Juvenile Delinquent

“Mmmm” I mumble, slumped over a large bowl of cheerios at the kitchen table, wearing an old band t-shirt and booty shorts because there’s no air conditioner in my room and it’s about ninety degrees in there at night.

My hair is in an extremely messy bun on the top of my head again, I’m actually quite proud of it considering it took me all night to perfect; meaning I sloppily threw it up late last night, slept on it, and didn’t bother to fix it this morning. Voila!

It’s Saturday morning and Aunt Jackie and the rest of the lazy bums are still asleep, but for once I’m awake before everyone else. It’s kind of nice to be able to sit and relax in the quiet before my cousins and Chris take me off on one of their adventures again. Eating breakfast in the quiet is something I did every day back home and is actually something I like to do.

I tuck my empty bowl into the dishwasher when I’m done and then head upstairs the opposite of the way I had come down, through the living room this time. I squint and consider heading the other way because it is more lit up but forge onward through the dark.

Chris is asleep somewhere lightly snoring, I can hear him but can’t pinpoint exactly where he is in the dark. No wonder he sleeps in cave like darkness; he had stayed up shouting at his play station 3 till long after I had gone to sleep, which was four in the morning. He’s probably blind like a bat from the television and the cave situation suits him.

I almost make it to the other side of the living room when I feel cool fingers wrap a
round my left ankle, yanking me down to the ground where I land on a body.

“Chris!” I shriek loudly but a hand lightly clamps over my mouth before I can yell at him some more for trying to scare me.

“Hi,” Ryan says, hand still resting on my mouth.

“I thought you went home last night?” I ask him from my perch on his stomach.

“Nah, in the summer I try and stay away from there as much as possible.” He admits dragging his hand through his sleep mussed hair.

“What are your parents like?” Then I pause, “Sorry if that’s too personal, my mouth talks before my mind can think.” I lean back against the couch and pull my legs up to my chest shivering slightly in the air conditioning.

He chuckles and hands over his blanket, “its fine.” He says and clears his throat, sliding over to sit next to me when I pat a spot on the floor. “My dad left when I was little and my mom drinks more then she talks.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, not knowing what to say, “My parents aren’t so fantastic either. For a long time after they split up I thought it was my fault,” I laugh humorlessly, “looking back it was dumb because when they weren’t screaming at each other then they were acting like the other didn’t exist.”

“What’d you do?” He asks curiously.

“I spent more time at my best friends, Jamie and Matt’s houses.” I admit with a laugh, “They’re parents called me their second daughter.” I think about it for a second, “Is that how you are with Chris?”

“Yeah, not to sound like a total cheese ball or anything but we’ve been best friends since third grade. He knows everything about my home life and doesn’t give a crap about what a hell-hole it is.” He says and I can hear him shift so his head is resting on a couch cushion. “He lets me hang out here as long as I want,”

“That’s how my friends are too,” I say, laying my own head back onto a cushion.

“We’re lucky to have such good friends, eh?” He asks.

I nod but then realize he can’t see me, “Yeah we are,” I agree.

A light flickers on in the upstairs hallway and we both glance up.

“Looks like Reese is awake,” I whisper standing up but he catches my hand and holds it for a second.

“Thanks,” He says and I catch a small smile on his face from the low light in the hallway.
I grin, “Confessions are easier to admit in the dark when someone’s willing to listen,” I pause, “Thanks for listening,”

“Anytime,” he says and then lies back down.

I continue on through the living room and up the stairs, waving at Reese who is wandering half asleep down the hallway wearing mismatched pajamas.

“Where were you?” She asks, disappearing in the bathroom for a second to turn on the shower.

“I got hungry,” I pretend to gag, “You smell like the lake still,”

She laughs and tries to act offended, “I took a shower yesterday and you know it,”

“Doesn’t mean that you can’t still smell like the loch nest monster,” I tell her taking off down the hallway to avoid a stream of water she had chucked at me.

I slow down and turn around, wagging my tongue at her, jumping to the side just in time to avoid another cup full of water.

“I’ll get you later,” She promises with a laugh and closes the door behind her.

I head back down the hallway to my bedroom thinking.

Yeah, I do have good friends.

I make it to my room and gently close the door behind me, picking up my phone from the bedside table and tapping in Jamie’s and Matt’s numbers like its second nature.

“Missing you guys like crazy, I’ll call you later. Xoxo. P.S. Don’t kill Matt, Jamie.”

I put my phone back and crawl into bed for another hour of sleep before I get awoken for yet another crazy adventure.