Let's Try That Again | Prologue

by Samantha in Texas

PROLOGUE

            Kendall and Travis watched me as I spray painted the finishing touches onto my art. I called it art, but most called it graffiti. Unlike Kendall and Travis, I decided I should leave my mark. And I did, every time, with my flaming phoenix. Wings outstretched to an impossible wingspan and different shades of red making up the inferno around it, it was my best one yet. Better than the one on Mrs. Ricci’s bakery, better than the one on the community center, hell, it was better than the one I did in my own room—and let me tell you, that one was gorgeous.

            But this one was better.

            “Damn…” I heard Kendall mutter behind me. I grinned to myself, glad I was impressing them—glad that after the many times I had done it, it was still amazing.

            Even if it was wrong.

            And boy, it was wrong.

            A delinquent like me shouldn’t have been getting in anymore trouble. But it was a guilty pleasure. Like coffee or heroine.

            Breaking the law was my guilty pleasure.

            I sprayed my signature. Everyone would know who it was. I liked that. Everyone would look at me and whisper, “What happened to that girl? She used to be such a good kid.” They would pity me, they would fear me, but more importantly, they would despise me. They would despise me for ruining their little fantasy neighborhood. With the nice stores and private school. The perfect little cliché.

            It was, like I said, a guilty pleasure.

            I wiped sweat from my forehead. It was a humid night for December and I knew my single cyan-striped hair was sticking to my forehead.

            “Perfect, huh?” I asked, turning to face the boys that I didn’t really claim ‘worthy’, but they worked. They dropped out of school a long time a go, they didn’t do much, hung out with me when they could, when I wanted, it wasn’t really a ‘friendship’.

            We just broke rules together.

            Travis tilted his head to the side, causing his shoulder length blond hair to swish to the side. He grinned, his teeth yellowing from many years of drugs. “Oh yeah. What a great canvas, don’t you think Ken?”

            Kendall hopped onto the railing and swayed a bit, a little drunk. “Oh, a great canvas, Travis.”

            Headlights flashed and blue and red lights reflected off the front doors of the Ms. Breckenridge’s bridal shop. Kendall’s mouth dropped and he scrambled off the rail. The light was bright and I blocked it with my hands.

            “Riley Kennings please put your hands behind your back.”

            I couldn’t help but grin.

            My guilty pleasure was going to get me in trouble.

            If only everyone knew how it got started.

*Wrote this during English, tell me what you think. :)