Damien

My jaw dropped as my mom spread the news to me and my brother Evan. We’re going to a private school. We look at each other before he smiled, and I giggled. “Thanks, Mom!” I say. I’ve been hearing a lot about the Middlewood private school. There are special privileges, and we call the teachers by their first names. They have a mall in the school and some food quarters.

I quickly found myself daydreaming about all the fun activities I could do at Middlewood. Maybe I’ll join a sports team or participate in the school play. The possibilities were endless.

My brother, on the other hand, looked a bit confused. “What’s so special about a private school?” he asks.

“Well, for starters, they have smaller class sizes so we can get more one-on-one attention from the teachers,” I explain.

“And we get to meet new people who come from different backgrounds,” my mom chimes in.

My brother nods, starting to understand the appeal.

As we start preparing for our first day, I can feel the excitement building up inside me. I can’t wait to see what this new chapter in our lives will bring.

When we arrived we found out that we were going to have to share a dorm with each other. Exciting. The classes were amazing and we went to the food quarters and had some chili cheese fries. Some girls found Evan cute which made me gag.

But overall, the day went smoothly and we both felt energized and ready to take on whatever challenges may come our way. We decided to explore the campus a little bit more and found out about some interesting clubs and organizations that we may want to join in the future.

As the day went on, we started to feel tired from all the excitement and adventure. We headed back to our dorm and settled in for the night. The next day was going to be even more exciting as we started attending our classes for the first time.

But as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I couldn’t help but feel grateful and excited for this new chapter in our lives. We were in a new place, with new people and experiences waiting for us. And we were ready for it all.

The next day I met some girls. Meg, Kate, and Linda. Meg and Kate had dark brown hair while I and Linda shared the same curly black hair. Meg was kind of big and Kate and Linda were thin. I was in between. We were talking when suddenly a guy with brown skin, brown boxed-up hair, and tall stature came up to us. “What’s up guys.” He speaks and Meg smiles. “Hey, Damien.” She spoke. I noticed that they all started to twirl their hair while looking at him with dreamy eyes. I cringed at that. “Hi,” I spoke casually. “Since you’re new and these are your friends, I’m having a party and want you and your crew to come.” He speaks. “Will there be drinking, loud music, smoking, and horny teens?” I ask. “That’s what a good party is.” He speaks. “Well I can’t come,” I speak and he stares at me. “Why not? Don’t be such a good girl.” He spoke nudging my shoulder slightly. “I’m not the one to break the rules my parents give me,” I speak.

He rolls his eyes. “Suit yourself.” He shrugs and walks away, leaving me with my new friends. “You’re not going?” Kate asked me. “No, I don’t want to get in trouble with my parents,” I explain. They all groan and roll their eyes. “You’re such a goody-two-shoes,” Linda teases. I shrug and laugh it off. I didn’t want to do anything that would disappoint my parents or jeopardize my future. I knew I had to be responsible and not give in to peer pressure. “Maybe next time,” I said, smiling at my new friends. They all nod and we continue our conversation, enjoying each other’s company.

Later that night, as I was studying in my room, I heard loud music and laughter coming from a house a few feet away. I couldn’t help but feel a little left out, but I knew that I made the right choice. I didn’t want to put myself in a dangerous situation and potentially ruin my future. I continued to study and eventually fell asleep, knowing that I made the responsible decision.

The next morning, as I walked to school, I saw Damien and his friends hanging out outside the building. He looked at me and waved me over. “Hey, good girl,” he teased. “How was your night of studying?” I smiled back at him. “It was good, thanks for asking,” I said. “Maybe next time I’ll come to your party.” He nodded and I could tell that he respected my decision. “Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Evan came waltzing up to me with a smile. “What brother?” I speak opening my locker. “I’ve got a date with Emily tonight sister.” He spoke raising his eyebrows which made me laugh. “Who’s she again? Which Blondie is it again?” I joke and he chuckles.

“You mean which one out of the 10? It’s the one with the curly hair,” he said. I rolled my eyes. “Well, have fun. Don’t do anything stupid,” I teased, closing my locker. He grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” We walked to our first class together, both feeling good about our choices and ready to take on the day.

I sat next to the three girls and we greeted each other before taking notes in class. “You missed a good party,” Kate whispered and I nodded. “What happened?” I ask. “Damien chugged a gallon of beer and then drunkenly kissed Meg.” She giggled and I smiled. “Good for Meg!” I whisper enthusiastically before actually paying attention in class.

After class, I met up with my friend Tyler in the hallway. “What’s up?” he asked with a grin. “Nothing much, just getting through the day. Evan has a date tonight,” I say, and he raises his eyebrows. “Ah, good for him. Who’s the lucky girl?” I tell him it’s Emily with curly hair, and he nods. “Oh yeah, she’s cute. He’s gonna have a good time.”

We walked to our next class together, chatting about weekend plans and laughing about some of the ridiculous rumors that had been flying around school. As the day went on, I felt myself getting more and more excited for the weekend. I had plans with some friends and was looking forward to getting some much-needed downtime.

As I walked home after the final bell, I saw Evan waiting for me outside. “How was your day sister?” he asked, falling into step beside me. “Fine, yours?” I ask with a grin. “I’m pumped for tonight,” he says, and I can tell he’s genuinely excited. “Good luck,” I say, patting his back as we reach our house.

The rest of the night passes by quickly, with me helping my mom make dinner and catching up on some homework. As I relax into bed, the weekend stretching out in front of me, I feel content and happy. Life may have its ups and downs, but on this particular day, I’m grateful for the little moments of joy and connection that make it all worth it.

As I drift off to sleep, I can’t help but think about how lucky I am to have a brother like Evan. He may drive me crazy at times, but at the end of the day, he’s always there for me. And as much as I love my friends and the exciting plans we have for the weekend, there’s something special about the quiet moments at home with my family.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face, ready to take on whatever the weekend has in store for me.

The next day I jump up and rummage through my clothes looking for a good outfit. I pick out some baggy jeans with holes in them and a Red buttoned crop top. I decided to pair them with some red high tops and hop into the shower, brush my teeth, and fix my hair up into a half-neat bun. I’m ready to spend the day with Kate, Meg, and Linda. Evan has some plans with Emily.

We decided to hit up the mall, looking for some cute clothes and maybe even some new accessories. We spend hours browsing through the racks at all of our favorite stores, trying on different outfits and taking selfies. It’s so much fun being with my friends, laughing and joking around.

As we make our way through the mall, we stop at a snack bar for a quick bite to eat. We grab some nachos and sodas, sit down at a nearby table, and continue chatting about everything and anything.

Suddenly Meg’s face brightens and she looks away. “Guy’s turn away!” She ushers us and we all frown. Suddenly a familiar voice rings in the snack bar. “Good girl and her crew.” Damien.

My heart starts beating faster as I feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. I turn to look and see Damien walking towards us, a smirk on his face.

“Hey ladies,” he says, leaning against our table. “What brings you to the mall today?”

I can feel my friends getting tense, but I try to stay calm. “Just shopping,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

Damien looks me up and down, his eyes lingering on my crop top. “Nice outfit,” he says, his tone suggestive. “But maybe you should cover up a little more, hm?”

My cheeks burn with anger and embarrassment as I feel my friends’ eyes on me. “I can wear whatever I want,” I say, my voice loud and clear. “And I don’t need your approval or opinion on it.”

Damien’s smirk widens as he continues to stare at me. “Feisty,” he says, before turning and walking away.

Meg glares at me. “Why would you talk to him like that!?” She asks me. “He’s not going to tell me what I can and can’t wear Meg. You may like him but I’m not going to take any disrespect.” I speak and she just scoffs and stands up. She stalks away and Kate looks at us. “I’m gonna go and check on her.” She mumbled while I and Linda stayed at the table.

I let out a sigh, the intensity of the situation starting to hit me. “I just can’t believe he thinks he has any right to tell me what to wear or how to act,” I say to Linda.

“I know,” Linda replies, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “But don’t let him get to you. You looked great in that crop top, and you have every right to wear it.”

“Thanks, Linda,” I smile, feeling grateful for her support.

Kate returns to the table alone, a worried expression on her face.

“Meg’s not doing too well,” she says, taking a seat next to me. “She’s really upset and is thinking about leaving the mall.”

I feel a pang of guilt. “I didn’t mean to upset her,” I say, feeling remorseful.

“I know,” Kate replies, understandingly.

I ended up going home. I walked down the street clutching my bags together. Suddenly a few teens walked up to me with eerie grins. “What’s up!” One guy spoke. I stepped back a little and frowned. “N- nothing. I’m walking home.” I speak. The sun was setting and I was already freaked to go home alone at night. They stepped closer and tried to grab my bags but someone yelled from behind me. “Leave her alone!” Evan yelled stepping beside me. “And who are you? The boyfriend?” They joked and I looked down. “Her brother.” He stated.

The teens sized him up before finally backing off with a shrug. “Alright, whatever man.” They muttered as they walked away. Evan turned to me and asked if I was okay. I nodded, feeling grateful for his intervention. We continued walking in silence until we reached our house.

As we walked through the door, our parents greeted us. My mom asked how my shopping went, to which I replied with a forced smile that it was good. Evan didn’t say anything but went straight to his room. I knew he was still mad at me for not telling him about my plans to walk home alone.

Later that night, I sat on my bed and looked out the window. I felt guilty for worrying my family and for putting myself in danger. Evan walked in and sat down beside me. “You scared me today, you know that?” He said, breaking the silence. “I know, and I’m sorry,” I replied, softly. “I just wanted to do something on my own for once.”

Evan sighed, “I get it, but please don’t do it at the expense of your safety. You’re my sister, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I nodded, feeling ashamed of my recklessness. “I promise I won’t do it again,” I whispered, as tears streamed down my face.

Evan wrapped his arms around me, and we sat there in silence, holding each other tight. It was a moment of understanding and forgiveness, and I knew I was lucky to have a brother like him.