Dirt Road

Walking to his sister's room felt like the longest, most brutal walk Joey had ever have to make. He walked slowly; each step seeming as if he were walking through a pool fully clothed with his heavy work boots on. He pushed up the sleeve on his flannel shirt but kept his eyes down. The brown eyed man stared at the smokey salmon coloured rug that ran along the hallway and then down the stairs. His mother's sobs could be heard from the kitchen below as well as his father's attempts to comfort her, but Joey tried to block it out. He avoided certain spots on the floor, knowing what boards creeked and where. Usually he wouldn't have cared, it wouldn't have made a difference but this time everything was different.

Making it to his sister's white bedroom door, he knocked quiet and gently; something he never did.

"Jamie," Joey said as he opened her bedroom door. He found Jamie sitting on the old cushion chair that always stood in the corner of her room, reading her favourite Nicholas Sparks book for the fourth time along with snacking on a small bag of candy. She was wearing a black, over-sized hoodie that Joey knew didn't belong to her. He frowned and looked down before looking back at his sister and brushing the chocolate coloured hair from his eyes.

"Oh, yeah sure... Just come on in!" Jamie said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes then a joking scoff. Joey forced a small smile and put his hands in his dirty jean pockets. "What's going on, Joey?" The girl asked with a frown and a furrowed brow. She knew her older brother well enough to know something was up.

Joey silently sat down on the edge of Jamie's bed and looked down at his hands that were now on his knees.

"Joey!" The impatient brunette demanded and Joey took a deep breath. His eyes slowly made their way back to his sister's intense green ones. He looked over her face once before his eyes traveled to a picture wedged in the corner of her mirror that was on the opposite wall.

A picture of Jamie and a very familiar boy. He wasn't bad looking but was he had a bad habit. He wore a baseball hat, a dirty grey t-shirt, a black hoodie and jeans while Joey's beautiful sister was wearing a white sun dress and her favourite boots. Her hair was long and curly and on her head she wore a cowboy hat. Both teens had a bottle of beer in their hands and their arms around eachother.

Joey bit his lip, ran a hand through his hair then let out a deep breath. He looked Jamie in the eye as he spoke two words that would shatter every part of his baby sister.

"Trav's dead."

Jamie stared at Joey. Not a word came from her mouth. Finally, she spoke.

"You're joking." Jamie stated as her breathing began to pick up, "You're joking!" She shouted.

Seeing tears build up in his sister's eyes killed Joey.  

"Jamie, I wish I was." He whispered, "I'm so sorry." He said slowly; unable to meet Jamie's bright green eyes. Jamie dropped her book and candy onto the floor.

"What happened?" She asked as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Joey frowned, "He had been drinking... He tried to drive home last night... He didn't even make it to the stop sign. Jamie, I'm so sorry." Partly blaming himself, Joey got up to hug his sister as she stood up but she pushed him away.

"You were there last night!" Jamie said; her voice escalading, "You could've stopped him!" She yelled, "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Jamie, I tried to!" Joey exclaimed as his younger sister stood up and pushed him, "Stop! Jamie, listen to me!" he yelled but she kept hitting him.

"I hate you!" She shrieked, "I hate you!" With every word another stream of tears fell, another hit was thrown at Joey's chest. He tried to grab her wrists to stop her but she stepped back, "He meant everything to me and you let him die!" She shrieked so loudly her voice was going hoarse, "You don't care though! I love him. He's my best friend and YOU watched him get into that car drunk!" Jamie's hair stuck to her face as she screamed at her brother and pointed a scolding finger at him.

Her father's heavy foot steps could be heard running up the stairs and before long the door flew open. He ran to his daughter and tried to hug her to stop her violence towards Joey.

"No!" Jamie cried, "No! You hated him! You wanted this!" She yelled to her father, "You're just as much to blame for all this!" Tears crawled violently down her soft, red cheeks. "I hate both of you." She whispered viciously before running as fast as she could out of her room and down the stairs.

Father and son looked at eachother for a brief second before leaving after her.