Outcasts

F i n i s

Gemma raced down the stairs, avoiding the steps that creaked. She wanted to get out of the house before her parents questioned her about where she was going.

Tripp was taking her to the Rooster, since her favorite band was playing there that night. When she had initially asked her mom, she gave her a big, fat "no" after laughing for a solid five minutes, and her dad went along with whatever her mom said. When she told Tripp about it, he just smiled and got tickets an hour afterwards.

And her parents wondered why she always hanged out with her boyfriend instead of them.

Boyfriend... She was still getting used to calling Tripp that. They've known each other since, well, forever. He was her chum, a classmate that got shipped off to boarding school for spray-painting a penis on the gym doors. Now they were dating, and she enjoyed it so much, but it was weird to suddenly turn opinions on him. Then again, she was desperate to get with him, so it wasn't that bad.

She had made it down the stairs, and she quietly grabbed her jacket, wallet, and keys from the table by the door, swiftly maneuvering around furniture and squeaky floorboards.

Just as her fingers made contact with the doorknob, a hand was laid on her shoulder.

Gemma let out a scream and twirled around, ready to fight, when she was suddenly staring into the eyes of her mother.

"Going somewhere?" Harper Gold-Lewellan quirked an eyebrow at her daughter, arms crossed over her chest.

Gemma gulped, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "Hey mom."

"Where are you going?" She repeated.

"I was just, um, going to get the, uh, the mail. Yes, the mail!" Gemma smiled up at her mom, hoping she would believe the lie.

"Since when have you lifted your weight in this house?" Harper questioned. "It's eight o'clock. Why would you get the mail this late? And your father already got it today, which I know you know since you got a very belated birthday card from your great-grandmother."

There was a pause of silence as Gemma stood there gaping like a fish out of water as her mother smirked. "So do you wanna tell me the real reason you're trying to sneak out? And does it have to do with that concert at the Rooster tonight?"

It was at that moment that a loud honk came from outside.

Gemma flinched at the sound as Harper's smirk grew. "Is that Tripp?"

"Yes," Gemma sighed. "Please mom, can I go?"

"I thought I already gave you my answer."

"So, I can go?" She asked hopefully.

"Go tell Tripp that you're sorry you dragged him out here, but you can't go," Harper said grimly before sitting on the stairs, staring Gemma down as she walked out of the house.

Tripp sat in the front seat of his pick-up truck, beaming as he saw Gemma walking to him. He quickly dimmed when he saw her sad expression.

"Is everything alright?" He hollered to her.

She shook her head, opening her mouth to tell him the bad news. Before she could get any words out, someone started yelling.

"GEMMA! GO OUT WITH TRIPP! I'LL HOLD OFF YOUR MOM! GO ENJOY YOURSELF!" Oliver screamed out the door.

Gemma jumped into the car without a second thought, quickly putting her seatbelt on while telling Tripp to put the pedal to the metal. Soon, they were zipping out of her neighborhood, Harper's shouting following them the whole way.

When they finally made it out, the two sat in silence for moment.

"Your family is crazy," Tripp said.

"Tell me me about it," Gemma replied.

"But there's never a dull moment, is there?"

"Nope," She agreed, a small smile on her face as they drove off into the nighttime.

***

This is not edited in any way. I quickly threw this together for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this story!