Summer of Raine

Chapter Three

“Raine,” I hear a voice, and then a soft nudge at my knee. “Wake up.”

            “What,” I snapped annoyed, “five more minutes…”

            “Fine, I’ll just leave you out here to rot then,” My ten-year-old brother tells me snottily.

            “Wait!” I exclaim waking up immediately, I did not want to get stuck out here.

            “Yeah, I thought so,” he says. The front door is already opened.

            “What time is it?” I ask Rico, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and yawning.

            “About four-thirty,” he answers, and I could hear the boredom and annoyance seep into his voice.

            “Crap, I was sleeping for almost an hour! Why didn’t you wake me up when you got home!? What if someone tried to rape me?” I say spazzing out, and he just rolls his eyes, I knew that look he thought I was a freak.

            “Relax,” Rico said annoyed, “You’re fine, and besides it’s your fault for forgetting your house key, again.” He says crossing his arms across his tiny ten year old chest. 

            “Now, will you please go inside and get lost?” Rico demanded. “Alec is going to pick me up, remember? I’m spending the weekend at his place, and no offence Raine,” he says my name with acid, “but I’d prefer it if you didn’t embarrass me.”

            “How do I embarrass you?” I asked it’s not like I was offended, more like amused and interested.

            “By hovering,” he answered me seriously, I could hear the attempt at cruelty in his voice, like he was trying to hurt me, lash out, cause me the same pain he was feeling by not having a mother who actually cared enough to show up to important school events, or who was around during the holidays or even give him a birthday gift instead of have her secretary send him the same lame gift every year.

 “I’m not a baby anymore, and you’re not my mother.” He said, but I wasn’t hurt; I understood what he meant, what he was going through.

            “Fine, fine,” I said waving my hand in dismissal, but he looked taken a back, and confused as to why I didn’t blow up in his face and defend myself. I knew what he was fishing for: sympathy.

            I left him there gaping, and I walked up the stairs and into my room, closing the door softly behind me, I knew Richelle and I couldn’t take the place of his parents and I knew he was hurting because of it.

            When I was ten, and Richelle was fourteen—and still acted like she cared, she’d showed up to all my school events and was home during my birthday, but unfortunately two years later she stopped caring. I think it was easier for her, but even today I’m grateful that she tried for so long.  

            About half an hour later, I heard a knock at the door, and the high pitched voice of Alec. And I also heard the door slam when Rico left. I started getting ready for the party.

Four hours later, Brenna honked her truck’s horn outside of my house. I was wearing a pair of black short-shorts, and a low cut tight black belly-shirt that fitted perfectly around my thin frame, and my favorite pair of boots. They were four inch heels and they stopped at my knee, so I guess you could call them hooker boots if you wanted too.

            I had washed my hair and blow dried it, leaving it down to softly frame my face. I wore also black eyeliner and mascara to make my eyelashes look longer.