Together through it all

19. Chapter Nineteen: A Year and Five Months Ago...

Chapter Nineteen: A Year and Five Months Ago...
At this exact time a year and five months ago, Theo and Ria were playing badminton.  It was July.  Quite a cold day.  Theo and Ria agreed to go play at their local court one afternoon.  But he did not tell her about a certain surprise.  They walked in opposite directions down her street.  He took rockets;  she baskets.  On the way they laughed and joked about how everyone thought they were dating.  They, that is, at least Rihanna considered Theo as someone like a sibling.  They were extremely close, but from time to time their friendly relationship had some flaws.  For example, in the moments when Ria was with Theo, but Lucas came there, whom she hated from the bottom of her heart.  He was annoying, taller than her, obnoxious, older, made fun of her, and they are both extremely non-competitive.  You can probably imagine how things always look between the two of them.  They argue and contradict each other.  They are like children who pick up the phrase opposites attract, just perfectly.  But that is a chapter in itself.  Ria and Theo came to the court.  She saw a familiar figure in the distance.  He was wearing black sweatpants and a black T-shirt.  His black hair fell into his eyes.  Lucas Salinger.  "What's that dumbass doing here?" Ria asked annoyed.  "I told you that he also goes to play badminton," Theo said with a smile on his face.  He rested his right hand on Rihanna's shoulder, saying: "You're exactly the height of my arm rest."
“Theo I swear to god I'll bend your knees so you're exactly my height and then just try to tell me I'm your arm holder!” He removed his hand from her shoulder.  "I didn't say mount, but rest," he protested.
"It doesn't matter, it's the same."
"No, it's not the same.  There's a mark-” Ria silenced him with a finger raised and a murderous look.  "Fine, I'll be quiet," he glared at her.
"But the problem is that you can't be quiet.  You are like an old woman in the market.'
"I also consider you a best friend.  I, too, hereby end you and this debate.” They both stepped forward.  Lucas looked at Theo from afar.  His eyes fell on Rihanna.  It almost defeated him just as much as it did her.  "He stood there and maybe he wanted to be my dream..." Theo began to sing with a laugh.  “Shut up Theo Jeremy Davidson!” she yelled at him, shoving him.  He fired it straight into thorn bush.  "That really wasn't necessary," he spluttered.  “You may be 175 centimeters tall, but my secret weapon against your stupidity is still these bushes.” She smiled so it was scary.  Theo rolled his eyes at her.  They were getting closer to Lucas.  They walked only a few meters and reached him directly.  Ria kept a considerable distance.  Theo, on the other hand, shook his hand.  "You didn't say the garden gnome was coming," Lucas said, piercing Ria with a look.  "I may be 155 centimeters, but I have no problem kicking your ass," she said teasingly.  She crossed her arms.  "That remains to be seen.  Take your racket and show off," Lucas answered her.  Theo just shook his head.  Ria did not hesitate for a second and was already standing ready on the court.  He's going to beat Lucas even if tractors fall from the sky.  They started playing.  Lucas was recording from below.  Ria automatically deflected the shuttlecock as if it was nothing to her.  This is how things dragged on from the beginning.  Neither of them ran much.  Ria even stood still at times or moved a few centimeters.  After a while, she decided to fire an insidious shot.  She hit the shuttlecock as hard as possible.  It flew right through the middle of the badminton net and stopped right at Lucas' feet.  He looked at it in surprise.  "So you want to tactic?  Hmm?” he asked.  Ria faked a smile.  He also used a similar defensive maneuver.  They continued to play as if it was a championship in which the salvation of humanity is at stake.  Theo just looked at them in amazement.  "I see you've traded me for a new sidekick Ria!" he yelled.  “NO!” Ria and Lucas said at the same time.  They looked at each other with hatred.  Here and there one of them was losing, but then the score was equalized again.  Theo realized that they were playing until they both got their hooves there.  Or simply explained to 30 points, but for at least three sets without a break.  Time passed.  One set took them about two hours.  Almost six hours passed.  Theo was basking in the sun, which finally came out after almost two hours.  He was tired of watching their game, so he preferred to lie on the concrete not far from the court.  He looked at the clock.  "7:22 p.m. and those two are still playing," he muttered loud enough to be heard.  The score was tied.  The tension escalated.  Lucas made up his mind to blast the shuttlecock as hard as he could.  If we take into account his height and weight, that little shuttlecock could hurt someone.  Ria expected a similar maneuver from him, but slightly overestimated her strength.  Although she blasted the basket and defeated Lucas, she fell to the ground.  Theo noticed.  He rose to his feet within seconds.  Ria wanted to stand up, but her right leg wouldn't let her go.  She carefully took off her shoe.  She removed her sock only to reveal a purple bruise around her ankle.  Her leg was swelling.  "BLOODY HELL WITH THIS SHIT!" she screamed so that the whole of England must have heard her.  Theo ran to her.  Lucas walked a little closer but kept his distance.  On the contrary, Theo went straight to her.  For a moment, Lucas's face looked like it had given way to hatred, but then he noticed how Ria and Theo were treating each other.  His face went back to normal.  Was he jealous?  Maybe a bit.  "Did you sprain your ankle?" he grinned.  "You do not say!  I wouldn't even notice that I ended up on the ground with a sprained ankle because of my competitiveness!”
"Ria, I understand that sarcasm is your middle name, but could you both stop with this childish stuff for today?" Theo asked. He nudged her ankle gently. "Ow! Are you crazy? Why should I stop when  he's the one to blame?!”
"Me?" he laughed in astonishment with so much distaste, "You're the one who started this whole hate thing because Theo started hanging out with me more often than you!" They shouted at each other like an old married couple.
"Lucas Salinger, don't get on my nerves because I swear to god that i have another leg that's healthy and I have no problem kicking you with it!" Lucas started cracking the bones in his hands.  He was stretching his neck.
"You're the only one I'd be afraid of, you little-" he didn't even have time to finish because Theo interrupted him: "Enough you two!  IMMEDIATELY!  YOU ARE WORSE THAN LITTLE CHILDREN!  This is absurd!  Sorry, this is STUPID AND ABSURD AT THE SAME TIME.  If you're not going to stop this, I'm going to lock you in here because I'm the one with the key!  And i honestly don't care how you'll get home!” This time he was dead serious.  "But she started it!"
"No!  He started it!"
"OK, see you when you come to kill me for screwing you out of here!" he yelled running away.  He locked the diaphragm behind him.  Lucas took off running.  He started shaking the fence.  "Theo I'll kick you!" Ria called from a distance.  "Have fun guys!" he shouted with a smile.  He took his and Rihanna's things.  Lucas shook the fence one last time.  His face showed pure anger.  Ria tried to stand on her good leg.  Unfortunately, unsuccessfully.  She knew the way out from here.  She knew that at the end of the fence, where the bushes reach, there is a hole through which she used to get here as a child.  Lucas was walking back in her direction.  "I know you know the way from out of here," he said.  He was standing about a meter away from her.  "Yep, but I have no reason to tell you."
"Ahhh... I really hate to say this, but what if I help you get home in return?"
"Hmmm..." she mused.
“Alright, i guess? But it'll only be like this to show Theo that he has no reason to leave us in situations like this.  So peace until we get home?”
"Fine." They shook hands.  Ria stood up.  She pretended that her ankle was not in extreme pain.  She jumped on her good leg for a while, but sometimes she had to step on it, but it hurt her a lot.  Lucas just shook his head at her.  Slowly but surely they reached the bushes.  Ria climbed there without any problems because she is short.  Lucas had a bit of a problem, because of his height he almost tore his favorite shirt.  On the other hand, branches got into his hair.  Ria started laughing. 
“Is there anything to laugh about?” he asked.
"Look in the mirror."
“What?” he raised one eyebrow.
"You have a bird's nest instead of hair." She couldn't help but burst out laughing.  Lucas ran a hand through his hair.  He messed it up even more than before.  “So where should we go now you little GPS?” he asked.
“Through the forest giraffe... Through the forest.” They stepped forward.  They were at the beginning of the forest that led right to her house.  Ria tried to walk but the pain got worse with each step.  She didn't want to back down.  They walked about one hundred and fifty meters and she had to sit on the nearest stone.  She took off her shoe and put down her sock.  The bruise was getting darker and the swelling was getting worse.  “That's enough,” Lucas began, shaking his head and lamenting with his hands, “I can't bear to look at this.  I don't care if we're enemies or not.  Please jump on my back.  I'd rather carry you than watch this…” Ria raised an eyebrow.  "I didn't know you could even ask me for something." He looked at her with big brown eyes.  "Just jump on my back and don't fuss so much.  You were the one who proposed the temporary peace, so be glad that I'm even willing to help you.” She reluctantly stood on her good leg.  She jumped on his back.  They stepped forward again.  Both were silent.  Time passed and this was a slightly more efficient way to get home as soon as possible.  But as it happens in life, there is always an obstacle.  In this case, it was exactly the hill.  When Lucas saw that he had to climb the hill with his enemy on his back, his face soured even more.  He looked as if he had drunk sour milk with citric acid.  Despite this, he decided to get home.  He gritted his teeth and pushed the urge to leave Ria stuck in the middle of the forest with a sprained ankle as it was just getting dark out of his thoughts.  The silence that was between them was beginning to grow.  Minutes passed.  After some time they reached the top of the hill.  There was a wonderful view of the illuminated city and a few stars.  They stopped there for a moment.  Lucas put Ria on the ground and lay down in the grass.  "I already know how a draft horse feels," he said with a theatrical sigh.  "Don't complain about what you've caused yourself..."
"It's not my fault we're both competitive..."
"So you're blaming me for spraining my ankle because of your hard shots?"
"If you're going to continue this debate, I'll leave you stuck here with wild boars, deer and drunk people in the forest, and you'll go home on your own."
"Fine!  Someone was clearly getting out of bed on the wrong foot this morning...”
"I happened to have an overly good feeling this morning, but it went away when I saw you.."
"I think that this turned out to be true for both of us."