Please Don't Ever Let Me Go (ON HOLD)

Chapter Twenty-Two

**| Sang's POV |**

I still didn't have a clue on what to buy North and we were now cleaning up breakfast. There was a loud pounding on the front door and Nathan's eyes narrowed.

"Were we expecting anyone?" Luke asked.

"No," Nathan said as he went to the front door. Kota followed. A moment later he called out, "Sang, it's your sister."

"Maria?" I asked, confused. Everyone looked just as curious as I was.

I went over to the front door, slipping between Kota and Nathan since neither of them seemed willing to move.

Maria stood on the small porch, glaring at me.

"Giatí katastrépsate ta pánta? (Why did you destroy everything?)" she snapped.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "What, too good to speak your native language now?"

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked, his voice harsh with anger. I reached over and grabbed his fisted hand in hopes of calming him down. His shoulders lowered slightly but he wasn't planning on backing off.

Maria flinched before meeting his glare with one of her own. "I want to talk to my sister. Alone."

"Not happening," Nathan said, matching her deadly glare with one of his own. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest and just waited her out.

"O, ti na 'nai. (Whatever.)" She turned back to me. "Why did you sic that fucking Russian on me? He ruined everything. You ruined everything."

My mouth popped open in disbelief. I ruined everything? How?

She kept going. "Thanks to the psychopath, people hate me now."

Nathan snorted but Maria ignored him, still glaring at me.

"You were throwing a party at the house," I finally said.

"So?"

"You're lucky the cops didn't come."

"Tycherós? (Lucky?)" she screeched. "That psychopath pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot people if they didn't leave."

I heard a couple of chuckles and I realized they were all at my back, just out of sight. No matter what happened, they would support me. I drew comfort from that.

"If the cops came, they would wonder where Dad was. They would question why an underage girl is living by herself without an adult around. You'll get into trouble."

"You're being dramatic. The cops wouldn't have been called."

"They would have. You can't throw parties like that."

"I can and I will. That house was Mama's and now..." Maria swallowed briefly. "And now that she's gone, it's mine. I can do whatever the hell I want. I'll be eighteen soon."

"But you aren't right now. You can still get into trouble," I said. "And Mama wouldn't want to see the house destroyed"

"You do not have the right to talk about Mama," Maria screeched. "You know nothing. She was my mother. Mine. Not yours!"

My heart ached at her expression, at the way she blinked. I could tell she was fighting off tears and I felt like a brick wall hit me. Again, proof that I was being self-absorbed. Maria lost her mother. Her real mother. She was all alone in that house. She didn't like the boys and she barely tolerated me because I lived there too, though I didn't stay there as often.