Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

while the flags reset in my game of capture the flag. “Dad, it's okay. When do I drink? I think you’re in the wrong room; Sleazy Drunks is next door. This is Dorks with Anonymity. Did you eat yet?”
    He shook his head chuckling. “No, I ordered some pizza. Vince is coming over later. He wants to watch the game.”
    I smiled. “Who’s playing?”
    He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. “Oh…well…you know me and sports kiddo. But adult company and some pizza will be a pleasant diversion.”
    I laughed at my father. “Yeah, I guess we are both being held hostage for the evening.”
    His eyes sparkled for a moment. “Maybe it’s what we need Aimee, we don’t seem to be getting past this on our own. You look pretty, by the way. Want me to get a veggie burger, when I pick up the pizza?”
    I smiled looking him right in the eye, which I never did anymore, and nodded as he left my room.
    My sister drove like a crazed woman, making all the pickup stops along the way. Blake and I sat squished in the back with a guy name Tommy, who had dated my sister and flirted mercilessly with everything that moved.
    “ Hey Aimee, looking good. You clean up nice,” he spoke in a soothing tone, as if trying to charm me or tame me like a wild animal. I wasn’t sure which.
    “ Yeah, I don’t really see how a t-shirt is cleaned up, but thanks Tommy.” I rolled my eyes at Blake, who muffled a laugh.
    “ McGinnis, dude, you’re way too big for the back seat. You should have tried out for basketball. What are you six one?” he asked Blake, trying to make conversation.
    Blake smiled. “Uhm… six three…but I am not the sporting sort. That is best left for the coordinated.”
    He frowned at me, which I knew meant he didn’t want to be in this car full of the popular kids. They always asked him to join sports, based on his height and the fact his parents were ridiculously rich. Team funding was a huge issue in a small town.
    I laughed at his grumpy face, as he whispered to me, “You look nice. Pink is an improvement to black.”
    I stuck my tongue out, almost feeling guilty to be having fun and laughing. Deep down, I knew my mom would want me to have a life again, even if it was Alise’s life.
    We pulled into a long driveway far from the road to Shane Bagley’s house. His dad and mom had recently split, causing a rift in our small town. Shane’s father had been caught having relations, so to speak, with a checkout girl at the local grocery store. The store Shane's family owned. Shane’s mom had kicked him out, only to find out, he moved in with his twenty-five year-old employee.
    Shane had taken it hard, just as any of us would. Eighteen is too young, to have a family torn apart by a new stepmom. In particular, one that’s only seven years older than her new stepson.
    Alise had been sucked into the drama, her specialty if truth were told. She had gone from nearly dumping Shane to a devoted woman. She loved drama. It made me sick. As Shane went from being Plain Shane to heartbroken Shane, she got more into him. She never stopped cheating on him though.
    I never understood why he chose to date my sister. He never seemed to enjoy the relationship. He hardly ever hung out with her, and when he did, they barely spoke. Alise had complained about it, but our father told her Shane was distracted by the tragedy in his family.
    Shane’s mom had been vacationing more than normal in the last few months. In such a small town it had people speculating, she was in reality, in a center somewhere. I felt bad for Shane.
    His only saving grace, was that he had an older sister in university in the city. She came back on weekends, even though it was a five-hour drive, to help him out while his parents were both AWOL.
    The music from the house could be heard from the long driveway. The large waterfront home seemed to have every light on inside and out, even though it wasn't dark yet.
    Cars lined the driveway, as Alise found a spot up beside Shane's truck. People bailed from her old car, boys picking girls up and running with them over their shoulders, and girls screaming in joy. I was certain, I watched someone climb out of the trunk.
    The music stopped and my heart skipped a beat for a second. Shane came out to greet us. Behind him, the open door revealed a packed house. The huge windows in the living room looked like peeking onto a set of an American Pie movie.
    He stood there looking breathtaking. His eyes zeroed in on me.