Spinning at the Seams

The White Town Tigers lost a devastating game to the Moss City Colts last night 51-6, the game start of on a good note for the Tigers as they managed to score fast and early, but unfortunately the Colts responded faster scoring 3 touchdowns in the first half. Senior quarterback Chris Tanners, had a great play with the touchdown as he managed to get the ball to his receiver despite multiple defensive ends rushing him…

I sighed as I reread my beginning summery. How do you make a football game we got crushed at sound upbeat? I looked at my computer’s clock, 11: 34 P.M., wonderful and I have to get up early to take a shower before my brother, and get to school with this article by 9 A.M. Why newspaper has to meet on a Saturday at all is way beyond me, but I guess that’s the life of a journalist.

“Hey Toni, are you still up?” a hesitant voice asked from behind my bedroom door.

“Yeah, come on in Di.” I responded, turning in my chair to watch her come in. Di opened the door slowly, her blonde head peeking in first, and surveying my room before entering and taking a seat on my bean bag chair next to my closet, which was across from my computer where I now sat with a major writers block.

“So what can I do for you little sister?” I probably already knew the answer; my sister only came to my room for advice when it came to three things, boys, her friends, and my mom.

“Well,” she began avoiding my eyes, “its about a guy…” she said still without meeting my eyes, something was up. Whenever she talked she always looked at me, waiting for my reaction I suppose, her not looking at me was really odd.

“Okay, and what seems to be the problem?” I asked suddenly suspicious of the fact that she wouldn’t meet my gaze, but before she could answer my door opened again revealing my mom looking none too happy.

“Diana Pandora, what are you doing in here this late at night? You know you have a horse competition tomorrow; you should be sleeping not talking to your sister! Now say goodnight and go to bed missy, and I don’t want to hear any buts!” At that my sister rose gave me a glance that I couldn’t quite read, fear maybe, and walked out of my room past my angry mother who watched her go before turning to look at me. “And your up because?” she began pushing her sandy blonde hair back.

“I have writers block and this article needs to be ready for tomorrow.” I responded turning back to my computer and quickly typing in a basic summary of the rest of the game that didn’t make our players look like the incompetent idiots that they actually were. I heard my mom close the door and I breathed a sigh of relief before preparing to shut down my computer, just as I went to turn it off an IM popped up.

Fine4me: do you have ur article done?

Not2sure: yeah

Fine4me: and???

Not2sure: it turned out better than expected, I think you’ll approve

Fine4me: good, cant wait to read it, have it ready for me!

Not2sure: yes ma’am

I could practically see my friend Mallory rolling her eyes at that. Mallory and I both worked on the school paper. She wrote music and movie reviews, while I wrote sports. I know its odd for a girl to write sports, but with my twin brother Marc being a super jock and my mom being a single mother, I always ended up at his sports games since the time we knew what sports were. While I didn’t really like most of the sports my understanding of them had come in handy when trying out for the paper, they only took so many writers, and most guys who knew sports the way I did played them, so when I happened to mention that I knew sports I suddenly became the sports girl. It really didn’t bother me, it got my foot in the door, I got to go hang out with my friends at a school event for free, and got to make fun of our team from the sidelines while doing what I loved, reporting. Since I was a kid I’ve dreamed of being the next Anderson Cooper, or Barbra Walters, minus the whole affair with a senator thing. I quickly turned off my computer before Mallory could respond with some smart alec comment, and climbed into bed, letting my mind wonder to my future career, and with that I quickly drifted into sleep.

“BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ” Ahh, I jerked up into a sitting position on my bed, trying to figure out why bees had suddenly been attacking me in my dream, only to realize it wasn’t bees, it was my alarm clock. I groaned, hit it with my hand, and got up heading for the bathroom. I turned to the mirror and began to brush my teeth, looking at myself trying to debate a shower now or later. My brown hair was a mess and hung in tangles down to my shoulders, my green eyes looked back at me, their muddy tinge less noticeable to me without my glasses on, my skin was creamy white and slightly pale with freckles that dusted my face in places, and my eyes had bags under them. Great just great, I thought to myself, rinsing my mouth and grabbing my hairbrush. As I began to work the tangles a big shape suddenly moved past me moving into the small area that held the toilet and shower and closing the door behind it. “Morning to you too Marc, how did you sleep?” I muttered continuing to yank at my hair, wondering how it could’ve gotten this tangled in just eight hours, “oh just fine how ‘bout you sis, did you sleep well?” I muttered continuing my imaginary conversation with my brother, who barely spoke to me and if he did it was in grunts and shouting. Suddenly the door opened and my twin brother walked out looking at me as he went, just when he had walked out the door, he turned back around.

“Ann, you’re going to school right?” he didn’t wait for me to answer,” Would you mind taking me and dropping me at Tiffs’, I’m grounded,” I rolled my eyes at that, of course you are you always are I thought, “and I need to see her.”

I pretended to think about it for a moment, “Um, no” I said going back to the mess of tangles that were now clumping together at the bottom of my hair, I was just about to put the brush back in when his hand grabbed my wrist and turned me around.

“What do you mean no? I need to see her, and you’re my sister your supposed to care about me and what I need, isn’t that what you always tell Diana.”

“Yes but there are some major differences between you and Di,” I saw him about to protest but continued anyway, he was not getting me to do this “first of all, Di calls me Toni not Ann, I hate being called Ann and you know that Marcus” I emphasized his full name, he hated that, “Second, I hate your girlfriend and she hates me, and I refuse, I repeat refuse to be in the same car as her, and third, family caring works both ways and I have never seen you care about me so, I think I’ll just go to school and home with no stops, if you want to see her, though I have no idea why you would, you should just stop going to parties getting wasted, then coming home and expecting mom to be okay with it, even though you just got off your last grounding, just a suggestion.” I turned away from him and continued to brush my hair watching his face as it varied in emotions, anger, confusion, shock, they all painted a picture on his face before he turned and stormed off to his room slamming the door behind him. “Nice talking to you too.” I called after him. I quickly put on my glasses then headed to my room to change into a green sweater, jeans and clogs, grab my now printed article, messenger bag and car keys, before walking out the door into the cloudy morning that hung over White City. As I drove to school I wondered what had been with Di last night, Well I’ll find out soon enough I thought as I turned into the school parking lot, she told me everything eventually. Little did I know that the boy in question was about to enter my life to, and make me question everything I had ever known.