Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter Twenty Nine: Offical

Dallas sat on the couch, sipping his tea. He was in the living room, sitting across from Derek. The two of them had been discussing summer plans.

“Are you sure you don't want to go camping?” Derek asked for the third time.

“Yea...I have to move to Toronto in the summer. Remember?” Dallas told him. “Yea, but it's not going to take that long to move. You'll still have time to do something.” Derek said to him.

“I don't know. I really want to go camping, but I still have to figure out how everything is going to work once I move. The practice schedule and the games...” Dallas said. He wasn't looking forward to moving to the city.

“Yea, well you're going to owe me. If you cancel on our annual camping trip...I will hide Natalia from you.” Derek told him with a smirk.

“Really? She'll escape.” Dallas said with a grin. “So what is she going to do for the summer?” He asked.

“Probably read her university textbooks. She probably hasn't even thought of what she's going to do.” Derek snickered. “That seems just like her.” Dallas agreed.

“Was she always like that? Always studying?” Dallas asked, out of curiousity. “You know what...no...the over studying started halfway through the tenth grade...before that she usually hung out with Taylor and the rest of her friends...” Derek said, after thinking about it for a moment.

“Seriously? She used to hang out with her friends?” Dallas asked, in surprise. “Yea...she and Taylor were always tourturing Dawn and Clara...it was funny.” Derek told him. “Interesting...” Dallas thought out loud, it was something he would definitely ask Natalia about it later.

“So what are you going to do for the summer?” Dallas asked changing the subject.

“I'm planning to take her to Europe, actually.” Derek told him, seriously.

“What? So you weren't kidding about hiding her?” Dallas asked, he hadn't been expecting her to go anywhere.

Derek laughed. “It's not definite, Dallas. It's just I want it to be a surprise...a kind of graduation present.” Derek said to Dallas.

Dallas couldn't help but look a little crushed. Derek didn't fail to notice.

“You could always come along.” Derek offered. “You know I can't!” Dallas complained. “Sucks for you!” Derek laughed. “You're enjoying this! You're supposed to be helping me.” Dallas told Derek.

“You should be grateful I haven't kicked your ass for going out with my sister.” Derek told him, he was grinning.

“Yea, only because you wanted me to go out with her rather than have those high school idiots.” Dallas retorted.

“That being said. I have to admit I was looking forward to her killing you after your party.” Derek was grinning.

“Yea well she didn't.” Dallas muttered. “Too bad.” Derek snickered.

“So what are you going to do in Europe?” Dallas asked, changing the subject.

“I'm going to take her sight seeing. Give her a taste of life outside the box...or books...in her case.” Derek told him. They laughed at that.

“You can come if you like.” Derek told him. “We'll see.” Dallas said, unsure of what the move would bring.

Before Dallas could say anything more, they both heard a loud crash on the stairs followed by a final crash at the bottom of the landing.

Both Dallas and Derek rushed to see what had happened. They reached the stairs only to find Natalia on the bottom steps, wincing in pain, rubbing her back with one hand.

“Ow...” She muttered, as she saw them. Derek sighed at the sight of her. “Alright there squirt?” Derek asked.

Natalia glared at him. “Does it look like I'm alright?” She asked irritatedly.

“You look fine to me.” Derek told her. “She's all yours. “ Derek said turning to Dallas. He left them, and headed for the living room snickering.

Dallas reached out for Natalia. He helped her get down the remaining stairs. She carefully stepped down them.

“Jerk...” She muttered, clearly angry with her older brother. Dallas chuckled. He lead her to the living room.

-----

Natalia had barely sat down on the comfortable sofa, her backside was still hurting from the fall, when she heard Derek talk.

“Oh, by the way there's mail for you on the counter.” He told her.

“Did you not think of telling me that before?” She asked him, harshly.

“Well I was going to but then you fell...so I forgot.” Derek told her with a huge grin. “Funny...” She muttered.

Dallas offered to get the mail for her, but Natalia shook her head. She would get it herself.

Idiot brother, She thought to herself. Her back still hurt. She winced as she got up.

Natalia didn't know how she had fallen. She usually tripped a few stairs before grabbing hold of the railing to catch herself. Instead her feet had managed to slip out in front of her. She had crashed down the stairs.

As she reached the kitchen counter, she saw a large envelope with red writing on it.

Natalia's heart started to beat faster. She took the letter in her hand. It was from York University.

Please accept me, Natalia repeated over and over in her head. She didn't think she could handle another rejection.

She turned the letter over and started to open it, slowly and carefully. Butterflies were building up in her stomach. The pain in her back had been forgotten.

All that mattered now was what the peice of paper in her hand said.

She closed her eyes, as she took out the letter. Opening them after a moment.

She read the letter slowly and carefully. All that escaped from her lips was a sharp gasp.

-----

Dallas and Derek looked over to see what was going on. Natalia hadn't said a word.

All they had heard was a gasp. Derek was the first to move.

“What's wrong?” He asked his little sister.

When Dallas didn't hear anything, he got up and joined Derek.

Natalia looked shell shocked as she stared at the paper in her hand.

“What does it say?” Dallas asked.

When no reply came, Derek took the paper from her hand. Dallas scanned the counter top and saw the opened envelope. He reached out to look at it.

It was from York.

“You got in!” Derek shouted. “What! Let me see!” Dallas took the paper from Derek. “You got accepted! I told you that you would!” Dallas said to her.

Derek had grabbed his sister in a tight hug. “You're going to York in the fall!” He told her, ruffling her hair.

Natalia still hadn't said a word.

When Derek let go, both he and Dallas saw tears streaming down her face.

“What's wrong?” The two boys asked in unison.

“I can't belive I got in! I'm actually going to York!” She told them, wiping the tears with her fingers. She covered her face.

Derek laughed. Dallas shook his head in disbelief. She clearly didn't belive in herself as much as they did. He couldn't but feel proud of her.

“Aren't you happy you're going?” Derek asked the question that Dallas had been wondering.

“Yes! I'm going to study biology!” She told them through her hands.

“Then why are you crying?” Dallas asked.

“I never thought I'd get in.” She said. The way Natalia said that, caught Dallas's heart. She sounded so fragile, so genuinely surprised that she had been accepted.

Derek and Dallas exchanged looks before they pulled her into a group hug.

“You did it, squirt! So stop crying.” Derek told her. They held her tightly. “Yea, let's celebrate!” Dallas added.

He heard Natalia's watery chuckle. “I can't breathe guys.” She mumbled. “Good!” They both told her, with laugh.