Loverboy

Scarlet

“Scarlet have you found a full time job yet?”

My mother asked with an agitated bite to her tone as she cooked over the stove, my father peering out at us over the top of today’s newspaper which he was previously reading as he sat at the dinner table. He glared at me with a knowing look, fully informing me that he was silently seconding my mother’s question as he eagerly waited for me to respond.

“No mum I haven’t and before you ask yes I’ve applied for loads, just back off will you –“

“Scarlet Frankie Lewis bite your tongue when talking to your mother! Now go upstairs and apply for some more jobs”

I knew better not to argue with my parents, I was the sort of child that was brought up to fear her parent’s wrath – so therefore I did everything in my power to please them, to avoid any sort of confrontation with them. However sometimes, this being the only occasion in my nineteen years, did I ever disobey my parent’s orders.

“No dad I’ve applied for every job relating to Media and even then it is never enough for you guys is it? You’d never give me this shit if I was Luke; I’m fed up with doing what you guys say! You didn’t even want me doing Media in the first place because you thought I wouldn’t get a job out of it in the end, it was why I took this bloody gap year. Then guess what? Surprise, surprise at the end of the deadline you change your minds! I’m doing everything I can, I’ve got a flipping part time job all ready and you’re still going on”

After my lengthily rant I let out a well held in breath, pushing my vibrant red hair to one side in agitation – never had I ever flipped out like this on my parents. Flicking my anxious blue eyes from one parental figure to the next I averted my eyes down to my fingers tugging at the hem of my blue, one shouldered jumper. My mother was the first to speak up, to break the awkward silence I had surrounded us in.

“Get out of this house”

She spoke in monotone with no emotion behind it what so ever, snapping my head up immediately I was faced with her matching eyes, my father’s gaze following my mother carefully as he tried to absorb, like me, what my mother had just dealt me.

“What?”

I replied in an instant reaction, it came out in a sort of a sarcastic fashion. Much more cheekily than I had actually intended, I was in all honestly in a state of shock. I know my parents are scary sometimes, but never ever would I have expected this off them.

“You heard me; you think you can talk to me and your father like that after all we have done for you. Get out of this house now and never come back”

Standing frozen to the spot I let my mother’s harsh and unexpected words hit me hard, letting my mouth open and close I was at a loss for words. Slowly turning to my father I looked at him in a last ditch attempt, he stared at me hard before looking over at my mother. He shrugged his shoulders at me in sympathy before turning his attention back to the black and white print placed loosely in his hands.

Taking one last look at my mother I shook my head in disbelief, running out into the hallway I was stopped by a tiny figure standing, whimpering in front of my path – Luke. He was the only reason I had obeyed my parents for so long, so I could in turn look after him; my parents never cared about me, they treasured Luke he was the apple of my mother’s eye.

“Where are you going?”

Scooping up the four year old toddler into my arms I hugged him tightly as he held tight onto his blanket, nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck and wrapping his tiny arms around my neck for dear life. Holding back fresh tears I took in his scent as if it was the last time I would see him before I placed him back on the floor.

“On an adventure, but I promise I’ll be back soon. Just…Just –“

“No cry!”

He shouted in his baby voice noticing the tears that were mixing with my mascara, drying into my worn out complexion. In my life, I had been the mistake the one they didn’t plan for, the one that ruined any plans they had made. Luke was planned and they doted on him, but he never did seem to take to my parents so he took to me instead. He wiped the tears from my eyes with his tiny thumb before speaking words I’ll never forget.

“You are going on an adventure like Thomas!”

He lifted his Thomas the Tank engine toy off the floor next to him and placed it in my hands as he pushed the wheels back and forth on the palms of my outstretched hands, laughing through the ache my heart felt just watching him before me, I placed one last kiss on his forehead.

“Just like Thomas”

Pushing off from my knees on the laminate flooring I waved goodbye to my little brother before I picked up my overly used skateboard from beside the front door and left, without a second glance back I dropped my skateboard onto the concrete path. Pushing my foot against the pavement I got faster and faster until I was rapidly skating away from my childhood and to the one place I was always welcome.

//

I got to the local skate park faster than I have in my entire life; the graffiti laden ramps lay before my eyes as I took in the familiarity of it all. Luckily none of my friends were hanging around here tonight, if they saw me like this they would know something had gone down. I was not one for talking about anything personal, I hated the sympathy, I hated the advice – I hated talking about my crappy parents.

Kicking up my skateboard into my hand I ran over towards the ramps, taking a run and jump and using my free hand to push me up onto the top of the highest ramp. Smirking to myself I looked at the graffiti covering the wood of the curved ramp below me; Millie had designed it when the guys had build it, it had two hands holding onto each other with the word “Hope” etched underneath, right now that was exactly what I was praying for.

Dropping the skateboard once more I placed my feet on the charcoal black surface and rushed down the ramp, the slight evening breeze blowing away any troubles that were crowding my mind. That was my attraction to skating, you could just skate and forget about everything – forgetting was something I desperately needed right now.

I must have been out here for about half an hour when as I did a 180 flip off of the ramp, a bright flash from the distant startled me momentarily. Stopping on the top of the ramp I lifted my hand to my brow to search for the location of the flash, finding nothing I shrugged it off and continued.

Another flash

What the hell? This was just creepy something wasn’t right; I had the feeling in the pit of my stomach that someone was creeping.

“Alright whoever the fuck you are get out now!”

“Real scary Scar”

Squinting my crystal blue eyes in the darkness I noticed the tall figure that had emerged from behind a pillar in the skate park, he had his hood pulled up over his head as his dark brown hair stood off in perfect waves and his lips that were pulled into a joking smirk approached.

“Charlie! Not fucking funny”

Laughing I landed on my butt onto the top of the ramp, while Charlie closed the distance and swiftly swung his one leg up onto the ramp and used his hand to get up, he dropped down on his butt next to me as our legs subconsciously dangled down freely before us.

“What are you doing here?”

I asked my one brow raised in a mocking manner as I studied my best friend before me under the dim street lights, smiling half heartedly Charlie raised the black Nixon DSLR slung around his neck and wiggled it in his hand before me, his brow raised sarcastically to match mine.

“Taking pictures, I need to get this portfolio done”

He sighed dropping the camera again as the strap around his neck grew tight against his body from the weight. He fiddled with the dog tag around his neck before asking me the same question back, never taking his auburn eyes off the dog tag wrapped in his fingers.

It was then as I took in a deep breath, I knew that I would have to delve into my feelings – my personal feelings. Charlie had that effect on me, no matter what I wanted to keep secret, he had a way of getting it out of me.

“I got kicked out Charlie, she actually kicked me out”

His head shot up to meet me as his hood ruffled some of his styled hair into disarray, his jaw formed a tight line and he gulped down the lump that had grown in his throat; he clenched his fists secretly but I saw, the white of his knuckles just evident under the restricted light.

“She what?!”

“I spoke up for myself for once…she kicked me out, my father didn’t even –“

“So you were just planning on staying out here all night?”

He asked cutting me off mid sentence; I hated how Charlie got so protective; he’s been my best friend ever since we were little and always hated how my parent’s treated me. Staring him down hard I spoke back with a hint of anger in my voice.

“No. I was planning on going to stay with Millie maybe for a couple of days I hope, I don’t know really”

Sighing I threw my body back against the top of the ramp staring out into the night sky that had quickly descended upon us. Next to me I heard Charlie let out a sigh to match mine before he held his hand out to me, grasping it questioningly he pulled me up to him and together we slid down the ramp to my skateboard motionlessly waiting. He flipped it up into his hand with the force from his toes and noticing my barely clothed body, disconnected our hands to shrug off his hoodie and hand it to me to put on.

Placing his hoodie on me I snuggled into the collar, inhaling the scent I had grown accustomed to over many years of friendship. Charlie smirked to himself out of the corner of my eye as he grasped my hand in his once more.

“You can stay with me, come on”

He smiled at me as he took me out of the skate park with my skateboard in his hand, smiling back at him in thanks I followed him down the short 10 minute walk to his apartment in a comfortable silence.