Annalise

Ricky, Noah, and Asher: Part 2

The weeks since I met those two boys at the park were gone as I closed my eyes to blink. In that time, I came to the realization that I hated everyone at school, which was why I decided to go back to that park and hang out with the kids known as Ricky Rodriguez and Noah Esposito. And let me tell you something, Ricky was a cool dude to chill with, plus he always had my back when Noah kept coming at me with a rusty knife to stab me with... of course figuratively, at least to my knowledge of.

You see, Ricky had this charm about him, it attracted people his way. It was a breeze to talk to him, even if you were an introvert with horrible social anxiety. He had a smile that welcomed you and kindled a feeling of immediate friendship, immediate trust and loyalty to do you no harm.

Noah, on the other hand, his aura strikes and snaps at just about anyone. In other words, a complete freaking dick! He has this way of talking to people with subtle mockery that makes you think twice if he was actually being nice or belittling you with his words. His hazel eyes always made you question yourself, because no matter what you were saying or who you were talking to, his beady little eyes burned into you, and when your eyes connect with his, he always held this look of superiority that ridiculed your mere existence.

... Complete dick.

Ricky said it was just how he acted around people he didn't know well, but he was like that to Ricky too.. and Noah knew him for twelve years, since they were practically born. I figure I'll just have to deal with it, at least until he loosens his teeth from my ass.

But despite all that, the three of us knew how to have fun. We went to the movies, we went skating, we played on the playground and shot some hoops, all pretty fun stuff. We even like playing basketball, but our favorite thing to do was to box with each other at the gym in my school.

Noah loved to repeatedly punch me in the head until I saw black dots engulfing my vision, Ricky loved to beat Noah after he would knock me out for minutes, and I liked how I was learning moves to defend myself as time went on. Eventually, fighting became my everything. All it took was my hurt sister to make me realize I had to become stronger, better, and undefeatable.

So it was just after 3 o'clock when me, Ricky, and Noah were walking back from the gym. We always took the same path, considering our homes were in the same direction, mine being the first. I was just a couple houses away when I saw Annalise.

My eyes only caught the back of her figure, but I could instantly tell something was wrong. She wasn't walking upright and elgantly like usual, Annalise's back was noticably hunched and her right foot was dragging at some moments while she limped.

She turned into the narrow stoned pathway that directed people to the porch, and just seconds after she did, I found her name rolling off my tongue in concern. "Annalise!?"

Her head whipped my way as her body jerked up, surprised at my unexpected appearance. It was as if time ceased to move forward, giving me a perfect freeze frame on Annalise's face.

Baby blue eyes that resembled the color of a perfect clear sky, stared at my indentical orbs, the only difference were that hers were glassy, coated with a thin layer of liquid, and were an irritated red. She'd been crying, no mistake about it.

Even though time felt as if it stopped soley for me to process her current state, it didn't. By the time I snapped out of it, I realized she was falling and Ricky was running pass me.

"I think that girl is hurt!" He had shouted in alarm, swiftly going towards my sister to give his assistance.

Shortly after, I followed in pursuit, hearing Noah ask, "Who the hell is Annalise?"