Stay Fierce

I walked into my brother’s kitchen, looking down as I adjusted the sweatpants I was wearing and threw a hoodie over my two drag suits layered on top of one another.

Still not bothering to glance around the kitchen, I leaned over one of the counters that gave an overview of the living room and the wide window. Waking up on a morning like this to the view of the sky scrapers of Chicago was still new to me. Hell. This was all new to me.

And the worst part was, I don’t even know why I was here. Well, scratch that. Stupid question. My parents got enough retirement money and decided to fulfill their lifelong dream of traveling the world, starting with Europe. I knew exactly why I was here.

Sighing, I turned to look behind me and my heart stopped as I saw a complete stranger rummaging through the fridge.

So I did what my natural instincts urged me to do, I screamed.

A curly blonde mess of hair peaked over the open refrigerator door in alarm at my shrill scream, and my brother's friend, Colin or whatever his name is ran into the kitchen.

I just continued staring at the blonde, and he stared back at me and suddenly turned to Brent’s friend, pointing a piece of bread at me, “Who is this chick?”

My eyes narrowed to a glare, “Yeah, who is this chick?” I pointed at the blonde.

My brother’s friend, who was a total stranger to me since this was the second time I’d seen him, the first being about a 5 second introduction, turned red and started laughing at the expense of the blonde boy, who just glared daggers back at me.

“I don’t like her.” The blonde stated.

I rolled my eyes, “What are you, five?”

“Look who’s talking, Miss-I’m-A-Pre-teen’.”

My eyes narrowed again, “Fifteen in three months, thank you very much.”

Blondie just blankly stared at me for a few good moments before turning to Brent’s friend again, “Seriously dude, do you know how much trouble this jail-bait can get you into?”

My face burned at the thought of what he was suggesting. “I’m Brent Seabrook’s sister.”

Blondie’s mouth formed an ‘o’. He thought over something before opening his big jabber to speak again, “So you’re the one whose parents dropped you off to live with Seabs.” He seemed thoughtful.

An expression of hurt flashed across my face, but I quickly covered it up with a fake smile like I have been doing a hell lot of lately and grabbed my swim bag which was sitting by the door, slinging it over my shoulder and opening the door to the apartment.

I knew it wasn’t the blonde’s fault, he didn’t even intend the comment to be mean. I guess I was just a little sensitive to the fact that I’d be going to high school for four years. Here. In Chicago. I mean, sure, I agreed to my parents going traveling, but I figured I’d be back in Canada, not in Chicago away from Josh and Sophia, just about my bestest friends ever.

I walked down the corridor and stopped when I saw there was no elevator or stairs like I hoped I would find. Biting my lip, I turned into a random corridor to the side, hoping this one would lead me somewhere.

No such luck.

Getting pretty freaked by now, I turned into yet another corridor, only to come to a dead end. Panic overwhelmed me and I turned around, quickly making my way back from where I came from, hoping to remember all the twists and turns I took.

Not being able to trace my steps, I started to hyperventilate and just take random turns, desperately trying to get out of the damned place. My pace became even faster and I looked behind me for a moment, only to crash into what felt like a wall.

I fell back to the ground and hit my head on the floor, releasing a small ‘oomph’,

“Shit. Amelie?” The voice of my brother hit my ears and I relaxed, but still didn’t open my eyes as I slowly sat up, rubbing my head which was still pounding from the collision I took.

Brent crouched down to my level and waved his hand frantically in front of my face. I opened my eyes and squinted at him; “What are you trying to do?”

“Make sure you’re alive.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me up into a standing position, holding me as I swayed slightly.

“Are you alright?” He asked, worry seeping through his tone.

I squinted up at him again. Me being 5’’7 and him being 6’’2, he had an advantage in height. “Are you made of bricks or something? I could swear I hit a damn wall.”

Brent laughed, relief apparent and he grabbed my swim bag from the floor, slinging it over his own shoulder as he put his hand on my back and gently led me around the corridor and to the outside.

“What were you doing out of the apartment anyway? I thought I told you that I’d be back before your practice to drive you to the pool.”

I shrugged, “Just exploring. Figured I’d try and find you.” At least half of that was the truth.

He pursed his lips before opening the car door, “Well, don’t do it again.”

I rolled my eyes and mimicked his actions of getting into the car. Brent started up the car and I buckled my seatbelt, watching the outside of Chicago, still marveling at the
skyscrapers and buildings, how different it was from Canada.

Before I knew it, Brent turned to me; “We’re here.”

It was a wakeup call for me. I was kind of expecting, hoping actually, that the ride would be a
little longer. I loved swimming, it was my life, but I really wasn’t looking forward to the
second practice today. Yesterday, the older girls basically antagonized me once they found
out that I was a freshman with better times than all of them.

Swallowing my suddenly dry mouth, I smiled hollowly at my brother and thanked him, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car. As soon as I got out of the car, I could feel the senior’s eyes on me, giggling and laughing about how ‘The freshman still had to be dropped off’. I grit my teeth and opened the door to the pool entrance, not bothering to hold it as a couple followed.

The warm one hundred and ten degree heat hit me once I opened the pool doors and walked out onto the deck. The Varsity coach smiled at me and I smiled back, despite my bitter mood. “Back for practice number two?”

“Yep. I’m ready.”

Satisfied my answer, the coach laughed and was cut off from our conversation as one of the seniors started talking to him. My smile quickly slipped and I sighed realizing the only thing that lifted my spirits also belonged to the seniors.

I walked up the bleachers and set my bag in the corner of the upper most further from the others bleachers, starting to take off my sweatpants and hoodie. Grabbing my goggles and cap, I made my way to lane 6, also known as the fastest lane.

The seniors started to slowly make their ways over in their own groups, giggling and what not. My back stiffened and I turned away from them and to the lane, stretching my arm across my chest and jumping up and down, my tight pony tail bouncing as I did a couple stretches. Deciding it was enough; I leaned over and spread my cap, attempting to put it on my hair. It didn’t work out well.

The problem was, I always needed someone to flip my cap for me. I couldn’t do it alone. And watching these older girls do it alone flawlessly made me feel even more vulnerable.

Biting my lip anxiously, I looked around and felt relief once I saw the coach making his way over to me. “Coach Morten?” I asked, feeling kind of shy and nervous.

“Yeah?”

“Can you flip my cap?” I asked in a low mumble, averting my eyes.

He chuckled, “Sure.”

My eyes flickered back to him and once I saw his grinning face, I relaxed and handed my cap over to him, bending my head down and lowered my pony tail into the cap. Coach Morten flawlessly flipped it and I straightened up.

He patted my back, “Don’t worry, Freshie. You’ll fit in.”

I started to smile slightly as he walked away. Maybe there was someone on the team who
didn’t hate me after all.

“Hey, freshman, are you getting here or what?”

My stomach dropped at the impatient, bitchy voice that sounded from behind me, along with the giggles following it. Slowly turning, I saw all of the seven best seniors from lane six along with other swimmers from the JV, Frosh/Soph lanes looking at me.

My hands turned cold and I put my goggles over my eyes, simply walking over and standing at the end of the line ready to get in the water. But I could still feel their eyes on me. I looked up.

“Well, freshmen,” One of them sneered, “aren’t you leading? Since you know, you’re the best and all?”

I couldn’t do anything but stare.

“Well, aren’t you? Or are you just guilty knowing you’re not good enough?”

I grit my teeth. Anger boiled in my veins and my heart pounded with spiking nerves with every step I took towards the lane.

“Alright, Varsity, 400 warm up. Take it slow. Stretch out.” The coach called out.

I nodded and took a deep breath, releasing it.

One of the seniors leaned over my shoulder, “Don’t go too slow or you’ll be kicked out of the lane.” She hissed icily.

My insides turned numb and I tried avoiding her comment, diving into the five foot deep end and starting to swim at a slow, warm up pace, feeling better as I realized they were behind me and not even close to touching my feet.

**

“Brent, where the hell are you?” I internally cursed not seeing my brother’s car anywhere. And it was already about fifteen minutes after practice ended. The senior girls hadn’t come out yet; they were inside, changing and getting ready after swimming to go out afterwards.

At that moment, a red Toyota type of jeep pulled up to the curb by which I was standing and my heart raced as I took an automatic step backwards.

The car honked once and I jumped, frightened.

It honked again and I was truly freaked out, turning around and ready to run inside.
The sound of a window rolling down came from behind me and a cocky voice which I was sure I heard before but couldn’t place at the exact moment.

“Hey, Jailbait, get in here!”

My mouth dropped open as I slowly turned around, and surely there in the front seat sat the cocky, blonde asshole who was raiding my brother’s fridge in the morning.

“What the fuck?” I blurted acidentaly, immediately turning red as I realized what I said.

The blonde raised his eyebrows, “Does Seabs know you talk like that?”

I glared at him and huffed, crossing my arms.

“Well, are you going to get in or what?” He asked impatiently after a while.

“I’m not supposed to get into cars with strangers.” I responded without missing a beat.

His face dropped but soon the cocky smirk appeared again, “Haha, smartass, now get in.”

“No.”

His face dropping even further, the blonde ran a hand through his curly mess of hair with a frustrated sigh. “I told Seabs I’d get you.”

“That’s what strangers are supposed to say when they want a kid in their car.”

Heaving a truly frustrated sigh this time, the blonde glanced at the time on his dashboard radio. “Alright you have two choices. You either get in and I drive you back to Brent’s in the time span of five quick and easy minutes, or I will leave and you can walk back to Brent’s apartment, all soaking wet, and eventually get there in forty minutes. You choose.”

I sighed, realizing I wasn’t going to win, and opened the passenger’s door, taking my bag and putting it under my feet.

I closed the door and waited. And waited.

Looking over at the blonde, I followed his gaze and saw the senior girls walking out in shorts and tank tops. Making a face, I crossed my arms and looked out the window. “Can we go?”

He glanced over at me and started to slowly drive out of the lot.

“Don’t like them?” He asked after a while of silence as we cruised down the main road back to Brent’s.

“No.” I mumbled.

He didn’t ask questions, which I was extremely grateful for. He just drove me back to the apartment in silence. But during the ride, he did seem pretty impatient, glancing at the clock every once in a while.

Once he pulled up to the front doors of the apartment building, I didn’t make any move to get out.

“Why did you come instead of Brent?” I asked curiously, looking at the blonde from the corners of my eyes. He couldn’t be older than 20.

The cocky smirk that seemed to be permanently glued onto his face since I met him appeared once more, “I wanted to meet the jailbait that stole Fraser's heart." He mocked dramatically, and I came to the conclusion that this guy was an asshole.

I glared at him; “Seriously though, why’d you come?” I tried again, expecting a serious answer this time.

He rolled his eyes, clearly irritated. “Seabs went out with a couple of the guys.”

My heart dropped slightly and I frowned, he promised to take me out into downtown today and have dinner at the Hancock, some brother and sister bonding time during which he promised to show me around Chicago.

The frown etched onto my face deeply, and it hurt. But I couldn’t seem to get rid of it. “So how am I supposed to get in the apartment?” I asked in a monotone voice, staring straight ahead.

I could feel the blonde’s eyes studying me carefully, the sound of dangling keys hitting my ears and I peeked over, seeing him holding a keychain with about four keys attached to it.

I took the keys away from him and tried to at least attempt a smile and mumble out a ‘thank you’ as I opened the car door and got out.

“Don’t you even want to know how to get to the apartment?” He asked carefully, watching as I took my swim bag out and slowly slung it over my shoulder.

“That would be nice.” I eventually answered.

“Fifth floor, go to the left once you get off the elevator and 526 is the place.”

I nodded, taking in the directions and memorizing them. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, no probl-” He cut himself off mid-word, “Did you seriously get my seat wet?”

I bit back the smile that formed on my lips, temporarily forgetting about my sadness as the blonde stared at his wet passenger’s seat in horror. “Oops?”

He glared at me, “Last time I’m ever driving you around, Jailbait.”

I in return, gave him an angelic smile and shut the door, stepping up onto the sidewalk and watched as he pulled away. Once he was finally gone, I let my vision wander around to the sight of Chicago in front of me. Busy cars driving by, people walking around the city, smiling, laughing, drinking coffee. A breeze blew through the air and hit my wet body, my wet hair which was in a tight bun on top of my head dripping droplets of water which froze to my skin once they hit it. And not to mention the fact that I was only wearing sweat pants and a hoodies over my soaking suits, which pretty much soaked through the clothes I wore.

Shivering, I walked into the apartment building, the thoughts of Brent breaking his promise running restlessly through my head.