Heartless Notions

Lacey Clearwater's Bedroom/May 14th/12:27 pm

Lacey Clearwater's Bedroom/May 14/12:27 pm

Lacey sat in her plush modern styled desk chair with her iPhone 5 cradled between her slender fingers. It was a beautiful day outside, but she could never enjoy it, not after learning that her older brother, Ed, wasn't alive to live in it. Oh, yes, she knew quite well that her mother was determined that he was alive. 'His body was gone, gone!' as her idiotic mother would say, but Lacey also knew deep down that he was dead. Sure, there was no proof, but Ed was smart, and the only way his body would 'disappear' was if he was gone-for good. Lacey had loved her brother to death, probably because he was the only one in her family to love her back. Sixteen years and seven months ago, the Clearwater's were a picture perfect family. Two loving and successful parents with a very handsome, very talented and smart eleven-year-old son. But then, one cold October night, a night not much remembered, hidden beneath a cloud of alcohol and pills, a new life was created. But it was a mistake, a mess-up, and Lacey would never be allowed to forget it. "Your brother is 27? Were you an-?" Accident? Yes, for your snobby, selfish information, yes I wasn't planned, and I will never be allowed to forget it. Lacey got questions all the time, and she wasn't one to be nice about it. Sure, her parents had tried to love her, she was their daughter after all. But when you try to do something that you never wanted to do, it just doesn't work out.

Lacey swiveled around in her chair. She was texting her friend, Devin whom she had met the summer before 9th grade.

It was the middle of July, and Lacey once again wasn't home. Her mother was a middle school teacher, so she also had the summer off and Lacey couldn't stand being within a square mile of her, let alone in the same house as her.

She was cruising down the county road on her beat up single geared bicycle, which she knew was probably illegal, but it's not like she cared. She was headed for east side of Windleton, where she had heard there was a liquor store that didn't ID. She had her earbuds in, blaring some trashy band that she didn't even like, which was illegal too by the way, and for a moment Lacey felt like she didn't have a care in the world.

That was until she turned onto a back road and straight into another human being.

"Shit!" Lacey cursed as she collided with the boy who had seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"What the hell woman!" Lacey looked up from where she had fallen and into the eyes of a dorky skimpy looking kid, but who was probably the same age as her.

"You could have killed me! Don't you look before you decide to run right into an innocent person? What if I was an old woman?" The kid didn't even look phased, he must have been pretty tough for his size.

"Well, I'm sorry that you just happened to be standing there right when I turned the corner. And to me, you look fine, so stop complaining. I'm the one on the ground." That had actually hurt, and Lacey was probably going to have several good bruises for the week. Then to her surprize, the boy extended his hand to her. Not thinking, she grabbed it and let him pull her up.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"So, where were you going in such a hurry anyways?" He asked. Lacey considered what to tell him, but then just said, "Nowhere."

"Oh really, because I just happen to know this place down this road that doesn't ID." Lacey gaped at him.

"Gotcha!" He said playfully when he saw the look in her eyes.

"You're good," she replied, "So you wanna pick something up and get out of here?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Lacey picked her bike up off the road and started walking it alongside this stranger, who might possibly not be so bad.

"I'm Devin by the way." He said.