Juvenile Delinquent

Startled, Reese drops the apple sauce jar she was holding and it hits the floor, shattering against the semi clean white tile and splattering everyone’s feet.

Reese nervously peeks out from under her long side bangs and winces at the steady lazer that her mom was sending at her from her eyes.

“Sorry, mom,” Reese squeaks grabbing a wet wash cloth from the sink and attempting to wipe up the sticky mess. We all follow her lead and mumble our own apologies to Ellie before getting on our hands and knees and scrubbing hard at the now drying food stains.

-

Later, Reese spreads out on the end of my bed reading an old seventeen magazine. Me, I was typing a quick email to Matt and Jamie and ignoring the dozen or so phone calls from my very persistent mother. Reese didn’t ask about the calls, she was well aware about the on-going World War 3 between our two families.

Luckily none of us had gotten grounded after the kitchen incident. We were only given a stern warning and we had to clean up the entire kitchen and part of the living room where food had made it out the kitchen door. I guess Ellie’s motto is ‘live hard, laugh often, and forgive and forget every time we do something stupid.’ Eh, sounds about right.

The guys walk in just as I send the email and lazily spread out on my tiny bed, Chris gently knocking Reese to the floor for more feet room.

“How about we go on an adventure tomorrow?” Chris asks, tossing a pillow at the back of my head.

I grin, “You mean me falling headfirst into a creek and a huge food fight in your mom’s kitchen isn’t enough of an adventure for you?”

He shrugs innocently, “Well, you pulled a fire alarm as a prank, so it must not be enough of an adventure for you.” He shot back with an easy grin.

We laugh but Ryan shoots me a curious glance. Apparently, they had failed to tell him the real reason of why I was really here.

I shrug, “I’m up for an adventure, but will your mom be okay with it?”

“She won’t care. It’s not like she grounded us or anything.” Chris said, obnoxiously flipping my desk light off and on.

“That’s true.” I say slowly, spinning around in my desk chair to face them.

“What time should I be ready?”

--

“Cassie, it’s time to get up!”

I mumble something inaudible and flip over, checking the alarm clock on my side table- I blinked. Could it really be only five o-clock in the morning?

Is this a popular club that everyone got invited into but me? First my mom wakes me up early, then Reese, and now Chris.

“You’re nuts.” I say, burrowing my head tightly under my pillow. It seems that every morning since I’ve been here, I’ve risen earlier then I have for a long time. I mean early as in any time before twelve is way too soon for me to be leaving my warm bed.

“Cassie,” he whines, lunging onto the end of my bed, “it’s a very loonngg drive and unless we leave right now, then we’ll be stuck in traffic all day.”

“Where are we even going?” My muffled voice asked from under the thick fabric.

“A family fun center, obviously. Now get up and get dressed before I pick out your outfit for you.” He raised an eyebrow, “and you don’t want to know what I would choose.”

--
Unfortunately I stayed in bed a little too long and suffered wearing the outfit that Chris picked out for me. He, being a guy of course, chose my breast cancer bracelets as my accessories. That is to say, they have the words ‘I Love Boobies’ on them. How’s that for a typical teenage guy? Honestly, I don’t even know how he knew they were there. I haven’t even worn them since I’ve been here. It must be a gravity pull that lures boys to anything that has the words boobs on them or anyone that has them under their shirt.

Speaking of shirts, “Chris, you didn’t even get me a shirt!” I shouted down the stairs, “Are we going to a nude beach or something?”

“I told you, we’re going to a family fun center.” He yelled back, “I think you’re old enough to pick your own shirt, and don’t forget a swim suit!”

Grumbling, I grabbed the nearest shirt from my laundry pile and threw it on over my extremely messy bun, taking notice that it was one of Chris’s v-necks.

“Chris, I’m wearing one of your t-shirts!” I yelled, shoving my cell phone and I-pod into a bag I borrowed from Reese. I slung my colorful peace belt around my hips and snatched my flip flops off of the floor before slamming the bedroom door behind me. Off to a day of lounging around a silly fun center. Personally, I’d rather go to a nude beach then witness stressed out moms and their screaming ankle biters all day.

-

“That’s my shirt.” Ryan stated bluntly, twisting around in the front seat to stare at me.
I frowned, and glanced down at the Shane Dawson t-shirt that I had thrown on earlier in my room. “So?”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“Well, do you want it back?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t; and not just because I hadn’t brought an extra shirt along with me.

He turned back around and fiddled with the radio station for the third time since we had left,

"Nope, it looks good on you.”

“Thanks?” I ask; a little clueless as to where this is going.

“You’re welcome.”

Boys can be extremely dense sometimes, I swear.

-

“Six hundred and thirty three bottles of beer on the wall, six hundred and thirty three bottles of beer. You take one down-“

“Chris, if you don’t get us there in ten seconds then I’m pitching your sister and Cass out the freaking window.” Ryan shouted over our loud and extremely off-key singing. Reese and I laughed loudly, sick of the song as well. But hey, you can only sing The Wheels on the Bus so many times before you threaten to pop every bus’s tire from here to Canada.

“I got it!” I shouted excitedly, “This is the song that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends!” I sang, remembering that my mom had once threatened to drop me off and never look back when I used to sing this song in our car.

“Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because,” Reese joined in at the top of her lungs.

“This is the song that never ends; yes it goes on and on my friends!” We shouted together, linking elbows and squirming in our seats; our version of dancing with seat belts on. Not to mention my butt had gone numb half an hour ago from sitting for so long.

“That’s it!” Ryan shouted, jumping nimbly into the back seat. Before I could stop him, he flung open my car door, unsnapped my seat belt, and hung me halfway out the door; my long hair dangling out over the open road.

“Say Uncle.” He said sweetly, as if I wasn’t hanging halfway out into a highway.

“Never!” I cried, never one to give up easily. He scooted me out a few more inches and my hips slid slowly off of the slippery seat, causing me to shriek in terror as the road got closer to my petrified face.

“Chris, your cousin here is about to die!” I yelled loudly over the roaring wind.

“I’m driving,” He shouted back, “You can deal with it by yourself.”

I glanced up just then and chuckled to myself at what was staring back, “Ryan, I’m not sure if you noticed this or not, but this shirt of yours is low cut and the car next to us can see right down it.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look up and then heard him chuckle.
And sure enough the little boy in the mini-van next to us was wide eyed and jaw-dropped.

He held his cookie half way to his open mouth and when his older sister noticed what he was ogling at, she angrily flicked his cheek and flipped us off, leaning forward to point us out to her mom. We laughed again as her mom flipped us off and then sped away, leaving us to our childish antics.

“Well, they were nice,” I said sarcastically when Ryan finally let me back up. I straightened my shirt, *Ahem* I mean Ryan’s shirt, and watched him smirk. “It wasn’t just them that got a good view.” He winked and I smacked his arm hard, not giving him the pleasure of seeing my cheeks turn red. Ignoring me, he leaned back and comfortably wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I’m sad to admit that I might have leaned into him a tiny bit. Well, a lot since we fell asleep like that.

-

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty’s” A voice nagged, followed by a repeated sharp poking in my rib cage. I reached out, meaning to hit the offender and instead made contact with a hard surface; Ryan’s jaw to be exact. How did I know? He gave a loud grunt and sleepily hit me back, making contact with my left cheek. When I shrieked in surprised pain, his eyes shot open and he leaned over me protectively, tenderly placing the palm of his hand on my throbbing face.

“Remind me to never wake you guys up again.” Chris said jokingly, a safe distance away from the both of us. At his side, Reese solemnly nodded in agreement.

“You hit like a girl,” Ryan said, rubbing the side of his face.

“So do you.” I lied, gently poking my cheek to check the pain meter. Risking a quick glance in the car mirror, I let out a groan. The side of my face had already begun to bruise slightly where I had been hit, my hair was tousled from sleeping, and my eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep; definitely not one of my best days.

I sighed and let Chris help me out of the car. He handed me a warm water bottle and I chugged it thoughtfully. “How long are we going to be here, anyway?” I asked after I had swallowed.

“Cass, you don’t come here to just spend a few hours, you have to come for the day!” Reese said in mock exasperation. I rolled my eyes and she playfully swatted my arm. "You'll love it, I promise!"

-

"Race cars!" The guys shouted at the same time, pounding each others fists. Sure enough there was a race track tucked into the back of the spacious property. Very faintly you could hear the roar of the engines over the shrieks of little kids on an indoor playground. Reese glanced at me and shrugged, why not?

-

"Alright guys, now that you know the rules, choose your car and get strapped in. Oh and remember, please don't bump the other drivers, this isn't bumper cars." The guy droned, no telling how many times he already had to have said those words just today. I caught the eye of Chris who innocently shrugged. No bumping the other drivers my foot, Chris would play dirty to keep his dignity intact.

"Get ready to kiss the ground we walk on ladies" Chris yelled over the engines, Ryan revved his own engine in reply. I grinned over the top of my car at Reese who was trying to catch the attention of the cute flag holders.

The red light flashes green and slowly we emerge from the parking lane: Ryan first, then me, Chris, and then finally Reese. I drift back and forth across the curved track, blocking Chris from passing on either side. He was too busy trying to pass me that he didn't notice that Reese had crept up on him from behind. She eases in front before he can knock her to the side and I laugh, choking on pieces of my hair that had come loose from my bun.

I gently bump the back of Ryan's car and he lurches forward, jerking the car to the right to keep me from coming up along side him. He turns and mouths nice try, not realizing that there was a turn coming up, he hits the tires that lined the track and I pull into first easily, waving as I pass him. He brandishes his finger at me, and I laugh, pressing the gas down as far as it will go.

"That was fun!" I exclaim, leading the way to the rope course. Somewhere behind me, the boys mumble in mock agreement. "C'mon, don't be sore losers! Just because you guys suck at racing and I rock doesn't mean you need to mope all day." I say, throwing my arms around both of the boys. "At least we can beat her in the rope course." Ryan says, bumping fists with Chris who cheers. I shrug, pride always comes before a fall.