A New Beginning

Conflict

Shane arrived back home that night, tired and sore from the football game. Their team had lost by only a few points, and he was not too happy about it. During the last quarter, Brandon had thrown the ball to Shane, and instead of tossing it to someone else, Shane had decided to run with it in order to make a touchdown. However, someone from the opposite team had tackled him to the ground while he was running, preventing him from scoring. The scene kept playing again and again in his head. Even though it was just a game, Shane hated losing.

Carrying his bag of football gear with him, Shane headed into the house, across the kitchen, and down into the basement towards his room. When he opened the door, he found Heidi rummaging through the things inside his desk.

"Heidi, what the hell are you doing?" Shane questioned his sister. "You know you're supposed to stay out of my room!"

"I'm looking for a calculator," she answered, not looking up as she continued digging through Shane's things. "I need it to finish my math homework."

"Don't you have your own?" Shane asked, throwing his duffel bag on his bed and stepping towards Heidi.

"It's broken," replied Heidi, still continuing to browse through Shane's stuff.

Shane rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. As irritated as he was, he thought it would just be better to let this one go. He would give Heidi what she wanted, she would get out of his room, and then he could do his homework and go to bed. Picking up his backpack on the floor, Shane dug around and pulled out his calculator. "It's in here, Stupid," he stated. "Don't break it and give it back when you're done."

Heidi turned around and grabbed the calculator from Shane. "Thanks!" she exclaimed. "You're a lifesaver!" She turned to go back upstairs. Unfortunately, a loud crack sounded throughout the room as soon as Heidi put her foot down.

Shane looked. He realized in horror that Heidi had stepped on his iPhone, severely cracking the screen. "Heidi!" Shane yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You broke my phone! I lend you my fucking calculator, and this is what I get in return? How am I supposed to trust you with my things?"

"I didn't mean to!" Heidi defended herself. "You shouldn't have left it on the floor, anyway!"

"You shouldn't have been in my room in the first place!" Shane replied angrily, snatching the calculator out of her hand. "No calculator for you!"

"But I need to do my homework!" Heidi complained.

"You need to learn to be more careful with other people's things first," Shane retorted, trying to suppress the urge to punch his sister in the face. "How do you think your own calculator got broken?"

"I—I don't know," Heidi replied timidly, twisting a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. "I think I stepped on it."

"See what I mean?" Shane scolded. "If I give you mine, you're gonna fucking step on it too. Now get the fuck out of my room!"

But instead of leaving the room, Heidi stepped towards Shane and reached for the calculator in his hand. "I—need—the calculator!" she stated determinedly.

"I already told you no!" Shane replied angrily, grabbing Heidi on the upper arm. "Get out, or I'll punch you in the fucking face!" He tossed the calculator behind him on the bed and held out his fist threateningly as the blood boiled in his veins.

"You better not!" cried Heidi, struggling to free herself from Shane's grip. "Or I'm gonna tell Dad!"

"If you do, you're gonna be in deep shit with me," Shane threatened. He gave Heidi a jab on the arm and shoved her towards the door. "Now get the fuck out!" he commanded.