Gen Z

Chapter 1: Sneaking Out

The Bucks County air was quiet, almost silent. A light breeze brushed Amber's cheek, causing her to lightly grin. Looking out her window she could hear the arrival of her friends on their bikes. She waved for them to be quiet as she shut off her light and slowly crawled out her window, her large flannel blowing in the wind. The tallest friend, Jules, burst out in laughter as soon as they were all out of earshot of Amber's house. "You really thought I was just going to come over making as much noise as I can? Goddammit we are sneaking out!" She snorted, and the rest of the group joined in. The other two members, Arielle and Jason, joined in.

Arielle was the shortest, and was a hot mess. Her messy red hair and piercings gave that away easily. Jason was close to Jules' height, a rebel always causing trouble. Jules was the loudest of the group, always trying to embarrass them. "Anyone wanna smoke?" Amber finally cut in, holding out her pen. "The hell do you think?" Arielle huffed, snatching the pen out of her hand. She took long puffs, trying to forget the stress. Everyone looked at each other uneasily, but continued to walk down the road.

If someone had drove by, they probably would have just seen a bunch of stupid teenagers in flannels and dirty converse walking around at 11 at night. But all the group could see was a rebellious release. The group laughed and shoved each other around, enjoying the freedom. After walking around for about a half an hour, the group settled in a field to star gaze.

"You guys ever wonder what it would be like to have a normal family?" Jason asked. Amber's mind was suddenly fully awake, aware of the tension among the group. Not one of the members had a "normal" family. Most of their parents were abusive, or out of their life, but they all thought about what it would be like to have a normal family at least once. "Uh I don't know, I've never known what it was like, so what is normal?" Amber asked.

Arielle suddenly spoke, "There was one time when everything was normal for my family. I was three and my parents were together for my birthday party. They looked so happy, but that only lasted a day and they only did it for me. The next year my mom left and dad kinda lost it and would take it out on us. So I guess you could say I experienced a "normal" family. For one day." The group was quiet, especially Jules. Jules never talked about his home issues, but the group knew that things happened at home. They had heard the fighting from outside when they would come to pick him up, but never mentioned the sensitive subject to Jules.

Sitting up, Amber looked down at her friends. "Enough of this family shit, lets grab some food and head home." The group all agreed and headed out. When Amber got home, her dad was waiting. His face was filled with anger, and Amber flinched back, knowing what was about to happen. "Where in the hell have you been?!" He yelled. Amber said nothing, knowing it wouldn't change his reaction. He slapped her across the face, causing her to fall to the floor. "I said, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" He struck her again. She winced as tears started welling up in her eyes. That's gonna leave a mark. She thought.

"I w-was out with my friends. Like you give a shit." She muttered. As she stood up, he shoved her into a table, yelling and spitting in her face. She pushed him away, ran to her room, and locked the door as he banged on it, demanding her to open it. After 5 minutes, the banging stopped, and she sighed. She threw on her pajamas and went to bed, rubbing her cheek.