A Far Cry From Innocence.

I looked at Brian, half wondering if I looked as concerned as I felt. I swallowed hard as he avoided looking at me and I tried to summon the courage to ask what I was no longer sure I wanted to know. "Bri... What happened last night?" My voice shook nervously and I wrung my hands.

He tilted his head back against the wall and looked at the ceiling for a minute. He sighed and shook his head and, without looking away from where his focus on the ceiling was, he simply stated, "I told you to leave it alone. I told you to just forget about it. I tried to protect you." He rubbed his hands over his face.

"Hey Hazzard!" Roni peeked her head in with a smile that quickly vanished. "Oh, you don't look so good... Do you wanna step outside and get some fresh air for a minute?" She smiled again and, the way she asked, I had a feeling she wasn't completely asking because she was worried about me.

I looked at my brother, who gave me a look and shrugged, then I rose to my feet. I swayed a little before following the girl out of the bus. I crossed my arms over my chest, not enjoying the men at the truck stop eyeing me in my tanktop and short shorts. The fresh air made me feel a little better, but I really just wanted to curl up in my bunk.

"Want one?" Roni held out a pack of cigarettes as she put one between her lips. She gave a small smile when I took one and gave me her lighter after lighting hers. She took a drag and sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "That was some fun last night."

I nodded, taking a slow drag and leaning back against the bus. I really didn't feel like chit-chatting with her. What in the hell could she want?

She silently stared at me for a couple minutes. "Look. I know you're close with Zacky and everything, but leave him alone." She looked at me, no longer looking like the friendly and shy girl she had been ever since we met her.

I blinked, not understanding what she was talking about but not liking her new attitude. I turned my head slightly as I pushed off of the bus, looking at her, "I don't know what you're talking about, but Zacky and I have been friends forever. You can't just tell me to leave him alone. I was here before you and I'll be here after you, got it?" I took another drag and blew the smoke out.

She glared acidly before stomping over to me and pushing me back into the bus with all her might, causing my already throbbing head to bounce off it and my cigarette drop to the ground. Pinning me, she continued to glare. "That shit you pulled last night wasn't cool. The fact that The Rev dared you wasn't okay, but the fact you went through with it is not acceptable. Zacky is mine!"

I just stared at her like a deer stares at an oncoming car. Could this really be happening? Was Roni just acting like an innocent, adorable little girl when she was really some psychotic bitch? I tried to find my voice to yell at her, but it was only able to struggle against her and push her off.

She grabbed my hair and slammed me back into the bus, "No, no, no! You're not going anywhere until you swear that you'll leave Zacky alone. I don't care what you guys had before I became a part of his life, but now I'm here and I like him and he likes me and you're nothing but old news."

"Fuck off, you crazy bitch," I managed to get out, sounding too high pitched and more panicked than I wanted. Normally I could hold me own, but I had never been taken by surprise like this. I didn't know what Roni was capable of, and that scared me.

Her face was suddenly centimeters from mine and her cold glare was burning holes in my face. "Swear it you'll leave him alone! Swear you'll never do what you did last night again!"

I struggled to get her away but she only pushed me harder against the bus, not letting me go until she got what she wanted. I was so panicked, I felt my heart pounding, the blood thundering in my ears. "Okay, I swear," I rasped as my breathing quickened.

Seeming content with my response, she backed off and took the last drag from her cigarette. She smiled, seeming much more sinister now than she had ever before, and her normal attitude was back in the blink of an eye. "It was good talking to you, Hazzard! I hope you feel better." She ruffled my hair, dropped her cigarette, and climbed back into the bus.

As soon as she was gone, I collapsed on the ground and tried to catch my breath. The tight, overwhelming feeling as my heart raced was something I hadn't felt in years. I put my hand on my chest and curled into a ball, hoping the panic attack would pass quickly.

"Avigaiel," I heard my brother shout before I heard his footfall on the pavement toward me. He lift me up to looked at me, eyes wide with worry. "Avi, what the fuck happened? Are you okay?" He pulled me into a tight hug, petting my hair to help me calm down. He rocked me back and forth, telling me to breathing and helping me gain my composure. When my breathing was almost back to normal and I no longer clung to him like my life depended on it, he looked at me with worry written on his face. "Avigaiel, please just tell me what happened? You haven't had a panic attack in years..."

I looked at him, wiping the the tears from my face. Before I could answer him, I had to know... "What happened last night?"