One and a half months later-

Ryan for the most part did end up leaving me alone. A few slaps, punches and occasionally destroying my homework or my stuff seemed to keep him content enough. I think he suddenly remembered that our mother really didn't care what happened to me, so me going to the same school wouldn't matter to them- as long as they didn't have to pay. We had lived in Seattle all my life, hence everybody knew that I was the Russell's younger sister. Here, nobody does. I don't think Ryan wants to be publicly associated with me in this new place.

These past one and a half months have been the best in my life. Honestly.

I have a large group of genuine friends whom I'm bonding with, Ryan doesn't bully me at school, mother has once again forgotten about my existence. I made sure to steer clear of the Costa brothers- however I did find out for sure that they were involved in some sort of shady business. (I overheard the twins talking in the hallway when I was late for class. Let's just say they weren't very discreet).

However, I did get caught eavesdropping though. That is my single scariest (well, one of them) moments in my life. Eraldo Costa's green eyes had narrowed furiously and he had almost beat me up then and there before his twin had stopped him. I don't know what he had said but I have never been more grateful for it. Eraldo had proceeded to lightly strangle me and warn me to never utter a single word about it. I complied. Then Ercole had proceeded to give me the scariest glare id ever seen before leaving without a second glance and I made sure to never be in there way ever again.

Marcello Costa was a ghost. Literally. He was so quiet that he blended in with the surroundings even and I could always see his keen eyes observing everything around him. He wasn't as loud as his brothers and had possibly one friend. Ehm.

Anyway, today was a football game and Alex had begged for us all to be there. So like any good friends we agreed when he threw in a free dinner. So here I was, an hour late, cheering in the stands and chanting his name. I didn't really understand the game, so I cheered when everyone did. Michael had tried teaching me the rules atleast twice but I wasn't really understanding.

"4-2. REINHART ACADEMY WINS."

This I understood.

Everybody started cheering and Alex was in the field, jumping around with his teammates. Eraldo and Ercole were also on the team as I discovered throughout my days here. Avoiding Eraldo was however probably my primary reason to not run upto the field to congratulate my friend as the others did.

"Congratulations you dumbass", Sandy cheered as Alex walked towards us. He was drenched in sweat, and dirt caked his arms in a few places from the nasty tackle by the opposing team.

"Yeah, who knew you could do something other than spout nonsense 24-7?", I joked. 

Alex smiled and went in for a hug but I immediately backed away,"No, no no. Don't come near me with those sweaty arms. I swear you won't live to see another day."

Everybody laughed as Alex began chasing me with a smirk on his face,"But you love these sweaty arms baby."

"In your dreams", I said through my loud laughs. Alex was a flirt through and through.

"Everyday", he said. Even he was laughing now.

"Gross", I scrunched up my nose but soon enough he had tackled me into a hug, his football training was obviously much more effective than my puny legs.

"Ewww", I laughed and I could feel Alex's chest rumbling too from where my face was pressed against it. I could feel a few eyes on us but I paid it no mind.

We finally returned to our group who wanted to go to go to McDonald's to celebrate Alex's win but he told us that they were going to their Captain's, aka Eraldo Costa's mansion to celebrate.

So we proceeded to bid our goodbyes and that is how I found myself in an abandoned parking area. This was definitely a problem.

Public buses at night had some shady people who I really didn't want to encounter. But asking Ryan for a ride might as well sign my death sentence. But I could try, right?

I pulled up my battered phone and dialled his number.

"Ryan?"

"Who is this?"

"It's Rebekah"

"What the fuck do you want?"

"I was- um- wondering if you. You know-"

"Stop wasting my time and say it"

"I was um- Can you give me a ride back home?"

"No"

"Please Ryan. I'm in the car park and I don't want to avail the bus-"

"That's your problem."

"But-"

"When I say don't disturb me when I'm with my friends I mean it Rebekah", Ryan's menacing voice came from right behind me.

I whirled around, phone still pressed against my ears but Ryan obviously couldn’t let the opportunity to torment me go.

He pulled back on my ponytail, enough to make me stumble back a few paces.
"Now, you have ruined my night Rebekah", his hands softly caressed my cheeks before harshly landing a slap on them.

"I'm sorry", I said through a few harsh breaths. This was a bad idea- I'm so fucking stupid. I knew better!

"I don't have time to waste on little girls.", he spoke as if talking to a baby but his hands slowly inched towards my neck. I didn't protest. What good would that do me anyway?

"I won't bother you anymore."

"Good girl", he whispered before abruptly strangling me. I knew this had been coming but I still couldn't get rid of the feeling of betrayal everytime my brother raised a hand on me. Wasn't he supposed to be the overprotective one who sheltered me from all harm? Wasn't he supposed to protect me from the world? Wasn't he supposed to love me? 

His large hands cut off my air circulation and I could feel the chain of my pendant breaking. No, no, no, no. "Take this as your first warning. Do not disturb me ever again."

Saying this he threw me to the ground and proceeded to walk away. I took a few seconds to calm down before tears streamed down my face. I couldn't imagine what I looked like right now. A bruise on my cheek, strangle marks on my neck, with tears streaming down my face and a destroyed layer of mascara.

Wait, wait. My pendant!

Where did it fall? I couldn't -

I immediately started searching the road with frantic eyes. I couldn't lose that pendant! I tried my best to see in the dark parking lot but the road was covered in stubborn shadows. It couldn't have gone far, surely.

An hour and thirteen minutes later I finally accepted defeat before giving the empty parking lot a last glance before walking away. I could not explain why a simple pendant meant so much to me but it just did. I guess it was not the material possession that mattered as much as being the only thing that I owned solely belonging to me. It was the one thing my mother genuinely bought me and gifted to me with a smile on her face. It was the only resemblance of her love that I was holding onto. Call me foolish but it was the only way I continued to convince myself that the woman who carried me in her womb for nine months did not hate me just because.

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe this was reality hitting me in the face, forcing me to face the facts, I wondered as I boarded an almost empty bus.

I was a foolish person. Always have been. But the day I had to accept that I really had no one to care about me in this world, people who would love me unconditionally through everything, was the day I would actually lose all hope in the world.

Maybe it was time to face the facts.