Step Brother Blues, Short Story

Part One, The Tom Boy

Chapter One

My mom and I live alone. Mom is a nurse. My dad left us years ago. I have become an unruly Tom boy. My mom is too depressed to care. She has never gotten over our father leaving her for the babysitter. He lives on the other side of town with his new family. He sends us a check through the mail to ease his conscience but he does not call or come around. My mom just goes to work, cooks the dinner, pays the bills and sits in front of the tv. While I run the neighborhood getting into mischief with the boys in the neighborhood. We have a cute little house in the country, just big enough for the two of us. It borders the woods behind and the street in front. My uncle built me a treehouse and put up a swing, hanging from the same big tree. I stay outside from sunup to sundown, coming home just long enough to eat my dinner. My mom doesn't know where I go or what I do. As long as I'm home before the eleven o'clock news. We both have long blonde hair and blue green eyes. I got nothing from my dad and I don't want anything. That ship sailed a long time ago. I just wish my mom could get over it and move on. But, hey; more freedom for me to do whatever I please. There's even a river on the other side of the woods with a wooden dock. Me and the boys swim in it, fish in it and we have a raft we built complete with ores, that we put together from scraps of wood. We even made ourselves a Tarzan swing out of hanging vines. We climb the tree and jump out, grab the vines, soar out over the lake and jump in. You know; cool stuff that boys do. I'm just one of the guys. I keep my hair tied up under my baseball cap, and fit right in.

    I was a twelve year old Tom boy. I wanted to do everything the boys in the neighborhood could do, climb trees, play baseball, basketball, football, tennis, swimming in the river, fishing; whatever, I was there, one of the boys, just living the life and having fun.

So when Mike told us his uncle Jason offered to coach us at football, I was excited.
Mike's uncle Jason was a junior who played football for our local high school.
But unfortunately, he refused to let me play. He laughed at me and called me a girl. He refused to be responsible for some little girl getting seriously injured.

I was mad, I was hurt, I was livid!
He told me to go home and play with my dolls.
I'm silently seething with anger.
He keeps pointing at the wooded trail behind me and yelling, "Go home little girl!"
Suddenly, I lost it. I ran over to him, and kicked him in the balls.

He doubled over rolling on the ground.
I'm just standing there in shock. I can't believe I just did that. "I'm sorry!" "Sir, I'm so sorry!"
He rose up on his knees staring at me with intense anger on his face. Michael yells, "Run Katey, run!" So I ran and I ran, trying to follow the path through the woods without slowing down. But in my haste, I became disoriented. "Where am I?" How do I get out of here and find my way home?"
Suddenly I feel two arms around my waste pulling me to the ground. It's Jason! My heart is beating out of my chest as he wrestles me across his knees, pulls down my jeans and panties. He smacks my butt with the flat of his hand, not even caring how much it hurts his hand or me. I am in pain. My butt is on fire and I am totally humiliated. Finally he lets me go and I am crying hysterically. I can't face him because I am so embarrassed. I've kicked so hard my pants have came off of one of my legs. I try to stand up but I trip on my pants and fall back down again across his lap. I want to crawl in a hole and die.

"Get up, pull your pants up and get your ass home!" Jason yells angrily. "Don't let me see your face around here again, do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I say between sobs, but I can't find my way back out?"

"You are nothing but trouble, little girl!" I'll help you back to the path, after that; I'm done with you! I don't wanna see your face around here again, you got that?"

"Yes sir", I mumbled with my head down in shame and embarrassment.

Jason led me to the path, pointed the way and then left me. I found my way back home and spent the rest of the day crying in my tree house until I fell asleep. When I woke up It was dinner time. So I went into my house and ate dinner with my mother. It's just her and me since my dad left us ten years ago.  We don't talk much. She does her thing and I do mine. Or I used to. I don't know what I'm going to do now. I start Junior High soon. Maybe I can make some girl friends for a change. Since the boys will probably never play with me again.