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Riley hadn’t always been the confident person everyone now knew. He’d once been a people pleaser. Unable to get out of the toxic situation he was forced to live in. Until an opportunity presented itself. An opportunity where he was able to leave the town he grew up in. A town, and its denizens,  that never loved him. Their actions spoke for them. So he began letting his actions do the same. He’d distanced himself from nearly everyone. His relatives included. They’d made no effort to even speak to him after his health issues began. Or communicate in any way. 

“Honey we’ve-” his Aunt began
“I’m NOT interested in anyone’s “excuses” anymore” Riley retorted
“It’s not that we didn’t-” one of his cousins began
“Care. That’s the word you’re looking for. Not ONCE did any of you even come by, call, text, NOTHING. Crickets from all of you here. I never felt like I was part of this family. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother would be ashamed of all of you if they were here. Ya’ll can say you’ve been busy all you want. Ya’ll actions have spoken at the end of the day” being all Riley could say. 

Riley's mother died over twenty years prior. His grandmother and great grandmother's deaths happened at various points since. Along with one of his favorite Aunts. He’d gone no contact after the confrontation. It’d been labeled a “family meeting” with him. They claimed to be concerned about him. He knew better though. He knew they wanted answers. He hadn’t shown up to anything in the last year. It was in that year things had become strained between him and his relatives. It took him letting them know he was going no contact that shocked them most. He no longer cared though. 

“Hey! How’ve you been?” Ari asked
“I’ve been okay. Feeling better more than ever since I changed some things around in my life” Riley replied
“That’s awesome. How’s your cousin?” Ari inquired
“I don’t speak to any of them anymore. Condensed version being I’m no contact with them” Riley responded
“WHAT! Wow. I’m kind of not surprised. They always seemed so… privileged” he said
“Very much so, yes” Riley nonchalantly replied
“It must’ve been a lot of things happening for YOU to do that though” he mentioned 
“Yeah…. They didn’t bother to make sure dad and I were doing okay” he shrugged

Ari wasn’t sure what to think or say. Or what to feel about it. He’d been a family friend for as long as Riley could remember. He wasn’t too surprised though. Riley went into a little more detail during their brief interaction in the middle of the supermarket. How they’d overstepped their boundaries. He’d taken his health and life into his hands. They didn’t like that for some reason. It wasn’t like they’d been overly helpful anyway. So they essentially stopped speaking to him. It had been the  “family meeting” he shared that surprised Ari the most. He was happy Riley was doing far better overall. The pair parted with a lunch date to catch up on life. 

”I’m proud of you” Sherri smiled
“Thanks. I’m proud of myself. It’s a different feeling, a freedom, I’ve embraced” Riley sighed
“They always seemed a little too snooty” Sherri mentioned
“Yeah. One of their traits. Good. to know someone else has seen it. I have a feeling others feel that way as well” Riley sighed
“There are plenty. Your relatives came up in conversation with others recently. Similar answers were said by everyone” Sherri smirked
“Good to know” Riley said

Riley had let his relatives walk out of his life a while before everything happened. He didn’t mind being in low contact with them. He’d seen their preferential treatment since his Aunt died. He’d seen far more than he’d let on. He’d only ever seen them at the usual holiday gatherings anyway after a while. It was about all he could handle. It was going completely no contact with him that was freeing in a way he couldn’t explain. He’d already let them go far before then. He’d gone from being concerned about what they’d say to no longer caring.