Page 22

“Sarah, brake. Brake. brAKE!”

I slam on the brakes, sending Colson’s entire body into the back of Xander’s seat.

“Sorry!” I wince when he groans in pain.

“Jesus Christ, Sarah,” Xander says, pressing against the bridge of his nose.

“Well, I can confirm that your life does in fact flash before your eyes,” Tommy mutters, and I whip around to glare at him.

“I didn’t even know my asshole could clench that tight,” Ronny says.

“Bunch of babies,” I mumble in annoyance. Settling back in my seat, I grip the steering wheel and wait for the light to turn green.

I’ve been working to get my driving hours to get my license. Unfortunately for me, my brothers always pile in the car instead of just letting me and Xander go alone.

They’re annoying as hell, and it pisses me off.

The light turns green, and I move my foot from the brake pedal and accelerate. Colson’s body slams back, Ronny and Tommy scream like they’re being murdered, and Xander grips the ‘oh, shit!’ handle.

We’re flying down the road. I smile widely at the adrenaline that begins rising in my body.

“Slow down,” Xander says, and I reluctantly ease off the gas.

I swear time slows with the speedometer.

“Slower,” he orders, and I huff before doing as he says.

“Xander, I’m driving below the speed limit,” I complain, watching as an old lady coasts by in her Oldsmobile.

“Eyes on the road! I’d like to live to see my future kids!”

My brothers erupt like hyenas at Tommy’s panicked voice. I roll my eyes then focus on the road ahead.

Twenty minutes later, we’re pulling into our cracked concrete driveway. Tommy and Colson all but catapult out of the car and begin kissing the ground.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” I seethe, rounding the hood of the car.

Ronny and Xander chuckle at their ridiculousness.

“You drive like you want to be in Tokyo Drift or something.” Ronny hooks his arm over my shoulders and pulls me into his frame, planting a wet kiss on my cheek.

“Ugh!” I push him away and swipe at the saliva on my skin. “I don’t like driving slow,” I defend.

“Yeah, well, you can’t drive like that if you want your license,” Xander states, walking toward the front door.

My brothers and I follow him inside and make our way to the kitchen.

“What are we thinking for dinner?” Xander opens the refrigerator and freezes. I watch as his jaw ticks, sadness and frustration flash across his face.

The room falls silent as we wait for Xander to say something. Anything.

He releases a deep breath, flexing his fingers on the handle.

“I’ve got some cash for pizza,” Tommy says, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He hands the money to Colson, then nods toward the ancient house phone on the counter.

The refrigerator door closes with a slam and Xander turns to face us. Stress mars his face, and he studies each of us.

Silently, we watch as he leaves the kitchen and walks up the stairs.

“Pizza will be here in about 45 minutes,” Colson announces, breaking the tension surrounding us.

Spinning on my heels, I stride up the stairs and into my room. The weight of Xander’s stress presses against my chest and I rub at the spot. I pull my dated cell phone from my back pocket and begin typing out a text.

I’m going to help my brothers in whatever way that I can. Even if I know they’ll likely kill me if they find out what I’m about to get myself involved in.

After pressing send, I fall back onto my mattress with a huff.

I mindlessly study the ceiling of my bedroom.

In my heart, I know my idea is bad and I know I shouldn’t get wrapped up with this sketchy group… But what other options do I have?

Xander has aged since he’s taken on the role of our guardian and it’s breaking my heart.

He shouldn’t have to worry about taking care of us. He shouldn’t have to be burdened with making sure his siblings are fed and the bills are paid.

He should have been able to go off to college and make something of himself away from this shitty small town.

My phone vibrates with an incoming call.

I lift my head to check that my door is shut before answering.

“Hello?” I answer in a low voice.

“You sure about this?”

I wince that the sound of Damien’s voice on the other line.

You see, Damien is a senior at my school, and he participates in questionable activities. Nothing like what my brothers and I do.

It’s no secret that he sells drugs, which is why I need to be careful with who knows about my involvement with him.

“Can we meet somewhere and talk about this in person? My brothers are home.”

My heart pounds faster and faster each time my eyes flick toward my door.

“If you’re sure about this, meet me at the park on 5 th at midnight.”

With that, the line goes dead.

My limbs tingle with the rising anxiety in my blood.

This is such a bad idea, but if I can help my family, I don’t have much of a choice.

I continue to stare aimlessly at the ceiling when a loud pound on my door makes me jump.

“Pizza’s here!” Ronny shouts from the other side.

“Coming!” I reply, hauling myself up and striding toward the door.

Dinner is obnoxiously loud, as usual.

My brothers don’t know the meaning of ‘inside voices’.

“I gotta work tomorrow night; can I take the car?” Tommy asks Xander, who nods with a mouth full of pepperoni pizza.

“Drop me off at Sam’s on your way,” Colson says, gulping down his glass of water.

I roll my eyes and push back from the table, the legs of the chair scrape against the linoleum.

Sam is Colson’s girlfriend and an absolute bitch with a capital B. He stopped bringing her around after I threw a mug at her for talking shit about my mom.

It’s not like what she was saying wasn’t true.

Mom did choose to leave us without even having the decency to make sure we were going to be okay.

She wasn’t exactly a good mom. But she was ours and no one has the right to talk shit about her.

“I’m going to bed,” I announce, rinsing off my plate.

My brothers continue to converse amongst themselves as I make my way up the steps and into my room.

I spend the next several hours catching up on homework while I wait for the time to come for me to leave.

* * *

When the house finally stays quiet long enough to confirm my brothers are either sleeping or won’t leave their rooms, I make my move.

I pile my pillow to look like my body and cover them with my blankets.

Satisfied with my makeshift body, I silently walk to my window and lift the latch.

I wince when it squeaks about halfway open. When there isn’t any movement in the house, I continue to slowly lift the panel until it’s open wide.

The night air is warm for this time of year, but I still opt to take a sweater with me. I wrap it around my waist and begin climbing out.

The descent from the roof is easy. It’s getting across the lawn without Colson spotting me from his window that’s the real challenge.

My palms are sweaty, and my breath comes out ragged. I swear I stop every five seconds to make sure I’m in the clear.

It feels like an eternity before I make it far enough to breathe without the fear of being caught.

With a final glance at the house, I walk down the street and toward my bad decision of the night.

* * *

“Yo, isn’t she Tommy’s kid-sister?” the lanky fuckwad asks, as if I’m not standing right here.

“Worry about yourself Devin,” Damien growls.

“Tommy is going to beat your ass when he finds out about this.”

“He’s not going to find out shit as long as you keep your trap shut,” I snap.

Devin glares at me. “Listen, little girl, you’re a sure ticket to a trip to the hospital and I don’t want any beef with your brothers.”

Damien steps between us.

“Enough. Sarah, if this is going to be a problem, you can leave.”

I gape at him. “Me?! I’m not the one being a baby about my brothers finding out.”

Damien turns to face me fully and tips his head to the side. “Why do you want to do this anyway?”

Squaring my shoulders, I hold my head high. “I have my reasons. Now, are we going to do this, or what?”

Damien sighs and rubs a hand along the back of his neck.

“You can’t be seriously considering this?”

Damien holds up a hand to stop Devin’s ranting. “Give me a sec, okay?”

Devin throws his arms in the air and an annoyed scoff falls from his lips before he storms toward Damien’s truck.

“I can do this.” My voice remains strong, and I keep my eyes trained on his.

Wordlessly, he studies me. His lips are pursed, eyes slightly narrowed.

After a tense moment, he nods.

“Don’t fuck this up,” he warns, then strides toward the parking lot.

I blow out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding, and my shoulders relax.

Congratulations Sarah. You’re about to become a drug dealer.