Bad Storm by Jackie Sexton Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jackie Sexton
yawn.
“Hey Bailey, sup?”
he asked casually. I could tell by his red, drooping eyes that he was drinking
again.
“Hey, were you
just taking a nap?” I looked away from him and tried to fight the vicious,
accusing tone that crept up in my throat. I smiled at my mother who brought me
a plate of quesadillas and a bowl of soup. She sat down across from me with a
cup of green tea, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Where’s Sierra?”
I asked, trying to sound casual as I dipped my spoon into my bowl, blowing on the
deep orange soup before bringing it to my lips.
“Uh, she’s in the
bathroom, should be out a sec,” he said as if it were the most normal thing in
the world.
“Huh.” The hot
liquid fell down my throat. My mother’s cooking was good, but I was so filled
with mixed emotions that I could hardly taste it. “Thanks mom,” I said, knowing
that it meant a lot to her.
“Of course, bella .”
“Well I think I
should go say ‘hi,’” I said, standing up from seat. Tony gave me a funny look.
“She’s in the
bathroom,” he said.
“Yeah well,” I had
this strange feeling she was trying to escape from the window. Even if Tony was
unconcerned with the weirdness of their coupling, I knew Sierra would have felt
differently. And this wouldn’t be the first time she escaped an awkward situation
through the bathroom window. I remembered all to clearly her escape from
Homecoming junior year after she barfed on her date.
I made my way down
the hall briskly and exited through the front door, going around the side of
the house where the window to our guest bathroom looked out. And sure enough there
she was, her pale legs dangling out the window.
“Cute skirt!” I
called out, letting the venom come through my voice. This was the ultimate
proof. If I couldn’t be sure that she was hooking up with my brother before, I
knew it then.
“Oh fuck!” I heard
her shout out before she let go of the windowsill and fell gracelessly onto the
wet grass. She crawled up and tried to wipe the dirt from her hands, her cheeks
a furious red as she avoided making eye contact with me.
“Sierra, what the
fuck?” I yelled, letting my hurt and anger fly free. She looked up at me and I
could see tears brimming in her eyes. I felt a sympathetic pang in my heart,
but I kept my lips in a firm, disapproving frown.
“I’m sorry,” was
all she could manage before casting her gaze back down to the muddy earth. “I
tried to tell you.”
“Did you really?”
I snapped. “Because you must have not tried that hard if this is coming as such
a complete shock.”
“I…I just, I knew
you wouldn’t be happy about it,” she said in a near whisper.
“Of course I
wouldn’t be happy about it! He’s sick! He’s not going to be some good boyfriend
to you, and the last thing I need is for my best friend to be another girl Tony
uses like a tissue!”
“That’s not fair…”
she croaked out. But I could see it in her face that she knew what I was saying
was true.
“You’ve always been
kind of delusional,” I snapped, the fire burning through my mouth before I
could stop it. “But this is seriously a new level in your self absorbed
insanity.”
I walked away, my
nerves getting the best of me. I instantly regretted what I said, but as I
stomped away I imagined the near future where Sierra would come crying to me
about the latest boy that had used her.
‘ But this time I won’t listen ,’ I told
myself as I walked back into the house and into the kitchen, only to find that
Tony was sitting where I had been, eating my dinner.
“Oh, let me get
you another plate!” My mother rushed off to the kitchen.
“No, don’t
bother,” I said, tired of how my brother got away with everything. No one
expected him to be reasonable. No one expected him to be considerate.
“I’m tired, I’ll
see you tomorrow,” I lied, giving my mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Are you
“Hey Bailey, sup?”
he asked casually. I could tell by his red, drooping eyes that he was drinking
again.
“Hey, were you
just taking a nap?” I looked away from him and tried to fight the vicious,
accusing tone that crept up in my throat. I smiled at my mother who brought me
a plate of quesadillas and a bowl of soup. She sat down across from me with a
cup of green tea, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Where’s Sierra?”
I asked, trying to sound casual as I dipped my spoon into my bowl, blowing on the
deep orange soup before bringing it to my lips.
“Uh, she’s in the
bathroom, should be out a sec,” he said as if it were the most normal thing in
the world.
“Huh.” The hot
liquid fell down my throat. My mother’s cooking was good, but I was so filled
with mixed emotions that I could hardly taste it. “Thanks mom,” I said, knowing
that it meant a lot to her.
“Of course, bella .”
“Well I think I
should go say ‘hi,’” I said, standing up from seat. Tony gave me a funny look.
“She’s in the
bathroom,” he said.
“Yeah well,” I had
this strange feeling she was trying to escape from the window. Even if Tony was
unconcerned with the weirdness of their coupling, I knew Sierra would have felt
differently. And this wouldn’t be the first time she escaped an awkward situation
through the bathroom window. I remembered all to clearly her escape from
Homecoming junior year after she barfed on her date.
I made my way down
the hall briskly and exited through the front door, going around the side of
the house where the window to our guest bathroom looked out. And sure enough there
she was, her pale legs dangling out the window.
“Cute skirt!” I
called out, letting the venom come through my voice. This was the ultimate
proof. If I couldn’t be sure that she was hooking up with my brother before, I
knew it then.
“Oh fuck!” I heard
her shout out before she let go of the windowsill and fell gracelessly onto the
wet grass. She crawled up and tried to wipe the dirt from her hands, her cheeks
a furious red as she avoided making eye contact with me.
“Sierra, what the
fuck?” I yelled, letting my hurt and anger fly free. She looked up at me and I
could see tears brimming in her eyes. I felt a sympathetic pang in my heart,
but I kept my lips in a firm, disapproving frown.
“I’m sorry,” was
all she could manage before casting her gaze back down to the muddy earth. “I
tried to tell you.”
“Did you really?”
I snapped. “Because you must have not tried that hard if this is coming as such
a complete shock.”
“I…I just, I knew
you wouldn’t be happy about it,” she said in a near whisper.
“Of course I
wouldn’t be happy about it! He’s sick! He’s not going to be some good boyfriend
to you, and the last thing I need is for my best friend to be another girl Tony
uses like a tissue!”
“That’s not fair…”
she croaked out. But I could see it in her face that she knew what I was saying
was true.
“You’ve always been
kind of delusional,” I snapped, the fire burning through my mouth before I
could stop it. “But this is seriously a new level in your self absorbed
insanity.”
I walked away, my
nerves getting the best of me. I instantly regretted what I said, but as I
stomped away I imagined the near future where Sierra would come crying to me
about the latest boy that had used her.
‘ But this time I won’t listen ,’ I told
myself as I walked back into the house and into the kitchen, only to find that
Tony was sitting where I had been, eating my dinner.
“Oh, let me get
you another plate!” My mother rushed off to the kitchen.
“No, don’t
bother,” I said, tired of how my brother got away with everything. No one
expected him to be reasonable. No one expected him to be considerate.
“I’m tired, I’ll
see you tomorrow,” I lied, giving my mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Are you