I've often heard people say that your brain records every second of your life from the second that you were born into this world. I believe in that saying.It might be hard to believe but I faintly remember peeking through the gaps on the side of my sister's crib when she was a baby. I must've been 2 or 3 at the time. She was fast asleep, her fists covered in small mittens to keep her tiny hands warm. The cloth moved slightly as she clenched and unclenched her fists in her sleep. When she brought her fist to her mouth, I stopped it from doing so with a finger."No, baby Casey, dirty. You'll get sick." I whispered softly to the sleepy baby.The small fingers inside the mittens moved as if trying to grip onto the finger that was holding her hands away from her mouth.
4 years before TNCF"Bry, have you thought about what you'd like to study in Uni?" Dad asked as he chewed the little bit of food left in his mouth.I shrugged mindlessly without looking at Dad, scooping up another spoonful of food from my plate."I haven't really thought about it but it'll probably be Business Management? You know I'm not very good at anything that has to do with Science or Art," I answered.I noticed the growing frown on Cassandra's face while listening to our conversation.I can almost hear her inner thoughts rant just by observing the shifts in her facial expressions. "Why do they have to have this conversation now? Bryant is still in the 9
3 years before TNCFI dodged as Casey's foot hurled itself towards me, missing me by a bare inch.I crouched and swiped her legs under her, causing her to fall onto her back on the mattress.She rolled backwards to put some space between us and I used that to catch my breath as sweat trickled down my forehead.We eyed each other up before Casey charged once again, aiming for my midriff.I sidestepped her and grabbed her attacking arm, twisting it and holding her in a triangle lock.With her other hand, she quickly tapped my arm three times and I immediately let go of my grip.
3 years before TNCF"Here, I hope everything works out for you, brother. I'll be back in a few days and try to win some more." I handed the envelope full of money to Joe."Thank you, man. Seriously." He took my hand and shook it, pulling me in for a bro hug."Okay, I've got to go. I'll see you soon." I saluted him and waved with a grin before turning around and leaving the Underground Place with Casey in tow."Why did you give the money to him?" Casey asked.I shrugged, "He needed it more.""But look at your beat-up face. The least you could do is take the money to buy some ointment fo
2 years before TNCFI yawned, stretching on top of the stairs before climbing down the staircase to get to the kitchen. However, I stopped short whilst passing the living room on my way to the kitchen when I caught sight of Joe packing his things hurriedly."Hey, are you leaving already?" I asked him."Yeah, I need to go home and catch my dad coming home and stop him from throwing money everywhere again. We can't have a repeat of last night." Joe said in a rush, zipping up his bag and turning to me.His face was still beat up. We were lucky that his head wasn't split open, though he did get a concussion."Is it even okay for you to leave?" I asked him, unconvi
"Hey, are you home?" Dom asked as soon as the line got connected."Yeah, what's up?" I kept the phone pressed against my ear using my shoulder as I continued to type up my assignment into my laptop."Can you step out for a bit? I need to talk to you about something." Dom said."Oh and try to keep it from Casey." He added after a second. I looked at Casey's sleeping form on the bed beside mine."She's fast asleep, don't worry." I answered, looking back at the dimly lit screen before me and finish typing up one last sentence. The light from the screen was the only source of light in the dark room since I didn't want to disturb Casey's sleep.I loosened my shoulder and let my phone slip
I parked the bike in a hurry and didn't even bother taking off my helmet. I jumped off my bike, immediately bolting up the doorsteps and tried to open the front door. My hand went limp and I exhaled in relief when the door didn't budge open.It's still locked.No one broke in.Casey's safe.My legs suddenly felt like jelly and I lowered myself to a crouch in front of the door before my legs could give out on me.I lowered my head, tucking it between my arms while both of my hands holding the back of my neck.The police are no help.The loan sharks know where we are.
"Maddy...""Why are you doing this?" Maddy asked before I could say anything else.I bit my tongue, keeping my silence."Why are you doing this?" She repeated when I didn't answer.I've thought about this all night and came up with the conclusion that it's best for Maddy to keep her distance from me. I didn't want to relive the anxiety and terror that I experienced last night when I realized that Casey might not be safe. I didn't want to feel that way again over another person.At this point, the less people I have around me, the better.They probably don't know about Maddy yet and I need to keep it that way.
The car had toppled over and had landed on its side. Casey was under me. I could feel the liquid that drenched my eyelids, preventing me from cracking my eyes open. I felt the pressure on my arm that laid under Casey's head to protect it from the jostling that happened as the car swerved and fell sideways. I couldn't feel my lower half either but from the movements that Casey made under me, I knew that I've successfully cocooned her.Through the blinding pain, I heard Casey's cries and screams over a faint hissing noise. Every movement she made that nudged any part of my body would flare a new set of pain that threatened to knock me out. But amidst the unbearable pain, I felt relief in my heart.My little sister was okay. She was alive. She was moving.That was all I needed.
I pulled up at the spot where I dropped Casey off earlier and got out of the car. I jogged to the front door where Casey stood, one of her friends hanging a few feet behind her with what looked like my sister's purse in her hands.I locked eyes with Casey and she started walking. I couldn't read her expression as she looked straight ahead and power walked towards me. I slowed down, ready to spread my arms to give her a hug, but she stepped past me and walked towards the car instead. I turned to look at her back as she continued walking before turning back to her friend, handing me Casey's stuff.Casey's friend gave me a look and shook her head, tipping me off on how bad it went. As I took Casey's bag from her and ran after my little sister who was already walking towards the car, I watched the drag in her steps, as if they were the heav
"Yeah, just drop by any time you feel like it, Bryant. I've got no plans tonight so I'll probably be home. I'll text you my address." General Reeves said through the phone."Thank you, General. I'll call you when I'm on my way there." I spoke into the phone before hanging up.It's been a few days since I last heard from Dom. If our fight the other day didn't happen, I wouldn't have thought much about his silence since we weren't the kind of friends who had to talk to each other every day to stay close but how we left things off the last time we met made me worried.I checked his social media account to see if he was active or had made any posts lately but found nothing that eased my worries. Maybe I was too hard on him..But wha
I shut the front door and locked it before taking off my shoes. Casey was laying sprawled on the living room couch in her pajamas, covered by a layer of blanket. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, head resting on a pillow propped up against the armrest and hands holding a spoon and an ice cream tub. The TV was playing one of the episodes of 'Salvation' on Netflix.When she heard me stroll into the living room, she raised her head and craned her neck to look at me. "You're home early," she commented, looking at the time displayed on her phone screen.It was only 6 p.m. so technically it was early. After staying for a few hours in the park, watching the sunset together, I told Maddy what I was planning and she understandingly agreed without any objections or complaints. I was lucky to have a supportive and understanding girlfriend.
I tilted my head up with my eyes closed, trying to just absorb the fresh air and let it cool my insides and help me relax.I opened my eyes and watched as the wind shook the branches of the tree we were sitting under. Fall was already here and winter was just right around the corner, approaching fast. The branches were already balding, giving it a bare look, making the tree seem almost naked without its green. The leaves that managed to stay on the branches had already turned colors, pulling different shades of orange, yellow and sometimes even a beautiful bright red. The sight made by the tree branches reaching out and creating a web right above us, mapping across the space between us and the sky, was entrancing, at least to me. I could never get enough of it.The sun was nowhere to be seen today, hidden behind some clouds. The air aro
"Leaving?" Casey asked me as she stirred her cereal and milk in a bowl for breakfast."Yeah, I'll be back by 10 p.m. tonight." I told her over the jiggle of my keys as I pocketed them. "Do you have any plans today?"Casey shook her head, "Get home as late as you'd like, I'm not a kid, I'll be alright. I'll just be chilling inside, binge watching netflix and enjoying my ice cream."I didn't want to argue with her about going home later. It was more for my peace of mind than anything else. For the past year, I've tried very hard to never let Casey be alone. Especially in an empty house late at night. Of course she didn't understand where my worries and anxiety was coming from but that's alright. I'll do the worrying and being the anxious one, she can live in blissful ignorance that comes
"You haven't forgotten what day tomorrow is, right?" Casey asked me while she dumped her things on the foot of her bed.I plopped on my bed beside hers and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I hummed in response to her question, laying my arm over my eyes to block the light streaming in through the window by my bed.When she didn't continue speaking, I raised my arm slightly and took a peek at her.Casey stood over me, staring me down with her hands propped on her hips."You totally forgot what tomorrow is, didn't you?" She asked again.I grunted in annoyance, prompting her to stop speaking in circles and just get to the point.I felt a slap l
I rang the doorbell and waited for a few minutes for Dom to answer it and let me in.I had the urge to look around to check if anyone was watching me while I was waiting but I didn't want to tip off the people watching if there were any. I didn't want to give them further reason to suspect that I was hiding something.Because I was, and they're not supposed to know that.It was a Saturday afternoon and it was way too shiny than I'd like it to be. The sun was beating down my back and it was starting to get uncomfortable, so I knocked on the door to rush Dom."Coming! Hold your bloody horses!" Dom cursed from behind the door as the door jiggled and swung open. Dom stepped aside once he saw it was me and let me in. "You're here."
We stepped into the restaurant and told them we had made a reservation under Johnson.A waiter led us to a table where a man in a collared shirt sat, talking into his phone.When he saw us approaching, he waved and said a few words into the phone before hanging up and stashing the device away, smiling widely at my parents."I thought you stood me up!" He joked, standing from his seat to warmly greet my parents with hugs.Dad slightly turned his body to let the man see Casey and I clearly."This is Bryant, my oldest." I smiled as Dad made the introductions, stepping forward and offering my hand.He took my hand and shook it firmly. H