“It’s because my older sister, Rosaline, went through something similar when I was ten. Except she didn’t have someone to stop him, so… she and my family went through the trial proceedings like we are now,” he added absently.
Wait, he’s never mentioned having a sister before. I smashed my lips together, trying to keep my surprise contained, but in the quiet outdoors, a small gasp left me. I was tempted to ask why he’d never brought her up, but the moment between us was so intimate, so fragile, that I couldn’t bear to disrupt it and have him never work up the courage to tell me whatever this was again.
“And the asshole that hurt my sister got out on bail. He didn’t try to talk to her or get close, but Ros started to see him places out of the corner of her eye. Just that quick moment, ya know? Enough to make her feel on edge but still not often enough either, making her question if she was just being paranoid. For weeks, it went on until she started losing a lot of sleep, and I tried to help the best I could with jokes and trying to be positive. I succeeded for a while; she even told me I lit up a room… something our grandma used to say.”
“You do,” I agreed softly, trying to help the best I could.
“Thanks, Cali girl, but I just wasn’t enough. She… uh… took her own life after another few weeks of him stalking her.”
“Oh my god, Reid,” I breathed in shock. There hadn’t been any photos in his house, and he’d never talked about her. Now I realized why, and my mind raced with the surprise at finding out he had a sister, shock that she’d gone through something so similar, and a nearly overwhelming feeling of sadness that he’d lost her. “I’m so sorry.”
“So, if I seem a bit more emotional throughout this, that’d be why. I didn’t want you to think it was because of yo—”
Before he could finish his statement, I threw my arms around his shoulders and held fast. He wrapped me in a tight hug, holding onto me like I was a life preserver. I didn’t know how long we stood there, tangled together as if I was the only thing keeping Reid from drowning in the memory of his past, but I didn’t let go. I nestled my face into the crook of his neck, the familiar scent of Old Spice filling my nose as I did so.
“Thank you for telling me,” I whispered, his shaking shoulders and crying subsiding.
“I’m sorry I hadn’t told you sooner,” he croaked. “It’s been over seven years, but ever since it happened, my parents tried to pretend it hadn’t. Not that my parents didn’t love Ros, but they think if they don’t see reminders, if they don’t think about her… then her death won’t hurt them. In theory.”
“That sounds hard,” I murmured, struggling to know what to say about something so massive.
“I got used to it, at least most of the time, but I couldn’t just forget my sister or what she went through like my parents wanted. You shouldn’t be expected to forget someone you love, she doesn’t deserve that, so I made sure to keep something. A little pink ornament she’d made for Christmas one year, full of sparkles and the bright colors that she loved so much. When we packed up my room last week, I didn’t care about anything else. All I wanted was that.” Reid took a deep, shaky breath, squeezing me tighter than ever. “I can’t… I can’t lose you too.”
Pulling back enough to look him in the eye, I held his scruff-covered jaw in my hands, rubbing my fingers over his wet cheeks in an attempt to comfort him. Everything he revealed swirled in my mind like a tornado, and I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t stick my foot in my mouth when I spoke. Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I tried to convey everything I felt with my stare.
“You won’t. I need you. I need all of you because I don’t want to—heck, I don’t think I could—do this alone. We’ll do all of this together, and if I ever feel like something is wrong, I’ll tell you guys. Jesse even offered to go with me to a therapist to see if they can help with the nightmares,” I rattled off. “We got through one trial, and we’ll get through another. Then we’ll get through graduation and be off to college, and whatever else we have in store for us.”
“As long as I have the three of you, I know I’ll be happy,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and thick. Taking in his expression, I noted the red rings encircling his eyes and the wet tracks on his face. Reid pressed his lips to mine in a soft and sweet kiss. “I think I’m okay now. Let’s head inside. The others obviously know what happened back then, so I don’t need to talk to them about it.”
“No, but if you ever need to, we’re here for you,” I told him, reaching up and brushing a stray curl that had flopped against his forehead.
“I know, and that’s why I’ll always be happy with the three of you. I love you, Cali girl.”
“I love you too, Reid.”
Now more than ever.
11
March 4th
For some reason, I never truly thought about the others and how they saw our future. Safe to say that was the ‘weird’ for today, but I can’t say I’m disappointed with the answer!
#ArtsAndCrafts #OnlyTimeWillTellWhatComesNext #WeirdnessWednesday
The final bell rang, the bright tinkling echoing through the locker room as I finished changing. It had been just over a week since finding out that Brad was trying to get out of jail, and we still hadn’t heard any new information. At first, I was extra vigilant despite knowing he was still behind bars. My mind was constantly prepared, setting me more on edge than I had been previously, but as the days went on, I calmed. I knew he could—and probably would—appear at any time once he was out, and I kept that reminder tucked in the back of my head, but I relaxed enough that I was no longer looking over my shoulder every few minutes.
Thank goodness too, I thought as I shouldered my bag and made my way out of the locker room. Constantly feeling as if someone was watching me was not a fun sensation, and I was happy that my overactive imagination had somewhat settled. It probably helped that Lyla had gone with me again to self-defense on Monday night. It might not have been much, but it was at least something. If worse came to worst, that was all I could really do to be prepared.
As I made my way to the front entryway, I found Reid waiting for me on the other end of the room. My mind wandered and seeing him sparked another reminder. It had also been a week since he confided in me about his sister and what she had gone through, and he hadn’t brought it up since. He was acting like everything had gone back to normal, except he was more lovey-dovey than before. It seemed that sharing that piece of himself with me had created an even closer bond, and for that I was grateful.
“Where are the others?” I asked when I finally reached him, looking around for Kingston and Jesse.
“They left already,” he relayed, curling me under his arm and pressing a kiss to my temple. “We have been tasked with a mission.”
“Uh… okay,” I drew the word out. “Any particular reason?”
“Yes, actually. Kingston has been tasked with distracting Jesse for the next couple hours while you and I have been instructed to go get Jesse a present.”