Juliet & Marsha

           Meet Juliet Bridgmen, a beige skinned, boney, messy all the time blonde hair, tom-boy from a small town in, Alabama, who at a very young age didnt take your crap. She wore combat boots with ripped shorts and tank tops as her usual get up. Their father was an abusive drunk along with their mother, so Juliet learned quick the reality of her world, sucked. Their parents fought all the time, getting violent with each other every other day when not paying attention to Juliet or Marsha. Juliet thought as she got older it was because her family was broke and their house was a trailer, so she vowed since twelve to marry a rich man who would play with guns with her. Her ultimate man would be six-feet tall with long blonde hair that flowed in the wind. Huge muscles to carry her around while shooting his rifle off into the sky and a cigar hanging from the side of his mouth. To her, that thought was everything.

She was eighteen now living with her parents and two years younger little sister Marsha, in a small trailer park that was dirty with trash all over. Her parents weren’t the best house keepers and over time the trash became part of the house to Juliet so she didn’t mind it.

She recently graduated from high-school and was lucky to have graduated any level of grade at that. She believed the school just wanted her spit balling, rude mouth gone and she didnt care, as long as she didn’t have to go back to that worthless hell-hole another day. Juliet hated school her whole life. She thought it was pointless like her dad told her and she could be spending her time being more adventurous and a little more sneaky instead. Something Juliet loved to do, steal. The rush of excitement that coursed through her body as she stole is what made her love doing it, all while having her little sister Marsha by her side, ready to take the fall if ever caught. Which was twice and boy oh boy did Marsha get a whooping each time from their parents. After the second whooping Marsha received on Juliet’s account, she had her stop lying for her.

One of the legal things Juliet loved doing was fishing with her dad. Despite his anger issues, she still loved her dad inside. She didn’t show it in an affectionate way as she was a non affectionate person but she did. Once a week every summer since Juliet was four, their father walked her down to the lake, about fifteen minutes away to sit and fish. They got along that way because Juliet knew to keep quite unless her dad initiated conversation unlike Marsha who couldn’t control her talking. Juliet didn’t mind that though. She enjoyed the silence with a fishing pole in hand and her dad next to her, listening to the crickets chirp, the tall weed grass on each side of them rustling through like a faint whisper and the occasional laugh they shared to together. Which as she grew up seemed to be the only time she saw her dad laugh or even smile anymore by the time she was a teenager. She secretly admired her dad for one reason and one reason only. His strength. He was a heavy man who stood over six-feet tall with a bald spot on the top of his head. He was always in jean overalls with a white tank top underneath that showed off his pot belly. She always wanted her father’s strength and as she grew she made sure she had it.

Some, would call Juliet a bully around the park, and town but she didn’t see herself as such. She saw herself as a force to be reckon with, who stood her ground and people simply couldn’t handle a girl who spoke her mind fully and swore a little when speaking. Even though she wasn’t around the most educated people, they were still judging assholes of everyone around. She alone kept that towns gossip alive for the last ten years.

Juliet spent her days wndering the woods close by her home or walking around her run down town that was mostly filled with busted out windows, abandoned buildings. With nothing to do she broke things in the woods to help with her aggression. She had rage inside her that seemed, no matter what she did to help get rid of it, just stayed stuck inside.

She didn’t have any friends besides Marsha, as she didn’t like people or trust them. Marsha was different to Juliet. She was the definition of innocence to her. Something Juliet felt she lost long ago. She head out to the woods with Marsha, not having a care in the world follwing behind her. Juliet kind of liked having Marsha follow her around, made her feel a little special inside. Something Juliet never told Marsha. One thing Juliet did not do was speak on her feelings unless It was anger. That she had no problem opening up with. Anything outside of anger was too sensitive for her and she get more mad at herself for being a cry baby she called it. Sensitivity was a sign of weakness, not strength like she desperately needed to betray. More to herself than anyone. One slip up of weakness and Juliet thought the world would fall.

JULIETS DAY BEGINS.

It was afternoon in the summer of June. Juliet was sitting on a thick, mossy log in the middle of the woods, poking a stick around in the dirt. She was bored out of her mind having one of her hidden thoughts, the long blonde haired rich man that was going to take her away from this shithole.

"What are you thinking about?" Marsha asked sitting in the dirt next to Juliet asked, trying to make conversation.

"Nothing." She replied blank, still poking the stick around slowly.

“You know, I’ve been thinking lately.” Marsha went to say.

“Oh really? Shocker.” Juliet replied sarcastically throwing the stick into the woods. She stood up from the log and started walking away, non caring about what Marsha had to say.

“Hey, I was talking!” Marsha yelled after her quickly getting up and following her.

“I know, Marsha. Your always talking. Learn to walk and talk.”

“Fine. I will. As I was saying, I been thinking about what I’m gonna do when I graduate next year since I get to a year early.” Marsha getting out of breath trying to keep up and talk told her. “Which by the way, you never told me you were proud of me for.”

“Why should I?”

“Because! I’m graduating early Juliet. I’ve studied and worked hard.” Martha stopped behind her feeling a little upset her big sister didn’t seem to care.

“Oh, jeez Martha.” Juliet notice Martha had stoped behind her and it agitated her

“Are you proud of yourself?” She asked.

“Well duh.”

“There you go. There’s your “proudness” you want. Feel it for yourself and let that be enough.”

Juliet didn’t purposely try to hurt her sisters feelings but she felt Martha needed to harden up and stop wanting everyone’s approval around her. She was a smart kid she thought so she didn’t understand why she was insecure in that way. Martha being the smart one, Juliet knew she would be the one to leave here and the world outside their small Alabama town was much scarier. She felt it was up to her to prepare her for when that time came which was coming sooner then she liked.

They made their way out in slience the rest of the way and back on the road with tall grass all along the way, that took them home. Upon walking for a few minutes, Juliet notice a black Buick parked to the side of the road in the distance with a couple men in black trench coats slamming another guy in jeans and a white T-shirt on the car yelling at him.

“Marsha stop there.” Juleit putting her arm back to stop her.

“What is it?” Martha looked beyond her to see one of the men pulled out a gun and pointed it at the man on the cars head.

Juliet grabbed Marsha’s arm harshly and dragged her into the tall grass besides them.

“Get down.!” Juliet whisper screamed at her ducking.

“Who is that Juliet?”

“Shut up. Shhh.” Juliet ordered her putting her finger over her mouth. She peaked her head up slowly to see anything. She heard faint screams coming from the man begging for his life before a gun shot echoed through the air.

“Ahh!” Martha screamed out before Juliet quick ducked back down and covered her mouth hard. Marsha’s eyes filled with tears and fear.

“You hear that, Bud?” A man yelled out to his partner.

“Oh yeah. Someone’s around here. We’re gonna find you!” Bud yelled out in a deep intimidating voice.

“Marsha, when I say run you stay low and run, understand.” Juliet looked back, hearing the voices getting closer.