The Rebel in Us |Completed|

Chapter Eighteen

"He should've dumped you a long time ago. Don't worry though, he just brushed you off and got on with his life. He came to a real woman who could give him everything he needs."

I smile at her words, and turn to face her. Her snarky attitude was nothing to me, and she could talk about me all she wanted but my mother was a different story. I hated protecting Jana but when it came down to it, she was still my mother, and even though she wasn't a good one. It didn't give Anna the right to rub that in my face.

"Yeah, until he meets another "real woman" who can give him more. You think because he talked you into bed that he's going to stay loyal to you? Calvin is a bigger slut than you are." Her eyes darken, and she glares at me.

I didn't care though; in fact it boggles me why I ever did in the first place.

"You must be one miserable person to still be trying to ruin everyone else's lives. You know what's sad; you wasted all that time climbing the ladder of success by sleeping with just about every guy you had to in order to get to where you are. I didn't even have to flash one inch of skin to get to the top. All I had to do was agree to a date with your precious Calvin and bam; I was the bee's knees."

She scoffs, and folds her arms across her chest as every girl in this locker room is stunned silent. The truth hurt, that I learned the hard way and so would she.

"You know what's even sadder? After all that you said and every guy you did; you're just going to end up like some washed up girl. You're going to regret the people you wronged in your life and every morning you'll wake up this ugly person.

It's a shame really, you're a beautiful girl, Annamarie Baker; outside. Inside you're just some empty, no real feeling, scared little girl. Just some invisible being with nothing interesting about her but was once popular in high school. Your greatest achievement in life. No one's going to give a shit about your reputation in the real world, so have fun with that."

There, turning around and putting the strap of my backpack over my shoulder, I walked away from the stunned crowd and the quiet as ever Anna Bakeker.

~❈❈❈~

"She isn't herself..." The words float around as I watch Lillian sit on the couch and quietly watch cartoons.

I was worried. Since that day, two days ago she has not been herself. She slept with me every night since then, and when it's time for a bath I'm not allowed to leave the bathroom until she's done. And she always asks if Dmitri is going to be with us on our walks to and from school, even asking if he could stay overnight.

It's obvious to me that Lillian now has a different view of my mother, and has begun questioning her trust in her. I don't think I'm myself as well. School was okay because I had Dmitri by my side, but when he leaves for work I tend to float back into that ticking time bomb of losing myself in all that has happen recently and crying my eyes out.

He was right though, I had to be strong for Lillian. She still needed me to take care of her, and keep her safe from things like what had happen. The police even said we would need some time to get back to normal, but were we ever normal?

So I had to convince myself to save all the grief and sadness for later. One of us had to be strong, and I wouldn't burden Lillian when she's only a kid.

"It's going to take time, Uinni, he really scared her. She'll get there, if she's anything like her older sister, she'll get there." He squeezed my shoulder in comfort, and wraps an arm around my waist with his chin at the top of my head.

I don't know how or why, but I'm through questioning and trying to figure out how I ended up with this perfect boyfriend of mine. And I'm done worrying if this life of mine would cost me him.