Page 4 of Creed

Chapter 1

Collins

(AGE 9)

MOMMA AND DAD ARE yelling at each other again. They do that a lot lately. It makes me sad to hear them say such mean things to one another. I thought moms and dads were supposed to love each other and take care of each other for forever. Supposed to be good examples for their kids and make sure we grow up happy.

I guess I was wrong. What does a nine year old know about love, anyway?

A loud crashing sound has me running to my usual hiding spot. I fling open my closet door and pull it shut behind me once I’m fully inside. I push myself back past the hanging clothes and slide down to my bottom when my back hits the wall.

I reach blindly into the dark, in search of the giant headphones that Asher gave me. He said whenever he’s not home and this happens, that I can hide and turn off the outside world by putting these on. I slide them over my messy hair and follow the cord to the old Walkman attached to the other end.

I flinch as I hear more shouting and another crashing sound, like something shattering against the wall. I start to rock back and forth as I turn it on, hit the big ‘play’ button, and wait for the music to start. I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear the first few notes of my favorite singer. Ziggy Stardust. Asher says his real name is David-Something, but I don’t think it’s as cool as Ziggy.

The Prettiest Star plays through the speakers of the headphones and instantly the world fades away. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around my knees, hugging them close to my chest as I hum along to the words. Tears spring up behind my closed eyes and I don’t try to stop them. Asher says it’s okay to be sad sometimes.

I can feel the heavy thud of footsteps crossing the floor of my room, growing closer to the closet and fear seeps from my body with each step. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter and stop breathing, hoping I’m not found in my hiding spot. Suddenly the closet door flies open, and I flinch away, turning my face toward the wall and bracing for the hit.

But it never comes.

Instead, I feel a soft, warm hand on my back. The song in my headphones starts to fade and that’s when I hear the muffled tone of a familiar voice. Slowly, I turn to see my big brother kneeling down in the doorway with a soft look on his face. I can see his lips moving, but I can’t hear him due to him speaking softly and my wearing these big headphones.

I watch as he reaches toward my face with both hands and carefully pulls the headphones from my ears. Once he sets them down, he holds his arms out to me.

“Asher!” I cry out as I shoot off the floor and stumble into his arms, settling in his lap and cling to him tightly. I bury my face in his neck and cry all my tears. I can still hear momma and daddy yelling, but with Asher holding me, I feel less scared.

Like everything will be okay.

“Shh,” He strokes the back of my head, his fingers getting caught in my tangled blonde hair. “It’s okay, Bug, I’ve got you.”

When my tears slow down and my breathing settles, I realize that the house is now quiet. The sound of the front door slamming makes me jolt, and my head snaps up. Dad must have finally left. But that’s also when I notice we’re not alone in the room. My belly does this little flip as I look at the boy standing at the entrance of my room.

He’s here.

Creed St. James.

My big brother’s best friend. He and Asher spend lots of time hanging out and playing video games, but sometimes Creed will bring his guitar and play music for us. He’s really good, too. He says he’s going to be a rockstar someday. Sometimes when momma and daddy are gone from the house, the boys will invite girls over to listen to music and hang out with them, too.

Once, I heard a girl tell her friend that Creed was a “Rock God with a rockin’ bod”. Sounds absolutely silly, but I guess it’s a compliment. Whatever it means. To me, he’s just Creed, and that’s special enough. He’s also very handsome to look at, and sometimes it makes me blush. He’s a little bit taller than Asher, and his short black hair is always messy. His eyes are as blue as the sky and a smile that sends the butterflies in my tummy scattering. The black clothes he always wears really make his pale skin standout.

Of course, it’s nothing but a silly little kid crush. It’s basically the same as my being in love with Flynn Rider from the first time I watched Tangled. Asher and Creed had taken me to see it on a night when our parents were fighting. Really, it’s like I have two older brothers because Creed is equally protective and doesn’t hesitate to spoil me anytime he gets the chance.

That’s what I love most about these two boys in my life—they always protect me. They keep me shielded from when our parents are fighting. Asher always makes sure that I’m bathed and that my clothes are clean. He does his best to tame my hair, though it usually winds up more messy and tangled by the time he’s done fiddling with it. But I don’t mind.

He always makes sure that I’m fed, and my homework is done when momma and daddy are busy sleeping. He’s eighteen, but he acts more like a parent to me than my actual mom and dad.

I remember the night of my seventh birthday, Creed gave Asher the idea to take me to play mini-putt because one of the courses had a large castle built into it because I had wanted a princess party, but momma was sick, and daddy was too busy working that they forgot to plan my party.

At least that’s what Asher told me.

Asher dressed me up in my Rapunzel dress, gave me my very own tiara, loaded me up in his car and we met Creed at the course where he had a little cupcake with a single candle waiting for me. I won the game, naturally.

They’re truly the best humans I know.

I look up from Asher’s shoulder and I see Creed sitting on the end of my purple princess bed. He’s currently hunched forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly together, and his head hanging down. But when he lifts his eyes and they meet mine, he gives me a big smile that sets off those darn butterflies in my tummy again. Only this smile doesn’t match the sadness in his eyes, though.

I tilt my head and smile back.

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