meant to be yours | d.w

30

"The silence depressed me. It wasn't the silence of silence. It was my own silence"

"You can't avoid him like this forever."

Rebecca let Evie' comment sink in.

"Watch me."

It has been weeks since Rebecca has spoken a word to Dallas. She finds herself speechless in his presence, but not in a good way. No, it wasn't good at all. Of course, Dallas would try to get a peep out of her, but all he got in return was the most nastiest (and harsh) glare she could muster.

To be blunt, Rebecca was holding this grudge against Dallas for weeks now. Every time she went to the Curtis' she would make up an excuse on why she had to leave the moment Dallas walked through the door.

To say that this wasn't driving Dallas crazy would be lying. But he hid it well.

Evie had to go off and wait on a table, leaving without her new lecture on why she needs to talk to him. See, Evie isn't a fan of Dallas herself, but she knows attraction when she sees it, and Rebecca and Dallas are no exception.

She hurried back before Rebecca had the opportunity to run away.

"Look, what he did was terrible, and I'm on your  side—"

Rebecca dropped a plate on the table, a grating sound coming out of the countertop. Miraculously, it didn't break.

"He beat up my brother Evie. I can't forgive him for that. If anything, I'm glad he showed his true colors like this."

Evie bit her lip, her mind contemplating this situation. "Look, all I'm saying is that you're going to be seeing each other a lot. You're in the same group of friends and maybe it would be good to see how to tolerate him. It's valid that you're angry, and you shouldn't have to be friends with him, but I know holding a grudge is what holds you back."

Evie had never felt wiser in her entire life. Her words felt valuable, like they had some sort of meaning. But at the same time, she felt like a complete idiot.

"Maybe, you both just need to talk."

Rebecca paused. Her actions were now frozen in time, her movements locked in place as she slowly flicked her gaze up to meet Evie' eyes.

"What he did is inexcusable. And even if he didn't know it was my brother, he still beat up a kid. Will is only seven Evie. Even if it wasn't my brother, that's still somebody else's sibling. How can he care about me when he obviously doesn't care for anyone else?"

Glancing at her watch, Rebecca realized that her shift was over. Thank the heavens for that.

Evie sighed. "Becca..."

"Gotta run, Kristy wants me home."

With that, Rebecca lefter quicker than Evie could even get another word in.

However, that bit about Kristy wanting her home was anything but the truth. But then again, she seems to be doing a little too much lying lately. She has used it as a new defense, the newest wall she uses as a mechanism to rally against the world. Only when she lies, she makes sure it hurts no one. Rebecca knows that a certain boy can't say that for himself.

The aftermath of the realization has been nothing but ongoing frustration. Here are all these people, who she believed to have compassion, telling her that it was blown out of proportion.

To this, Rebecca wants to scream. She thought maybe Sodapop of all people would understand what it's like to care for a younger sibling. She hoped that Evie would see the evil in a man like him. Out of everything that has been going on in her life, all Rebecca wants to do is scream.