Anonymous | Ashton Irwin |

Before

Before

Priscilla's POV

I'm 12 years old and I live with two member of my family, my mother(single, divorced, full of stress) and my older brother Alex(by 2 years, cocky-bitter-asshole, let-downer, smart). We are very poor and my mom is the only one who can help us survive(I feel sorry for her and want to help). I live in a small house in a quiet street that's in a crappy city.

Next door, is the house that my mother never bonded with. As in get to know them. But rumor has it that the mother is a bitch and the boy is.... well I don't know about the boy. All I know is that he's 16 and he's graduated his senior year. My mom tells me to stay away from him because he seems like a bad influence to me. It's because he dresses like punk-emo kid with dirty-blonde straight hair. But does that make him a bad person? No, because I also dress something compared to that and I'm also not a bad person. But still, you never know, people can be a devil in different disguises.

It's the beginning of summer, the days when we can finally be free to do whatever we want. This year, I'm planning on reaching my priority in life, my escape, my great perhaps. I love music and I can't live without it. My escape is becoming a rock star or a somebody that will inspire and heal people with my music. Also to escape from this city and help feed my family. My great perhaps is a mystery, I don't really know what it is.

Let's just start where I am now in a park, playing with my acoustic guitar and making some money. Not to just feed my family, but also to come back home with some movie entertainment(but I watch alone because at some point they don't feel like to). While I was singing and strumming, there was a small audience of kids with their parents and I saw some kids telling their parents to toss some money(which they did and I was thankful)in my black guitar case. I'm already sweating by the heat of the beginning-summer season.

After I finished playing, I packed my things and left to the movie store across the street. I entered in with the bell ringing above my head and the air conditioner before I walked into the action movie aisle. My fingers lightly roamed at the stacked DVDs as I read the titles. Suddenly, I can feel the manager and an employee behind me.

The manager said to the employee confidently,"Now right here is where we mostly have to keep filling new copies of movies because most people buy these movies instead of renting. Action movies are the best categories." He paused,"Do you think you can handle the unpacking?"

I'm guessing he's talking to a new employee because the manager was sounding like he giving him a tour around the store.

"Yes, sir." the new employee responded.

"Okay then, moving onto the register machine." the manager said with enthusiasm.

I looked at the corner of my eye and see a familiar dirty-blonde hair in the back of his head and he's wearing a purple-polo uniform shirt and black slacks. I looked back at the DVDs and continued my search.

"Hi, may I help you look for something?" another employee greeted out of nowhere(he wasn't new).

I turn my head, smirked sheepishly and offered,"Uh, sure. Why don't you pick for me?"

"Okay. Well, I do know what you'll enjoy." he casually grabbed a case from the romance aisle before he showed it to me,"This one."

'The Notebook' it read.

I giggled and responded with a smile. He nervously smiled back. I know he's expecting me to watch a romantic movie so that I can think he's got a good taste in movies that matches with his characteristics. I'm not that stupid. Also it's because I'm tall for my age and I look older(my mother told me that).

I responded,"No thanks, today I feel like watching an action movie."

"Oh, I know just the right one." he immediately responded enthusiastically before he grabbed a case.

'This Means War' it read.

I guess this movie seems appealing to watch,"Okay, umma buy this."

He smiled proudly of his work, I walked towards the register machine to pay. As I was paying, I stared at the dirty-blonde boy who was testing his register machine with the manager who was observing his skills. I still couldn't see his face because his fringe was in the way. Finally, he looked up at the manager when he opened the cashier, making his fringe whip aside from his face.

And suddenly, I figured that that's my neighbor, who's now working here.