FIGHTER ; Robin Arellano

3

Song: I want you- Mitski

THE END OF THE DAY WAS AWFULLY STRANGE FOR JADE.

She felt— almost, sick to her stomach thinking about earlier. She had never rejected a conversation with Robin just as she did that morning. It gave her a bad feeling, she just wanted to scream.

So that's what she did. She laid her face into the pillow, screaming her lungs out. A door creaked open, and in came Finney. He stood just before the doorway, frowning.

He sat down on the end of her bed, watching her get up from the pillow.

Her cheeks were red, tears staining her cheeks.

"Don't cry," he told his sister.

He paused, watching her wipe her tears. "What's the matter?"

Jade and Finney laid on her bed, talking about her anger with the previous day. She felt like shit.

"You'll be fine, you'll see him in what, an hour? Just wait 'til dad falls asleep and you can go see Robin. I'll keep watch."

"Thank you," Jade said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging Finney.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about us," she continued, looking down.

Finney shrugged slightly. "I don't mind."

The phone rang later that night. Gwen, Finney, and Jade were curled around the tv, watching the end of their episode.

After it ended it would be ten o'clock, which was the time her dad would go to bed. Then she could see Robin.

The sound of the phone being hung up, and their father came into the door frame. "Finney. Jade."

They turned to look at him, Gwen also looking his way.

"Yeah?" They asked their father.

"Do you know a kid named Robin Are.."

"..A-Ar, Are—"

He stuttered to pronounce Robin's last name, so Jade corrected him. "Arellano?"

He nodded, the light beaming on him mysteriously. "Yeah. That's it." He seemed to look for the right words, closing his eyes.

"He's a friend from school. Why?" Finney asked him, looking at Jade with a confused look.

Their father left the room, obviously worried. With this, Jade and her siblings also became frustrated.

She immediately knew what happened.

"No— no.. no." Jade muttered to herself, racing down the hallway and to her bedroom. She shared a room with Finney, but he hadn't come inside yet. He was in shock.

Jade pulled open her door, walking inside and slamming it shut. Once again, tears came pouring. She pushed her back on the door, falling down and covering her face with her hands.

"Fuck Robin— why couldn't you have fought back. Fought harder."

She whispered cuss words to herself, thinking of memories with him.

"It's fine. He's not— he's okay. He'll be okay.." she stood up, pacing back and forth around her room.

She wiped her tears, thinking about how Robin wasn't there to do it for her— as he always was.

She heard Finney come into the room, speed walking over to her. He hugged her tightly, sobbing.

Instead of comforting him, she cried with him, rubbing his back.

And when Gwenie came in their room, Jade was already fast asleep, Finney staring at the ceiling— pondering.

"I'm really sorry Finney.." she said in the door way. "I know he was your friend."

"Don't say was," he sat up, watching his sister sleep sadly on the other side of the room. "He is my friend."

She apologized as he laid back down, pulling the cover over his cold body.

"Gwen, can you do that dream thing?" He asked his younger sister, who sighed. "It doesn't work that way."

"Can you try?"

She tilted her head with sympathy. "Of course I have." Finney asked her to try again, desperate to see Robin.

Gwen could see things. Well—- not exactly. In her dreams, she would imagine something— something specific, and realistic. Then sometimes.. it would happen in real life. That's why she was in the principal's office earlier that day.

Two investigators asked her about the disappearance of Bruce Yamada— a baseball player that Finney knew. Why they were asking Gwen this? She told Bruce's younger sister— Amy, who happened to be a classmate of hers, that she had a dream about Bruce being taken before it actually happened.

Their mother could do this too, that was before she died.

"Please," Finney pleaded his sister.

She sighed, turning around and closing Jade and Finney's bedroom door.

Jade sat anxiously at the end of their small brown armchair, watching as two investigators enter the home. They wanted to once again— question Gwennie.

They sat on either side of her, with her in the middle of the couch.

The silence made it worse. Jade's lip quivered, thinking about the many things they could say.

She glanced up at her father, who had his hands on his hips, watching the three make awkward eye contact.

Gwen shook her head.. but Jade wasn't paying attention to what they had asked her. She just stared at things in the living room, thinking. She looked at the marks on the wall by the door frame leading into the kitchen, showing her and her siblings heights throughout the years.

Jade stumbled over a crack on the sidewalks, but didn't fall as Finney pulled on her arm, encouraging her to run faster. They were running away from their bullies.

Finney was much faster then Jade, but she managed to keep up. She gulped a cold breeze of air, feeling in her bag for her inhaler. She snatched it out of the hand sewn bag, bringing it close to her mouth as they turned the corner.

Just before they could turn another corner, one of the mean boys grabbed her and Finney's shoulders, dragging them to the ground. They were pushed on the grass, where they punched and kicked the two.

"Fucking cock sucking cowards!—" a voice yelled. Gwen. She raced towards one of the boys, smashing a rock on his head.

"Fuck you!" The ginger— Tyler, yelled out to Gwen.

"Fuck you too ugly ass face." She threw the rock at him, but missed. In anger, Gwennie charged at him, but was surprised by his strength. Tyler flipped her over, then got up and kicked her in the head.

As Ralph, the short one of the group kicked and punched Jade, she screamed. "Leave her alone!", struggling to get up.

But she successfully did. She kicked Ralph in the shin, punching him in the nose as he stumbled backwards. "Just leave me the fuck alone—" she yelled at him. She picked up a nearby stone and threw it at his shoulder.

She knew she had to start defending herself.

Or in Robin's words, standing up for herself. So that's what she did. She would do it for as long as she lived.

1166 words

Sorry guys, I've had no inspiration for this chapter so I've been procrastinating it for the past.. few weeks ?

I hope it's decent since I rushed it. I'll try to finish another chapter today— but no promises. Lol.