Page 5 of Reclaim

She grabs a business card and leaves it in between us. “I’ll try my hardest. Just call me if you need anything.”

I nod and watch her begin to pack up her files into her bag. Lifting the strap onto her shoulder, she clutches it to her side. “Can you do one thing for me, please?”

“It’s a bit early to ask for favours isn’t it?” The blush returns, paired with a smile that could end wars and save lives; I’m putty in her hands.

“It’s time to call your family, Jagger. Get ready to go home.”

* * *

Tapping incessantly,my fingers thrum against the wall-mounted telephone. The phone rings. Once, twice, three times.

“Hello?” The automated voice tells him it’s a call from Goulburn Correctional Services, reminding him that all phone calls are monitored. There’s no anonymity, the element of surprise gone, but when the line finally connects, he stays silent.

I take a deep breath. “Drix.”

The sun beamsdown on my back while my feet drag across the uneven concrete, each step heavier than the last. With my head down, I subconsciously concentrate on the cracks in the ground, reminiscing on the childhood game I used to play with my brother. A time when the world was a lot simpler, and wanting to win was my only concern. A time where I wasn’t a fuck up trying to forever right my wrongs.

Today is my last day of school, and lucky for me, it’s also my eighteenth birthday. According to the law, I’m officially an adult. According to my mum, it means it’s time to grow up, be a man, and get the fuck out of her house. Part of me knows she’s right. I do need to make changes and start taking care of my family, but my steps to independence are questionable. As both right and wrong comfortably find their voices in the cluster fuck that is my mind, it seems I can’t accomplish one without the other.

The sound of footsteps pounding against the pavement drag me out of my thoughts, my senses on high alert. I keep my head down, shoulders hunched and fists clenched. I don’t live in the best neighbourhood, and being dog shot from behind isn’t unusual or unexpected. A simple, careless moment could change your life. I’d seen it happen… I’d also made it happen.

“Jagger, wait up.” My brother’s familiar voice instantly calms me down. As each of my muscles take their time to relax, I turn to see Hendrix and his shaggy head of hair jogging toward me.

“What the fuck, bro? You know not to come running behind me like that.”

“Relax, who’s it gonna be?”

“Fuck, Drix, try anyone that hates us.” I run my hands over my face in frustration and continue walking. “Don’t be careless. I got a lot of shit on my mind today and I don’t need you adding to that.”

Hendrix and I are twins--born minutes apart--we have a bond like no other. We have relied on each other our whole lives, but besides our looks, birth date, and our blood type, we have nothing else in common.

“You know I’m coming tonight? You’re not meeting up with those guys without me.”

I want him there; he’s my security blanket. But I don’t want any of tonight’s consequences touching him. Ever.

“And it’s our birthday, so we can have a few beers, I can find myself a few girls and make sure the whole night isn’t wasted.”

“A few beers?” I chuckle, grateful for the change in subject. “You say it like we haven’t been getting shitfaced every weekend since we were fifteen.”

Placing his hand on my shoulder, he stops me mid-walk, and I turn to see his face etched with concern. “Take it or leave it bro. My point is, I’m coming with you.”

I nod at him in defeat, grateful for his solidarity.

They say blood is thicker than water, and if it wasn’t for Hendrix I’d have a hard time believing it. Our dad bailed on us when we were too young to remember he existed, but our mum has never been able to forget him. Her heart hardened the day he walked out, and neither Hendrix nor I seemed to make a difference.

We remind her of everything bad in her life. We are the reason he hurt her, and the reason he walked out on her. Like souvenirs he left behind, branding her with memories of all his failures and every individual mistake, Hendrix is her truth, and I am her pain. Together, for eighteen years we have managed to hurt the only woman we love most in the world. Because all she can see is him.

* * *

The music thumpsthroughout the layers of cement sheeting that make up the structure of the house, the walls vibrating with every beat of the bass. My back sinks into the worn corduroy couch, the stench of tobacco embedded in the thick padding. My eyes roam around the room, watching arms and legs lace with one another in a blur. I’m fucking tired, and the gravity of what’s about to go down weighs heavily on my shoulders.

Raising the perspiring beer bottle, the cool glass touches my lips, and the chilled liquid soothes my nerves. I let my head fall back and close my eyes, desperately seeking relief. The alcohol slowly leaks into my veins while a potent gust of weed permeates the room. I will my body to succumb to the numbness, to fall under the spell of my surroundings and for a moment forget about the rest of the world.

I feel a nudge at my feet, and I groan at the interruption. Expecting to see my brother, the insult halts at the tip of my tongue. Cocking my head to the side, I purposely let my gaze linger on the body of the half naked girl in front of me.

“Hey, Jagger,” she purrs.

The way her eyes bounce around my body has my dick stirring with interest. She bites her over-glossed bottom lip, and I can’t help but wonder if she minds getting her perfect pout messy. Staring at me with ice blue doe eyes, her pale skin and rosy cheeks ooze youth and innocence. But her perfectly-shaped tits, exposed midriff, and glistening navel piercing scream risqué and experienced. Long, lean legs change my focus and have my eyes drifting to the bottom of her frayed denim skirt. The fabric barely covers the apex of her thighs, and my imagination runs wild. I’m a teenager with raging hormones and an insatiable libido. I eat this shit up, and Little Miss Sunshine knows it.

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