Take Your Pick

Ch.1 ~ The beginning.

~ For a star to be born something must happen; a gaseous nebula must collapse.

So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction.

This is your birth. ~

The chipped remains of the lilac paint from the walls crumbled under my touch as I zoned out, dwelling on the summer camp retreat I had attended this summer. The retreat I knew I shouldn't have chosen over family. The one that, had I not have been present, I would've taken him to that theme park he so longed to go to for some time now. Present to possibly stop the two bullets that ripped him apart from the inside out? That took the life of the one person I could call 'brother'? Maybe I could've, or couldn't have, the fact was unknown now as I laid flat on the bed facing the ceiling.

Kieran was the best brother I had. The only brother even. I didn't know how often mistaken identity was the cause of a murder but I knew that my brother being one of those cases was something I could not fathom.

What didn't make sense to me was the extreme way in which my parents handled the situation. So extreme but at the end what was left was just a note for me. A note not more than four lines. Their whole lives and reasoning for taking them was condensed into four lines. From that point on I was forced to accept that they had indeed loved Kieran more than they had me, because who leaves their now only child alone forever when she needs them the most?

They claimed to love me too as stated in the note but I refused to believe it. Pain is what caused them to turn to such extremes they said.

Cowardice was what it really was.

I shut my eyes, forcing the tears back. It was all too much for me to take in and I resented them for a long time but over the years, for the sake of my sanity and peace, somewhere, I found forgiveness.

Sighing, I rolled over to my side, the calendar hung on the wall opposite catching my attention. April 7th. 3 weeks until my 19th birthday. Two years had already passed and I had not done any big celebrations for either birthdays. A change was needed.

I looked over at Shanai, who was asleep on the bed opposite, her family had done so much for me after that day and I couldn't imagine the effort it took for them to get me out of my misery. I let my thoughts go as sleep took a hold.

**

"WAKE THE HELL UP KAM YOU SLOTH MAN."

The sound of Shan's alarming voice woke me up confused. Before I could question the reason for her loud voice, a pillow, thrown with full force, hit the top of my head loosening my messy bun.

"Shanai Pixie Jones, I acc dare you to throw another pillow at me and I promise you won't see the light of d—

One.

Two.

Three, was all I could count before I couldn't take anymore pillows and adopted the foetus position. I knew it was safe to move again when no more contact was made and the sound of her cheery voice was heard,

"Oh,"
She fake sympathised, a hand to her mouth, eyelashes batting,

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

I ran my tongue over my teeth and begun to nod continuously,

"Alright, so it's violence you've chosen today..."

I proceeded to grab a hair brush abandoned on the desk, unbeknownst to her so I could throw it but she had sensed it and made a beeline to the bathroom—the hairbrush falling helplessly to the ground.

"Kmt, prick".

Sighing, I got up and went to the other bathroom across the hall from our bedrooms. That was another thing I liked about this house—duel bathrooms. Especially in times like this one, where we were up against the clock to get ready to go out.

***
Once I finished my morning routine, I went back to my bedroom and threw on my plain white sleeveless crop top and my distressed denim shorts. I threw a black, white and grey flannel shirt on top completing the look with black Adidas ozweegos and let my thick purple hair down.

"When you've stopped thinking about what Sean may think of your outfit, meet me downstairs"

I turned around to see Shanai standing at the door, arms folded, watching me. She wore a black leather skater skirt that was studded around the hem and a camo designed crop top with white AF1s. Her colour two wet, curled hair came to her hip at 24inches.

"Well look who cleaned up decent." I changed the subject, hating the fact she knew me too well.

"I was just about to say the same thing." She replied back with a cheeky smile. "But forget Sean man, who cares what he thinks".

"You only say that because he's your brother but I completely agree" I added.

"Girl, shutup and let's go please" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes and followed her downstairs. We were going to visit Hyde park since that was where a barbecue was at. Sean, Shan's older brother knew the guy who was doing it and invited us along.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, we spotted Sean and Raheem, Shan's other brother, who was our age, chilling on the sofas playing 2K18. These boys were clearly unserious since not one of them even had a shirt on. I refrained from looking in Sean's direction as I browsed through the pictures hung up in frames on the wall regardless of the fact that I had already seen all of them over the years.

"That's it,"

Shan murmured to herself before swiftly making her way to the front of the tv, grabbing the controllers out of their hands,

"Get up now and get ready please and thank you".

This caused an uproar—Raheem flipping first,

"Nah what the hell man, chill we're basically ready look what you've done" he exclaimed clapping his hands to his almost-360 waved hair and over his face.

"You haven't even got a shirt on, no one wants to see your flabby stomachs anyway!" Shan retorted.

"Ay Shan, come off it, you're shouting for no reason" Sean finally voiced in a calm tone and snatched the controller off Shan's right hand. Raheem followed suit and they locked off the game.

"We'll be down in a sec" Sean stated as they made their way upstairs.

"And for your information, we do not have flabby stomachs. You see these ?" He pointed to his stomach, "these are abs innit, so come correct".

This time, both Shan and I rolled our eyes. This was what I put up with on a daily basis but it was entertaining regardless.

The sound of rumbling filled my stomach and it wasn't long until I found myself in the kitchen, Shan on my tail.

"You cook the bacon and eggs, I'll do the toast." Shan suggested. I looked at this girl with a knowing side smile. She could not cook to save her life so toast sounded about right.

"I swear, you best not burn the toast." Was all I could tell her as she laughed and got to it .

***
After the boys joined us we all filed into Sean's black BMW, Raheem riding shotgun and Shan and I in the back.

"Next time I'm riding shotgun" I protested since I liked seeing the front. I needed to learn a few things before I too could start driving.

"I have something else you can ride if you're up for the challenge"

Raheem teased, his signature smirk becoming evident. A chorus of 'ews' could be heard as Sean drove out of the driveway.

A/N

Bare with me with this book pls x.