Rebellious to Rejection *Young Writers Prize*

Chapter 16

“Alana what is going on with you and Liam?” Maria asked as she tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth. “Don’t give me that you guys are just friends crap either, I have seen the way you guys act around each other.”

 

We were currently sitting on the floor of my bedroom, the tv playing a movie as we surrounded ourselves with junk food. I learned that Maria was a very sweet girl, she was a year older than me and she had a boyfriend when she was in her old pack but he broke it off when she got kicked out. I felt bad for her because she told me that her heart was broken into pieces, that she wouldn’t do anything for days after that.

 

“I really don’t think he likes me anymore than a friend,” I told her. “I mean when I am around him I feel pretty happy, like the little things that he does makes me smile. He is so protective and I can tell that he is really trying to be a good friend.”

 

“So you like him?”

 

“I like him but I don’t know if it is just a friendship kind of like or more. He loves someone else though so I mean how can he love me.”I thought about when he got upset the day he told me about the girl. She had a big impact on his life and she was the reason he started fighting, I know he says he is fighting for me now but how much of that is actually true.

 

“He can have feelings for more than one person,” she stated, her tone serious.

 

“You aren’t the first person that has said that. My friend Anna was the first person to say something about it and then my friend Priscilla said something. This is going to come as a shock but my dad is even on the whole idea of us dating.”

 

“No way!” she exclaimed.

 

I nodded my head with a laugh. “Usually he is interrogating every male that walks into the house, yet he was all for us going out to lunch together. He was like I am glad she has a young man who is willing to put his life on the line for her…” I mocked my dads voice and threw my hands around in the air for affects.

 

“What has he done?” she asked with wide, excited eyes. Her hand fell into the popcorn and scooped up a handful, shoving all of it in her face as she waited for me to continue.

 

“Well when we first met I was being attacked by two guys that followed Nathaniel around,” I muttered remembering the horrible memory. “The second time was when I was walking with my …. well a guy I thought was my friend. He came after me and tried to kill me when Liam came and broke his neck.” I couldn’t help but smile because that was when I decided to join him in this war.

 

“I feel like he does nothing but stalk you,” she muttered.

 

I shoved her in the arm and let out a whine. “You ruin all the happy moments,” I complained, trying to fake a frown but failed miserably. “Anyways then I was getting some juice when I saw a red dot going across my body, I didn’t know what it was at first. Liam ended up tackling me to the ground and used his body as a shield as they shot at my house.”