petrichor

Berkeley Street

Question:
would you rather get your phone taken away for a week or be grounded for a week?

Talia

In the dimness of Berkeley Alley, a teenage girl leaned against the wall sighing. She wore a black leather jacket, to shelter herself from the cold. She held a cigarette in her hand and a lighter on the other. After lighting it, she took a deep breath and started puffing the cigarette.

All the thoughts she had in her head started whirring uncontrollably, it became a headache. After a few minutes, she glanced at her watch, it read seven thirty pm. F*** it, they're not gonna be at home until like, ten. I'm fine. She said in her head. And by them, she meant her parents.

Talia Sommers forgot exactly when she tried her first cigarette. She only remembered the vague memory of her friend Crista showing her how to do it in a party. The first time she smoked, it felt strange to her, she had never intended to do it, but after all what she had been through, not smoking doesn't seem like an option to her.

She lit another cigarette and puffed again, this time, she thought about her never ending busy schedule. Talia is a famous local singer and commercial star. She signed contracts here and there, met and took pictures with famous artists, and was sometimes mobbed by a bunch of adoring fans who wanted her autograph.

But ironically, it didn't make her happy. Going to the recording studio in the morning, video shooting in the afternoon, and the meet and greets every few months was enough to make her bust a blood vessel. F***, f***, f***! she thought. I'm tired of this whole showbiz thing, I wish this can stop for a while!

Her parents acted as her manager, director, and not seldom she thought her parents treat her as their toy. Bossing her around here and there, no one asked if she needed a break and it also seemed like, they didn't care. Sometimes she thought that her parents gave birth to her just so they can have the extra income and exploit the money. "Well, I hate them then." She said aloud, as she slammed her back against the wall.

Talia started to shiver, her whole body felt cold. She could barely hold her lighter without fidgeting so hard. She had been standing there since half an hour ago, of course her body was getting colder. I should probably go somewhere else. She tucked her cigars and lighter in her pocket and trudged out the alley.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, she found herself in the city center. Cars flashed and honked their horns as she passed by, with the building lights illuminating the streets, making it easier to see her surroundings. Talia took a deep breath, the cold nightly air instantly refreshed her lungs. This is nice. She said in her head. For a moment, she felt relaxed. Passing shop windows and seeing people walking by.

Suddenly, someone called her from behind. "Talia!" She turned around to see who it was, turns out it was another one of her admirers. "Oh, uh, hello." Talia replied awkwardly. "Oh my gosh! I'm like, such a huge fan of yours! I listened to like, all of your songs, have every one of your merchandises, and I even know everything about you!" The stranger rambled.

"Oh, thank you!" Talia gushed, trying to make herself look presentable. Things were getting kind of awkward between the two of them, but before the tension could get any thicker, her fan quickly whipped out a piece of paper and a pen. "Can I have your autograph?" She said. Talia grabbed the pen and lazily scribbled her autograph. "Here." She replied, as she returned the pen and paper.

"Omigosh, thank you, thank you so much!" The stranger smiled excitedly. Her admirer then proceeded to sprint away from Talia while waving the paper high in the air. Talia smiled a little, she met a lot of enthusiastic fans before, but not as enthusiastic as this. Lol, that girl probably has some loose bolts in her head. She sniggered.

Talia scanned the area. She was beginning to like the feeling of being alone for once, no one telling her what to do or bossing her around, it's just her and her alone. But just as she was about to cross the street, she saw a girl about her age with her parents, talking and laughing as they walked.

Talia felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. The family looked so happy together, and here she was, alone, and couldn't even remember the time her family ever sat down and talked without her making any grumbling noises whenever her mom and dad said something.

As time passed, the air became colder. Brrrr. She shivered. I wonder what time is it. She quickly looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was eight thirty already. "Sh**" It was already thirty minutes past her weekday curfew. "I gotta go home. Now!"

Talia ran as fast as she could to get to her house. If lucky, her parents won't be home yet and she'll go inside the house just fine, but if not, coming home thirty minutes after her curfew was not acceptable in the Sommers household. After fifteen minutes of running, she arrived at the gates of her house.

The house looked exactly the same as when she left it a few hours ago. She took a deep breath, pushed open the gates, and went through the front door. She cautiously looked inside. There seemed to be no sign of her parents anywhere. Whew. Talia sighed in relief.

She hung her jacket on the coat hanger and walked towards her room, ready to dive headfirst on her bed. But just as she was about to enter her room, she was greeted by two people–her parents.

Her mom and dad stood in front of her bed, looking extremely angry. F***! Talia thought. "Where have you been young lady?" Her dad asked, his tone was calm but menacing all the same. Talia's mouth felt numb. "I, uh, have been walking I guess?"

"Forty five minutes late from your curfew is not acceptable, young lady!" Her dad shouted. "You have a busy schedule tomorrow! You can't go messing around like this."
"Dad, I wasn't screwing about I—"
"No! That's it, you're allowance is cut in half and now you have to get home at seven! No buts!"

Her dad quickly stormed outside while her mom gave her a disapproving look. "Now go to bed, Talia." She said, as she followed her husband outside. When they left, Talia sat on the edge of her bed feeling bitter than ever. "I hate, hate, hate them so much!" She hissed.