Struck

Four

Luke:

"Mom, please!" I dragged out the "e" as I collapsed on the living room couch.

"Luke, I'm working tonight. And your father drove to Mississippi yesterday. Can't you ask your friends to take you? Or walk for God's sake? The Reservoir is just outside of our neighborhood?" she tied her barista apron behind her back. I really hated when she worked night shifts. I sighed into a couch cushion dramatically.

"Mother! You are the reason for my constant state of anguish!" I put the back of my hand against my forehead and sunk deeper into the couch.

"Wow, you should write poetry," I rolled my eyes at her. "I have to get to work. Maybe ask Lena to take you?" Mom adjusted her apron over her head and pushed up her glasses.

"She doesn't want to." I turned over to face her.

"Then walk." she flashed me a smile and ruffled my hair on her way out the door. I shifted back to laying position and tapped my foot to an unheard melody. It was hard enough to convince myself to leave the house in the first place, but my lack of a ride was increasingly discouraging. As much as I'd have liked to stay home and pass out, I needed to keep up appearances to keep Ethan and Tommy off of my back, even though the thought of having to put forth the effort to put a smile on my face made me sick to my stomach. I ran a hand through my hair and leaned past the couch to see my mom's car pulling out of the driveway. I jumped to my feet and strided to my room, hitting the switch for the fan on the wall. I crouched in front of my trash can, feeling kinda gross as I groped around my garbage.

I pulled out my discarded packet of Marlboros from the day before, lighting them with a lighter pulled from my desk drawer. I put it in my mouth as I undid the latches of my window and let a humid breeze in, airing my room of any trace of cigarette that could have me disemboweled by my mother. I sat myself on the window's edge and flicked the burnt embers into my backyard. I took a drag, and almost choked when I heard the front door unlock. Obviously not thinking clearly, I put out the cigarette with my fingertips.

"Son of a shit," I grimaced at both the pain and my poor attempt at vulgar teenage rage. I flicked the cigarette out through the window and shook my burnt hand in pain as I slid the windowpane down and jogged out of the room. Looking down over the barrier of the staircase, I saw Katie drop her backpack to the ground and look up at me.

"Did you think I was mom?"

"Uh, yeah," I ran my injured hand through my hair.

"Maybe if you'd stop smoking, you'd stop being so paranoid all the time." she rolled her eyes and walked over to the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to your friend's house after school?" I made my way down the stairs.

"Kayla got grounded," Katie put a strudel pastry into the toaster.

"For what?" I leaned against the wall.

"For sneaking out." she turned to me.

"Sucks," I said half-heartedly.

"She's still coming to my Halloween party, so it's whatever."

"Wait, what?" I gave her my full attention.

"Mom didn't tell you?" she raised her eyebrow.

"You're throwing a party? Seriously? Aren't you a little old to throw Halloween parties?"

"Says the seventeen-year-old that spent fifty dollars on a pirate costume two months ago," she smirked at me.

"They were out of sexy nurse costumes in my size. What else was I going to do?" I countered. Truth be told, it was an exquisitely crafted costume, and I was an exquisitely impulsive shopper.