A Sister's Faith - A Far Cry 5 AU

1 - Ren & Rach

"You can't be doing this Rachel."

Ren's voice was soft as the rain patted lightly on the wooden structure that sat up the tree. Rachel smirked as she continued to take a drag from the joint she held between her index finger and thumb, almost sucking it down beyond existence. A billow of dense smoke drifted from her lungs right into Ren's face as she began coughing and waving the fog from her face.

"Lighten up, Renee. You're making such a big damn deal about it." Rachel scoffed as she tapped the tiny smoke butt on the wooden floor of their childhood tree house and flicked it to the ground. "Seriously? You're throwing your life away for a fucking high you idiot." Ren crossed her arms and stood over her sister who began laughing without much noise emitting from her mouth.

"Right. Because I have so much to lose." Her eyes rolled hard as she tried keeping her balance, her body leaning against the wall to stabilize herself.

"You sure that was just pot?"

Rachel shrugged. "Jordie said it was."

"Yeah well, Jordie is an idiot. I think it's a little stronger than weed, dumbass. This is why you shouldn't do this shit!" Ren was livid.

This was the third time this week she had found her 15 year old sister snuggled up in the corner of their childhood tree house with weed. "You gonna tell mom on me?"

Ren let out a long sigh. "No. But if you don't smarten the hell up I will. What are you gonna do in the fall when I'm gone again, huh?"

"Pfft. I'll manage. Don't need no one." Rachel scoffed as she pulled out a shoe box from under a bench their dad had built, and took out a mickey of vodka from the small pink box and unscrewed the lid.

"You're serious right now? Who is getting you all this shit?" Ren grabbed the bottle from her hand before Rachel could tilt the clear liquid into her mouth. "Hey! Give it back! Bitch." She huffed and crossed her arms like a spoiled child.

"The hell Rachel!? Do you seriously hate yourself so much you need to sabotage everything?" Ren dumped the vodka out of the tree house, the sound of the liquid falling from the bottle blending in with the rain.

"Ren, you know what happened. I just can't forget that."

"I hate that it happened, you know it. But you keep runnin' 'round with these people; You want to please these people, and then you wind up in the position you were in." Ren crouched down and took hold of Rachel's hand in her's, her blue eyes meeting Ren's green orbs. "Baby sis. I'm so sorry. I really am. I tried to tell you to stay away from them. I told you and Tracey both. And..."

Rachel pulled her hand away from Ren's and brought her hands to her face, immediately beginning to cry. "I know. I just. I wanted them to like me. I wanted to have friends."

"They're not the kind of people you should want liking you, kid. Look what happened. Friends don't do shit like that to friends." Ren cupped her sister's cheek, her thumb stroking her gently as Rachel titled her head into Ren's hand. "Look. I'll cover for you. Tell mom and dad you're just wanting some alone time, studying or somethin'. I'll come check on you in an hour. Don't leave. Just, sober up okay?"

Rachel nodded as Ren kissed the top of her head. She stood up and lowered herself onto the ladder as she looked at her sister, rain falling onto her dark hair. "This better be the last time this happens, Rach."

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "I'll try."

"You try damned hard kid."

Ren lowered herself down the ladder as her mother stood at the glass french doors, her fingers being bitten back to the bone as she watched Ren lightly job back to the house.