Echoes of the Void

Ch.3

(Warning: This chapter contains mild abuse so don't read if you're sensitive to this topic)

It's been a few months since the video of Ramona went up online, and things haven't gotten any better for either of us. Ramona still gets made fun of and I still get teased for being Ramona's "girlfriend" even though I'm not. I'll often find Ramona in a small closet outside the cafeteria which we dubbed our "Secret hideout" because no one seems to notice it.

Today seemed like it would be a normal gray Friday afternoon, or so I thought... Ramona had invited me to her house after school to work on a project, and I was trying to find my Biology textbook when my little brother came in. "Where ya goin'?" I jumped and turned around, "I'm goin' over to Ramona's, mom's still at work and Willow has a student council meeting so you'll be alone for about half an hour, so try not to burn the place down!" Dominic nodded and ran upstairs, but five seconds later, his head popped around the corner. "So... you're going over to Ramona's?" I nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. "So, does mom know you're going to your girlfriend's house?" "She Is Not My Girlfriend!" I snapped. Dominic grinned, "Are ya sure?... If she's not your girlfriend, then why ya blushin'?" I clenched my fists and growled which caused Dominic to run off screaming "Luna's Got A Girlfriend!!" in a sing-song tone. "She Is Not My Girlfriend!" I yelled again before picking up my bio textbook and slamming the front door on my way out.

I was walking up to Ramona's house but paused when I heard her scream and something crash against a wall. I wanted to run in and help her, but my feet were glued to the sidewalk. I could hear a man shout something inaudible, but as he drew closer to the front room I could hear him clearly. "...You Ungrateful Little Bitch! You're Just Lucky You Have A Roof Over You're Head!... Neither One Of Us Wanted You In The First Place!" I'd heard enough. I started to march up to the front door, but I froze when Ramona came bursting through the door, her face stained with tears. She ran down the street toward the park. I stood there, stunned, for a few seconds. When I came to my senses I bolted after Ramona.

By the time I found Ramona, it had started poring, as if the weather had reacted to her mood. I spotted a group of people from our school laughing and walking away from the spot Ramona sat. I didn't want to think about what had just happened, so I pretended that I didn't see anything. I made my way over to the weeping willow tree Ramona was using as a hiding spot. She had her knees pulled up against her chest and was hiding her face. "Hey, you alright?" (This can't be real... can it?) She looks at me, nods, then hides her face again. "Come on... I'll- I'll walk you home..." (I'm dreaming again...) Ramona doesn't move, she just sits there and allows the rain to soak her. I looked to where the kids from our school were walking away and sighed. "You know, you really shouldn't care about what those assholes think-" Suddenly, she stands up and hugs me, sobbing into my shirt. (Is this real?) "I-I don't care a-about what they say... I-I'm just s-so tired of b-being around people who d-don't love me..." I freeze for a moment, my face growing hot. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. (This is real... I'm not denying it anymore.) I look down at her shaking form, a smile still plastered on my face. "I love you..." She looked up at me, her eyes shining, "y-you do? I-I mean y-you're not just s-saying that to make m-me feel b-better, right? I-I-" I put a finger under her chin, lifted her head and kissed her. I could feel her tense up, but she kisses back after a few seconds. After about a minute I pulled away and said, "is that enough to convince ya?" Ramona just nodded, clearly still stunned. I turned to walk Ramona back home, but she grabbed my arm. "Luna I-" her voice trailed off. I could tell by the look on her face that there was something she wanted to tell me something. I thought for a moment, then it dawned on me, "You saw me outside your house earlier..." She nodded. I sighed and tried to think of what I could do to help, then it hit me. I placed a hand on Ramona's cheek and wiped a stray tear off with my thumb. "We're going back to your place-" Ramona's smile turned into a look of worry, "but Luna-" "Let me finish... We're going back there, you're packing your bags and you're going to stay with me place for a few days. No matter what my mom says!" Ramona's smile returned as she pulled me into a tight hug, "Thank you Luna!" I hugged her back immediately and kissed the top of her head, "anything for you, doll..."

A/N: Heya, It's me Vixy! Here's the next chapter of my story! Again, sorry this is so short I promice the next ones won't be as short! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading!

                                                                       ~See you soon!

                                                                                   ~Vixy Out!