Troublemakers

2.0

I was eight at the time, so Carson was nine and Brice was ten. The memory that Carson and I shared that day was when April's husband had come to visit her at the beach house. He, Jared Johnes, never really visited the beach house much because it was mainly for the kids and the moms. Anyway, he was always so packed with work that he never had the time to stay at the house the whole summer.

One day he came to the house, and he was in a bad mood. Not that he was ever really in a good mood, but today was just bad. He came into the house and slammed the door behind him and dropped his briefcase onto the floor with a thud.

"Kids," my mother started. "Why don't you all head upstairs."

None of us argued as we ran up the stairs and sat at the top of the stairs, shoulder to shoulder, listening to what was going to happen.

Brice and Carson were not the kind of kids who ran up to their dad and hug him whenever they saw him. In fact, I was almost pretty sure that they both hated their dad. Carson hated him more, which had always shocked me because he was the one who wanted to get along with everyone.

"You need to see them more," April scolded Jared, and I could see her jabbing her finger into his chest.

"Work-" Jared had started, but did not get another word out before my mother spoke up.

"Your family should come before work," she had said, using her authoritative voice. Every time she would use that voice, it would scare the crap out of me.

"I work so I can support my family," he responded, through clenched teeth. He was going to explode any second, and the tension in the air was so thick we could have choked.

"He does not 'support' us," Brice scoffed, repositioning himself against the banister of the stairs. Carson and I had both given each other a look, knowing that we had no clue what that had meant. We were so young then that some of the stuff was beyond our little minds.

"You support us when you are going out and buying drinks for Madison?" I heard April ask.

I heard someone take in a sharp breath, and at first I thought it was Mr. Johnes, but when I looked behind us, I saw that it was Brice. 

Quickly he stood up, "You all get in your room."

"You can not tell us what to do," I whispered, making sure that we did not get caught for snooping. Little rebellious me, more annoying now that I think about it.

"This is the one time you need to listen to me," he responded, helping us up and pushing us into Carson's room. "Do not come out until I say."

And with that he closed the door, leaving Carson and I in his room confused.

"Has it ever been this bad?" I asked him, sitting down on the teal carpet. He was the lucky one, getting the ocean themed room. The fluffy carpet was supposed to be the ocean and the walls were painted the same color as sand. I would sneak in here sometimes, just to lay on the carpet and breathe in the scent on the ocean water that had soaked into it throughout the years.

"Sometimes," he replied shrugging his shoulders. He was sad, and I hated to see him sad, and I could tell he did not want to talk about it anymore. He held up his fingers, which were crossed. "Brice told me that whenever something bad might happen I should cross my fingers and hope for something good to happen."

I held up my fingers and crossed them. "Then let's hope."

He gave me a grin in response, and everything seemed to be okay.

"A mint chocolate chip, please," I told the lady behind the counter. She handed me a little plastic container full of the dippin' dots.

Carson had started to eat his cotton candy flavored one, and Brice had decided not to get one. He had paid for both of ours and we sat outside on one of the metal chairs, which were hot from the sun hitting on it all day long.

Brice told us he was going to get something from his car, and a minute later he came back with a brown bottle in his hand.

"Is that beer?" I asked shocked, because he was underage and there was no way that he would drink. He was that older role model that took care of you and never did anything wrong.

He took a seat across from me, and nodded his head, raising his eyebrows at me. Lifting the glass to his lips, he took a long sip from it. I wrinkled my nose up at him for doing such a disgusting thing. How much could he have changed in a year?

I looked over at Carson and he was just staring down the his plastic cup, not saying anything. 

"You act like I am commiting some major crime," Brice says, letting out a deep laugh. I felt a bubble rise up in my stomach at that deep laugh.

"Well you are underage drinking," I reply in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Say it louder why don't you?" he shushes me.

"You are the one who put yourself in that situation," Carson finally spoke up from next to him.

"I do not need to hear it from you again," Brice scoffed standing up and walking towards the parking lot, with beer in hand. "I will be in the car."

Carson and I both sat in silence, which was so awkward. Was the whole summer really going to be like this, everyone acting all weird and different?

"Why...How..." I stumbled on my words, trying to think of what had happened to Brice.

"He has been drinking for months," Carson replies, putting his face into his hands. "I had been trying to get him to stop."

"He does not smoke does he?" I asked, hoping and praying that the answer would be 'no'.

"No," Carson replies, shaking his head. "Jared smoked, he would not do that."

Carson and Brice were the only people who I knew that called their dad by his first name. Mr. Johnes had never really called either of the boys by their names. All I ever heard him call them was 'son.'

"Son, pass the green beans over here," he would say, or, "Calm down son."

"He drank also," I pointed out to him. "Why does he do it then?"

"I do not know," Carson replies, leaning back in his chair. He lets out a frustrated sigh, making the front of his hair flutter in the air and then drop back down. "I have been trying to get something out of him, but he just keeps putting up his cocky attitude."

"Even after all of the years that I have known him," I start, shaking my head. "I have never been able to get through his brick wall."

Although, there was time, that only Brice and I knew about. The one moment where I penetrated his tough brick wall.