The Thorns Under Pedals

Chapter 3:

The school day dragged on boring me and the other students. When the last class ended, sighs of relief could be heard from all corners of the room. Some even exclaimed in their excitement. I quickly made my way to the door hoping that I would be able to bet the majority of people to leave the school grounds. Sadly I got caught up in the rushing traffic instead. The crowd pulled everyone in and feet stumbled to keep up with the pace while trying not to hit anyone in the process. The halls became annoyingly loud that I wanted to scream to shut everyone up but I knew that would just cause a scene resulting in more noise. When fresh air filled my lungs and the crowd started breaking a way I did not feel as lightheaded. So many heads moving in my vision no matter which direction they were going made me dizzy.

A cloudy sky greets us with the smell of fresh rain. In fact drops landed on the cement one then slowly another. I barely got the black hood of my jacket over my head before the slow steady rhythm poured drenching the students on their way home. The trees and grass soaking up as much as they could. The few that had to walk across the grass to get to the parking lot for their cars made squishing sounds as it was turning to mud. Groans of annoyance grumbled around me and I even participated in hating the idea of getting in my baby blue Dodge Challenger.

Thinking of getting the floor of my black leather interior with a layer of mud bugged me remembering when my brother was furious. It was similar to this kind of weather and I had jumped in my car just ready to go home after a long day full of assignments that were due the next day. I did not pay much attention to where my feet stepped in the rain or what the floor of my car would be like.

My brother had been a big car person that wanted to be a mechanic for a living. He would use my car as practice besides the classes he took. I didn’t really mind considering that meant when something was wrong he fixed it for a free meal which was way cheaper than I would get at one of the shops. When I went to buy my car he was there helping me choose the best fit that went with my sports car personality. After all, I learned how to drive in his Convertible that he put in a high speed engine to get a rush while racing on the tracks with his buddies.

My heart raced painfully in my chest but it was thrilling. I knew then that a car that wasn’t built to speed would not work for me. However with my budget and the kind of a loan I could realistically get left me with few options. That made saving for the down payment crucial. He and I ended up picking out my baby blue kitten that was a SRT V-6 Dodge Challenger 2011. Soon after getting it my brother replaced the V-6 to a V-8 that was much more pleasing to us both. There were a few other editions he customized that were in newer vehicles that came out.

So when I came home one night and he asked to use it to grab dinner since his baby was getting fixed at the school shop for the week, let's say he was pissed. Maybe furious would be the right word. Some of his words hit me as the rain touched my hand. His features from that time came back as if he was standing in front of me with blazing eyes burning a hole into my face. Brunette locks of hair are messy as if he had been running his fingers through it in frustration. A gray shirt with a Convertible and exposed girl in a bikini designed on it was pressed against him as his arms crossed over his chest. Legs were spread in an intimidating stance as he stood in front of me where I was sitting down on the couch with one of the Nightmare on Elm Streets movies playing.

“Is your car dirt to you?” His voice had rumbled in his chest.

I was confused and stared at him blankly.

“Do you know how much money that car is worth and you leave it muddied from dirty shoes you wore in the rain.” He continues. A growl at the back of his throat tells me just how annoyed he was.

“Oh.” I had said stupidly. That just seemed to anger him more. His eyes had turned to slits.

“Until you treat your car with the respect that it’s worth you're not getting it back.”

I shot up at that. I was red in my face with anger. “You can’t do that!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. My hands were fisted at my sides.

“Yes I can.” He just stared at me without changing his tone or angry glare. “I’m on the title. That means I have every right to do so.” With that he stormed away leaving me upset.

After that it took months of washing my vehicle starting with the muddy carpet to every inch inside as well as out among other things to convince him to give me my car back. I had to take the school bus that was overly crowded every day for school which I hated every minute of. When I wanted to go out with friends I had to go back to asking for rides. Friends that knew that I had a fancy car laughed at me in the beginning but started to get annoyed as the time went on.

I got so sick and tired of not having a car that I just gave up on begging to have it back and worked on a long list of things to fix in my car. Learning to take care of parts of my car online consumed a good amount of time since I used the videos to put practice in. By the time he gave me the keys back I had learned the basics and was working on mechanic stuff. I knew how to change a tire if I needed to. I learned the difference between transmission oil and motor oil. This meant I could now change either with the correct type of oil that worked best for my car. I had been working on how to replace a radio for a bluetooth device when the keys were placed beside me on my night stand.

Several engines of cars revved up pulled me back from the past to the present to realize I was almost to my car. I reached into my pocket and had my keys out by the time I was standing in front of the drivers side. Once I had the door open I moved the seat forward to place my backpack on the ground behind me. Since the weather was rainy, the leather against my hand was chilly. During the summer I had to put clothes over the leather to not burn myself. That was the downside to leather however it looks too nice so it's not a big deal to me to keep it. I smiled listing off ways I learned to cover the leather so it wouldn’t burn me through the years of having this car. A new day was always a lesson I guess.

There were so many people trying to get out at once that I just sat in my car listening to the radio station 99.9 as I waited. I was not going to waste my time or gas thinking that I could get into the line around the parking lot. Most of the drivers wanted to leave as soon as possible which led to not wanting to let others into the line unless they saw it was a buddy of theirs. I closed my eyes and strummed my fingers to the beat of the tunes from Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5. Then a song I have only heard once before comes on that resonates with me. Tears leak from my eyes, down my cheeks to soak through my pants as I sing the lyrics as if they were a part of me.

I can't write one song that's not about you

Can't drink without thinkin' about you

Is it too late to tell you that

Everything means nothing if I can't have you?

I'm in Toronto and I got this view

But I might as well be in a hotel room, yeah

It doesn't matter 'cause I'm so consumed

Spending all my nights reading texts from you

Oh, I'm good at keepin' my distance

I know that you're the feelin' I'm missing

You know that I hate to admit it

But everything means nothin' if I can't have you

I can't write one song that's not about you

Can't drink without thinkin' about you

Is it too late to tell you that

Everything means nothing if I can't have you?

I can't write one song that's not about you

Can't drink without thinkin' about you

Is it too late to tell you that

Everything means nothing if I can't have you?

I'm so sorry that my timing's off

But I can't move on if we're still gonna talk

Is it wrong for me to not want half?

I want all of you, all the strings attached

Oh, I'm good at keepin' my distance

I know that you're the feelin' I'm missing

You know that I hate to admit it

But everything means nothin' if I can't have you

My voice cracks and still I continue until Shawn Mendes finishes the last word. By the end of the song I am shutting my eyes tightly together with my head resting against the top of the steering wheel. My hands are clenched into pale white fists on the side of the wheel. Sobs rake through my body.

“Father.” I whisper in my hurting tone. “Why did you all leave me alone in this world?” Grief gripped me in a suffocating hold. Unclenching one of my fists, I turned off the radio. Minutes passed as I let the grief take over. The minutes became an hour to two.

My sister’s smiling face came to mind, causing more memories to surface. The most recent of memories where I had woken up and was eating breakfast before the rest of my family. This was common especially with my parents' work schedules that happened to make them night owls. They would not usually wake up until noon at the earliest. My siblings however had to wake up sooner for school. Ethel was the worst of the three of us to get up on time. This morning both of my siblings were taking too long.

I had sighed at the time before going to Ethel's bedroom first which was on the first floor and the closest room to the kitchen. I knocked twice and when I did not hear any sounds of her being awake I opened the door not caring if the creaking sound of the hinges would wake her. I looked past the computer desk that held way too much fancy build your own systems on the desk with her different boy figures from games she loves to play. As I walked in the room and closed the door I noticed that her lamp was on telling me that she stayed up reading something until she had passed out. I shook my head, not looking forward to waking her up.

“Ethel.” I said softly at first not to scare her but when she did not move even when I was standing next to her bed I repeated it louder also adding, “It’s time to wake up.”

I could see her eyes flickering. She could hear me and was starting to wake up. To wake her up fully I moved the instruction papers she had in her lap to the night stand. Then I quickly pulled the blanket away letting the cold air conditioning shock her system awake. It only took like 3 or so seconds before her eyes shot open and she glared at me reaching for the blanket.

“What the hell Liz?!” Her voice was high pitch and still held some groggy tone to it at the end. Her body started to shiver since she had light clothes on that she had worn yesterday instead of her warm pajamas.

“I told you. It’s morning and time to get your laziness out of bed for school.” I responded with a smirk. She was groaning and looking at the time which was on the nightstand clock.

“Fine. I’ll be in the kitchen in five minutes.” She says with a glare.

I walked to the door but before leaving I looked at her. “If you aren’t in there I’ll come back with a spray bottle.” Her face turned a little pale knowing full well that I would. I have had to use it frequently to wake her up and she absolutely hated it. To be fair I woke her up nicely first then when she falls back to sleep nicely doesn’t work again. In fact, shaking her or making loud noises don’t work then either. I learned a long time ago that the cold was the only way to keep her up.

The funny thing was that I had to use the spray bottle but it was on my brother that morning. I had repeated the same thing as I did with Ethel but the cold air did not wake him up when I moved the blanket away. I huffed and had to go into the kitchen to make the bottle. I guess it had been five minutes by the time I was screwing the lid on and Ethel came walking in looking at it.

I laughed. “It’s not for you, don't worry.”

Ethel perked up and a smile lit up her face. I knew it was because she would be coming with me to watch our brother receive it. After all, when I used it on her there were a handful of times Xavier was the one to spray her with the water right in the face. She probably wanted to give it right back to him. I was not going to stop it and so I held the bottle out to her with a smile of my own.

“Go ahead.” I said since she didn’t just take it right away. Maybe because her body was still waking up which caused her motion to be slower. I shrugged agreeing with that option and just led the way as I heard her footsteps fall behind me in a hurry.

We walked down the hall of the first floor to the last room that had the door still open. Xavier was still lying motionless on his bed as I had left him. As I normally did I said in a louder voice then I usually spoke telling him if he didn’t get up he would be sprayed with water. We waited a minute for even a shift that would tell me he was starting to wake up. When none came I nodded to Ethel.

Her tangled red hair swayed as she moved in range for his face. Her hazel eyes shined with mischief. Xavier groaned as the ice cold water shot in his face. When Ethel sprayed a second time at his bare back he began to growl. Before a third shot could be given his eyes that were a shade darker with sleep and annoyance shot open to glare at us both.

“I warned you.” I stated. The sisters laughed together with Xavier glaring at them. The memory made the throb in my chest grow.

The parking lot was almost emptied by the time my body stopped shaking and crying. Sadness quickly turned to anger. My thoughts turned from memories of my sister that I would never get to create more with to the reason they were all gone. I rubbed at my eyes to get the rest of my tears. When I looked around me in a clearer view I was calmer as an idea popped in my head. Without a second thought I started my car and drove home to get ready. It would be a long night and I had to first figure out where she was before making any move.

Hours later I was standing outside an apartment door that I had walked a mile and half to from my parked car. I knocked on the door lightly. There was a rustling sound from the other side before I heard a woman's voice. “Go away. I’m busy.” I knew the voice was from Rebecca. She had a thick accent that slurred her English words. My brother had loved it but it made my eyes roll in the back of my head annoyed.

I knocked again, not giving up. There was something I needed to talk to her about. Well questions that I needed answers to. Heavy foot falls came closer to the closed door before locks were undone. The door was opened slightly only enough for me to see that she was naked behind the door. My blood boiled as I also heard a guy's voice calling out baby from the apartment.

Rebecca’s blue eyes widened in surprise when they landed on me. I was trying to calm my anger. It seemed to be working because I saw no fear in her eyes, just surprise. Her bleached blonde hair brushed against the doorway in loose curls restricting me from seeing the guy on the couch but I really didn’t give a s**t about him. I was furious at her and only her. I only had one thought in my head. How could she move on so quickly after my brother was murdered.

“Hey Elizabeth.” She said nonchalantly. “It’s not really a good time. Can I call you later?”

I plastered a smile that was so fake on my face as if I didn’t notice what was going on behind that door. “Sure. Whenever you have a chance.”

She moved her hair back and moved to close the door letting me see clearer in the room as I turned to leave. I made no move as to the shock of what I had just seen. The furious feeling I had boiled to almost uncontrollable as my mind had a clear shot of the guy's face in the room. My hands were in tight fists.

My mind raced with a thousand questions. The biggest one is how could she be sleeping with one of Andrew's bodyguards? Did she know who the man was and if she did was she a part of my family getting murdered? Rebecca had closed the door but I moved very slowly to leave listening to the voices on the other side.

“Who was at the door baby?” The man’s voice asked in a seductive tone.

“Elizabeth. Oh god I hope she didn’t see you.” I heard her panicking.

“Wait. Xavier's kid sister?” He asked seriously now. All the tones of seductiveness gone.

“Yes.” She whispered.

So she was a part of it I thought to myself as I turned the corner quickly. Luckily I had appeared to leave because in the next second the door was pulled open and the man’s head looked to see if I was still there. I headed towards my car, fuming. The guard moved to the window of the apartment seeing me leave towards my home. I knew he saw me from the corner of my eye. I gave no reaction to how I felt or that I knew anything. No, that would wait until I had both of them in my hands later. For now I needed to make a plan. Rebecca would pay for betraying my brother and I will get more information on the Williams family.