Title- The Tale of Ronnie

Chapter Title- More Talking From Nate

Disclaimer- I do not own The Outsider

Reviewers-

BlackLightningDX- You'll find out…

XAmberX- the Curtis Couple, my sister thought of that one while she was reading it. She deserves all the credit, not me. -Sob-

Note- There isn't really a note for this chapter. What am I supposed to say? Okay, I'm writing this at 12:00 pm on August 1st, 2005. Yeah, that sounds good.

I felt Nate get closer to me. My hand was probably turning purple and getting very close to falling off. I recognized the one boy as the one I had buried in the sand. I inhaled and walked closer to him.

"What do you want?" I asked. If there wasn't a tree behind them they would've turned and ran. The one backed into a tree and the other ran. I walked close to him. Our noses were almost touching.

"You and your friends better not bother me or my brother," I told him in my toughest voice.

"Or what?" he asked.

"Remember last year?" I asked. He nodded.

"How would you like that again?" He laughed. I was threatening to bury his head in the sand and he laughed. Nate tugged at my sleeve and I turned around. There was that other boy there.

"Run," I hissed to Nate and he nodded. He ran over to my friends at the swings. The one behind me pushed me into the other. The one kid was bigger and older than me. I think he was in the fourth grade. I was only in the second grade along with the one boy. I gulped.

"What's a matter, scared? That is too bad, but we don't like little Greaser girls beating us up." It's not my fault he had scared me. Besides, I was two years younger than him, they could've been nicer.

"We're gonna do whatever we want to you or your brother. Where is he?" I wasn't going to answer them. I was going to protect Nate. I'm his older sister, even if it is by a few minutes.

"Are you gonna answer us?" No way, I wasn't going to answer him. The one behind me yanked on my hair. Maybe I was going to get it cut. I didn't want it cut, but I didn't like it pulled. I shook my head. They could pull my hair out, but I wasn't going to get Nate hurt. I gave the guy holding my shoulders a punch in the stomach and wriggled out of his grip. I ran to the school. I knew I couldn't go in, but there was always a teacher.

"Ronnie," my friend called. She was following Nate. My friends got along with Nate, but then again, how do you not get along with him? Nate gave me a hug, he probably happy I was okay. I waved to her and the teacher's called us into the building. I had class with my brother (as always) and my friend. As well as that boy, I noticed him as soon as I sat down next to Nate. He came in a purposely bumped into our desks.

"Watch it, you aren't so tough with out your friend," I told him. He rolled his eyes. I looked ahead waiting for the teacher to come in. Soon, he came in. I couldn't wait for lunch hour. We could eat lunch and then go back out on the playground.

Nate had forgotten his lunch at home so I shared mine. I only got half a sandwich, half a banana, and two cookies. After lunch, we went out into the playground. I sat at the on the swings next to Nate and my friend. The boys from this morning pushed me off the swing.

"I was on that," I said and kicked the big one in the shin.

"Too bad, hey, why doesn't this kid talk?" he asked walking over to Nate. I walked over to him and smacked him on the back.

"Leave my brother alone," I told him. He turned around to face me.

"I'm about two years older than you, so you shouldn't tell me what to do," he said. My friend had left as soon as they came over. I'd have to talk to her about that later. This guy and I had a staring match before the teacher blew her whistle. I grinned as I tripped him. He said some words I'm supposed to say. I grabbed Nate's hand and walked back into class.

At the end of the day I waited for my mom as usual. I saw our car pull up and I swung open the door.

"Dad?" I asked surprised. Nate climbed in and I followed him.

"Mom wasn't feeling to well. She's asleep. So, when we get home, be quiet, especially you Nate," he said turning around. Nate grinned and I laughed.

"Is she sick?" I asked.

"No, she just hasn't slept well the past few nights and she's been up early," he said pulling out of the parking lot. I said 'oh' and we went home in silence.

I took the dog out and made sure he had water and food. I sat down at the table and started to do my homework. Dad put a glass of chocolate milk in front of me.

"What's for dinner?" I asked him.

"I was thinking spaghetti, it's easy enough," he answered.

"What color is it tonight?" I asked and laughed.

"I think I won't change the color tonight. You know, 'cause your mom isn't feeling to well." I nodded and finished my homework. I walked quietly to mom's bedroom to see how she was feeling. She was asleep so I walked into my bedroom. Nate was sitting on the bed.

"Did you do your homework?" He shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked him. He handed me the homework we had to do. Then he went and shut the bedroom door.

"Don't understand," he told me softly. I sighed and looked at the homework. I had just done this stuff two seconds ago and it was really easy. Nate was always ahead of the class last year. Why wasn't he this year? I took a second glance at the homework. This wasn't the stuff we were given. I didn't understand it.

"Where'd you get this?"

"The boy," he told me. The boy, what was that supposed to mean?

"That was picking on you today," he said clearing things up.

"How long have you been doing his homework?" He held up two fingers.

"Two, since last year?" I asked. He nodded. No wonder Nate was ahead, he was being bullied into doing third grade work. But, I was always with him. Why didn't I know about this?

"Is this part of why you don't talk?" He hasn't said much since birth, but he used to talk to me every day. Since last year he got really quiet. He nodded a little bit.

"Why else don't you talk?"