♦ Psych Exam ♦
Added 2024-10-21 17:43:56 +0000 UTCLong time no Bella! Some of the older followers might remember her, but she's Rick's super sweet half sister from their mother's side <3 We learn how they met in the first book of the Kostrov Traces, while it isn't the most pleasant experience and for either of them, and their meeting completely changes how both of them felt about Donna (their mom), it sparked a lifelong bond neither of them could have imagined a life without <3
Rick had spent his college years (though with a bit of a delay due to his life circumstances) working on getting a psychology degree with a focus on criminal justice and forensics, so when he met Bella years down the line, who was studying developmental psychology, it was an instant nerdy click between them haha, they would have been besties even if they weren't related by blood.
That's not to say Bella wasn't heavily involved in Rick's horrendous parts of life. In fact, she was there when Loretta died and him and Maggie ended up all alone, before FJ was ever in the picture. She had seen what Rick was next to Loretta and what he had slowly morphed into as years went by, and no matter how much he loved his family later on, no matter how bonded he was to FJ... Bella always knew a part of Rick never recovered after Lorrie's death.
It was something that always kept her on alert with Rick, as she was also the one to witness a lot of his mental hurdles over the years, and to the entire Kostrov family, she was the lifeline they often reached to whenever they felt like they couldn't swim out of their struggles alone <3
