Wishing Stars - Remake

Lucia turned around, looking at him, her cheeks pink. She just wanted to tell that he hadn't, not make him worry about anything, but then she pursed her lips. "Well, you kind of did, but nothing to worry your pretty head over," she said, shrugging. He didn't need to worry about his impression of her, if that's what he meant, She had almost forgot the previous night.

Ryder sighed and gave a small nod, still attempting to do up his cuffs. "Thank you, by the way for the Tylenol." He gave just the slightest of smiles then turned and had George do up his cuffs for him as he muttered about weddings. That had been his goodby, since Ryder hated the words good bye. He refrained from saying them if he could help it.

Lucia nodded and left quickly, sitting in her car for a moment, looking over her license and then started the car, heading away. The hand that wasn't stationed on the wheel was visibly shaking and she hit it against her leg a few times to stop it. Something about being in Ryder's company for that short amount of time made her feel... Insignificant. She didn't like it. Not even a little. She pulled into her driveway and say there for a long time before going back inside.

Ryder finished getting dressed and attended the wedding his parents had forced him to go to. He didn't even know the people. Halfway through he sat outside the building with his tie off and his collar undone and a cigarette in his mouth. If there was anything Ryder hated worse than being forced to attend school, it was being forced to attend social events where he wasn't allowed to drink. He grumbled something incoherent to himself and patiently waited for the whole event to pass.

Lucia never ended up calling her friends back to tell them that she could hang out. Instead, she pulled her hair up and slipped into pajamas, the. Decided to crawl back into bed. She didn't really get much more sleep. An hour or two, but no more. Then, after she woke up, she did a bit of schoolwork. Normally, she would stop and talk to her mom, but her parents were away somewhere. Either vacation or business. She was home alone so often that she stopped looking at her calendar. The days they were home though, always seemed so special. She'd be able to have talks with them. Real talks. And they could talk for hours before finally sleeping. She missed talking to people who really cared.

The weekend passed rather slowly for Ryder and eventually the school week started up again. He hung with his usual crowd, though he was, as always, distracted. No one ever knew what he was thinking about, but at this point they didn't care and only shoved it off as his normal routine.

Monday rolled around and Lucia decided she was in no mood to go to school. She climbed out of bed in her pajamas and sat on the couch, staring out the big window in her living room. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it, closing her eyes for a moment. Soon, she drifted off, still curled up on the couch. She woke a few times, blinking away her disorientation. She yawned, running up to her room and got dressed, then left the house, no destination in mind. She just needed a walk.

Ryder eventually ditched school around lunch time and walked, his hands in his pockets while a cigarette laid lazily between his lips as always. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was so difficult going to school when you already knew everything. He grumbled and shook his head, continuing down the road, not even noticing the people he passed until he ran into Lucia causing him to drop his cigarette. He blinked a few times and frowned, the white stick of happiness now crushed. He sighed and looked at her. "You alright?"

Lucia blinked a few times and pushed her hair back, nodding. "Fine," she said softly and started past him, shaky fingers fumbling into her pockets. The fresh air did almost nothing to clear her head. but she tried to convince herself that it was working. Nothing was really working. She sighed and paused, chewing her lip, then attempted to keep walking.

Ryder watched her and gave a slight frown, catching her arm gently. "You don't look so fine," he said as he brought her back in front of him. "What's wrong Lu?" He asked, looking her over as if trying to find a wound or something.

Lucia shrugged, staring at his hand. "Just a little tired, I guess," she said, not meeting his eyes. She pushed back her hair from her eyes and then bit her lip. "I'm just tired." The words sounded hollow, though. She was trying to push the idea into his head, but also her own. She just needed to believe them.

Ryder watched her for a moment before he caught her chin with his other hand and made her meet his eyes. His dark blue eyes pierced hers, searching for what was wrong. "There's something else," he muttered. "What's really wrong Lu?....Who hurt you?" His brow furrowed at the thought.

Just tell him it was you. That's who it was. Just tell him. "Why do you even care?" Lucia asked, looking up at him, her eyes lined with dark shadows. "I don't get it." He never really seemed to care before, so why now? Because they were alone? Because his friends weren't here to judge him? She didn't want to be put on the spot by anyone. Especially not him. "It was no one."

Ryder stared down at her, ignoring her question. "I don't believe you," he muttered, still watching her. "Come on, I'll treat you to ice cream." He turned her back the way she had come and started towards the little ice cream shop on main street. "And then you can tell me what's really bothering you."

Lucia frowned slightly and shook her head. "It'd really be better if I didn't tell you," she muttered, but followed him anyway. She looked down at her feet and chewed her lip, then rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Part of her wanted to give in and tell Ryder everything, but the other just wanted to stay in her secret little world. She didn't want to let anyone know how dysfunctional she really was. After all, she had an image to maintain.

Ryder stared down at her gave a slight frown. He didn't push it again until after he'd gotten her some ice cream. "So...What's going on?" He asked as he walked with her towards the park. "Come on Lu, spill it."

Lucia didn't even glance at the melting cone of ice cream. She felt some of it dripping down her fingers and felt a pang of guilt from the fact that he wasted his money on her. "I told you, Ryder. It was nothing. No one hurt me," she said, lying through her teeth. She wouldn't tell him about the bruises on her sides or back from the aftermath of her breakup. It just... Wasn't important.

Ryder stopped her and stood in front of her, forcing her chin up so she was looking him in the eye again. "Lucia. What happened?" He asked, face serious and eyes intense. "I know something's up."

Lucia jerked her chin away. "You don't get it, Ryder," she said, lowering her voice and looking around. "It's not important. Please... Just believe me when I tell you it's not to be discussed here. Er... Anywhere." She cringed and looked down again, shaking her head. Her free hand was trembling again and she shoved it in her pocket. "It's not important."

Ryder stared at her. "That does seem unimportant," he muttered softly as he watched her. "Lu..." His eyes tightened and swallowed. "I know I haven't exactly been there," he said softly. "But I haven't seen you this torn up in...a long time...what's wrong?"

Lucia groaned and closed her eyes tightly. "Ryder. I can't talk about it here. Please. I promise I'll tell you. Just... Not here," she said, her voice an almost pleading whisper. She didn't want to have any chance of being caught by Jacob. She didn't know where he was and that was the worst thing she could think of.

Ryder gave a small nod. "My place then," he said before leading her down the street and to his house. He took her melted cone as they walked and tossed it in a can on the sidewalk, handing her a few napkins. When they reached his house, they went straight to the basement, ignoring his parents who hadn't even noticed them. He gestured for her to sit and watched her carefully, waiting.

Lucia swallowed hard as she sat down, her palms sweating. "If I tell you, you're not allowed to do anything about it," she said softly. "Because... I'd have to deny it all." She looked down and straightened herself in her seat. Slowly, she slid her shirt off. Her ribs and collarbones were prominent, but it was the dark splashes of purple on her sides and shoulders that stood out. Deep bruises littered her skin and she looked away, ashamed. She couldn't find any words to tell him that might make the situation better.

Ryder's eyes widened as he took in the bruises. "Lu..." He edged closer, his fingers brushing very lightly over the bruises. His voice was a soft whisper edged with disbelief. His eyes continued to flicker over her body, though not in a hungry way, or even lustful way. They were continually searching for any other wounds. "Who did this?" he asked softly as he motioned for George to get some ice. "When did you stop eating?"

Lucia's eyes almost filled with tears in a matter of seconds and she shrugged briefly, "I don't know... Years?" She knew it had been an extremely long time since her eating habits were anywhere near normal. She paused, though, not so quick to answer his other question. Instead she reached down, fumbling to put her shirt back on, and swallowed hard. After a moment, she looked way and said, "Jacob."