Fighting to go on

Chapter 18

          For the rest of the week, Mark joined us for lunch. Ryan didn’t seem overly impressed, but he didn’t say anything. Mark seemed to get along with everyone very well and he shed his shyness quickly. Anna also became a fixture at our table at lunch. With so many people now sitting with us, the guys had commandeered another table and shoved it over until it was right next to ours. None of the other students dared to protest, because they were too afraid of Ryan and his friends.

            On Sunday morning, I was rushing around my room, trying to get ready for the Thanksgiving dinner at Ryan’s house. I had ordered Charlie to get dressed up and he had complained bitterly, but finally agreed after I threatened him a few times.

            I was dressed in a black, flowing skirt that fell to just below my knees and a dark green short-sleeved blouse. The reason I was rushing around was because I couldn’t find the necklace I was looking for. I stopped and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to visualize where I had last seen it. “The bathroom!” I said and I hurried out of my room, almost smacking into Charlie in my rush.

            He whistled when he saw me. “You look pretty good, sis.”

            I smiled and looked him up and down. “Thanks, so do you.” It was true. He was wearing black dress pants and a dark blue dress shirt. I had told him he didn’t have to wear a tie and he was relieved about that.

            I pushed past him and went into the bathroom. I found the necklace quickly and struggled to put it on, cursing at the tiny clasp. Charlie came in behind me and took it from me, hooking it together deftly. He remained behind me with one hand on my shoulder, and I looked at our reflection in the mirror.

            What looked like two normal teenagers looked back at us. They were both fairly attractive and were obviously related, with their blonde hair and green eyes. Looking at them, you’d never know that they had been through a rough time, and that they had both been abused.

            I reached my hand up to cover Charlie’s on my shoulder. “We clean up pretty nice, don’t we?” I asked softly.

            He smirked. “Yeah, we do,” he agreed.

            The doorbell rang and we both headed down the stairs. I pulled open the front door and smiled at Ryan. “Hey,” I said.

            He bent to give me a kiss. “Hey yourself,” he said back. His eyes scanned my body. “You look really nice.”

            “Thanks. You look pretty good yourself,” I replied, taking in his dark gray dress pants and maroon dress shirt. I fiddled with the collar of his shirt. “I like this color on you.”

            He moved a strand of my hair off of my face. “Thanks,” he murmured as he pressed his lips to mine again.

            “Okay, that’s enough of the PDA you two,” Charlie said as he came to the door.

            I pulled back. “Technically, we’re not in public, so it’s not PDA,” I retorted.

            “Like I care, it’s still gross. Besides, we don’t want to be late,” he said as he walked past us and to the car.

            I rolled my eyes. “I swear he’s still like a child half the time,” I muttered.

            Ryan chuckled and laced his fingers with mine. “Yeah, but he means well most of the time.” He waited while I shut and locked the front door. Then he pulled me into him again. “But he’s not here right this second, so I can do this,” he said as he kissed me deeply.