The Secrets of the Fern Sisters

Chapter One

{Chapter One}

[Kamri]

~~~

Walking home in the rain is bad to some, terrible to others, but to me... it's heaven. Just me and the steady beat of the water droplets. I originally came to school to walk my sister home from soccer practice, only to find out she was going to Ryleigh's house anyway. So here I am walking in the rain alone with my hands in my pockets and my hood over my head. Mom asked me to come, Dad had the car so I had to walk the 7 blocks for nothing. Sometimes I wish Everleigh would say before she did something.

My phone buzzes, it's Everleigh. Better late than never I guess.

Everleigh| 7:15pm: Going to Ryleigh's for the night, see ya at school tomorrow!

I reply with a simple 'K' and return my phone back to it's spot in my pocket. I finally get back to my house, the rain let up a bit so it was only sprinkling. 

"How was practice, Everleigh?" Mom calls from the kitchen. 

"She went with Ryleigh, just me tonight..." I reply back. I hear her mumble something before I wander my way upstairs. I enter my room, now just by looking at it you would think it was a boy's room. Wood baseball bats decorate the walls, photos of famous players hang around my bed. The walls are a darkish red color, the occasional paint chips showing the pastel pink it used to be when I was younger. It took days of begging to get my room repainted. 

You must be thinking, she said baseball, but girls play softball. The truth is, I hate softball but love baseball. What the hell, Kamri? It's the same thing! That's what everyone says but its not. Softball is less gritty, well, the girls that play it are, they're all there for friends and whatever. I'm there to win. The boys respect that. They used to make fun of me but they changed their tune when I kicked all their asses during a scrimmage. Telling you that you probably think I'm at least a little popular. I'm not. I'm known of, respected, and feared. Not popular. They all think the Ferns are the golden family from what Everleigh tells them, but she wasn't there during the 'Dark Years' as I like to call them, in my head of course. I was left to fend for myself at the age of eight. They both went to rehab, don't get me wrong, my parents are fine now but I just can't trust that they won't go back to that. 

Thinking about that time makes me angry. I hate that Everleigh has had the perfect life. We don't talk about the Dark Years ever so it's not like Everleigh knows. They shield her from everything, she gets the fucking protection that I didn't get. Everleigh was planned. I was the result of an old condom. She's the golden child. It only takes a moment for me to realize that I have my fist through my wall. Happens a lot. I find a picture of a baseball player that wasn't already covering a hole to hang over the new hole in my wall. My mother walks in a moment later.

"Did you break something again? It better not be expensive." She scolds. I roll my eyes.

"No." I say simply. She scans me for lies. The front door opens and my mom shuts my door and heads down to greet my dad. I'm pretty sure she blames me for everything bad about her life. I grab my baseball glove and my new bat. As I walk by my parents they side-eye me, I walk out without a single word. I walk down the street about 10 blocks until I got to the baseball field. The large stadium light illuminated the field enough for me to see what I was doing. Over next to the dug out is about 50 used baseballs in a metal basket. Without a second thought I grab the basket and replace the empty spot by the dug out with my glove. Taking my bat with me, I walk to the home-plate.

I grab a ball, throw it up, and hit once it come back down to my rib-level. crack. Out of the park, perfect hit. Again and again I repeat this. Throw, Wait, Hit... One, Two, Three... Throw, Wait, Hit... Repeat that about 10 more times, the basket is about half empty. I jog over to my glove and switch out my bat for my glove. Jogging back over, I grab the balls and continue towards the pitchers mound. I line myself up, place two fingers spread out on the seams of the ball in my hand. I bring it up to my glove, slightly touching my chin. I lift my left leg up until it was at a ninety-degree angle and pull my right arm back before extending it out in front of my in a fluent forward motion. The ball flies at the tall fence behind the home-plate. Next ball I grab I dig my chewed nails into, extending my knuckles upward, doing the same charge up I thrust my right hand forward, releasing the ball. It flies in a zig-zag movement, a slower spin on it. I start to hear slow clapping coming from the bleachers.

I turn to see the captain of the baseball team, aka, my sisters boyfriend leaning against the fence.

"What do you want, Schumer." I grit out. This guy, I swear I would kill him if he didn't make my sister so happy. He's tried to get me kicked off the team because he's a sexist pig.

"Woah, Woah, sunshine, I'm just applauding my star player." The sarcasm is very prominent in his voice.

"Yeah well, the shows over, I'm going home, the field's yours," I grunt as I make my way to my glove. He makes his way onto the field before I leave. He cuts me off at the exit.

"What if it's not the field I want..." He ruggedly whispers.

"Everleigh's not here either..." I state, trying to walk around him. He grabs my arm.

"I don't want Everleigh..." He licks his lips. Okay... This is a little weird...

"Then what do you want?" I furrow my brow, and take a cautious step back even though I couldn't go much further due to his hand on my fore-arm. He pulls me a little closer.

"You." He leans in quickly and suffocates me with his saliva covered lips. I hear a faint gasp from far away as I swiftly knee him in the dick. I turn towards the gasp to see Everleigh and Ryleigh across from us.

"Kam what was that for? You force me to kiss you then you kick me?!" Freddie gasps from the ground.

"You lying son of bitch!" I yell. Everleigh starts to sob, she turns to run away.

"Everleigh! I didn't do it! Eve!" Ryleigh simply shakes her head at me and jogs off after Eve. Once they're both out of ear-shot Freddie chuckles.

"That... was all you, good luck at school tomorrow... Fern." He slowly got up and hobbled away. I grip my bat harder.

"Son of a bitch!" I yell at the sky. I chuck my things at the fence and fall to my knees, gripping my hair tightly. I may be jealous that my sister had the perfect version of my parents... but that doesn't mean I don't love her. She doesn't deserve this... 

The rain starts to pound on my back as I wrap my arms around myself and curl up on the ground. I lay there for a while, debating whether I should go home or not. It'd probably be best not to. 

I slowly drift off to sleep even though I could hear the sound of feet squishing on the grass, coming towards me. I couldn't help but let the darkness wrap around me and push me far enough into my thoughts where I don't have a care in the world.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day...