to find you | Completed

10

10

I wiped the tears from my freckled cheek as I pulled the trigger. I knew immediately that my father had see.

"Stop!" My dad yelled as his fist slammed on the big red button on the north wall. The targets stopped swirling around me.

I pushed off the ear muffs to around my neck. "What's wrong? What did I do?" I asked.

"Why are you crying?" His gruff voice asked. His dark blue eyes peered down into mine.

"This is just so much fun!" I exclaimed.

My dad laughed then looked at the targets. With more excitement in his voice than I have ever heard before he said, "Damn, Lia. You hit every target."

"You didn't teach to miss."

"Damn right. Start again. This time, close your eyes and no ear muffs. Listen to the targets glide around you."

"What if they hit me?"

"Don't let them."

"But-" "No buts. Go." Again, his hand smashed the red button as his other hand flicked the lights off.

That was my fifth birthday.

My sixth birthday my parents dropped me from our plane into the forest and told me to meet them at the coffee shop on Third Street in a week. They gave me an empty plastic bottle and a plastic spoon, saying this was all I need to survive.

My parents raised me to be a bronze statue, unmovable, and unbreakable. How'd I let such a small thing as a Calvin Thresher break me?

"Slow down!" He yelled above the crowd and music. I grinded on him and I drank down another can of beer. I finished then crushed it in my hands and threw it to the ground.

"Let's go, please!" he begged.

I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. I got real close and sloppily said, "Why are you such a drag?"

He pushed me away and in a rigid voice he said, "Let's go before this party gets any rougher!"

I shrugged and walked off to find another beer. I didn't make it to the cooler. I sat down on a couch and fell asleep.

I woke up in my house and wearing the same clothes from the night before. I sat up, my mouth was really dry and I had a slight headache. I pulled my hair down and looked around. Calvin walked into my room as he brushed his teeth.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I knew exactly how this conversation would go. It always goes the same way.

He looked at me then said, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you said you wouldn't drink," He said emphasising 'I mean'.

"I'm sorry," is all I could say. I swallowed hard and looked away then met his gaze again.

"You are in high school. You shouldn't be drinking yet."

"It was a party. You should have fun."

"A party that you drug me to go. I told you that's not how I wanted to spend my saturday night."
"You didn't have to go. You know that I would drink."

"I wish you wouldn't."

"Why not?" I exclaimed loudly.

"You're eighteen."

"So?"

"It's illegal!"

I rolled my eyes then said, "Well, I'm home now. You can leave."