A Silver Summer

Chapter 4

Chapter four

A startled yelp tore from Anika's throat as she coiled into her seat at the suddenness of being awoken by a rude hit to the underside of her chin. Her bottom jaw painfully caught her tongue and instantly the salty metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. During the trip, Ryleigh had somehow slumped far enough to her side of the car that his head had rested against her lap. She didn't even have time to curse before the next attack hit. Her eyes flew open as her vision was blurred by a hand, grabbing the side of her face and slamming her head into the window. Pain erupted inside her skull as she cradled her head and muffled her whimpers as her headache came back in full swing.

"Ryleigh!" Genevieve looked just as startled as Anika felt, turned around in the passenger seat to stare at the beautiful boy that just attacked her. Once the initial shock of having been hit wore off, Anika had her own things to say.

"What the hell guy?" she screamed, lifting her head up to give him her best death glare. His eyes widened as if he just realized what he did.

"Well?" Anika snapped.

"I-I..." he stuttered, his brows lifting and dropping in his flustered state.

"What's a girl have to do to not get hit around here?" she mumbled more curses and double checked to see if her head was still intact... and the window.

"Sorry alright. Just stay away from me." he scowled in annoyance at her, pushing himself away from her and over to his window. What the hell does he have to be annoyed at? Anika thought feeling what little control over her anger begin to slip.

"How 'bout you don't go slamming concussed people's heads into windows." she all but growled.

"What's your problem bitch?" he glared down at her. Oh, I'm the- I'll show him who's the female dog. Anika thought.

"Me? You're the problem. Who the hell just goes around hitting people that haven't done anything to them? What are you, psychotic? Wait, don't answer that. Of course you're crazy. You're going to Camp Silver Lake where troubled youth can get help." Anika mimicked Genevieve's high-pitched voice. Speaking of the overly perky Silver Lake member, the blond was desperately trying to separate the two and therefore prevent a fight that was bound to happen in the back seat.

Ryleigh gave a short humorless chuckle. "Well obviously you're crazy too since you're here as well."

"I shouldn't be here!" Anika defended. Her deadly grey glare met his equally promising deep blue one.

"Right. Because I'm sure you're so innocent." he rolled his eyes.

"You don't know anything about me!"

"I know that you need to take it down a notch." he made a show of wiggling his index finger in his ear. With an internal scoff, Anika returned to looking out the window and tried to count down from ten to cool her anger before she did something she would regret later on. Quite possibly something that would be an actual reason for her to be shipped off to this camp. Like say... kill the kid.

"Ryleigh, this is Anika." Anika snapped her gaze to Genevieve and gave her an 'are you mad?' look. Ryleigh muttered a heated "Whatever" before looking out his window.

Genevieve continued. "Anika vandalized city property with her graffiti. She's lived on the streets for a while and a week ago her mother-"

"You don't know me either so stop acting like you do or care." Anika felt angry tears prick at the back of her eyes at the thought of that night but she forced all of her emotions back down to her stomach.

With a frown, Genevieve cautiously swung her gaze to Ryleigh who quickly averted her gaze.

"Ryleigh was nearly on the streets too. He was a drug dealer..." Genevieve carried on with his life story but Anika was frozen replaying her last words. A fresh wave of loathing made her blood boil as she struggled to squash the urge to call him every foul word under the sun.