Say You Want Me

Prologue and Chapter One

He was a force of nature, brushing aside all objects, whether it be animal, vegetable, or mineral, in his headlong rush to greet his public. But there was only one girl in his heart. And her name was Audrey Thorne...

              "Honey, WAKE UP! It's your first day of school! You’re going to be LATE!"

The bubble of bliss burst, interrupted by the searing sound of my mom’s voice. Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed to ready myself for the day ahead of me.

Fresh out of the shower? Check.

Glasses? Check. 

Don't care about anything attitude? Check.

For as long as I could remember, the one thing that never failed to make me happy was my mom's red velvet pancakes, only made on occasions worth celebrating, like the first day of school. It was a sign that anything was possible, if you put your mind to it. My brother also had a tradition of his own: the trademark "Victory Dance", something he claimed brings him good luck. 

Why would he need it? He was the star of the family: stellar GPA, three sports under his belt, and the life of the party. Truth is, Markus and I were never close. Before Dad's death, he'd kept me at an arms’ length and away from his thriving social life at school. I was always left in the shadow of his popularity and charisma, not even acknowledged by name but as "Markus' sister".

But after the funeral, something in him changed. He stayed at home to help out Mom, started working, and all of a sudden, became nicer to me. 

                “Shall we embark on this journey and slay the dragon that you call school?"

                “You’re going to make me barf.”

                “Don’t do it in my car, okay?”

After we said goodbye to Mom, my life was officially in the hands of my brother.