1.6 Back to the past

Nervously chewing at my bottom lip, I silently walked right next to her down the hallway as the classes had already ended, those girls' stupid rantings still spinning inside my mind.

So many questions swarmed inside my head, making me feel so conflicted since she's been nothing but sweet and an absolutely great friend so far, yet I couldn't help but wonder...What happened?

What had really happened that got her in such position today?

Why is everyone so...afraid of her?

My head turned to the side to peer at the side of her face as we went past the school's front doors, noticing the distant look in her eyes as she simply stared off into the distance, all quiet and calm.

"So, what was that all about?" The words went past my lips before I could even stop them, watching her avert her attention to me now, those large green eyes staring at me completely clueless.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Shit. I can't do this.

"What do you mean "what do you mean"? You were so mushy and caring over that guy!" I quickly said in a "duh" tone, steering my words in a completely different direction from their original path.

"He was hurt! I hurt him! I fucking hit him with my locker door!"

I let out a rather loud and unlady-like laugh at her words and that mental image they instantly brought me, remembering that stupid bloodied grin on the guy's face.

"Believe it or not, I really don't like hurting people," She then so seriously said as I still kept letting out few giggles here and there.

"Mmhmm..."

"I mean it, okay?" She suddenly flipped at me with an almost crying, trembling voice, making me abruptly stop and stare at her, completely freaked out, for some reason feeling that her words ran deeper than I could even comprehend at the moment.

I only blinked a few times, lips parted as I blankly stared, her eyes widening and lips parting as well as she seemed to finally gain awareness of her reaction, but before I could even try to apologize for whatever set her off like that she suddenly turned aside and ran to Rick, who apparently was already waiting for us in his usual position, butt leaning against the front of the car and arm-crossed, like always.

She quickly walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting the side of her head against his chest for a few long and calm breaths, in complete and utter silence, eyes closed.

"You ok?"

She simply nodded, earning a peck on the top of her head and a brief but warm hug from him, feeling my heart fill with both warmth and sadness as well at the sight of their special sibling relationship, barely holding back the stray tear threatening to escape as I suddenly felt so...lonely...

"Good. Let's go then," Rick's deep voice abruptly brought me back to reality, simply staring at them both before noticing her giving me a small wave.

"Coming hun?" She offered me a tiny and kinda anxious smile, my mouth pointlessly opening and closing for a few times as she caught me completely off-guard with those words. To say that I really wasn't expecting that was an understatement. Getting ignored or even left out standing there in the parking lot like a total idiot yes, maybe. But not this.

I finally let out a small nod after getting over my initial state of shock, taking my first two steps towards the car when that all-too-familiar voice suddenly reached me from somewhere behind.

"Hey!"

Oh shit. Oh no.

"Hey knuckle-head!"

Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck my stupid life.

I screwed my eyelids shut, blowing out a tired sigh before reluctantly turning around, facing a seemingly already pissed-off Rebbeca.

"What's going on? Where are you going?"

"Home?" I replied unsure, staring at her obviously taken aback by this sudden and unexpected appearance. What the fuck was she doing here? How was she here? And most important, why? Since when did she even care?

"With this dude?" She crossed her arms, nodding in Rick's direction with one of her judgy stares.

I shifted my gaze between him and my big bully of a sister, intending to open my mouth and just say something when she suddenly beat me to it,

"Yeah I don't think so. Come on, get in the car," She motioned back to her grey Range Rover parked just a few feet away, like always, expecting me to simply comply and haul my ass to it like the good and quiet little sister I was when Rick's deep voice unexpectedly butted in.

"Who the fuck are you?"

My mouth hung open as I watched him leave his previous spot near the car and step closer towards her with only a few long strides, easily towering over her even though she was actually pretty tall, compared to me.

She blankly stared up at him for a few seconds, seeming slightly intimidated by his imposing figure before quickly recovering from her initial state of shock, and finally backfired.

"What do you mean "who I am", I'm her sister you fucktard! Who the fuck are you anyway?"

Holy shit.

I audibly gulped as I stared between them both, forgetting even how to blink as all I could think of, was that something bad was definitely about to happen. Images of him slapping the shit out of that annoying face of hers kept popping at the front of my mind when the sound of his purely masculine chuckle abruptly brought me back to reality, staring her down like she were nothing but a piece of gum on his shoe as he simply said,

"I suggest you get your ass back inside that car and fuck off to wherever the hell you came from before I lose my shit. Because trust me, you don't wanna see me losing my shit."

Yet to my utter shock, she only stood her ground as she defiantly crossed her arms, staring him dead in the eye as she bit back,

"Why, are you gonna hit me or something?"

What the hell! Is she fucking crazy?

I knew that she was usually a snarky, bold bitch. But not this bold.

My brows suddenly contorted into a confused frown as I watched him seemingly reach for something at the waistband of his dark jeans, under his olive green bomber jacket before abruptly stopping himself and turning to look at both me and Blake instead.

"Get inside the car," He firmly instructed, glancing between us before adding a nice "please".

"Both of you," He also added as he noticed me still standing in the same spot and nervously glancing between him and my sister, unsure of what to do next.

Oh my god. I'm dead. I'm fucking dead. Mom is so gonna kill me when I get home!

I mentally whined as I eventually complied to his request, consciously ignoring my sister's deadly glare as she watched me reluctantly turn around and walk to the back passenger seat door, slamming it shut behind me as I plopped my butt in the leathered seat.

Shit...

I anxiously bit my lower lip as I stared through the windshield, watching Rick still stand right in front of Rebbeca, telling her god knows what as she stared up at him with a blank expression.

"I'm s-sorry...F-for that thing eariler..."

My attention quickly averted to Blake, noticing her guilt-ridden expression as she hopefully peered back at me from her front passenger seat.

I blinked a few times, obviously taken aback by those words, but before I could even try to say anything the driver's door suddenly flung open, noticing Rick getting in his seat before turning to give me an unusually warm look.

"You okay?"

I simply stared back at him, feeling my cheeks slightly heating up at the sudden and unexpected attention I was receiving from him, giving him a brief and rather shy nod.

"You tell me if she dares hurt you, you hear me?" He said in a serious tone, my gaze automatically darting to the windshield, only to notice Rebbeca's car already speeding off on the driveway.

At least he didn't slap her freaking face off...

"In any way."

My eyes quickly trailed back to him, feeling my breath almost stopping inside my chest as those honey eyes so deeply bored into mine, awaiting for my answer.

"O-okay..."

I let out a long and calming breath as he turned back to the steering wheel and turned on the engine, but instead of shifting in gear he abruptly turned back to me.

"Oh and, what does "Nastya" stand for?"

My lips let out an almost inaudible gasp, feeling my whole face burn in utter shock and embarrassment.

Oh my god! What the hell? He heard that?

I pointlessly opened and closed my mouth for a few times like a damn fish, his awaiting stare only making it even worse.

"Anastasya," I found myself eventually blurting out in a single breath.

"M-my middle name is Anastasya," I spewed out, earning only a small nod before he finally turned back to the wheel and drove away.