A/N:
Just a quick sidenote that Roman and Janicka are pictured as 20 years old for this story.
"Hey," Roman grabbed Janicka's hand. "Come here."
He pulled her into his arms and smiled at her. She smiled back, and her sky blue eyes came to life. They always sparkled when she smiled at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her long, ice blonde hair touch his hands. He loved it when she let her hair hang loose like that. She had let it grow out for so many years, and it was down to her waist.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she said.
He leaned down and kissed her.
"I don't want to let you go," he said.
"You have to," she said.
"I hate that we have to sneak around like this," he said. "I feel like we're Romeo and Juliet or something."
"With roles reversed since you're the rich one," she said.
He sighed and kissed her again. They came from different sides of the river. On his side all the rich people lived. On her side the others lived. She was poor but managed to get through life by working as a woodworker, and she was very talented, but she sure didn't have as much as him, and his side would always look down on them if they found out they were together.
"I gotta go," she said.
"I'll count the seconds until I see you again," he said.
"Don't be such a romantic fool," she giggled. "I love you, Roman. Twice around the sun and back."
She ran across the bridge that separated their sides of the river. He kept watching until she was out of sight. She kept running through town until she made it home. Roman might have moved out on his own already, but she was still stuck with her mother to help pay the bills. Her mother didn't work, and her father hadn't been in her life for the last five years. They had struggled until she found the job as a woodworker. She had caught on quickly and learned she had real talent.
"Where were you?" Her mother asked.
Janicka looked over at her mother Trish. Trish was still an attractive woman. Too bad her personality didn't match her looks.
"I was just out," Janicka said.
"You were with that boy Roman again, weren't you?" Trish asked.
"He's not a boy. He's a man," Janicka said.
"He's using you," Trish said.
"Give me a break," Janicka said.
Trish walked over to her daughter and stared her down. The two women were the same height but Trish never gave up when it came to a fight, not even with her own daughter.
"You'll return tainted. Everyone will know what a whore you are," Trish said.
"Roman loves me!" Janicka raised her voice.
The slap echoed through the room. Janicka looked shocked as pain started setting in. Her mother had actually slapped her. If it was because Janicka raised her voice or because Trish couldn't handle her daughter being in love, Janicka didn't know. All she knew was that it hurt like crazy.
"If you get pregnant, he'll pay his best lawyers to not be there. You won't get a dime to raise his child," Trish said.
"What makes you think I ever want children?" Janicka asked.
"Don't talk nonsense like that," Trish said.
"You don't deserve getting grandchildren," Janicka said.
Another slap echoed through the room. Janicka felt like her cheek was on fire. Trish put so much strength into those slaps.
"Get your head on straight!" Trist snarled.
"And you wonder why I'll never bring children into a world where you are," Janicka said.
Janicka ran through the house before Trish could slap her a third time. She ran to her room and slammed the door. At least Trish chose not to follow and continue the fight.
"It's not fair," Janicka whispered.
Tears ran down her cheeks. It wasn't fair that she was born on the wrong side of the river and not supposed to mix it up with Roman from the right side. It wasn't fair their love would never be seen as right in anyone's eyes.
