“Where’s Rydel at?” I ask the boys as we load into the van.
“While you and Ross were getting a little too comfortable over there some guy named Eric walked up and they left… maybe like a date or something.”
“Eric! Oh yay! Are they boyfriend and girlfriend now? Oh no no, she definitely would’ve told me, Ahhh! I can’t wait till they are official!” I squeal out like the teenage girl I am.
~
We hop out of the car and unpack all the instruments and place them in the garage for now. Everyone starts heading in.
“I’m gunna go off for my walk now guys”
“Ok”
“Cool”
“See you soon”
“Can I come with?” Ross asks hopefully. I look over to him.
“Yeah sure come on!” I say convincingly.
“Really?!”
“No! Ross how many times must I say it?”
“Only about a thousand more” He smirks.
“Walk, me time. Not Ross time.” I say as if I had come before Christ, and with that I walk off on my route. Once I arrive in the beach parking lot I take off my converse so I don’t ruin them. I step into the sand and stand there for a second feeling the sand beneath my toes. I take in a deep breath from my nose and I exhale through my mouth.
“Ahhh” I say relaxed.
I roll up my jeans to my knees and skip down to the shoreline. There is usually no one at the beach but I always look around me before I do this just to make sure. Once I see that there is no one insight I start splashing around in the water and kicking at it like a six year old. Youth rejuvenated. This is also a small reason I never want Ross to come. Even though he’d probably join me. I splash around for a while, making sure to not splash any on my shoes that lie in my hand, but eventually I get out and begin walking the shore of the beach.
The sun is just now beginning to set. The sharp orange color illuminates the sky, as I see far ahead of me a couple. They must not see me because they are talking… it actually looks like they are arguing. I come into around 20 yards from them and they still haven’t noticed me. Then I see a familiar stance, the girl goes down to her knees and forms an ‘X’ with her arms, presenting the palms of her hands to the boy who I now see has his hand raised above his head.
“NO!!!!” I shriek out at the top of my lungs, bursting my own eardrum “You can’t do that! I won’t let you!” I begin moving toward them “YOU GET AWAY FROM HER!” I take into a sprint, faster than ever before, and I throw my entire body weight at the boy, knocking him down. I turn and look at the girl, the bright orange sun shines perfectly on her to where I can see those unmistakably platinum blonde bangs behind a barrier of her own arms, still trembling.
“Ry—Rydel?” I whisper. Her head jolts up, tears streaking through her white-washed face. Wait… that means… Eric. I slowly turn my head and look at the boy whom I knocked the wind out of; he struggles to find his breath. First I notice the pitch black hair, then I see the freckles, and I lose it. I swiftly turn. “RYDEL!” I seize her arm before she has a chance to respond and I run for the street, I glance behind us and notice the shadowy figure is getting up so I take a quick turn around a corner, after that I take a few more, trying anything to lose him, like I’ve tried so many times before. I finally feel we have reached an area where he won’t catch up to us and I take Rydel behind a tree and I whisper as quietly as I can. “Does he know where you live?”
“Wha—wha—what?” She is still crying.
“DOES HE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?!” I whisper yell.
“N—n—no… w—why?” I calm down for a moment and slide down to the ground catching my breath. I motion for Rydel to sit down next to me, she does and I hug her, stroking her hair. Since I’ve gone through this I have a pretty good idea of how to handle the situation.
“For your protection… and mine” Mostly Mine.
“But what do you mean yours? You didn’t do anything wrong…” she looks at the grass.
“Hey! Look at me, the last thing you want to do in this situation is believe you did something wrong. You didn’t, trust me. Never make excuses for him being an asshole, it’s what he’s been and always will be.” I tell her, the fiery hot hatred is brewing inside of me. I need to take my anger out on something. I stand up for a moment and take a scan of the area making sure he hasn’t found our trail. Clear. The family’s yard we are in has a small soccer goal in it. I used to play soccer before I moved; I was the MVP on my team. It had always helped me relieve stress. I walk over to the goal and grab the ball from it; I set the ball up a few yards from the goal opening. I turn from the goal and walk a short way, I snap around in game-mode and sprint to the ball, I count my stepping the way I used to. One, Two, Three. I land firmly on my left foot, inches from the ball, I twist my hips around until they face the goal, and then I make contact. Hearing the loud thump my foot makes with the ball seeps out the stress, anger and pain that I’m feeling.
I’m calm for only a moment until I realize what just happened, Rydel shouldn’t suffer because of me. I wish I never moved in with the Lynches, this is all my fault. Their life would have been much better if I just died that night. No Sydney, not this STOP IT. My body fills up with hatred toward myself and Derek and I can feel the burn through my body I reach up high and come down with all my force on my knees and begin to assault the ground. Punch after punch. I tear at the grass in the ground until there is no longer any at my knees. I breathe heavily in my spot and fall on my butt examining myself, I’ve got dirt all over me from throwing that tantrum. God I’m such a child.
Suddenly I feel a burning sensation at my feet, I glance at them. Blood, all over. What? Wait where are my shoes? Oh shit! I must’ve dropped them at the beach. I turn and look at Rydel, she’s staring at me… her eyes wide, but her tears dried. I can’t tell if she is scared of me… or just astonished.
“How—uh how long have I been doing that?” I ask slowly. She glances at her watch for a moment.
“Well since you first started attacking the ground… about forty-five minutes.” What? And I thought I could help Rydel get through this. I’m useless. I walk over to her, my tender feet are screaming at me. I sit and rest my head on her shoulder.
“Rydel, I know what this must be like to you. You probably think I’m insane right now. Actually I think I may be insane right about now, I’ve never acted out like that before.” I pause for a moment waiting to see if she says something, she doesn’t. “Right now you are thinking this whole thing is about you right now, but it’s really about me…” I glance at her and she sends me a questioning look “I’m pretty sure he was using you to find a way to get closer to me.”
“What? Why would Eric want to get closer to you?”
“No Rydel. ERIC doesn’t, but DEREK does. His name isn’t Eric, that’s my ex, Derek.” I fall silent…losing my voice.
“Eric… is the infamous Derek?” I nod “So, that’s what you were talking about your protection” She stops and she thinks for the longest time, but she finally turns to me and opens her mouth. But nothing comes out. Well that’s a first. Instead of talking she links her arms together around me, I start chuckling.
“Come on, let’s head back.” I try to stand up but quickly fall to the ground due to the intense pain in my feet. “Achhh” I groan out. Rydel kneels down in front of me, her back facing me.
“Hop on” I don’t fight it. I lift myself onto her back and she stands up.
“Do you know where we are?” I inquire
“Yeah, we are just a few blocks from the house” she trots along until we make it to the house.
She simply steps on the driveway and we hear a yell.
“Sydney!” Ross jogs over it looks like he has been tugging at his hair, its sticking up in all directions. “Oh my god! What happened to Sydney? I knew something bad happened it’s been almost three hours!” normally I’m back within the hour.
“Ross chill out nothing happened… to me”
“Then what is with the blood and dirt? And where are your converse at?”
“It’s a long story…” I look to Rydel, I’m not sure if she wants me to tell anyone about what happened “Will you take me to the bath tub… my dogs are barking” Rydel nods and walks in with Ross following us close behind. I catch a tear falling from Rydel’s eye and I wipe it away. She’s probably replaying the moment in her head.
Rydel sits me down on the edge of the tub and she starts the hot water. I twist my body around holding my feet up and then I make the mistake of putting them in the water “Eeek!” I shriek.
“Careful it’s hot”
“No shit Sherlock” I say sarcastically.
“Do you need anything?” Ross asks eagerly
“Yeah actually, can you get me a glass of water?”
“On it!” Ross leaves the room immediately
“So… Rydel”
“Yeah…”
“It’s all up to you”
“What is?”
“Letting everyone in on the incidents of tonight”
“Oh…” She quiets down again and I let out a sigh.
“Rydel… I’m not telling you what to do here but your family has helped me the most with my Derek situation. And think about it, they all love you a thousand times more than they do me. I’m just saying, if you look at what you have all done for me, I’m sure they would travel to the ends of the earth for you.” Rydel hands me a washcloth and I dip it in the red pool at my feet and begin to scrub off the dirt from the rest of my body.
“I know I know… but nothing actually happened really”
“Yes Eric turning out to be Derek and then almost beating you only to be taken out by me is nothing, nothing at all” I say sarcastically, trying out some of that tough love she threw at me a while back.
“I guess you’re right. But I really have no idea how I’m supposed to bring it up” I look at poor Rydel and give her sad self a hug. We pull apart and she takes the washcloth from me “Let me do that” She smiles and rinses my blood and dirt from it in running water. She then continues to clean the filth from my skin.
*Ross POV*
I’m heading up the stairs back to the bathroom now with the glass of water and just as I am about to open the door I hear Sydney’s voice so I pause to listen to it.
“I’m sure they would travel to the ends of the earth for you.” Hmmm well she is talking to Rydel in there… but what about?
“I know I know… but nothing actually happened really” What. So something did happen. Or according to Rydel it didn’t. I push my ear against the door to listen to the rest of their conversation.
“Yes Eric turning out to be Derek and then almost beating you only to be taken out by me is nothing, nothing at all” Hold up. Stop right there what did she say about Derek? Wasn’t Eric the guy Rydel was going on a date with, and how did Sydney and Rydel end up together tonight. It is all starting to connect in my head. How dare Derek attack my sister, after the two years of torture he’s put the girl I lo—um I mean my girlfriend through! Grr, I’m about to kick some ass!
I knock on the door before entering,