My name is Aliya. Yes, it's a weird name I know. I have been told many times, no need to remind me again. Why do I have such a weird name? Well, first off I was born in Israel and my parents immigrated to Texas. Of all places, they went to bloody Texas. I don't really like Texas; I don't like my school at all. I was quiet, and avoided talking if I didn't have to. I spent most of my time in the library, but there was one girl who talked to me sometimes. Her name was Tracy and she was sweet, but almost as quiet as me. But that wasn't the reason she didn't stay with me, it was because of her friend, Kendra. Kendra was the meanest person I have ever met. She has hated me since we were younger. She would shove past me in the hallway and would knock my books out of my hands. She was the "queen bee" of the school and had control over almost everyone. Well, almost everyone except her on/off boyfriend Rick, or Ricky, which he preferred.

Right now, I was sitting the library and reading To Kill a Mockingbird. The old air-conditioner system was trying to work, but soon it conked out and within a minute, I could already feel sweat on my forehead. I pulled back my long hair into a braid and began reading again, but then I heard the door open. I didn't think anything of it, until two hands suddenly slammed down on my table which caused me to shriek and drop my book on the floor.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." Ricky said, smirking at me. People in our school were a little scared of Ricky, but he was really popular. And this was a really unusual sight to see Ricky in a library. Actually, he had only come to see me in here when he needed help with homework. When he wanted to see me, he would find me outside and he would take me out for ice cream, which he loved. And that happened a lot. I think there was another reason why Kendra hated me. Besides Tracy, Ricky was the only one who talked to me. He always had, even when we were kids, this year more so than ever. He was my friend. We were the oddest friends, but friends none the less. Actually, I would even go so far to call him my best friend.

"Sure you didn't. What do you need?" I asked him, retrieving my book from the dusty floor. I brushed off the dust, but Ricky grabbed the book from my hands and began leafing through the pages but soon handed it back to me.

"Why is it you always think I need something when I come to see you?" he asked me, kicking his legs over the table and landing on his feet on my side.

"You're in the library Ricky."

"Whatever. Anyway, you are always in here. Lunch only just started, and I am not letting you spend another one cooped up in here. Come on, I want to go get candy." He said and grabbed my book and shoved it in my bag and then yanked me up and put my bag on my shoulder and pulled me out of the library. We walked out into the hot sunshine, and soon I began sweating. Ricky smirked at me and grabbed my bag from me and yanked off my cardigan so I was only in my white tank top.

"It's to freaking warm for a sweater."

"Cardigan."

"Whatever. Come on, candy and ice cream awaits." He said and grabbed me by the arm and we were off to the corner store. He began rambling on about the most recent fight, and I just smiled and listened silently. Until he told me about how he got into the fight. I froze and glared at him.

"You promised me you wouldn't fight anymore. Ricky, last time you got beaten up really badly." I said, a small shiver running through me as I remembered him showing up at my door, his face covered in blood and bruises all over his body. He was in a lot of pain, but he put on a smile and told me how much fun it was.

"Oh, come on! It was only a small fight. And look! No blood!" he said, grinning and held up his arms, displaying the uncut skin proudly. I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Ok. But please, don't fight. Please, for me, Ricky-

"Oh yes, Ricky, for her. Stop fighting for your precious Aliya." Kendra's stupid, conceited voice filled the air. Ricky visibly grew angry, and he lowered his arms and turned to face the girl who was approaching him.

"Oh, Ricky. You're wrapped around her fucking finger aren't you! You'll do anything for her won't you! That little bitch. She doesn't even know how to fight!" she yelled at me, and suddenly she was on top of me. Her fingernails left stinging marks on my face and eyes, and then one of her fists met my cheek. I cried and tried to kick her off, but I didn't need to. She was ripped off me, pulling a piece of my hair with her, and thrown to the side. Ricky looked like he was ready to murder someone, and he stepped in front of me, almost defensively.

"Fucking touch her again and I will throw you in the river you little sperm-spitting, gutter slut!" he yelled at Kendra. Kendra got up and spat at him, then turned and stormed away to her friends. Ricky clenched his fist and then looked down at me, his usual happy face turned sad. He held out his hand, which I took and he gently pulled me to my feet. He began looking at my face and checking the rest of my body.

"I'm fine." I mumbled and pulled away from him. He sighed and nodded at me.

"Come on, I'll take you home." He said and put his arm around my shoulders and walked me back to my house, luckily it wasn't too far. Before leaving, he kissed me on the forehead, told me to wash my face with alcohol and then he was gone. I was worried, whenever Ricky gets mad; he likes to light things on fire.

It was around 2 o'clock when the phone rang. I was watching Dance Moms with an ice pack on my cheek, but when I answered it, I heard Tracy's frantic voice.

"Aliya! It's Ricky, he set something on fire! He's in trouble!" she screamed. I didn't have to hear anything else; I threw the phone down and ran out the door. It didn't take me long to get there, and once I arrived I saw fire trucks and all the kids in lines outside. And then I saw the police cars. My heart froze when I saw Ricky running away from the policemen. He was shoving people out of his way, and then he saw me. He ran towards me and threw his arms around me, his mouth to my ear.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, and then the policemen grabbed him and tore him off me. I cried and tried to hold on to his hand, but they grabbed him and dragged him away. They pulled him away and he disappeared in the police car. And then he was gone.

He was sentenced to go to a place called Camp Green Lake. I didn't see him, he was only allowed to call me for two minutes and that's when he told me where he was going. He said he would be gone for eighteen months. I cried, and then he was forced to hang up the phone. The last thing I said was I would be waiting.

I was sitting on a park bench, reading a book. It was eight months since Ricky was sent away, only ten months to go. These past months have been hard, but at least Tracy has finally broken free of Kendra and we now spent a lot of time together. But as much as Tracy was a good friend, she could never replace Ricky. The familiar ache I felt every time I thought about him resurfaced and I closed my book and stared at the dry, brown grass. I just wished Ricky was here. Suddenly two hands slammed on the bench. I shrieked and my book went flying.

"Oops, sorry to scare you!"

I knew that voice. I knew that voice very well. I smiled and shot around and jumped on him. He laughed, but clearly wasn't expecting that because he stumbled and fell over.

"I thought you said you'd be gone for eighteen months?" I asked him.

"Are you complaining?"

"Of course I'm not!" I shrieked and hugged him again.

So that's how me and my crazy, best friend got separated and then reunited. Our story is an interesting one, and it is definitely not over yet. Ricky has a lot more trouble to get into to, and I will always be there to help him out of it. And there is a lot more ice cream to eat.