The Football Cleanse

Fumble

  chapter one

   The thin rim of the glass of water curled around my fingers made the cup seem even more fragile, which ironically was how the situation, right now, with my brother felt.

   The air was tight as Dean placed the cigarette precisely in between his pale red lips before taking a drag while keeping his stare on me, obviously irritated. My fingernails tapped against the lightweight glass, glancing down at my shaved legs with satisfaction as they hung from the side of the black marble island.

   My father's muscular build leaned against the kitchen's entrance as he shifted his eyes from my brother to me. Dean and him could be twins in appearance, minus the fact that Dean had long chocolate brown hair and stood taller than my father's muscular build and his noble buzzcut. However, in personality - they were polar opposites.

   "Dean," my father's voice deepened, "c'mon, take your little sister, wherever she wants to go." I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out. I was only two years younger than Dean, but I let my father hold onto the hope that I wasn't growing up.

   By the look on Dean's face, I could tell he was against the idea of dropping me off at today's football game and having to come back an hour and a half later - not because he was worried about my well being though, that would be the exact opposite actually.

   "She's not my sister," Dean puffed the smoke directly upward, "I just met her last week."

   "Dean!" My father raised his voice, "what's your problem today son?" His military talk continued to escalate.

   My brother wasn't wrong, I flew in last Saturday from Florida with one bag and my cellphone, I was in a hurry to get out of the hellhole, my mother and I called home. I could tell Dean wasn't jumping with joy with my sudden decision to move in, I would be pissed off too.

   Dean had a lot of things to be pissed about.

   He and dad continued to bicker about who does the most work around the house and why Dean should be allowed to do whatever he wanted because he was 19, but then dad busted out the old 'my house my rules' lecture and Dean sighed in defeat.

   Hesitantly, I chugged back the water totally forgetting it wasn't vodka before putting on the best comfort smile. "It's okay," I paused hopping off the countertop, wiping the invisible residue off my khaki-colored jeans, "I can probably call Emma or something."

   There was no Emma. I had a whooping total of zero friends at Orion Prep, not a single one - had to be some sort of record breaking score. Although, only about 450 students attend Orion this year and most of them were filthy rich cowards which wasn't an excuse - there had to be at least one nice person.

   Dean let out a heavy sigh before rubbing his cig out onto the ashtray. Dad watched as he purposely snatched his car keys from the kitchen's table muttering things to my father under his breath.

   I continued to pretend I didn't know what was going on as I poured a little more water into my small glass.

   He brushed past dad without a word and before I could say anything, dad planted a kiss on my forehead.

   "You coming or not?" He called out from the door. I gulped down the water in two seconds before flashing a half-smile to my father and grabbing my camera from the counter, dashing towards the door before he could change his mind.

   I tried my hardest to keep the half-smile off my face, but it was a failed attempt.

   Some part of me hoped he was warming up to me and my efforts of being a good sister. We walked around to Dean's mustard-colored pickup truck without acknowledge of one another, he didn't' glance my way once.