Grace

"Nathan Ignatius!" came the cry.

Nathan sighed and rubbed his eyes, exhausted from the trial. They had just arrived home and his step-mother slammed the car door and walked out, her jewellery clanging and rattling and her blonde hair unusually messy. In her eyes was a wild anger, but he knew it wasnít because she bore any love for him. He had ruined her reputation, and now his father would have to pay more fees because of his recent crime, leaving less money for her to waste on fast cars and ridiculous heels.
"Nathan Ignatius." she repeated in a growl when he didnít respond.
He blinked at her, her orange fake-tanned face frighteningly close to his own, her blue eyes glaring into his.
"Yes, Lily?" he said in an innocent tone of voice, which had the desired effect of only pissing her off more.
"Look what you've done!" she screeched. "What were you thinking, stealing a car with your little buddies, you idiot!"
Nathan had to suppress a laugh, she looked so ridiculous when she was angry. Like an ill-tempered flamingo.
"That's enough." said his father, stepping out from the car. Nathan preferred his father to his step-mother, who he knew was only a bratty gold-digger trying to get at his Dadís money.
His father was an ex marine with battle scars to prove it, who had naturally tanned skin and wrinkles all over his kind face. Nathan tried to find the pity in his watery eyes, but this time there was none.
His father sighed, mopping the sweat from his middle-aged brow with a handkerchief.
"But I have to agree, Nathan. Youíve really crossed the line this time. I wonít be able to get you out of this one."
Nathanís heart sank.
"What?!" he exclaimed. "But Dad-"
"No buts." his father hissed. Nathan was taken aback, heíd never seen his father like this before.
Last time he was in court, for carrying a loaded weapon on his person, Dad had paid for his bail and he escaped with a warning and a criminal record.
His Dad was his fighter, his defender, who was always there to bust him out of big trouble at the last moment. This was so unlike him.
Lily smirked at Nathan, and Nathan glared back at her in return. His father was oblivious, and continued.
"No, I don't think I wouldíve been able to get you out of this anyway." he said in an almost apologetic manner. "They'll come by tomorrow and take you to the detention centre."
He handed Nathan a pamphlet with the words 'Smithville Juvenile Detention Centre' on the front cover, hovering above an image of smiling teens with their families.
Nathan cocked an eyebrow at his father.
His father solemnly stared back.
From behind him, Nathan saw Lily stick her tongue out at him. He growled and stormed into the house, all but smashing the wall as he slammed the door open and stomped inside, up the stairs, dirtying the Persian rug and making the chandelier shake with his heavy footsteps.
Finally, his escape.
Nathan slammed the door to that too and threw the pamphlet onto the messy floor, collapsing onto the bed and staring at his ceiling.
His room. His sanctuary. But when tomorrow came, he wouldnít see this place for maybe years.
He almost cried for the loss, but his instincts told him that men never cried, and he listened to them, throwing sharp objects at his dart board instead.
His room reflected his personality, with band posters and nearly naked women lining the walls, some of them half flopped down from their perches and others easing off and looming over the room. Dirty clothes were scattered on the floor, a guitar with only two strings was propped in the corner, and on his bedside was his alarm clock (that had stopped on 2:23pm three years ago) and an unframed photo of him at school, holding by the waist a beautiful girl with Spanish features and big brown eyes, and his other arm around the shoulders of a tall, thin boy with an almost pained grin on his face.
He would be leaving them behind too, his girlfriend Victoria and his best friend Tyler. He cursed Tyler under his breath, Tyler having stolen the car with him, but getting away as the police took Nathan away. Nathan tried to bring him into court, but Tyler didnít have a criminal record, so they marked him innocent and focused on Nathan instead.
He turned on the radio and put in his headphones, leaning his head back against the pillow with a deep and rather mournful sigh.
Nathan wasnít really a troubled child, he just grew up surrounded by people who taught him how to be polite, how to behave, but he didnít want to behave, he wanted to live. So with every day that they taught him, every day he longed to break the rules, to take control of his own life. Besides, it was him who got to live his life, not anyone else.
When he was younger, his father found his mother in bed with another man, and they suffered a bitter divorce, his mother taking custody of his little sister and never being heard from again. Apparently she ended up marrying that man. Anyhow, his dad was heartbroken, and went out with anyone who even looked at him, hence his sudden engagement to Lily.
Lily was a cold-hearted bitch who only wanted at his Dadís money, inherited when his rich father passed away, after his mother left him.
Nathan hated her, and she knew that, which was one of the main reasons she hated him back, and just as much. But now that he was out of the picture for a few years, Lily would have free reign, and in his Dadís misery, heíd let her get away with murder.
Nathan sat there and watched the sun dip under the horizon and the moon climb in the clear night sky. The night was so peaceful, and his mind so tortured. What would tomorrow bring? Would he ever see this place again?
At the same time, Nathan was excited. This was the adventure he had been waiting for, a chance for him to really stir up some mischief. And thatís what he did best.
Nathan checked the digital clock on his bedside as he did every night before he turned out the light, but it was always the same. 2:23pm. He chuckled and flicked the switch off the lamp, letting the room descend into darkness.
He left the radio on for a change, and let the music soothe him into a restless sleep.