Page 60 of Chasing Sarah

I lift my head to check that my door is shut before answering.

“Hello?” I answer in a low voice.

“You sure about this?”

I wince that the sound of Damien’s voice on the other line.

You see, Damien is a senior at my school, and he participates in questionable activities. Nothing like what my brothers and I do.

It’s no secret that he sells drugs, which is why I need to be careful with who knows about my involvement with him.

“Can we meet somewhere and talk about this in person? My brothers are home.”

My heart pounds faster and faster each time my eyes flick toward my door.

“If you’re sure about this, meet me at the park on 5that midnight.”

With that, the line goes dead.

My limbs tingle with the rising anxiety in my blood.

This is such a bad idea, but if I can help my family, I don’t have much of a choice.

I continue to stare aimlessly at the ceiling when a loud pound on my door makes me jump.

“Pizza’s here!” Ronny shouts from the other side.

“Coming!” I reply, hauling myself up and striding toward the door.

Dinner is obnoxiously loud, as usual.

My brothers don’t know the meaning of ‘inside voices’.

“I gotta work tomorrow night; can I take the car?” Tommy asks Xander, who nods with a mouth full of pepperoni pizza.

“Drop me off at Sam’s on your way,” Colson says, gulping down his glass of water.

I roll my eyes and push back from the table, the legs of the chair scrape against the linoleum.

Sam is Colson’s girlfriend and an absolute bitch with a capital B. He stopped bringing her around after I threw a mug at her for talking shit about my mom.

It’s not like what she was saying wasn’t true.

Mom did choose to leave us without even having the decency to make sure we were going to be okay.

She wasn’t exactly a good mom. But she was ours and no one has the right to talk shit about her.

“I’m going to bed,” I announce, rinsing off my plate.

My brothers continue to converse amongst themselves as I make my way up the steps and into my room.

I spend the next several hours catching up on homework while I wait for the time to come for me to leave.

* * *

When the house finally stays quiet long enough to confirm my brothers are either sleeping or won’t leave their rooms, I make my move.

I pile my pillow to look like my body and cover them with my blankets.

---