The Right Side of the Tracks

Chapter 1

There was nothing more boring than a car ride, I decided. Now, I first came upon this revelation when I was 8, while I was having my second ever car ride. Not my first you see, because the first time you experience something, it's almost always exciting. But, alas on the average journey to have dinner with one's father, there's not much excitement that can be had.

I have also decided that coincidence likes to screw around with me, because just as I decided I was bored it so happened that the front tire blew.

I got out of the car and while our driver was figuring out how to fix the dilemma, I took it upon myself to stretch my legs. I ended up walking a bit far away from the car, I'd never been to this side of the city, and I probably shouldn't have been exploring at that particular moment, but I've also discovered that fate likes to screw with me as well because, that's when I heard it.

A voice, it was beautiful. Could a human being even create such sounds? The words being sung were less beautiful though.

"I gotta lot of problems, I gotta lot of pains" The voice sang.

I started walking towards the sound rounding a corner, where I came into view of the singer who was with a small group a people. It looked like the girl was around my age, she was wearing trousers with only a wrap around her chest. It seemed like just a long scarf wrapped in a way that looked similar to a sleeveless shirt. What would my mother say about her? I chuckled at the thought.

"But, I also gotta lot of alcohol and a lotta friends." She laughed after this verse, next thing I knew she grabbed someone beside her and started dancing with them.

Her friends were clapping along to the beat of the music, which looked to be coming from a small radio atop a stool. She continued to dance alone, her partner shying away after a few moments.

God, she looked as beautiful as her voice sounded. Her hair flowed around her while she danced, her hips and legs constantly in motion. I'd never seen someone dance like that, where I lived it was all rehearsed and stiff.

She danced and danced, but then she started laughing. At herself or a joke that was told, I didn't know. All I knew was that when she laughed, her head fell back and she laughed like she couldn't care about anybody seeing her do so.

Lord almighty, did I want to laugh like that. I was restrained to polite giggles hidden behind a gloved hand. Suddenly a silence took me out of my thoughts. I realized the radio was no longer playing and the girl stopped singing, no, she was looking right at me with a grin on her face.

I was suddenly too aware of my appearance. My poof-y pink dress, my white elbow length gloves, god, even my hair made it look like I was rich, the way it was done up.

Why did I wander to this side of the tracks? They're going to rob me, I should have never walked this way. What was I thinking?

"Well, well, look at what stumbled our way." The girl chuckled, walking towards me with her friends behind her. They were looking at me with some emotion I had never seen before. It wasn't hate or envy, no I've seen those emotions many times. What I was looking at was resentment.

"How the hell did you get here?" One of them asked me with a sense of genuine curiosity.

"I'm so sorry!" I replied. "My car's tire popped and I wanted to take a step out to stretch my legs and get fresh air, then I heard this voice, and it was so beautiful, so I followed it here. It really was something stupid to do, and I'm so sorry to have taken your time, please don't hurt me!" I glanced around at the people in front of me, some of them looking confused, some offended, but my eyes fell on the girl with the beautiful voice. She was standing fairly close to me, her mouth slightly ajar, then she started laughing. Her friends soon followed along.

When the girl stopped, she looked me straight in the eye and said, "You really are something, princess." She grinned at me and I was slightly bewildered, so I took it upon myself to got out of this situation I landed myself in.

"Alright, I must be going then if you have no further use of me." I flashed a scared smile and started to briskly walk in the direction I came from.

As I was making my mistake, that beautiful voice cut through the air again, demanding to be heard. "Oh, princess." She sing-songed.

I stopped, not turning around.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Forgetting something? I turned around only to see the girl dangling a ruby bracelet from her fingers. My best friend James had gifted it to me just this morning. I couldn't lose it, it cost a fortune.

She gave me a full toothed smile, obviously enjoying this. She was trying hard not to laugh.

"Can I please have that returned? It means a great deal to me." I shouted back to her, finding anger in my words. Of course she stole from me, that exactly what these people do. Steal and lie. No regard for higher living at all.

The girls smile fell at my words, but something still sparkled in her eyes.

"Well, I'd be happy to return it, but you'll have to come get it yourself." Her grin returned.

Fine. She wants me to go get it? I'll go get it then.

I stormed across the dirt path to where she stood, my bracelet in hand.

I reached for it just as she moved her hand higher into the air. Her face remained passive, and after huffing I reached for the bracelet again, only faster this time. Once again, the girl moved her hand putting the bracelet out of reach.

She now held the bracelet at arms length in the air. If I wanted to get it now, I'd have to jump. Is she just trying to make me look stupid?

Nether the less, I jumped to grab it and failed. I tried again using the girl's shoulders for a boost as I jumped. I still failed.

I put my hands on the girl's shoulders getting ready to jump again, when she threw her arms around my waist and lowered me into a dip. I almost screamed at the suddenness of it. But, begore I could even try to protest, she lowered her head and kissed me.

God, did she kiss me.

I had shared intimate times such as this with James in moments of curiosity, but those moments paled in comparison to this.

She was still kissing me. Probably because I started to kiss her back. My mind was empty, there was simply a serene moment where it was just my lips and hers, no other thoughts polluting my mind.

She pulled away and I realized her friends were laughing and clapping. As I opened my eyes. I found hers sparkling with amusement, a grin reappearing on her face. She pulled me back up and placed the bracelet in my hand.

The reality of the moment suddenly hit me. A girl kissed me, and I kissed her back. The girl was also from the tracks.

Oh god. What have I done? Are two girls kissing even legal?

"Don't look so regretful princess." The girls voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "We'll have plenty more kisses to regret, so try not to dwell on this one in particular.

I had no words. I found my face becoming flushed. She basically just told me that we, two females, would be kissing each other again. Not only again, but multiple times at that.

My first thought was that I didn't mind this at all, but my parents came to mind and my face turned to a frown.

"Hey, princess," The girl tilted my chin up to meet her eyes. "you should get going, it'll be dark soon."

She turned to leave, her friends still flanking her. I just stood there, motionless. I am so confused. What just happened? What did I do? As the girl was leaving she turned around, now walking backwards, her hands in her pockets.

"I'll be seeing you around, princess." She called out after me, winking while she did so.