I hugged Heidi close to my heart. She’s my seventeen-year-old sister. I kissed her cheek and messed up her perfect blond hair. She was the Barbie doll of my family. Not be. I kissed my dad and mom. They smiled, their eyes twinkling, hoping to meet Nelson.
“I’m not engaged anymore. I broke it off because he was the one keeping me from you.” I watched their hearts break. “Heidi, where’s your boyfriend?”
“Dan…oh well...you see…” She looked down and blushed. “Mom and Dad said he had to stay in the house. They know how you are.” I smiled at her and walked into the house and grabbed my five-year-old niece, who was in the custody of my parents for a while. Dan had short brown hair with big blue eyes. He was a football player, obvious by the way he played catch with Jack, my fourteen-year-old brother.
“Hey, Jack. Can I have a hug?” His head turned and his eyes welled up. Mine did.
“Adrian!” He ran toward me, letting the ball fall. He jumped at me and I turned to the side so he wouldn’t hit Vanessa. I hugged him tight and cried. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too. Now get down so I can see Dan.” I looked him up and down. I was the oldest in the family, so this was my job. Big mean older sister. I stuck my hand out and Dan shook it.
“Hello, Adrian. I heard a lot about you. Heidi missed you a lot while you were down South. She’d cry sometimes, you know. I was there for her, her shoulder to cry on. I’ll always be there for here. I’ve skipped football for her too.” I smiled. Nervous rambling always made me happy.
I grabbed a yellow toddler cup and handed it Vanessa. “Well, don’t miss too much or we’ll be having songs in real life episode.” I laughed, thinking of Carrie Underwood’s All-American Girl. I titled my head. “I approve, Dan. No need to be nervous.” I hugged Vanessa, surprised she didn’t scream and walked to my room. I flopped down on my bed and just laid there.
My parents had left my room the way I liked it, though they had taken the blankets and boxed them up. I didn’t mind. At least they were clean. I grabbed the pillow laying there and held it over my face and started to cry. I lost Lucas, then Nelson. I loved them both and after two days it struck me. I rolled over and screamed into the pillow. I kicked of the tennis shoes and walked to the shower. I needed a cool down.
I cranked the hot water and slid in. I stood there as the spray turned my body red. I looked up into the heat, letting it wash away the tears as they came. After killing Lucas, my life took a turn for the worse. Somehow, he held more of me than I realized.
Someone knocked on the door. "It’s Mom.”
“Come in.” I flipped the water off and wrapped a towel around me before I stepped out of the shower. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a place to live. Just give me two weeks.”
“Actually, your dad built you a little house a few yards from the end of the tool shed. Get dressed and I’ll show.” I nodded and walked to my room. I changed and walked down stairs. Dan and the others were gone. Mom showed me out the door and we walked together. Her hair was black and her eyes were green like mine. We were the same height and build. We could be sisters, only you could see the age lines on her face. Mom was beautiful though. She was the best thing to happen to Dad and to Vanessa, whose mom is prison for who knows what.
We reached the house and Mom put a tiny brass key in my hand. The chain had been put through a hole at the top. I held the key tightly before we walked up the door. It was shinny and dark brown. You could see the rings from the tree it was taken from. The house was made of brick and stone. There was a three-step porch and a chimney. I loved it.
I put the key in the lock and turned it. The tumbler clicked and I pushed the door open.
