Thorns & Oranges

Alleyway of Firsts

Chapter One 

I put the car in park and stared at the house through my driver's side window. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, a strange Seether dance remix blaring through the four enormous speakers I knew my brother had hooked up in the living room. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was deal with his...friends. It was late, I'd just driven four hours to get here, and I wanted to go to bed. Instead, I was going to have to deal with the booze, the slurs, and possibly, my brother's drunk ass.

With a reserved sigh, I put the car back into drive and went in search of a parking spot. Cars lined both sides of the street. It looked like I would have to park on the next block. I didn't want to be here, in this particular neighborhood. I would much rather be staying at my parents' house, not my brother's, but I'd gotten a call halfway home. My dad told me the business trip him and my mom were on was extended for another week. Without asking me, all three of them agreed I couldn't stay by myself and Vince came up with the brilliant idea for me to stay with him.

Not what I wanted, at all, but I apparently didn't have a say. Even though I was old enough. So there I was, parking three blocks away when all I had to do, if I was staying with my parents, was pull into the driveway. But no. I couldn't be left alone because of my history. I couldn't be trusted.

After grabbing my duffle and suitcase out of the trunk, I locked my car and headed for home. Well, my brother's home. Instead of sticking to the main roads to work my way back to the house, I decided to cut down an alley. This way was quicker and I was eager to get this over with. I used to use this alley as a shortcut all the time and as I looked up at the two row houses surrounding me, a smile formed from the memories.

I had my first kiss in this alleyway.

Then again I had a lot of my firsts in his alleyway. First kiss, first fight, first lost baby tooth. I'd even lost my virginity to Bobby Matson in this alleyway. It only lasted thirty seconds as my big brother hauled Bobby out of the backseat of his daddy's Buick and proceeded to give him the beating of his life. I was sixteen then and never had a date after. At least not an official one. I even went to my senior prom with someone my brother handpicked because all the other boys at school were scared to ask me out. Plus he didn't trust anyone else. The guy I was "seeing" at the time wasn't fit for high school standards and was given specific instructions to stay away that night.

I was thrown out of my memories as my suitcase was pulled from my hands and I was slammed up against the brick house on the left. Whoever thought it was a good idea to try and rob me obviously had no clue who I was or better yet, whose sister I was.

My brother owned the streets of our town, just like he owned me. After the incident with Bobby, he had a long time friend tattoo a rose onto my left shoulder. The importance of that may be lost on some but for others, it meant a whole hell of a lot. It was to protect me and it had, more often than not, but at the time the whole concept came off as extreme. My dad wasn't very thrilled about it but he said if it kept me out of trouble than my brother could do it.

If my father only knew what path it would lead me down, he never would've given my brother permission. But I'd cleaned up my act, got my GPA back up to an acceptable number, and high-tailed my ass to college. Now I was back for summer vacation and the year away had erased my face from the minds of the locals.

Like I said, too bad for this guy.