Chapter 13
He was a senior at sixteen, and she knew very well she might not even finish high school. Yet somehow, she tried her hardest to live her life to the fullest. She drowns her days with plenty activities to make her forget about her day that would come and she filled her nights with fantasies that she was not certain about.
For him, many terms had passed and many challenges she had been through with him. Yet he could not accept that she could never be his. High school ends earlier for him, yet he decided to stay close. His dream was to be with her. Even though she could not be his, at least she knows that his heart was only for her.
Andrianne sat beside Ryan on the park bench as the autumn wind blew temperately that evening. "You don't regret not going to a better college?" Andrianne said as she sipped her hot chocolate. Ryan just shrugged as a reply. "You once said if you could, you would want to go to an Ivy. UC is not."
"I don't have to fly a thousand miles away to get my degree. My dad went to UC, and he turned out fine." Ryan said. "Why do you ask?" He questioned. Andrianne just smiled.
"I'm turning ten soon." Andrianne said suddenly. "I don't have much time left on my clock." She said looking down. Ryan shook his head.
"Drea, you have been saying that too many times. It's not going to happen. We're going to find a way. Don't worry so much." Ryan said kissing the top of her head.
"Ehem." A familiar voice said from behind. "She's underaged you know." the man said. Quickly both of them parted and crimsoned. "That's my baby sister, Andrianne and her old boy friend, Ryan." He said smiling.
Andrianne stuck out her tongue at her brother. "Not a baby anymore, Chris." Andrianne said as she stood up and went to hug her big brother. "I'm Andy." She said as she offered he hand for the other girl to shake.
"Dean." She said smiling as she reached for her hand.
"What's with you and girls with guys short name?" Ryan said to Chris as he shone his victory smile.
"It's short for Deandra, Dr. Ryan." Chris replied defensively. "How's UC treating you? Still have time for your ballroom dance?"
"A doctor have to keep fit. Of course. With a different partner though. Not doing competitions anymore, since my partner is a little out of my age range." Ryan said as Andrianne nudge him. "And a lot shorter than I am." He said as both Chris and him burst out laughing.
Andrianne speed up her pace as she pulled Deandra with her. "Are they always like that?" Deandra asked as she was being pulled by Andrianne. Andrianne nodded. "He's really your boyfriend?" she asked as she walked beside Andrianne and left the boys a good meter or so away. Andrianne just shook her head.
"He's my best friend since I was a little girl." Andrianne said. "I like your name." She smiled sweetly. "Are you a doctor too?" She asked.
Deandra just shook her head. "I'm not as smart as your brother." She said. "I'm a literary arts student." She said. Andrianne's face beamed with a new glow. "I heard you like reading."
"Like?" Andrianne made a face. "I live vicariously through characters within a book. I read almost a novel a day." She said chirpily. "It's going to be awesome to have you as my sister in law." Andrianne teased.
"Dean, can you take her home, I want to have a little man to man talk with Ryan." Chris said as he caught up to the girls. Deandra nodded but Andrianne pouted. "Not going to work today, princess. Big brother's home. I won't be long." Chris said as he quickly went back to Ryan. "Bring her home. No detouring okay, princess." Chris warned before Ryan and himself disappear from the girl's vision.
Deandra was really like a big sister Andrianne never had. She was average looking and very sweet. "You two are very close aren't you." She suddenly said. Andrianne nodded.
"did tell you anything about me?" Andrianne asked.
"Tell? No. Not really. He just talk about you all the time. Even on random subject." Deandra replied. Andrianne smiled shyly. "Even on our first date, his first line to me was; 'Hold on, I have to call Andrianne. I'll be right back.'" Deandra smiled as she remembered their first date out. "I thought Andrianne was his girl friend. But then he told me and showed me your picture."
Andrianne blushed further. "I thought Dean was his roommate." Andrianne said quietly. "He said he was going out for a drink with Dean. I thought you were a guy." Deandra chuckled. "So he talked about me a lot?"
Deandra nodded. "You know he said no detouring? How about some ice cream?" She suggested. Andrianne hestitated but nodded anyways. "I'm not goignt to kidnap you." She added quickly.
"I know." Andrianne replied as quickly.
"You know, Chris was always like this as well if I asked him out for ice cream. You two don't take ice cream without each other or something." Deandra asked. Andrianne shook her head.
"Not really." Andrianne answered. "Chris, Wyatt and I have this little tradition of sharing the same ice cream." Deandra just smiled. "I know it's silly and probably nuts but if I eat ice cream alone it felt like something is missing."
Deandra just nodded. "Okay where would you want to go?" She asked. Andrianne shrugged.
"we could just walked slowly and talk. Besides, he would be worried if he got home first before me." Andrianne said. "He's always worried." Andrianne said softly almost whispering.
"I heard you dance too." Deandra said suddenly changing the subject. She knew something must be going on between the siblings that both of them are not willing to tell her yet, and she was not going to push them. Andrianne nodded.
"But I've retired from competitions." Andrianne said.
"What kind of dance?" Deandra quickly questioned just to keep the conversation going.
Andrianne smiled. "I do ballroom and ballet."
"With Ryan?" Deandra asked. Andrianne shook her head.
"I was with Jeremy Riggs." Andrianne said smiling from ear to ear.
Deandra stopped in her trailed as if she forgotten something. "Wait, you are Rianne Perry. Ryan is Ryan Smith." Andrianne nodded. "Perry. How could I be so blind. You were beautiful on stage, why on earth would you stop at a very young age?"
"Like what they reported in the papers." Andrianne replied as she pulled Deandra back into motion. "Health and studies." She said a little more seriously. Deandra just shook her head.
"No wonder when Chris read that news, he was saying it was crap. What's wrong with you, Andy?" Deandra questioned.
Andrianne shook her head. "Nothing. I just don't feel like doing any more competition." Andrianne said. "There's a reason why both Ryan and Chris took Medicine. But I'll let Chris tell you that himself." Andrianne said. "You'll be sleeping in my house right?" Andrianne asked suddenly. Deandra just nodded. "I have this little secret."
"What?" Deandra asked in a whispery voice.
Andrianne smiled shyly. "Chris must have told you that you'd be sleeping with me and Wyatt's girlfriend in my room right?" Andrianne asked. Deandra nodded. "What he didn't tell you is that usually don't sleep in my room when either him or Wyatt is home." Andrianne smiled.
"He told me that you were his little baby." Deandra said smiling.
Andrianne burst out a giggle as she nodded. "He gave birth to me." Andrianne said. "I mean mommy was the one giving birth but he was the one who delivered me. Am I making any sense?" Andrianne asked. Deandra nodded.
"Absolutely." Deandra smiled. "He was worried during our way here. He said something about you are having a hard time knowing he have a girlfriend. Now I think I know why."
Andrianne shook her head quickly. "Not really. I just don't like him being with his last girlfriend, Bianca." She said. "You're cool. In fact, I'm glad he's with you."
As both of them walked towards the house, Leo, Wyatt and Chris' voice were loud and clear. Ryan's quiet voice sometimes chipped in between their loud cheer upon the television set. "There's a lot of testosterone going on at this time of the year." Andrianne said as she opened the front door. "Who's playing?" Andrianne asked as she entered.
"49ers and Cardinals." Ryan said half enthusiastically. Andrianne just nodded.
"Android." Wyatt said almost jumping out of his seat as he attacked his little sister.
Andrianne made a face at her brother. "Hi old man. Where's your wife?" Andrianne questioned.
"Haha." Wyatt uttered his laugh. "Dean, right?" He said turning to the other girl. "Cassie is in the kitchen with mom." Wyatt finally answered Andrianne. "Andy, don't say a word." Wyatt pleaded. Andrianne just shrugged.
Andrianne gave a sly smile to both her brothers. "It's going to be an awesome thanks giving." She yelled as she heads for the kitchen. "Hey mommy." She said as she hopped on Cassie's lap. "I thought we'd agreed on you calling before arriving." Andrianne pouted.
"My phone died." Cassie said guiltily. "And Wyatt said not to bother you with your boyfriend."
Andrianne look at her questioningly. "Who? Ryan? I was with Ryan."Andrianne said as she hopped down and picked up the unfolded linen that remains unfolded. Cassie just smiled at her. "He's too old for me, Cass." Andrianne whined. "Oh, this is Deandra, Chris' girlfriend." Andrianne said as Deandra held her hands to be shaken.
"Cassie." Cassie said as she smiled.
"Mommy, Dean is a literature major." Andrianne said to her busy mother. "Seems that I have at least one thing in common with both my sister in laws to be." She joked. Piper just shook her head at her youngest. "See mommy, I'm a nice person to other people."
"Deandra, that's greek right?" Cassie chipped in changing the subject quickly.
Deandra just shrugged. "Maybe." She said. "But, I'm Irish. Deandra Murdoch. Maybe my mother was drunk when she named me."
"Murdoch as in Kyle Dodger Murdoch's sister?" Cassie asked. Deandra nodded.
"Cousin actually. How'd you know him?" Deandra asked.
"Cassandra Leigh Cooper." Cassie said smiling. "Sandy Coop."
Deandra let her mouth hung. "No way. God you're a legend." She said excitedly. "You don't look the same." She added.
"Well make ups and lighting does that to you. And I've been out of practice for years." Cassie said. "She's more of a legend than I was. She scored full marks once." She said pointing and Andrianne. Andrianne awkwardly smiled.
"I'm a dancer. Not a skater. I'm used to being tossed in the air. The only addition was the skates." Andrianne said. "You had your partner changed two hours before the program."
"Drea, Nadim." Ryan said as he poked his head at the kitchen door frame waving his phone. Andrianne quickly hopped down from her chair to pick the phone from him. "You need a hand with that, Aunt Piper?" He asked.
Piper smiled at him. "You know that you and Andrianne are total polar opposites right?" She asked. Ryan nodded. "She said something to you?" The two young ladies were so focused on each other that they paid no attention at all to Ryan and Piper.
Ryan hesitates. "She gave me chills every time we talk about the future. She keep reminding herself and I about the cancer. It almost felt like she wants it to happen." Ryan said. Piper smiled solemnly at the boy. "But the more I tried to stay away as she would want me to, the more I fall in love with that child."
"Wyatt and Chris might just skinned you for what you just said, but I know. You were there for her almost all the time she didn't have her brothers. Have you asked her what she feels about you?" Piper questioned. Ryan nodded. "And?"
Ryan shrugged. "She said she likes me more than a friend but loves me like a brother." Ryan answered.
Piper sighed. "She loves you. But she would not want to see you hurt. Not because of her." Piper said. "You know, sometimes I feel like you are one of my sons. You boys grew up together and you are so close, I think it is better that you don't keep that kind of feeling towards Drea." Piper said quietly.
"Why?" Ryan spoke reactively.
Andrianne tapped his back softly. "Because Aunt Piper saw my future." Andrianne said quietly. "There is none. But I'm not going to mope around and do nothing about it. I'm going to live my life. And you are a part of it." She smiled. "Don't worry so much. I have enough people doing that for me."
Ryan helped the ladies to lay out the tble for thanks giving that night. one hand was being proposed and accepted. With Wyatt being with Emma and Chris with Deandra, they were all hoping for the fairy tale ending.
Late that night, Ryan sat alone on the porch swing as he threw his vision further than the stars. Gently Andrianne joined him. "I'm never going to get the chance to do that am i?" Ryan asked vainly. Andrianne just shrugged. "With you I mean."
Andrianne sighed. "look a shooting star." Andrianne said excitedly. As she pointed the departed fragment of the fiery rock in the night sky. Andrianne smiled as she placed a wish deep in her heart, so that no one could listen to it except herself.