FicWad

Back to the present

You finish talking. Your whole body is shaking and tears are streaming down your face. Just telling the story takes you back and you feel all the emotions and heartache rushing back to you.
Joel walks over to you and puts his arm around your shoulders pulling you in to his chest. 'It's okay Reign' he soothes.
'No it's not okay.' you sob into his chest. You push him away from you and stand up.
'It's not okay, I hurt him Joel. Do you know that he didn't die, he's still alive back in London. He's paralysed from the waist down where I hit him with the club. He has to depend on other people everyday because I hit him. So don't sit there and tell me it's okay because it isn't, in fact it's far from it.' You try to stop the tears from falling but you can't, it's been so long since you cried.
'Reign you did nothing wrong, it was self defence, you were protecting yourself and your mother.' Benji explains wrapping his arms around you. You bury your face in his neck and it felt so good to be in his arms.
'I went to juvy you know.' You say leaving the comfort of Benji's arms 'the judge was very sympathetic, I was supposed to do three years for GBH, but I only did one because as it was self-defence. My mum went to rehab during that time, she came out January of this year. I stayed in hostels the whole time she was inside and I got a couple of jobs. When she came out she decided it was best if we both got a fresh start and that's why we're here in Waldorf.'
You finish talking and stare out the window. The sky is a gorgeous shade of blue and you feel the wind gliding across your face, you wish you could just jump out the window and fly into the beautiful sky and never come back.
'Reign you did nothing wrong, so stop blaming yourself, so what you crippled the guy and he can't use his legs, he deserves it, coz those are the same legs he used to kick the crap out of and your mom. I would have done the same thing to protect my family, I might've even done worse.' Benji says.
You'd never looked at it that way before, most probably because you've never told anyone so you've never had a second view on it.
'You know things are going to be different from now on' Joel says quietly.
'I know.' You say not turning away from the window.
'And I understand if you don't want to be around me any...'
'Reign shut up.' Joel says cutting you off. You knew this would happen, despite what they said they didn't want to be associated with you.
'you've been through hell'Joel says 'the last two years you put a guy in a wheelchair to protect your mother, you moved here and rescued our sister from getting her ass kicked and you offered me a shoulder to cry on when you barely knew me. How could we not want to be around you? He says smiling at you.
'Well when you put it that way' you say letting out a nervous laugh and wiping a tear from your cheek.
'So Reign still fancy hanging around with us.' Benji asks pulling you into a hug.
'Do I have a choice?' you say laughing as Joel comes up behind you and squashes you against Benji.
'Nope you have absolutely no choice in the matter, plus you promised us you'd eat lunch with us forever until we die, you can't break a promise when food's involved.' Joel says pulling away.