12 Years Young

Chapter 1

"JOANNE GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Yelled my father at 7 in the morning.
My brother Chris looked at me with wide eyes. We big knew what was happening. Last night my brother and I had broken one of the windows. He's only one year older than me. He's 13 and I just turned 12 two months ago.

"JOANNE!" He yelled again. I could hear him stomping down the hallway.

I threw off my covers and got to my feet. I slept in a T-shirt that went down to about my thighs. Chris stood up quickly and was at my side when out door swung open.

"IT WAS THE TWO OF YOU!" He bellowed glaring at us.

This happened all the time. I exhaled in relief that he didn't have a belt or empty bottle.

He grabbed my arm and punched me across the cheek. Then he shoved me to the ground. He did the same to Chris but he kicked him while he was on the ground.

"Stupid little shits." He yelled after spitting on each of us.

He walked out slamming the door behind him. Chris and I laid on the blood breathing in the dirty floor.

"Come on Jo." Chris said getting to his feet groggily. He already had a black eye forming. Chris usually slept in just his underwear. I could see a bruise where he had gotten kicked as well.

I climbed to my feet. He smiled at me and looked at my cheek.  This was basically our morning ritual.

"Nice shiner." He said with a chuckle.

"You should see your eye!" I said grinning. Sometimes it was easier to joke around about it. He nudged me with his elbow and grabbed a shirt from the edge of his bed.

I pulled on a pair of old, frayed shorts. I stood in the closet as I always did to change my shirt. I pulled on a grey tank top and slid on a red and black flannel over top.

I walked out to see Chris tying his black sneakers. I did the same with mine.

"We're goin' to be at the tree house today right?" I asked running a brush through my blonde hair that fell just below my shoulders. I looked in our cracked mirror that Chris had broken after Dad had beat him once. I had a purple and blue bruise just below my right eye. It made the greenish color stand out more.

"We sure as hell ain't stayin' here." He said getting to his feet.

"Let's go." He said making his way to the window. He unlatched it and pushed it open. I watched him put one foot out when our door swung open again. It was Eyeball. Our older brother. Sometimes he was almost as bad as dad.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked crossing his arms and giving us a smirk.

"Away from here." Said Chris outside he window now.

"Dads gonna kick your asses." Eyeball said with a laugh as I stepped out the window.

"He already did." I said to him before slamming the window shut. We only lived in a one story house, and a shitty one at that.

Chris and I walked in silence to the tree house. I always get annoyed looks from girls in town. They all thought I was a disgrace because I didn't wear dresses or skirts. I didn't have any. I've only got some clothes that were actually meant for girls. We walked past two girls from our school and they giggled and pointed at me. I stuck my tongue out in return making them stop.

"Leave em." Chris said shaking his head as I looked back at them.

"It's just annoying that I can't wear something different without being teased." I said watching a mother and her young daughter give me weird looks.

"Get used to it, we're always gonna be treated different, even if you did dress like them." He said with a sigh.

"I know." I mumbled looking at the ground.

Chris hates this town. Aside from the rest of our friends he hated everyone and everything. My family was treated awful here because of my dad and brother. Now thy pegged me and Chris as bad kids as well. But we kinda were I guess. We felt we had to fill our position and listen to what we were supposed to be.

I could hear the boys' radio as we walked up the path to the treehouse.
I heard shouts and Chris and I exchanged smiles. The boys were playing cards most likely.

Chris started climbing up the ladder and I followed not far behind.

"God damnit!" Yelled the voice I assumed was Teddy. I shook my head chuckling as I climbed into the treehouse.

"Hey you guys." Said Gordie looking up from his detective magazine/comic book in the corner.

"Sup man." Said said Chris taking out a hidden pack of cigarettes we always kept up there.

"You guys look like you just ran into the Cobras!" Said Vern stuffing his face with cherry flavored Pez.

"We ran into my dad, I don't know which is worse." Said Chris rolling his eyes.

I didn't like Teddy. He was kinda cruel to me. Chris said its because he likes me, but I think he hates me. Vern's okay just a little annoying at times. Gordie is one of my best friends. If he isn't with Chris, he's with me. He doesn't often go home, same as Chris and I. The three of us kinda clicked that way.

I took a seat next to Gordie and watched Chris join the card game. I'm awful at cards. I always get confused and have to ask how to play. He took a drag on his cigarette and laughed at something Teddy said.

"Hey Jo look at this." Said Gordie snapping me out of my daze.

"Huh?" I asked looking over into his brown eyes.

"Look." He said leaning closer so we were shoulder to shoulder and he was pointing into a magazine. I felt my face start to get red and my stomach flipped around.

He was pointing at a male model in a magazine with nothing on but underwear that was showing a little too much nudity for my liking. I gasped and looked away trying to play it cool. I elbowed him in the side lightly and rolled my eyes.

"Shit head." I said as he laughed and turned the page.

Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that I like Gordie.