Moving In With R5
~Chapter Eleven~
Riiiing riiiiing riiiiing
Laura rolls over onto her side, pressing a pillow over her face as to muffle the cursed ringing of her iPad.
She smiles, content, when the ringing stops, but not more than a minute later it starts back up again.
Riiiiing riiiiing riiiiing
Laura groans and pushes the cover off of herself. She grabs the damned thing off the bedside table and takes a look at the screen.
Vanessa wants to FaceTime.
She thinks for a second about hitting the decline button, but she doesn't. If she did Vanessa would just call her back.
So instead she clicks the accept button. Her sister!a smiling face soon appears on the screen.
"Look, I know it's like afternoon time for you over there in London, but for me it's only," she pauses to get a look at the clock, "7:30! In the morning!" She shouts in alarm, not realizing it was so early yet.
"Well, hello to you too sis," Vanessa mumbles.
Laura rolls her eyes. "Hi Vanessa."
"Look I know it's early for you, but this was my only free time to call. I've been really, really busy lately. Who knew shooting a movie was so much work?" Vanessa says.
Laura just laughs. "Oh yes, the life of a glamorous movie star must be exhausting," she teases.
"It is!" Vanessa whines her agreement. "When I get back I'm just gonna go back to living the life of a glamorous TV star."
The younger Marano scoffs. "How's England?"
"It's cool," she answers nonchalantly. "Lots of cute guys with totally hot accents."
Again, Laura rolls her eyes. "Haven't you done any touring?"
"Yeah, yeah. I saw that giant clock thing... Um, oh shoot! What's it called?"
"Big Ben?" She offers, amused.
"Yeah! That's it! I saw Big Ben. It was pretty cool." Vanessa shrugs. "I don't know. It rains here a lot... I don't know."
"Very informative, Nessa."
"What do you expect? I've basically been working the entire time I've been here," she informs. "So, how's it back at home?"
Laura shrugs. "It's been fine."
"What's life like living with the Lynch's, huh? Living under the same roof as your childhood enemy?"
"It's been surprisingly good. The first couple weeks were rough, but it's actually gotten better. We're on good terms now."
"Mm hmm," Vanessa comments, innocently enough, but the look on her face is one that seems to say 'Big sisters always know better'.
Laura mouth opens with uncertainty at what she wants to say, but it just hangs there, stagnant and noiseless.
Before she can even contemplate her next thoughts, she's interrupted by a loud knocking.
Laura's eyes flit from her small electronic device to the doorway where a sleepy looking Ross is leaning against the wooden frame. His hair is disheveled, eyes heavy- lidded from exhaustion, and his attire -boxer shorts and a simple white tee shirt- suggest he'd just gotten out of bed. Laura quirks an eyebrow at the sight, wondering what he was doing up so early. She was certain she was the only in the house who was awake.
"Um... Vanessa can I call you back later?" Laura asks, still surprised by her unannounced guest.
"Yeah, sure..." Vanessa answers, confused as well. Laura hears a faint voice calling her sister's name in the background. Vanessa's head whips around to attend to the caller. She rolls her eyes and groans, annoyed.
"Looks like I have to go anyway," she mutters and sighs. "I'll talk to you later, Laur."
"Alright. Bye sis!"
"Bye."
Her screen blips before going black again.
She sets it down on the bed before attending to the blond headed Ross boy falling asleep at her door. She smiles, amused, as soft snores escape from the sleeping boy. His head gently rests against the wood frame and a trail of drool runs down his chin.
"Ross," she pokes his side.
His eyes snap open and he stumbles, falling over onto the hard floor behind him.
"Ross!" She says in between furious giggles. She extends her hand in front of him. "Are you okay?"
"Shit, that hurt," he rubs the back of his head tentatively. He reaches for her hand and, with her help, hoists himself up back into his feet.
"Hello Sleeping Beauty," Laura quips and snickers.
Ross's cheeks flush a pinkish hue as he ducks his head sheepishly. He scratches the back of his neck and coughs awkwardly. "Shut up. I'm tired."
"Clearly," she responds. "What are doing up so early?"
Ross yawns and rubs his eyes before answering. "Mom said she wants everyone dressed and downstairs in ten minutes."
"Why?"
He only shrugs as an answer. "I dunno." He turns on his heels, walking back down the hall to his own bedroom.
She shakes her head at this impromptu family meeting taking place at such an unsightly hour. Laura rummages through the clothing in her drawers finally decided on a shirt and pants. She slips out of her sleepwear and into her new clothes quickly then grabs her glasses and throws her hair into a ponytail.
Checking in the mirror and satisfied (at least somewhat) with what she sees, she joins the other's downstairs.
In the kitchen, everyone else save for Stormie, is in a drowsy state. Riker, Rocky, and Ryland are all sitting at the table with their heads resting on the top surface. Ratliff is leaning tiredly against the walls and Rydel is leaning into his side. It's look like he's her only support beam and if he moves even slightly then she'd fall over.
Laura just shrugs, going into the pantry and grabbing a box of cereal. She doesn't even bother to look at what cereal it is she grabbed. Just anything to calm the roaring monster that is her stomach.
She grabs a bowl as well as a spoon and the milk. She sits down at the table next to Ryland and prepares her breakfast.
Ross trudges down the stairs and groggily into the kitchen. He takes a seat next to Laura as its the only seat available and steals the carton of milk away from her. In one swift motion he grabs the milk and takes a gulp of it, drinking straight from the carton.
Laura scrunches her nose in disgust and pushes the carton away when he offers it back to her.
"No thanks," she says, "I'll just eat my cereal dry."
Ross shrugs and gets up to put the milk away.
"Okay!" Stormie says cheerily as she enters the kitchen, her husband soon following suit behind her. She looks around at the occupants of the kitchen and frowns. "Guys wake up!"
Ross smacks his younger brother solidly on the back of the head. Ryland jolts awake and gives his brother a glare.
"Dude! What the hell?" He growls.
"You were drooling on the table!" Ross defends.
"Riker! Rocky! Wake up boys!" Mark says, trying to shake his sons awake.
The boy groan in distress and wake up.
Stormie does the same to Ratliff and Rydel. Rydel whines and buries her face into her boyfriend's chest because the light is bothering her eyes. He wraps his arms around her and leads her to table were everyone else is.
"Okay guys. Get packed and ready because in an hour we're going camping!" Stormie squeals excitedly.
All seven of them chorus their disappointment.
"Come on, guys. You love to go camping," the woman says.
"Yeah, but not at 6:00 in the morning," Rocky groans.
"Well too bad mister. We've got a long drive to this campsite and we need to get their as soon as possible."
Laura smacks her head on the table in despair, a long, drawn out moan of displeasure emitting from the back of her throat.
Laura hated camping with a passion. Honestly, she hated anything that had to do with the outside. She'd gone before with her parents and the Lynch's, but it was pretty obvious that the Marano's weren't as outdoorsy as the former.
She wasn't even gonna try to deny it. Laura was an inside kind of girl. She liked the coziness of the indoors and even though she appreciated the beauty of nature, she appreciated it from afar. That didn't mean she wanted to go rolling around in the dirt and sleep on the ground.
"Wake up, Laura!" Stormie practically yells in the younger girl's ear. Only Laura hadn't been sleeping.
Laura sighs. She gets up to put her bowl in the sink and then sluggishly goes back upstairs to get packed.
Camping with the Lynchs.
This was gonna be interesting.
….…
Laura wakes up when the van happens to hit a pot hole. Sitting in the back on the right side had gotten her the seat closest to the back tire and now, that decision was really starting to suck ass.
Laura lifts her head up from its resting position. The sunshine was scarce, as it had just recently peeled up over the horizon, but it was still bright and warm. It shone down on her face, warming her cheeks. She blinks a few times, her vision going back to normal.
She rests her head against the back of the seat again and stares out the window, watching the scenery roll by. Laura grabs her flip phone out of her pocket and checks the time.
8:45
They'd been on the road for almost two hours now and she doubted they were even close to their destination. She'd dozed off not long after they set off on their journey, and looking around, she saw that pretty much everyone else had too.
In the seat in front of her, she saw not only Rydel snuggling sleepily into Ratliff's side, but Rocky as well. Laura laughs to herself at the sight.
Suddenly -what she thought had been the back of the seat- shifts it's weight underneath her. She springs away from it, only to find she had been leaning against Ross. Not the back of the seat.
She scoots away, embarrassed.
Ross takes his headphone out of his ear and gives her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," he said.
Laura, cheeks still flushed, shakes her head vigorously. "N-no, no it's fine. I shouldn't have... fallen asleep on you anyways."
Ross chuckles. "Nah, it's okay," he waved a dismissive hand. "You actually fell asleep against the window, but eventually you moved and leaned against me. I wasn't sure if you would've wanted me to move you or not... but I didn't wanna wake you up... so, yeah, I just left you alone." Ross ends his sentence with a forced laugh as he stares at the brunette with uncertainty.
"Um," Laura coughs, "no, it's fine. Thanks."
Ross nods his head before popping one of his headphones back in his ear again. Laura observes the scene, noticing that Ryland and Riker (who are sharing the same row as her and Ross) are also sound asleep. Laura furrows her eyebrows at the blond next to her.
"Why aren't you asleep? How are you not exhausted?"
Ross shrugs. "I can't really sleep during car rides. The motion makes me restless."
Laura takes notice of his leg bouncing up and down in rapid motion and laughs.
"What are you listening to?" Laura asks with genuine curiosity.
As an answer, Ross offers her one of his headphones. She puts it in her ear and looks at him with a look of pure shock.
"Oh my gosh! I love Walk The Moon!" She squeals.
"Really?" He looks at her, pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know you actually had good taste in music."
Laura gasps, faking offense. "I have a great taste in music thank you very much."
Ross flashes her a grin and then leans his head back against the seat.
Laura relaxes, snuggling into the back of her seat and keeping a careful gap between her and Ross. She listens to the music as it lulls her into yet another peaceful sleep.
…
Laura climbs out of the van, her limbs crying tiredly at the cramped space they'd been confined in for so long. They weren't at the camping site yet, only a gas station because Ryland had to pee, but everyone was happy for the break from the long car ride. All together it had been three hours since they had first left. Everyone was getting restless and finally starting to wake up from their naps.
All nine of them trudge into the gas station. They stumble slightly, as their legs had gone numb and stiffened by prolonged amounts f time spent in the same uncomfortable position.
The little bell connected to the gas station door jingles, signaling their entrance.
Ryland goes to wait in line for the bathroom while Ratliff and Rocky search for snacks. Ross leans up against the wall. Laura can't tell if he's asleep or not. Sunglasses are resting gently on the bridge of his nose. The hood of his yellow sweatshirt plopped on his head and one earbud is still plugged into his ear playing his music and distracting him from his surroundings.
Laura absent-mindedly looks around at all the snack foods. She doesn't plan on buying anything because she doesn't have any money, but she feels the need to make herself look busy instead of awkwardly standing around. Plus she needs to walk around a bit, stretch out her tired legs.
Ross observes his family quietly. His parents are outside at the gas pumps. Rydel and Riker were walking around out there. Everyone else is inside. Ryland must have been in the bathroom already because there was no sign of him in the building. He wasn't sure where Ratliff and Rocky were, but they were big boys and they could handle themselves.
The only one who was in Ross's eyesight was a certain short brunette. And the pair of eyes running over her tiny figure didn't go unnoticed by him either.
The douche has a look on his face that Ross doesn't like. His eyes are dark and the sinister smile on his face only have way to the uneasy feeling in Ross's stomach. The guy looks grungy to say the least. He's hiding most of his hair under a beanie, but the tendrils sticking out are coated in a thick layer of grease. His clothes are raggedy, and he looks like he's swimming in them. He had the appearance of a hobo.
The guy nudges his friend (who looks a bit cleaner, but not any less douche-y) and jerks his chin in the direction of Laura, who is still blissfully unaware of what's going on behind her. The guy smirks deviously and his buddy nods his head in agreement.
Ross, who is sick to his stomach by this sight, makes his way over to Laura. The naive and innocent girl that she is, needs to be protected, and seeing as how he's the only one around to do it, he steps up to the plate.
"I think we're getting ready to leave soon. Probably as soon as Ryland gets out of the bathroom," says Ross. He stands close by, pressing into her side. Ross glances over his shoulder. The guys give him dirty looks.
Laura looks up at him and nods. "Okay then. I guess we'll go outside."
Ross nods and he places his hand on the small of her back, guiding her gently forward.
Seeing that they still have an audience, Ross casually throws his arm around her shoulders. She peers up at him, through thick eyelashes and flashes him a confused pout. Her eyebrows knit together. He doesn't look at her though or offer an excuse for his behavior.
Once at the door, Ross takes one look back at the guys who are angrily glowering at him. He sends them back one last threatening glare, his arm subconsciously tightening around Laura.
…
Finally, the destination they'd been traveling to all morning had been reached.
Barely even before Mark can park the van, the kids are busting out of the vehicle. They all grab the bags and everything else out of the trunk before getting set up.
The only thing at the campsite is a picnic bench and a place for a campfire. The vast woods are surrounding them, encompassing them in a circle of serenity. Laura breathes in the fresh air. Outside air smelled different than inside air. There was something about it. It was more distinguished. It was more obvious.
'Here goes nothing,' Laura thinks.
They spent a couple of hours at the campsite; Stormie, Rydel, and Laura sit at the picnic table playing with a deck of cards while the men set up the tents. Seeing as how they're were so many people, they had to have tents for everyone. A small one for Mark and Stormie. One for Rydel and Laura. One for Riker, Ryland, and Ross. And another one for Rocky and Ratliff.
So far they'd only set up one of the four tents and it had been a hell of time for them.
The girls had tried to help, only to be shushed and dismissed by the men. Eventually they stopped trying and let the men do their own thing.
"Wouldn't it make more sense -since there are so many of them- if half of them set up one tent while the other half set up another. That way they would get more done in less time?" Laura suggests to the two woman at the table with her.
Stormie glances over to the working men. They all cheer and cross their arms over their chests, proud of their work. But in a mister of seconds the tent goes from standing tall to collapsed on the ground.
"Probably." The word rolls off of Stormie's lips easily.
The girls go back to their game of Go-Fish leaving the men to their own devices.
…
Five hours later and all four tents were up, finally. It had been difficult (and the girls had to help by the time they got to the last one) but they finally got it done.
It was now almost five-thirty. The nine of them were kicking back and enjoying the last few hours of sunlight. Ross, Laura, Ryland, and Riker were sitting on the picnic bench that the family had moved closer to the fire while Mark and Rocky tried desperate to keep the aforementioned fire from burning out.
Rydel, Ratliff, and Stormie were sitting in chairs around the -small but effective- fire.
"Guys!" Ross shouts as he springs up off his seat when a brilliant idea hits him.
"What?!" Ryland shoots up as well, a teasing smile on his face as he mocks his brother.
Ross gives him an unamused look and then shakes his head.
Instead of telling everyone his idea, he opens up the lid of the cooler and grabs a pack of hot dogs out of it.
"Who's hungry?" He asks his family whose snuggling up to the fire. His brothers and sister all smile up at him, knowing where he's going. Fond family memories pop up into their minds.
"I'll have one!" Rydel says
"Me too," Riker pipes up.
"I want two," Ryland informs his brother.
Ross passes out the hot dogs as well as the roasting sticks. When he gets to Laura, she has the most confused look on her face. She stares around herself, feeling very left out. Like everyone knew a secret she didn't.
She takes the items from Ross and stares up at him, frowning. "A cold hot dog? That's gross."
"I know," Ross laughs. "That's why you roast it."
She continues to stares at him, lost.
"Ya know, ... over the fire..."
Laura ducks her head, feeling embarrassed as she realizes everyone is now staring at her.
"No way, dude! You've never roasted a hot dog before?" Rocky claps his hands together and howls with laughter.
"Rocky!" Stormie scowls and reprimands her son.
He quiets down, stifling his laughter.
Laura's cheeks are now burning. Not only is she embarrassed, but she's kind of upset that everyone finds the situation so funny.
'It's not my fault' she thinks bitterly. Her plump lips curve downward into a frown. Her family never did things like this. They'd only gone camping when the Lynchs had invited them just to be nice, but they were so out of their comfort zone.
Ross can sense the girl's discomfort. He swiftly kicks his brother's leg without anyone else noticing. Rocky winces and gives his brother a 'what the hell?!' look. Ross just glares back at him quickly before he turns his attention back to Laura.
"Here," he says softly. He sits down next to her, grabbing his own hot dog and roasting stick. "Let me demonstrate." Laura watches intently, like Ross is about to perform a very complicate routine. Ross simply slides his hot dog onto the stick and then hovers it over the fire.
Laura smiles, looking impressed. "Wow, good job, Ross."
He smiles back at her and bows his head graciously. "Well, I have been doing this since I cold hold things." They both laugh. "Now, it's your turn."
Laura's eyes go wide. "What?"
"It's your turn to roast a hot dog."
"A-Are you sure? Maybe you should do it for me," Laura says uncertainly.
Ross gives her a pointed look. "Laura," he drags out her name and she rolls her eyes.
"Alright, Alright." Laura grabs the hot dog and stick. She begins to slowly poke the stick into the hot dog, gently and carefully. Her tongue pokes out between her lips as her eyes narrow in intense concentration.
"Goooosh! The car ride here went by faster!" Ross groans, breaking Laura's focus.
"Shut up!" She slaps his arm, not looking away from her hot dog.
Finally, when she's sure she's got it on there good enough, she holds it over the fire.
"Yay!" She squeals happily, proud of herself.
Ross grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her gently. "Congrats, you just roasted your first hot dog, Laur."
Laura quirks an eyebrows at him. "Going back to the questionable nicknames again I see." She smirks. "Rossy."
Ross rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
Stormie, who had been observing the two carefully (everyone had been actually) suppresses the urge to ' awww' at the scene displayed in front of her.
"Way to go, sweetie! I knew you could do it!" Stormie tells her.
Laura smiles appreciatively at her the older woman. Everyone else choruses their own version of congratulations.
Riker pats her back and gives her a thumbs up.
Laura can't keep the grin off her face. A weird feeling bubbles up in her chest, warming her insides and making her feel... weird, but in a good way. Definitely a good way. She stares around at the others. They're all roasting hot dogs as well. They look absolutely happy and adorable, just like a family.
That feeling she was feeling only grew increasingly. A wide smile spread across her face, going from one ear to the other.
She sits quietly as a gentle breeze blew. She hadn't realized until just now how dark it had gotten in what.. just ten minutes? The suns last few rays were shining over the horizon, but they would soon be saying their goodbyes.
Ross nudges her, breaking her out of her thoughts.
"Dude, you might wanna check your hot dog before it catches on fire," he says, already eating his own.
"Oh, yeah." Laura brings the hot dog up to her face and frowns. It's black all the way around. She looks to Ross. "Is it suppose to be like that?"
Ross laughs, patting her shoulder. She doesn't take that as a good side. Laura takes the hot dog off the stick, dejectedly. She bites it in half and scrunches her nose when the cold inside hits her tongue. "How is that even possible? Burned on the outside, yet frozen in the middle."
"Don't worry, Laura, it takes practice to perfect the art of hot dog roasting," Ross reassures her. "I just make it look easy."
Laura rolls her eyes, good-naturedly before swallowing the rest of her hot dog.
"Just wait 'til she has to make s'mores!" Ratliff says, laughing.
Laura turns her attention to Ross. "S'mores?" She looks confused again.
Ross just laughs.
…
Later on during the night, Laura had found out what s'mores were, and after three failed attempts at making them, she gave up.
Now she was sit on a log that was so conveniently place on the ground. The log was distant from the campsite, but she could still hear them chattering behind her.
Laura gazes up at the night sky, stars twinkled against a navy blue backdrop. It was so beautiful. Living in Los Angeles her entire life, Laura had never got to experience starlight very much. There was always something that got in the way; city lights, car lights, etc. The city wasn't a good place for star gazing.
She wanted to truly enjoy this moment, but her mind was clouded with thoughts. She was distracted.
She was confused.
She wanted to turn her brain off for the night and quit thinking, but Laura knew that was impossible for her. She was always over-thinking. Oh well. That was just her fatal flaw.
She was so distracted, off in Lauraland that she didn't notice when Ross walked up behind her.
"Hey," he says softly. Laura turns her head and gently smiles. "Mind if I sit?"
Laura shakes her head. She scoots over to make room for Ross.
"Sorry about them back there," he gestures with his head back to his family. "You not being able to make s'mores was just funny for them because we've been doing it since we were young and it seems so simple to them. But just know that they taunt and tease with love. They don't mean anything by it."
Laura shakes her head. "I know. I'm not upset. I mean, I was a little bit, but I understand. It probably was pretty funny."
"Well," Ross says, he pulls his hands from behind his back, "for being such a good sport about all our teasing, you earned a treat."
Ross hands her a s'more, perfectly crafted by himself.
"Thanks," she says, beaming.
The nod and bite into their delicious treats at the same time.
"Mmm, dis if so good!" Laura tells him, her mouth stuffed with chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker.
Ross agrees and can't help but laugh a little at the sight before him.
"What?" Laura asks, innocently.
Her mouth is covered with chocolate and marshmallow and a little dribble of white fluff is resting on her chin.
Ross pulls a napkin out of his pocket. "Thought you might need this."
Laura giggles. "Thanks."
"No prob."
The two sit in a peaceful silence for the next two minutes, enjoying their snack and looking up into the sky.
After their done eating, Laura can't help but say what's on her mind. It kind of just tumbles off her tongue before she can stop it.
"I didn't know this is what families were suppose to be like."
Ross looks at her, amused. "What do you mean?"
Laura pauses. What did she mean by that? She had to think about it for a moment.
"I mean, your family's just so... like, connected. I mean, you guys do stuff like this and you're always together, having a good time and enjoying life."
Ross hums in response. When he doesn't say anything further, Laura continues.
"My family doesn't do that." A small frown forms on her lips, unbeknownst to her. " They're always working, and... even when we are together... we kinda keep to ourselves and do our own things. And this summer they just -I know it's not like that, but I can't help but feel like-"
"They ditched you?" Ross supplies. He gives her a look.
She stares back sheepishly. "I know they didn't ditch me, but..." She sighs. "My family's not like yours."
Ross laughs. "Yeah, not a lot of family's are like mine." He stares back at the people behind him who are all radiating happiness. It looks like a scene in one of those pictures that comes with the frame. So much happiness. So much love.
"They're crazy, but those guys are my entire world. They mean everything to me and they're the only ones who have been with me through everything."
Laura nods, smiling sympathetically, but pretending to be non the wiser.
"You're family looks you Laura. With all their heart."
She blushes, feeling foolish. "I know that."
Ross smiles. He taps his hands against the log, rhythmically. A bet passes before he speaks again.
"But, my mom and dad do consider you one of their own, and Riker and Rocky always refer to you as their little sister. Same with Rydel. I'm pretty sure she's hoping you'll marry one of us so that it'll be true."
Laura peers up at him, wondering what his point is.
He laughs. "What I'm trying to say is..." Ross pauses, hesitantly wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "you're one of us, Laura. You're part of the wolf pack. You're a Lynch."
Laura smiles, surprised and deeply touched. "Aww, Ross." Tears prick her eyes. She hugs him tightly and he, stunned and caught off-guard, waits a second before hugging her back.
He chuckles as they pull away.
"Come on," he elbows her side and leads her back to the camp fire.
Everyone stops their conversation and looks up at the two.
"Well, so glad you two could join us," Rocky says smugly.
Ross rolls his eyes as the two walk past him. Laura gives him a stern look.
"Okay guys," Ross grabs his guitar from the bench on other side of the picnic table, "I think it's time for some music."
"Of coarse, there's Ross and his guitar. I swear you bring that thing everyone with you," Ratliff teases.
"Just hush, Ellington, and enjoy the music." Ross uses his first name, knowing it annoys him.
"Go ahead, honey. Play something for us," Stormie says. She snuggles up against her husband and beams brightly at her son.
He takes a seat on the bench and begins strumming.
I use to bite my tongue and hold my breath.
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground.
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready cause I've had enough
I see it all I see it now
I've got the eye of the tiger
A fighter
Dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion
And you're gonna hear me roar-oh oh oh ohhhh, oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
You're gonna hear me roar.
Ross continues to strum, a carefree smile on his face as he looks around at his family who away along with the music.
This widens his grin.
He loves his family. His extended family. He knew he'd do anything for them.
Ross had always been a protective sort of guy. He didn't get attached easily, but when he did his bonds with those people were strong and he cares for them deeply.
But some times he had to keep his distance. Some times the best way to protect people were to keep them from getting attached to him. He didn't want them to know all the secrets he hid. All the baggage he carried, because he didn't want them to try and lighten the load. He didn't want them to feel sorry for him, but he also didn't want I have to feel sorry for them back.
In his eyes, Ross thought that the friends and family of cancer patients were really the ones who suffered. They're the ones who had to watch their loved ones struggle. And not matter how much they wanted to, there was nothing they could do.
And if the cancer patient did die, then none of their sorrow would matter anymore. They would be dead. They wouldn't have emotions.
But the friends/family of the deceased would have to live with that grief for the rest of their lives. They were the ones that would get attached only to have their loved one violently ripped from their arms all too quickly.
Not that he was belittling the cancer patients. They suffered too, he knew that personally. It wasn't easy to live with something like that, most suffered worse than he did. But it wasn't easy for the loved ones either.
In the game of cancer, no one came out a winner.
Ross quickly glances to the brunette in front of him. Her eyes are illuminated. Her smile puts the stars to shame. They seem dim and dismal compared to her smile.
Something in his heart pangs with guilt.
She tries so hard, and yet, she has no clue.
He wanted to let her in, he really did. She was so warm and generous. She had opened up to him and forgiven him even after everything he'd done to her. She always took the higher road, loving and being kind to everyone no matter how they acted toward her. She was the nicest person he knew and she was a truly wonderful human being.
But that wasn't fair to her. Not at all. And he knew that.
He could feel himself slowly breaking down the walls when it came to her, and that scared the hell out of him. He needed to stop this before it got worse.
He would do anything to protect her and keep that precious smile on her lovely face.
Which is why he had to back away.
After all, the main person he had to protect her from was himself.
A/N
Yay! Update! Woot woot! I don't know where this chapter came from honestly. I just kind of got the idea a few days ago and started writing it and eventually I finished it. So there ya go.
This chapter was basically just Raura. It shows their development and Ross's feelings on Laura and their friendship. And you guys thought he was a dick at the beginning, well he kinda was but yeah.
I used Roar by Katy perry because I thought it was a good song to describe Ross and his cancer.
I included Vanessa in this chapter briefly because someone suggested it in a review, so I thought, why not? But she probably won't make another appearance in this story until the epilogue and maybe not even then. It depends.
so, who watched Cupids and Cuties last night and LOVED it?! I did!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :) sorry I'm not gonna look it up because its really late where I live and I can feel myself falling into unconsciousness so in just gonna quickly upload This and then go to bed.
Kthanxbai!
Morgan :)