Martinez Twins Fanfiction

Chapter 18

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Ivan and I spend the entire picnic date talking about our lives before Team 10.

"Where are you from?" Ivan asks.

"Maine. I lived with my dad in a small town called Sebec."

"Only your dad?" he asks.

"Yeah, my mom passed away when I was five."

"Oh, sorry." Ivan's face reddens. "Well, I've never been to Maine. What's it like?"

"Very cold," I tell him, laughing. "But I didn't mind it much. Only the days I forgot my coat." Ivan laughs. "I used to ride my bike to school everyday because my dad . . . um . . . well, he's not much of a morning person."

"Me neither." Ivan says and I chuckle. If only he knew. "What did you like to do?"

"Well, obviously I love to sing. And I love soccer. It's pretty much the only sport I'm good at."

"Me too!" Ivan says. "My soccer team was like my second family."

I sigh. "I wish I could say that. I didn't have many friends in Maine. I did have an enemy though: Sandra Jacobs. We did practically all the same things, but she was always the one everyone loved. God, I hate her."

"Laina," Ivan says, getting serious. "That's my cousin."

Oh shit.

"What?"

"Nah, I'm just kidding!" He laughs at me.

"Ivan!" I yell, giving him a friendly shove. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, please continue," he tells me, still laughing.

I eye him. "Anyways . . . She was my biggest rival. And she tried to get on Team 10 also. But I kicked her booty." My pride shows in my smile.

"That's my girl!" Ivan says, hugging me.

We spend the next hour eating and sharing stories about our past. It's a perfect bonding moment.

Once it starts to get dark, we pack up the picnic and start to head home. As we walk down the street away from the park, we continue to share stories.

A loud scream interrupts us.

"What was that?" I ask Ivan.

"I don't know," he replies. "It sounded like a girl." Clinging tightly to each other's hands, we look around.

Another scream.

We follow the sound around the corner of a building, to an alley.

There, a man in all black is beating a little girl. My hand covers my open mouth. "Hey!" I scream. "Don't touch her!"

"Laina no!" Ivan whispers forcefully.

The man stops punching the girl and starts walking toward me. Ivan steps in front of me. "Back away." He tells the man.

From behind Ivan's shoulder, I see the girl fall to the ground in pain. The sight sickens me.

The man starts running at Ivan and before I know what is happening, my feet are pounding across the pavement.

I run past Ivan and straight at the man.

"Laina, NO!" Ivan cries.

Too late.

I jump on top of the man and begin punching and kicking as hard as I can. All I can hear is the pounding of my heart and my own voice, cursing the man out.

Suddenly, I feel a strong hand grab my arm and throw me to the ground. Pains shoots through my back.

The man is standing over me, snarling. "Wrong move, honey." He says.

The next thing I know, his fist comes flying at my face and my mouth and eyes sting. My shirt gets wet as blood streams from my face.

I can hear Ivan screaming at the man and the girl lying somewhere on the ground, sobbing.

Punches keep coming and my stomach and face become numb.

My head starts to blur and there is suddenly two of everything. Everyone's words are getting mixed together. Somewhere in my blur I see Ivan running toward the man, toward me.

Before he gets there, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach.

Everything goes black.