The Other Side

Chapter 10

" In private?," he said his statement coming out as a question. The insistence of his voice was raising an alarm.

"Um, she's gonna tell me everything later you know, so I don't see the point," Kate piped her face morphing into a goofy grin.

" You mean you're gonna force everything out of me?"

"Same thing." She smiled.

"Alright then, like I said, Alana was...is pissed and I don't think her boyfriend took the loss very well. I just want you to be careful, keep your eyes open. Anything happens, you call me right up, clear? I'm the one who put you up to this, I won't forgive myself if anything happens."

" You know I can take care of myself right?"

"I know, I know, it wouldn't hurt to be extra careful." he finished.

" Roger that!" his stoic form relaxed when he was sure I grasped the intensity of the matter.

'I'm not afraid of danger. I laugh in its face. '

" I'm so glad I'm not you right now. Now you have to look over your shoulder every time. I hate having to live with my guard always up. You can't relax without worrying of what might happen just the next minute."Kate sighed.

" Good thing you aren't me, relax, nothing is going to happen. My dad always says, if can't accept defeat then you're no champion."

" Tell that to Alana and her boyfriend."

I was lying on my bed with an ice pack on my lip alternating to my face. Now that I had finally relaxed, I could the pain searing through my body. Everything hurt, but nothing I hadn't experienced before. But no one can ever get used to the pain, no matter the experience you have of being hurt. It never gets old.

A knock came on my door. I didn't answer it, I didn't want to be bothered. It creaked open and my mother popped her head inside.

" Sweet's, are you okay baby? Come join us for dinner." she purred on the other end of the door.

When she got no answer, she invited herself in.

"Sweets. Are you in there?"

Irritated I shouted the only logical thing that came into my head.

" Don't call me sweets, I'm not Donna. Leave me alone, I'm not hungry."

"Swe....Ryn. What's wrong child, talk to your mother." She sat herself on my bed, then took a glance at my face and hers turned into a horrified one.

" Oh my God. Oh my God. What happened to you?"she cried her hand hanging mid air. She didn't know where to touch.

" I'm calling the ambulance, what happened dear? Were you attacked, did you get into an accident? Who did this you? Dad needs to know about this. I'm calling him right now."

I grabbed the phone and threw it across the room where it cracked, the screen into a now unpleasant sight.

"Would you relax mom, please! Just come down."

" Okay, I can work with that," she pointed to her cracked beyond repair phone," you have ten minutes young lady, ten minutes before I lose it."

" I went to the gym. Practice today was tough."

" You expect me to believe that?" Mom shouted exasperated.

" Okay, Okay, but don't freak out, promise? " I raised a brow waiting for her to agree to my terms," and dad doesn't need to know. "

"Well.? What's it going to be?" I pressed.

" Fine." She caved.

"I was fighting... In the ring. With an opponent." I grimaced.

" I know what fighting in the ring with an opponent is young lady. I just can't believe you've been lying to us all this while. You told your dad you were having defense classes. You duped us!" She panicked.

"Mom relax will you!"

' So much for not freaking out. '

"It was just this once, besides it is defense class, more or less." I smiled.

" I'm telling your father. You're not getting away with this!"

"Mother, you promised." I warned my voice coming out strained.

" Don't always believe what people tell you, " She marched out of my room huffing and banged the door on her way out.

"That went well."

Minutes later my phoned beeped with a message.

Dad
I just don't understand why you can't be a normal teenager like everyone else, like your sister.

I replied quickly.

Me
Ever thought that maybe I'm not a normal teenager? The sooner you and mother realize that the sooner we'll have peace in the house. And please, can everybody just stop comparing me with her. I'm not my sister, I'm not the goody two shoes the two of you want me to be.

Dad
I'm so disappointed in you.

And that's when I felt it. I felt the love and respect my dad had for me slipping away, right through my fingers, and there wasn't a single thing in the world I could do. I felt like I was an outsider in my own home. I felt like the sore thumb. I felt completely useless. And I assure you, its not a feeling you would want.

I wanted to talk to someone.

Anyone.

But who would want to listen to my excuse of a life story. Tears were flowing, I don't even remember crying. They seemed to have a mind of their own.

I wished I was back at the military school. It was tough there but it was better. At least there I had Caleb. I was never alone.

I missed him so much.

You know that moment when you miss someone so bad you wish you could go back in time just so you could be with them again, savor every moment you spent together, that particular person that you could swim oceans for, that was the much Caleb meant to me, too bad it wasn't the same for him.

' I thought you moved on,' my subconscious reminded.

Hard to believe the bad girl cries herself to oblivion every single night. We all fight battles no ones knows about.

"It gets better with time," his sweet velvet voice spoke softly on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry to have dropped the bomb on you like that. I just...I didn't know who else to call, then I remembered how humble you were the last time we talked. You were a good listener. You didn't judge. Somehow I felt I could talk to you about anything. I couldn't sleep either. I'm sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night, to feed you my crap."

" Don't be. I'm glad you called me. You don't need to explain yourself " Nate said nervously, " I will be honest, I was surprised when you called me, " he chuckled, " but I'm glad you did. Its so hard to believe, at school, you're this tough girl, the world revolves around her finger, with an I don't care attitude but you're hurting Ryn. You can break too, don't be so hard on yourself."

"Its the only way I can survive to the outside world, Wellington, otherwise I would be lost on both sides." I sobbed.

" I understand and don't get me wrong I'm not judging. But once in a while you gotta let yourself be weak, be frail, that in it's self Ryn is a strength of its own."

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