THE LIGHT SIDE
Rachel re-emerged from behind the door with a new, more appropriate outfit on. Dressed up jeans and a deep red halter-top donned her body as she attempted to put on her black stilettos whilst standing. Eventually she gave up and threw them on the bed where Seth sat with an approving look on his face.
"Stupid hair," she mumbled as she ran a brush furiously through her locks.
Seth smiled at her frustration and hurried attempts to be ready in time for them to leave for the party, which Kirsten had organised for the families of New Port beach.
"Come here," he said eventually, taking her hand and leading her over to the bed where they sat.
"Someone's overtly playful," Rachel commented.
"Yeah...well," Seth replied.
"And does that someone happen to want something?"
"Good idea, but no."
"Then what? We're gonna be late."
Seth looked at her for a moment, at the amazing girl that she had become before his very eyes.
"I wanted to give you something."
"My mind if flashing back to the you wanting something speech."
Seth looked down slightly before finally speaking. "Rach, you know how much I care about, right?"
"Sometimes too much for my own good."
"And the last year has been like living in a soap opera for you."
"That's the understatement of the century," she mocked.
"And I'm gonna make sure that this year is different."
"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked beginning to become suspicious.
"I wanted to give you something."
Seth fished around in his pocket before pulling out a small jewellery box and holding it out in his hand. Rachel only stared at it, a look of confusion and fear washing over her face.
"Seth, what...?"
"Don't look so freaked," he said. "I'm not proposing."
"Good cos I was kinda scared."
Rachel slowly opened the box he still held, revealing a silver ring inside. Tiny rose coloured stones lay across the band, which twisted around itself.
"Oh my God," Rachel said. "It's beautiful."
Seth pulled the ring from its resting spot and slipped it onto her left middle finger.
"I just wanted to show you how much I care about you."
Rachel smiled and leaned in, kissing him lightly. "I already knew."
.........
Ryan and Marissa stood away from the crowd, drinks in hand, talking for the first time in almost a month.
"I missed you and school lately," Marissa said looking at Ryan whose eyes were fixed on hers.
"Yeah, me and Seth haven't been going lately, just cos of everything..." Ryan replied
"So how is she doing?" Marissa asked.
"Who?" Ryan replied.
"Rachel. The last time I saw her she was running out the door trying to get to you and Seth at Marsal's."
"Oh, yeah she's doing a lot better."
"That's good to here. You know you two are so cute together. You're like an old married couple."
"Not really something I'd like to hear," Ryan replied honestly.
"In a good way though," Marissa said placing her hand on his shoulder. "She makes you show a side of you that I have never seen before."
"What side?"
"The non-Chino side. You become a completely different person when she's around."
Ryan shrugged almost regretfully.
"No, it's not a bad thing," Marissa insisted. "I think it's great that you get on so well together. I wish things between me and my sister were like that."
Ryan looked away from her and into the crowd. "You don't want to have to be like that," he replied quietly.
Marissa forced him to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"It's not exactly..."
"Ryan, what?"
"How we got like this, it's not something that you want to have to go through."
Marissa smiled. "I know that, it's just so great to see that you have formed such a tight bond."
"Yeah, maybe."
A silence swept over them before Seth and Rachel appeared.
"Rachel, we were just talking about you," Marissa exclaimed.
"Really?" Rachel asked intrigued. "Not giving away all my secrets now, are you Ry'?"
He gave her a lopsided grin, Marissa's words still in his mind. It was not until now that he had realised just how close he and his sister had become over the years. It had always just seemed to be something natural, something that didn't seem out of place, but now...
His thoughts were interrupted by Rachel holding out her hand to them.
"Look what Seth gave me!"
"Wow," Ryan replied.
Marissa took hold of her hand to have a closer inspection. "It's beautiful."
Ryan leaned over to Seth and mumbled. "Thanks a lot man."
"What can I say? Unlike you, I have standards."
"Do you want to go get a drink?" Marissa asked Rachel.
Rachel looked down at the girl's hand, her glass still half full. "Top up then?"
Marissa smiled and led her away from their dates.
"Ryan said you've been doing better," she said once they were out of earshot.
"He did, did he?" Rachel asked.
"Yep."
"Well for the first time in his life he would be right."
Marissa smiled at the comment, her married couple theory surfacing in her mind again.
"I hear you might be enrolling in our school soon too."
"Oh, yeah. Sandy's idea. He said, new year, new start," Rachel answered.
"So after the holidays I'm assuming?"
"Something like that, depends how I feel about it. Believe me I'm in no hurry to go back to school. Anything that means Ry' can hover over me more than he already does is generally put on hold as long as possible."
Marissa laughed. "Old married coupled," she whispered.
"Sorry?"
"I said you two are like an old married couple."
"Not really something I'd like to hear," Rachel replied causing Marissa to smile even wider. "What?"
"That's exactly what he said."
"We really have to get away from each other," Rachel stated.
"I think it's neat."
"Neat?" Rachel asked taking a sip of her newly collected drink as they made their way back through the people.
"Yeah. It's amazing how you two can be so close and not kill each other."
Rachel laughed at the comment, she couldn't help it. "Oh we kill each other, just not in the literal sense. There is definitely a lot of wishing to kill each other going on."
Marissa looked at her for a moment, almost envying her for being so close to her boyfriend. Rachel knew things about Ryan that she would never know.
"You shouldn't look down on the relationship, you two have saved each other."
Rachel remained silent, the comment hitting her deep. She and Ryan had saved each other. They had survived their upbringing in the rough streets of Chino together. They had been through everything imaginable and kept themselves going together.
He's my strength, Rachel thought.
Without her brother she didn't know what she would do. Nothing would be the way that it was now. She probably wouldn't even be alive.
He saved me.
As they approached the pair again Rachel ran up and threw her arms around Ryan, not being able to control her need to show him how much she was grateful for everything he had done.
"Do you remember when you asked me when I was going to start on the light side?" She whispered in his ear.
Ryan stood with his arms around her and a look of surprise came over his face. He thought she would have forgotten their conversation about her many tattoos and markings.
"Yeah," he murmured.
Rachel pulled her head back from his shoulder and watched what she was doing as she moved the bracelet on her left wrist further up her arm. Ryan didn't move his arms from around her waist as she showed him a new tattoo. It was the Yin and Yang, which he had seen before on her left wrist, only this time, the light side was inked in her flesh. In the curve where the dark side would have sat to form a circle he spotted a small letter in curled writing.
'R'"What's that for?" He asked.
"It's for you," Rachel replied. "You're my light side."
Ryan smiled at that and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let her go.
THE END.........for now
(Well my little munchkins this is the end of this part of the story. I can't
thank you all enough for all of the support that you have given me
through this process. I would still love to get feedback from you. I also
have some great news. A sequel is in the works. I am not sure
when I will be posting but hopefully it will be soon. All I need are a few
extra ideas and suggestions for a title. See you soon. Peace out.)