted. "But I just really don't think you need to get involved. You can't protect her or help her, you need to stay from her, I really don't want you getting involved." he said and he meant all of it, and not just because he told Diana that he would keep her away. He wanted to take care of Kinsey and keep her safe, and he did believe that she had no business getting involved in Diana's affairs. She asked him to help her and he shook his head, "I'm helping you by asking you to please trust me." he insisted, hugging her to him.

@kinsey

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Why wasn't he understanding her? Kinsey just didn't get it. Something was wrong. Whatever was going on with Diana wasn't her. It wasn't normal or natural and Kinsey refused to accept that her sister changed that much. What she couldn't understand was why Riley was putting himself in between her and her sister and why he didn't want to help her. She knew he wanted to protect her, he always wanted that, which was undoubtedly one of the many reasons why she felt so drawn to him. However, the fact remained that something was wrong with Diana. How was she supposed to make him understand. She shook her head, "So you're saying if out of the blue your sister stopped behaving like herself and started doing something that you knew was wrong, you'd just leave it be? You wouldn't try to do anything to help her?" She demanded, her expression entirely serious. Granted, what was going on with Diana had been happening for a year ... but it still felt out of the blue to Kinsey. That wasn't her sister. He started hugging her, obviously not letting her get to the doors and Kinsey pulled away a little, turning to look at the door again. She didn't try to go to it because she expected Riley would stop her. "I don't understand," she told him plainly, turning to look at him again. "I do trust you, you know that, but all my instincts are telling me to go after her ... and you seem to be doing anything you can to stop me. Why?" There. She was giving him a chance, but unless he gave her a real reason, she was going after her sister. She had to.

@riley

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Riley hated having to be this forceful. He didn't feel comfortable restricting Kinsey like this and not letting her go after her sister, but he really did have his reasons and he didn't know how to articulate them to Kinsey without giving away his suspicions about Diana. Without having to tell her that they ran into each other and Diana made him promise to keep Kinsey away from her in order to keep her safe and protected. Riley knew that if he told Kinsey about his run in with Diana it would only make her want to go after her sister more, it would make her need-to-know and need-to-help even stronger thus putting her in even more danger. He knew it would make him the bad guy in her eyes that he had ruined her opportunity now and wouldn't ever tell her why. A part of him hated that she would be mad at him, but having her safe but hating him was better than letting her put herself in danger after seeing her sister walk by.

She asked what he would do if his sister started acting up out of the blue, and honestly, he would protect her and go after her just as Kinsey was doing. But she had to know that he had his reasons for keeping her from going after Diana. "If you told me not to go after her I'd trust you." he said, even knowing what he did now. She asked him a question he always hated getting: why? That question was always hard for him to answer, especially as someone who could normally read the truth from people. "I just know it's a bad idea, okay? I do. And you have to trust me. Please Kins, don't." he begged without begging. His eyes did the begging but his voice was firm.

@kinsey

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He wasn't making any sense. Kinsey couldn't understand why Riley wouldn't just tell her what was going on, why he felt so strongly about her not going after her sister. He was so determined that she shouldn't follow, but also wouldn't say anything. Answering her question he said that if Kinsey told him not to follow his sister, he'd trust her. This didn't have anything to do with trust!! At least, she didn't think it did. She trusted Riley, more than she trusted anyone who wasn't her family, but Diana was family and something was wrong with her. Why was that so hard for him to understand. "I do trust you," Kinsey insisted. He had to know that the only reason she hadn't run away from him when he stopped her the first time was because she trusted him. However, right now he wasn't giving her any reasons to trust, any valid reason for not following her gut and trying to help her sister. She tensed when he said he "just knew" it was a bad idea. Did he know something he wasn't telling her? Her expression softened when he plead with her. She didn't know why he was doing this, but she could tell he was only trying to help. She reached up and touched his shoulder gently, though she knew he wasn't going to like what she was about to do. "I can't abandon her," she whispered before hurrying away.

She made it to the door and looked around desperately for her sister, but she was gone. What? It hadn't been that long, how was she already gone? Kinsey searched the area for bad intentions, but also felt nothing. Where did Diana go? She felt something crumble inside of her at the realization that she failed. She failed her sister, the one who so often tried to protect her (up until recently, of course) and it was because Riley didn't let her go. Kinsey turned around and walked back to the castle. At first her walk was slow and sad, but then turned angrier and more determined. When she saw Riley, her anger flared. "You got your wish. She's gone. I hope you're happy." She didn't know where she was going, but Kinsey started walking. She couldn't believe he did this to her! What made it worse was that he did it on purpose. He won by keeping her away long enough that Diana was gone.

@riley

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It was in that moment that Riley most felt like a bad guy. He knew he wasn't actually a bad person, but if this were a movie, he'd be the villain, at least in this scene. It was because of him that the lovely heroine didn't complete her goal, even if it wouldn't be clear to her until much later that he had kept her from doing so in order to protect her. She didn't yet realize that any efforts on her part would be useless and just cause her more harm than any good they would do. Diana was up to something, and Riley couldn't help but find himself suspicious. "Kinsey you're not abandoning her, she's already abandoned you, remember?" he asked, rolling his eyes slightly. Of course, he didn't honestly believe that Diana had abandoned her sister, but he couldn't let on that he was helping Diana by keeping Kinsey away. 

His attempts were useless and to be honest he didn't feel great about it. He felt a little betrayed by Kinsey based on the fact that she so openly went against everything that he was advising. But, she walked back to him with an annoyed and upset look on her face and he knew this his struggles had at least been successful. He had kept Kinsey away from Diana. He was a little mad that Diana had chosen such a busy time of the day to be around, but she wasn't to know that Kinsey would be nearby. There was only so much Riley could do to keep Kinsey away from her sister in a school like Hogwarts. I hope you're happy. she said. He wasn't. He was mad, he knew they had only been together for a few days, but they had been friends for longer and they were supposed to trust each other, and he had to believe that her trust in him was stronger than she had demonstrated. However, no matter how mad she was with him, she was safe, even if now she suspected something of Diana. Diana had said to keep Kinsey away from her, not to not let Kinsey become suspicious of her. That was never a part of the deal.

Kinsey began to walk away from him and he began to follow before giving up completely. She was trying to get away from him. She was trying to be alone. And while he hated the idea of her going and hiding in her dorm where he couldn't go and be with her or even check on her. He knew any attempt to get word from her roommate and friend Drizella would be useless, so he just had to wait. And maybe during that time he would cool down as well, he would let his anger settle and then fade away. He turned around and headed down to the kitchens, watching her disappear around a corner. 

@kinsey
((Riley out))

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His last effort to try and get her to not follow Diana was telling her that Diana already abandoned her. Kinsey knew that! She knew that Diana pushed her away, that she likely didn't want Kinsey anywhere near her, much less following her, but Kinsey couldn't help it. Whether or not Diana abandoned Kinsey, Kinsey could not do the same in return. As much as her sister hurt her, Kinsey wouldn't leave her on her own to face the intentions she'd sensed. She shook her head at Riley, wishing there was something she could say to make it so he understood. "Of course I remember, but just because she hurt me doesn't mean I can do the same thing back to her," Kinsey answered. She wouldn't do it. 

His reaction when she returned was nonexistent. Kinsey was mad enough- consumed by her anger in fact- that she ignored his intentions. She expected them to be as they normally were but still paid no attention to them. He said nothing. Nothing to her saying she hoped he was happy. He didn't deny or confirm it, didn't say a word and for some ridiculous reason, that made Kinsey even more frustrated with him. Why wasn't Riley giving her anything? Why did she get no reasons from him, why wouldn't he give her any explanation. A made-up explanation would be better than none at all. She would know it was fake, but at least she could pretend it wasn't. When he gave her nothing it only made her feel like he was keeping something important from her, which Kinsey didn't like at all. Sure the argument could be made that she was doing the same thing by keeping Dom's bullying habits a secret, but that was a personal thing. Other than how it affected Kinsey, it didn't affect Riley. Things about her sister affected Kinsey. That was where the difference was.

She sensed him leaving, not following her, which made Kinsey move even more quickly. Without Riley there, she raced up the staircases straight to the Ravenclaw Common Room. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do now, but what she did know was that she needed some time to think. On her own.

---the end---

@riley