Age of Consent

Rebound

"I make decision with precision
Lost inside this manned collision"

I was awoken from my dream by my brother's voice, "Crystal, wake up." If he hadn't woken me up an hour earlier than necessary I probably would have been excited to see him, but I had gone to bed kind of late due to replaying and analyzing Johnny dropping me off last night. "What?" I asked groggily sitting up on the couch and rubbing my eyes, the look of excitement was apparent on his face as his leg bounced impatiently. "Check this out." He opened the suitcase next to him to reveal several vacuum sealed bricks of what I deduced was marijuana, nothing out of the ordinary for him to have. "You woke me up to show me this?" I said confused as to why this was so crucial at 5 in the morning. "No, I grew this, with Ray." He said shaking his head, so that's where he's been I thought. "We grew it hydroponically." He added proudly, "Everyone in the valley is going to be after this when we get the word out, and your going to help me." My eyes widened at his statement, I shook my head disapprovingly. " I can't sell it, I don't even talk to anyone." I said in disbelief that he would even suggest it, I was fine being somewhat unaware of what was going on but now he wanted me to immerse myself in it. 

"That's not what Chino said." I didn't even notice my brother's girlfriend Monica sitting in the armchair to the left of me, she was casually smoking a cigarette. I narrowed my eyes at her causing her to grin, she was always in my business and reporting everything back to my brother. "Yea well Chino talks a lot of nonsense." I hissed back, I was not happy about being woken up and now my personal life was being discussed. "Yea some blonde guy with a nice car." Rain added causing Monica to chuckle as she stubbed out the pink Fantasia cigarette.  "Rich kid from the hills, your really trying to get out of here, huh?" I looked down in embarrassment, I thought my brother knew me better than to accuse me of social climbing. "I'm just tutoring him, he said he wouldn't graduate unless he got extra help, he's paying me and everything." I said defensively, my brother rolled his eyes at my explanation. "If you need extra help you go see the teacher or his parents could probably hire someone, you don't hire some pretty girl on the first day of school." I hadn't even thought of it that way, but I quickly shook the thought out of my head. "No he's trying to get back together with his ex girlfriend." I said convincing myself that our arrangement was platonic. 

The two of them erupted into laughter, I stared at them confused as to what was humorous. "Crystal your so naïve sometimes." Monica chortled as she flicked her long black hair behind her shoulder, she looked like Elvira but with a tan, that's why my brother was so hung up over her. "Clearly your the rebound." My brother added, he took out an herb grinder and stuffed some of the fluffy buds in it. "What's a rebound?" I asked confused, I knew what it meant in basketball but not in this situation. "It means that he's hanging out with you to make his ex girlfriend jealous." My brother said before passing me the rolling tray and some papers, I set to work rolling as he elaborated on his statement. "It's simple, if a girl breaks up with you and your still into her, you find a prettier girl to hang out with to make her jealous." I could feel my stomach churn as a sickly feeling overtook me, so it was all to make Ali Mills jealous? I thought about him sitting with me in the lunchroom, making me wrap my arms around him on his bike, it was all just for show. 

"H-hey don't get all upset!" My brother nudged me encouragingly, he could tell I was upset about the realization they had helped me come to. "I'm not." I lied taking the joint from his fingers and inhaling deeply, "I don't know it was just nice having someone think I'm smart and paying attention to me." He gave me a sympathetic look, "Want me to kill him?" I shook my head, it was kind of my fault for not seeing the obvious signs, I just hoped Bobby wasn't in on it. "If it makes you feel any better he wouldn't have picked you if he didn't think you were something worth showing off." Monica said as she squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, I laughed lightly and nodded before handing her off the joint. "I gotta get ready for school." I said excusing myself from the couch and heading towards the shower, not looking forward to the cold water that awaited me. "I'll drive you." Rain announced as he turned the television on, I looked back at him. "Can we pick up my friend on the way?"