The Tattooed Devil Wears Chucks

The Game

Gabby.

Being grounded really isn't the worst thing. Knowing my friends all went into town together really sucked, but there are some nights that I don't mind hanging out on my own. School by day, porch reading by night. If I'm honest, second to the old dock by the lake, my front porch is my absolute favorite place to be. From this spot, wrapped in a blanket with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in hand for the millionth time, I take in the view of my tiny town.

To my left is the road that leads to Luxberg High, to a blinking yield light that curves into our Main Street. I can't see all the businesses from this swing, but I can see the library, our post office, and part of Kane's bar. We are fortunate to not have neighbors to our left or right, a location that does not go unnoticed by some very jealous women in town, but the Parker's home across the road has a very similar view from their own porch. To my right, thick greenery hides the lake. You can just barely make out the road that leads to the old dock; in fact, if you didn't know where it led, you'd likely never think twice about it. Some of the trees are so high that some days my house gets no sunlight—unfortunate for my mom's flowers. And just like the way our porch wraps around our old home, Lake Lux wraps its way around to our backyard. Where a hidden, mile-long road could take you to a dock, from my backyard the lake is more like a backdrop. It's far but visible, and absolutely beautiful. Somedays, the water looks like liquid silver, reflecting the trees around its banks like a mirror.

No denying it—our home, and the home across the street, are the envy of town in terms of location. It's the definition of private and peaceful. I cannot fathom how my brother, Felix, managed to leave this place for college. The thought of living outside the boundaries of town scares the crap out of me. I always considered myself a Luxberg-Lifer until my night with Tyler Porter. Nothing stays a secret here, and just the thought of anyone hearing that we had sex in the back of his car on homecoming weekend was enough that I filled out an application to the same school as Felix. Thankfully, it's still a secret, because I haven't heard back. Not that I blame the University of Northern Iowa for skipping that library science degree application, because my grades are lacking in every subject but literature.

"My game starts at seven!" Sydney's voice trails through the open window behind me. "I'm going to be late!"

The storm door opens and slams closed. My little sister ignores me as she rushes to our mom's SUV, dressed in green and gold softball uniform. I keep my nose in my book, reading about a whale falling from the sky. The porch swing stills for a moment, and I use my toes to start rocking it again. The door beside me opens and slams shut once more, this time revealing both of my parents. They too are dressed in our school colors, both in sweatshirts for a cool spring night. Mom appropriately chose a softball sweatshirt. My dad, however, stuck with football. Even though he will sit there and support my sister's sport choice, in his mind there are only two acceptable sports—football and golf.

"You want to come with, Gabs?" My dad gives a tug on my ponytail before descending the few steps down to the grass.

I look to my sister. "No. Take pictures if she gets hit in the face again though. I'm really disappointed I missed it last time."

The 13-year-old in the backseat of the car holds her hand out the open window. Her middle finger lifts in my direction with a cocky smile.

"Sydney Renee!" Mom's firm tone scolds. "I'll make you walk!"

She holds her ground. In fact, her arm raises a few inches higher out of spite. My mother mutters her own curse words while Sydney, our dad, and myself all find it more than amusing. We love to fight, but we love each other just as much. At least that's what I remind myself when I'm ready to kill her for stealing my things out of my room without asking. The whole family just enjoys seeing how worked up we can get our mom, because she's probably the sweetest human on the planet. It takes a lot for her to cuss, and when she does, everyone makes fun of her for it.