Swing Life Away

“Laurie, Jacob, Christian!” My mother yelled for us. My brothers and I were up in our room, playing Fifa on Christian’s PS3. It’s how we bonded. I love spending time with my two brothers. We were almost inseparable. Hell, we even looked the same. I virtually was a fraternal sister to my twin brothers. “Your Aunt Wendy’s here!” Great. My lovely aunt is here. Don’t get me wrong. I love my aunt, but she’s too old-fashioned for my taste.

We all let out a very big sigh simultaneously. “And just to think, this was gonna be a great day.” Jacob complained. None of us were thrilled about her visiting.

“Well, we just gotta deal with her for a few hours, and then we won’t see her for another four months.” I mentioned to them, trying to pick up the mood. They nodded together. My brothers were pretty much the same person except for a few personality traits here and there. My own parents can hardly tell the difference between the twins.

Damn it. With my aunt here, that means I have to put a dress on instead of wearing my yoga pants. I groaned as I ushered my brothers out of our room, so I could change. My hair was unkempt at the moment. I wish my aunt would give us all a heads up when she would be visiting, so I, at least, could look presentable at her standard, the girl I’m supposed to be. I turned on my straightener to the hottest temperature and began to search my closet for the dress I felt like wearing today. I pulled out a pretty sundress that I had worn to my cousin’s wedding a few years back. White and lacy, just how my aunt would appreciate it. An open back and a slightly pleated skirt. My long brown hair with piercing green eye would shine through, making the dress look dull. I groaned. Why can’t my aunt just love me for my tomboy self instead of this girl she thinks I am. I stripped down and wiggled into the dress. I took a seat at my vanity and picked up the first chunk of hair to straighten. Within five minutes, my hair was perfect.

Buzz-buzz. Phone sounded with a message from my mother. Get down here. I texted back a reply and quickly applied my makeup. Finished, and I was out the door. “Aunt Wendy!” I exclaimed as I made my way down the steps.

“Oh, Laurie! You look stunning, my dear!” My aunt, wide-eyed and twinkle-eyed, moved from her seat to greet her only niece with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She escorted me to the sitting room where I joined the rest of my immediate family. I took a seat on the chair, which looked like it was owned in the Victorian age. The pastel pink chair was the only seat available since my mother sat at the piano and was dabbling around. My brothers and father sat on the sofa, singing along with my mother. I had always admired my mother’s musical talent. My aunt took her usual seat and stared at me peculiarly. “William, how old is Laurie now?”

My father looked over at my aunt. “Sixteen.”

Then a gasp came from her and a gigantic smile rose from her lips. “Come over here, dear, so I may appraise you.” I looked over to my father, who gave me a quick nod of approval. I lifted myself and approached my aunt. She signalled me to spin around, and I couldn’t help but giggle at her and my brothers were giggling with me, and my father was telling them to shush. “It’s as I thought. Laurie is almost a woman. She possesses her mother’s slender chin.” She smiled as I nervously touched my chin. My cheeks flamed up in embarrassment.

“Can you see it? There, in the right-hand corner, of her lips. A kiss.” I gasped. My mother had the same thing when she was my age, which was for my father.

“Laurie, it’s time.” My father said, almost like he was talking about my destiny or fate or what have you.

I was startled to say the least. Confused, I asked my father, “Time for what?” I hoped it wasn’t about what I was thinking.

He let out a loud sigh. “It’s time for you to prepare for the debutant ball, darling.”

I stepped back. “You can’t be serious.” A worried look came upon my brow. This seriously cannot be happening to me. “Daddy, no. Please.”

He looked disappointed in my disapproval. “It’s time to grow up, love.”

Grow up. The last words I really wanted to hear. I excused myself from the room and ran upstairs. My brothers, being my best friends, followed me back up. “Laurie, I don’t think he’s being too serious.” Jacob comforted me, as I threw myself on the bed. “He’s not gonna make you do the whole debutant thing.” I looked at him with a look that said “Get serious, Jacob”.

“It’s tradition in our family, you know that.” I stated nearly smothering myself with a pillow. Dad won’t break a family tradition. At least he won’t be the first. I groaned, “Well, we can now go listen to what they are saying now.” Christian mentioned, slyly. He was always the one with the brilliant ideas. I leapt to my feet. It couldn’t hurt to eavesdrop on the conversation a little further. We crept to the top of the stairs, and everything said was loud and clear.

“Laurie’s of that age, William.” My aunt spoke. The sound of a tea cup hitting a saucer echoed throughout the hallway. “She needs her own room, and she needs to prepare for the ball.” Prepare. More like training for the ball. It seriously was just a freak show of puffy skirts and proper manners. I could only imagine what the dresses my aunt picked out for me to wear. I nearly fainted just thinking about it. “This should help entice her to being a lady.” My temper boiled over. If I wasn’t out of this house within the next five minutes, I was going to explode.

Speeding into my room, I pulled the nearest pair of skinny jeans and Acacia Strain shirt onto my body, escaping that damn dress that I hated wearing in the first place. “Where are you going?” My brothers asked simultaneously.

“I’m running away.” I had no intentions on taking anything with me, or else my parents would try looking for me. Fuck that. “I’m going out the window. Cover me.” My brothers nodded their head. I walked toward them and gave them a hug each. “I love you, guys. Fuck growing up. Enjoy your youth.” I threw up the window and hopped through.

I began to scale the building. The window to our bedroom was on the second floor, but right next to the fire escape, which made it easier to reach the ground. On my way down, I have no idea where I was supposed to go. The fire escape definitely was possibly the loudest thing in the world, especially when trying to sneak out without your parents noticing.

The sky was grey. A rain storm was coming. I didn’t even bring a hoodie. I hopped down from the ladder. “Ahh!” I screamed as my pant leg where I roll up my jeans to fit my height. And there went me, face-first onto the ground. Just my luck. I picked myself off the gravel and brushed off whatever I could. Rain pattered on my skin. Wherever I was going, I had to decide fast. I sprinted through the streets, pushing through the crowd of people. Running away from my family without a place to go. I obviously didn’t think this all the way through. My eyes ran from side to side looking for somewhere to go. I wasn’t sure until I saw the sign for the Of Mice and Men show down the street at my favourite local venue that I knew exactly where I was going.