Everything Opposite

Chapter Fifteen

Ryleigh
I felt someone shaking my shoulder lightly. I barely opened my eyes. "We just landed. Can you climb on my back?"Zack asked. I nodded tiredly and latched my arms around his neck, letting him carry me on his back to the waiting car with the rest of All Time Low and Logan. I didn't wake again till the following morning.

Sunlight streamed through the unfamiliar windows in the unfamiliar room. I felt someone kiss the top of my head and startled at little. "How are you doing, babygirl?"Josh asked as I met his eyes. I wrapped my arms around his waist, nestling my face into his t-shirt clad chest. "I missed you,"I said tiredly. "I missed you, too. You ready to get up?"he asked. I shook my head no. "You should it's well past noon. If you get up and dressed then I can show you one of my favorite diners in Columbus,"Josh promised. I shrugged.

He ruffled my hair and stood, causing me to fall over onto the bed. I sighed and stood, finding my clothes in my suitcase and putting them on. I smiled faintly to myself. Everything has changed so drastically. Things were looking up. I've learned that people come into your life at the times when you need them most. I walked out of the bedroom and ran into someone. They placed their hands on my shoulder, steadying me before I could fall.

I looked up, quite literally, to a man with dark hair and glasses. "Oh, hey. You must be Ryleigh,"the tall stranger said. I nodded, scared since I didn't know who this man was. "I'm Jordan, Josh's brother and also your half brother,"Jordan introduced himself before pulling me into a hug. "It's good to finally meet you. Where are you headed?"Jordan asked. "To find Josh,"I replied quietly. "I'll take you,"he said and gently grabbed my hand, leading me downstairs.

Josh sat at a kitchen table in a dining room. Nothing really stood out to show wealth. "Hey. You ready?"he asked. I shrugged. "Mom and Dad will be back shortly. They'll probably wanna have dinner all together. Abi and Ash went by the mall so they'll be here later, too,"Jordan said. Josh nodded in response and then we were out the door.

******

We drove for a while with music playing. It was a content silence, not tense. I watched Columbus pass me by. Josh pointed places out as we went. After awhile, we ended up at a small family restaurant called Langdon's. Josh turned the car off and we unbuckled our seatbelts.

We walked inside and a waitress greeted us with a smile. "Hi, my name is Wendy. How many are in your party?"she greeted, friendly. "Just two,"Josh replied and she gestured for us to follow her. She seated us at a window booth. "Someone will be by shortly to get your order,"she said before departing.

Josh and I made small talk before a waitress showed up. "What can I get y'all to drink?"she greeted with a southern accent. Her nametag read, "Charlie". "I'll take a sweet tea, please,"I mumbled shyly. "I'll have a Dr. Pepper,"Josh said. "I'll be right back,"she promised.

"So, I'm assuming you know about your mother?"Josh asked. I shrugged. "Do you want to talk about it? Anything you tell me could help us win this case,"Josh said. I could see the emotion hidden in his eyes. I sighed and looked out the window, momentarily closing my eyes to let my past wash over me.

I opened them and refused to face Josh as I relived the awful memories forever embedded in my brain that I wished to forget. "She wasn't the best mother on the planet but she was my mom, ya know? She was supposed to look out for me,"I said. I heard Josh slid out and felt him sitting on the bench next to me. He gently pulled me into a side hug, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. I fought back my tears. I was so tired of crying over my biological mother and I'll be damned if I let her take me away from my real family.

"What did she do?"Josh asked softly. "She let who I thought was my dad do what he wanted most of the time including letting him and others rape me. She neglected me when I got hurt, not taking me to the hospital for days. She would hit me and beat me if one tiny thing was wrong even if it wasn't something I did. Logan's mom took me in most of the time, she usually packed Logan two lunches so I had one,"I said.

Josh's expression changed from anger to sadness. He just hugged me as I fought back tears. The waitress bought our food and we ate with light small talk about our adventures, tour, and music.

"Ryleigh!"she yelled out too happily. I froze as a shiver went down my spine. Josh looked at me confused. "Mother!"I mumbled, knowing if I didn't she would hurt me. I felt like a 5 year old kid again even if I wasn't. Josh stood up as I heard her approach. His fists were clenched and he blocked her from getting to me.

"Don't even think about it. Don't lay a hand on her. You had better leave before I call the cops!"Josh said, his voice growing louder with each word, drawing attention to us. I felt eyes burning into me and my face turned red involuntarily.

"You have no right! She's my daughter, what are the cops gonna do?"she challenged. "Arrest you for breaking the temporary restraining order we have in place until the trial. I'm her legal guardian and her half brother, I'll be damned if I let you anywhere near her after what you did,"Josh said. "Fine. This isn't over!"she hissed, turning sharply on her heel before leaving. I just put my head down into my hands. My mother was back and I didn't look for her to leave us alone any time soon.

A/N: Hey y'all! Here's the chapter as promised again I'm so sorry about my mini hiatus. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next one up soon. Much love!

B