July 7th, 2004
“Nate!” I yelled towards her. She had her headphones on, her walkman ™ obviously blasting. She was singing along quietly as she wrote in her notebook under our tree. I ran up to her, grasping a piece of paper in my hand. I jumped in front of her.
“Natalie guess what!” I held up the paper and passed it to her.
“You got in? I can’t believe it!” She smiled largely at me. “Wow, my girlfriend Mercy the famous playwright!” She giggled a bit. She sat up and hugged me.
“Aw, c’mon! I’m not even through the second round yet.” I said pessimistically. “And Its Just the City’s young Writers play contest.”
“So? I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll win. You’re amazing.” She smiled reassuringly, “I Know! I should take you out as a celebration!”
“Oh! No, you don’t have to… I’m not really in the mood to go to one of your crazy vegan dives.” I Laughed. She was so into that kind of thing.
“It’s not Like I Have to go to somewhere like that. Hell, we could go to McDonalds for all I care. Anywhere you like.” She said.
My phone rang, it was my mom. Natalie smiled her victory smile, her most irresistible smile. I loved it.
“Okay, fine. I’ll call you later, okay?” I sighed as I got up from the grass.
“Okay! I love you!!” She called after me as I ran off to my house.
“Love you too!!!”
Walking into the door of my house was like entering the battle of the Somme. My parents were fighting, I went up to my little brother’s room, just to see if he was okay. He was in the corner, grasping his teddy bear.
“Hey… Don’t worry about them, Jamie…” I walked over to him and wrapped my arm around his tiny body.
“Daddy shot his gun at my door.” I feel bad for my brother, He’s only 5 years old, and he has to put up with all this. And my dad, he should be put away. He’s been abusing my mom and I since as long as I can remember.
“Well, don’t worry about that… Hey, let’s say you and me go get some ice cream, get out of here for a little while?”
“Okay…” I took his hand and we left our little war.
I really like spending time with my little brother, I feel like I should just take him away as my own son. But then again, I’m only 16 and have very little ability to raise a kid.
“I’ll have a double Scoop Turtle, please.” I Told the Oily, teenage boy behind the counter, “And he’ll have a Kids size Bubblegum”
We went to sit outside on their patio. My brother told me more about what happened and how my dad had threatened to throw him out the third floor window, and then himself, head first. As soon as I was alone I Would call the police.
“Hi, Um, I Was wondering if I could take you out to some coffee after my shift ends…” The acne-full Ice Cream jockey asked.
“Actually, I-” I grabbed my chest, my heart hit again. I heard my little brother scream As I Hit the ground. I felt someone take my cell phone out of my back pocket.
