Truth or Dare

My Unlucky Luck

It all started on a warm autumn night in North Carolina. The almost non existent wind blew through the trees making the slightest breeze, as Summer Hays (yeah that's me) looked out my second story window of my tiny apartment.
I could see kids playing basketball in an old rusting hoop as the sun set behind the trees.

It was beautiful here, I thought. Maybe this could be my year. My year for everything to go right. Last year, my fifteenth year, was fairly horrible, but compared to some of my other years, was fine. I think it's just about luck.

Some people are born with luck, born to be rich and famous and have great years until they die. And then some people, the unlucky ones, they live okay lives until their luck gets in the way and their lives turn cold and bitter.

Yeah, that's my view on life. You don't get to correct me. (Free speech, remember?) You want to know how I got to this conclusion? Probably not. I'm going to tell you anyway.

I was born one of the lucky people. I had this big house by the lake and parents who loved me. When I was maybe three years old, I went out every day to go by the lake. I would swim with my little arm floats on and play with the deer who weren't afraid even to come up to me and let me touch them. The deer might have been my only friends until I was about 7.

That's when my luck became unlucky. When my parents were low on money and wanted to save money so we wouldn't be evicted, my father went out and shot at the deer so we could eat. I remember the hazy memories of me screaming at him and hitting him so hard my hands hurt. He was stronger than me but my will to protect those beautiful creatures was a lot more fierce.

The next day I ran away and left them. I wasn't sure if they were glad or sad, or even, on this day of my sixteenth year, still looking for me. I got a job at a Starbucks near my apartment and that's probably the only reason I'm still going to school. Was it worth it, you ask, running away from the only two people that love you, just because they killed your best and only friend? Yeah, in my view I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway, when I started high school I thought the worst was over. Turns out, high school is worse than you would ever expect. And if it wasn't for that stupid Amos Brenton I probably wouldn't be where I am right now. And to think it all started with a silly game of Truth or Dare.