AUTHORS NOTE: I don't own THE OC… or any part of it… obviously! ; )
He was really gone. She had known this for many months now, but it really hadn't seemed existent to her. She glanced down at her chipping orange polished nails to avoid the stares she knew people were throwing at her. Couldn't they just get over it? She had… well she had at least tricked her mind into believing so. In fact she really wasn't over it. The pain, the betrayal of her only brother she could actually trust out of the two. "Rhiannon! RHIANNON ATWOOD!" Mrs. Toper's voice sounded completely annoyed, but Rhiannon knew that was just a show. She saw the worry and warmth ness in her eyes. Mrs. Toper understood Rhiannon. She had pulled her aside the other day, commenting on Rhiannon's "lack of enthusiasm" lately in class. Rhiannon had ignored this comment. How could she not know? The whole rest of the town knew. Knew of her brother Ryan, and how he had abandoned her, for a rich family in Newport California, leaving her to fend for herself in a home that wasn't her own. " Would you care to answer problem 3?" Mrs. Toper questioned. " Umm… I... is it…" Rhiannon, was cut of by the sharp ring of the bell. She sat back sighing, as the rest of the class jumped in an uproar and ran out. It was all over. She quickly gathered her books and headed out. Summer vacation finally.
Rhiannon stepped beyond the front doors. Leaving the cool shaded overhang, she quickly left the hellhole that she had once dubbed "her" high school. Rapidly walking away, she headed home. But before descending down the hill the school sat upon, she turned, smirking at the dirt-clad walls and the run down structure. She prayed she would never set foot on this property again.
It was a lonely long walk home, and Rhiannon thought a lot about what she was about to do. Crossing the rusted train tracks to her side of town, she glanced miserably at Ms. Taylorson's home. Ms. Taylorson was NOT Rhiannon's mother. Just some careless poor women who desired money, and had taken Rhiannon in to be her "foster" mother. But she was anything but that. She yelled viciously at Rhiannon for any small rather pointless mistake. It seemed to give her power. She was enormous, her hair was stringy and pitted with grease, and her eyes were black mindless holes. She didn't care about anything or anyone but herself. Opening her worn canvas backpack, Rhiannon pulled a rusted crooked key from a "secret" pocket. Inserting it into the elderly tattered knob, she turned it opening the shabby chipped door. It was a miracle the key still worked. Rhiannon quickly scuttled to her "room". Her room was nothing more then a closet… well a little bigger. It was just big enough to hold a cot and a rickety wooden dresser. Throwing her bag on the bed, she headed over to her dresser. Opening it she threw out all of the clothes she owned, 3 pairs of jeans, some shorts and a few shirts. She hastily dumped all of the clothing items in her bag. Then reached for the picture that stood on the dresser. Rhiannon paused, glancing at the handsome boy in the picture. Ryan. She felt so many emotions towards her brother. Love, hate, confusion and many more. She didn't understand why he had thought living with Ms. Taylorson would be best. If it was really best how come he had ended up in Newport…orange county? Brought back to reality, Rhiannon hurriedly grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She didn't have time to be stalled. She had to hurry. Ms. Taylorson worked at the elementary school… as a cook. She would be home very soon, and Rhiannon must not be caught leaving, or it would be the end of it all. Just as she was about to open the door, she remembered her stash. Running at full speed back to her room, she grabbed the can that held 500 dollars in it. She had been saving for SO long. She hoped this was enough. With one last glance around the desolate little house, Rhiannon let herself out the front door. Smiling she knew she was finally free. Ms. Taylorson would not quite be brainy enough to ever figure out she was missing, and even if she was Rhiannon was positive she could care less. Rhiannon Atwood smiled to herself, knowing she would soon be seeing Ryan, and things would be fine. She was finally free.