Many Mistakes, No Regrets

Chapter 13: A New Year and a New Friend

Chapter 13: A New Year and a New Friend

      The rest of the break was boring. I did what I normally do. I rode Trigger and talked to Jake. Elle called constantly but I never answered. She hurt me too much. But I can’t ignore her forever. She’ll be back from her friend Christina’s sometime today.

      It doesn’t matter for now though. She’s not home and I can enjoy the house for the freedom for the next few hours. Or at least that was my plan. But I heard the door open and Elle yelled out to me. “Rikki! I know you’re here and I need you to listen to me!” 

      Maybe I chould just climb out the window and make a run for it. It’s worth a shot. I grabbed my coat and winter boots. I slid the window open hoping it wouldn’t make much noise. Thankfully it didn’t but I had opened it very slowly and I could hear Elle getting closer. “Rikki! I know you’re here somewhere. So don’t try running!”

      I swung out the window and found the ledge with my feet. Removing one hand from the vines, I began shutting the window. It was almost closed when my bedroom door opened. I ducked down and started down the vines.

      This isn’t as easy as Jake made it look. I’ll have to ask him how he does it later. My feet hit the snow after an eternity. I turned and sprinted towards the barn. Shutting the door after me, I climbed up into the hayloft. I knew I was safe here. No one ever comes into the barn, especially not the hayloft.

      I pulled one of the books I had up here and started reading. Reading was an out for me. A book could bring me to anywhere in the world. For those 200 pages, my problems don’t matter. For a few hours, real life goes on the back burner.

      “Rikki! I know you’re in here. You left footprints in the snow! And Trigger is still here so you haven’t left. Please I just need to talk to you. Please.” The sound of her voice hit me hard. Her voice was full of sorrow and I’m guessing she’s crying. Maybe I should hear her out. She is my sister after all.

      “Up here.” I called out to her. A few minutes later her new blonde hair popped up. She looked at me and even though she tried to hide it I could tell she had been crying.

      “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that to Jake. I was jealous and scared.”

      “Why would you be jealous?”

      “Jake seems like a really sweet guy and your lucky to have him as a boyfriend.”

      “Elle, we’re just friends. Nothing more.”

      “Seriously? Wow. But will you please forgive me?”

      “Fine but I swear if you do anything like this again we are done. I don’t care if you are my only family left because what you did hurt.”

      “I swear I won’t. Now can we go back inside because I am freezing and starving?”

      We went back to the house. She started some hot chocolate while I got wood for a fire. Elle came in a few minutes later with two mugs.

      “So when did you dye your hair again? Because I could have sworn you left here with mahogany hair.”

      “A few days ago. I wanted something new and Christina helped me. Her family is really nice but I missed you.”

      “What’s her family like?”

      “They were nice but I think it was an act because her and her brother seemed a little shocked.” I wasn’t paying much attention but I was just going to keep her talking about her break so she wouldn’t ask about mine.