Even Brighter Than the Moon

Aggie Rae stared at her bedroom ceiling. Her father, Jimmy, painted clouds and a baby blue sky on it when she was little. He also stuck glow-in-the-dark stars on it and a glow-in-the-dark moon so when she turned the lights out at night, it'd glow like the evening sky outside. She doesn't know how long she's been awake, but she sat still studying the shapes and brush strokes of the clouds above her; wanting to got outside and see the real ones but found herself to lazy to move.

A soft knock on her bedroom door made her break her gaze and turn to it. The early forties face of her father poked his head into her room. "Hey kid, you up? I've made pancakes and Creed and Jules are very close to eating your share." The raven haired girl perked up at this and through back her covers and her long, slender legs hit the ground running as she raced to save her pancakes; clad only in her tank and boy short underwear.

She skidded into the kitchen and silently reached over her boys, Creed and Jules, and stole her pancakes unnoticed. By the time they looked back up, she was already drowning them in sweet, syrupy goodness. They may of been her closest and only friends, but she didn't ever like to share. They looked over at her with wide, tear-blurring eyes. "Too slow." She giggled taking the first bite. She eventually would give in, and give them one as well.

"I wish you would put on some clothes, Agatha." Her mother scolded coming into the room. Only her mother and sister called her by her full name, and how she loathed it. "Everyone is coming over, and I will not be embarrassed by you not knowing how to properly dress your self."

Aggs rolled her eyes, but went to get dressed none the less. Her mother only spoke to her in such a rude manner when her father or his friends weren't in the room. "I'm leaving anyway, Mother so you need no worry." Aggie Rae grumbled going up the stairs.

She had always wondered what it would've been like, what she would've been like if she was born into a family where all of her family members loved her and not just her father, where she had plenty of friends. She loved the life she lives now, but sometimes it'd be nice to be different. Aggie Rae dressed in a pair of short, her polka dotted bikini underneath, with a black Romones t shirt over top. In her beach bag she packed a changed of undergarments, a towel, her extremely high sunscreen because of her ivory nature, her ipod, phone, and her books in needing return to the library. She go to the library about twice a week, then go read at the beach, observing everyone and everything around her as the boys played in the water.

After finding her flip flops and she began to walk out the front door, a hand grabbed the back of her t shirt, stopping her. "Oh no you don't." Jimmy said gruffly, yet smiling, "You all can hang out here with the family for a bit."

Those words were not what she was wanting to hear.

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The Sullivan backyard filled with the other four band members and their families rather quickly. Aggs, Creed, and Jules took there normal places, unnoticed, under the giant oak that adorned the majority of the backyard. Danny and Mya, Zacky and Gena's children, sat in the lawn chairs along with Vanessa, Johnny and Lacey's daughter, Austin and Melissa, Brian and Michelle's son and daughter, and Charlie, Val and Matt's son. Mya, Vanessa, and Austin were to be sophomores while everyone else was going to be a senior when school resumed in the fall. Ember, much to Aggs's disliking, came out side in an extremely tiny bikini that had ruffles on the bottom. "Eugh." Aggs said shaking her head in disgust.

"It sort of revolting." Creed agree shaking his head. Ember had moved past slut and exceeded into porn star trash. Which was bellow the already porn star. It wasn't that she wasn't fit or excessively over-weight, it was that you could see through her little bathing suit and count every rib.

"I think its kind of hot." Jules shrugged taking a sip of his coke. Aggie blushed at the conversation that began to take place. She'd never ever kissed a boy, let alone of done the things the boys began to talk about. No one really said much after that, just a light conversation between Jules and Creed as Aggie Rae became immersed with the story in her book.

"Aggs!" She looked up at her name to see her father motioning her over to the rest of the group. Jimmy smiled at her. She reached him, and stood near the back, Jules and Creed flanking her sides. "As we all know, we've got a few months till the eldest kids start their senior year," He paused as Danny, Melissa, Ember, and Charlie yelled and clapped, "But we got a call from our manager today. How would you all like to spend it on tour with us, Papa Roach, and Hollywood Undead?"

Ember and everyone yelled loudly like before whereas Aggie Rae stood, frozen still. Her father promised her no more touring before she left for college, that he would be there all her senior year. He swore to it. "No." The Raven beauty whispered looking down at the ground.

All the cheering stopped and Jimmy looked over at his daughter, his smile fading. "What did you just say?"

Aggie Rae's throat grew dry. It was the first time she had ever defied her parents; Ember argued all the time but never Aggs. "I said no." She said louder and sterner. She slowly began to walk away, leaving everyone shocked in her wake. She sniffed and wiped the angry tears from her face. If he was going to do this, then she doesn't need him, none of them out there. OK, maybe her boys but that's it. Jimmy called after her, walking quickly behind her, causing Aggs to break out in a full sprint.

It was the first time she ever defied her parents. And it felt good.