Orange Juice

This was a short story, if it is even that, that I had to write for one of my classes. This was supposed to be a way to introduce myself to the class and about what I was like. This is not a true event that happened in my life. But it is a major fear of mine. I have obviously changed the names in here but it is still my story. Tell me what you think.

Orange Juice
by Kireania


Arguing amongst siblings is not unusual but arguing quite loudly at six thirty in the morning on the dreaded Return-to-School-Monday was and will always be nothing but pure insanity. Yet here were two teenaged siblings screaming at each other for next to absolutely nothing.

The older dark haired girl glared at her sixteen year old brother, “All I did was have a small glass of orange juice and here you are going on about nothing.”

Said brother glared daggers straight back at his shorter yet still eighteen months older sister. “I have every right to be pissed at you!!! You took the last of my orange juice AND you hate pulp in yours. So WHY are you drinking mine!?!?!?! Besides I told you to not take any of my drinks!! You never listen and that’s not my fault.” His unreal blue eyes darkening with anger quite similar to the darkening anger that was being displayed in his sister’s now deep green eyes.

“So now everything is my fault??? Now I’m the screw up??? That’s just brilliant Daemon just effin brilliant.” Looking at the clock that rested on top of their stove the elder sister, Jordan, huffed annoyed at what she just saw.

“Look it’s almost seven and I need to finish getting ready so be pissed if you want that’s not my problem.” Jordan stormed up the flight of stairs that led to her room. Turning down the small hall she soon found her door and entered her room and promptly collapsed onto the bed in a huff.

Goddamn brother being too goddamn difficult. Can’t stop complaining for one single damn moment.

A door slammed loudly, the sound echoing through the house which was soon accompanied by the sound of a car starting and driving off hurriedly.

Hmm why the hell is he going to school in his car he knows he doesn’t have a parking permit and I know that that wasn’t my car starting up? Idiot should get caught.

Raising off the bed she quickly finished getting ready for the rest of the, still way too early, morning.

“Hey. I’m on my way to pick ya up. So be ready. I ain’t in the mood to wait up.” She demanded into her cell which was connected to a friend’s line as well. After hanging up her cell she exited her house and quickly moved to her car which was indeed still in its spot. Glancing over she took note that her brother’s green outback was gone and skid marks marred the newly paved roads.

A sigh passed through her lips at the thought of her brother. She might have been the one that instigated the argument but that didn’t mean that she didn’t respect and adore her brother. In fact, she was extremely protective of the brat even though he didn’t appreciate it even one bit.

Having gotten into her car and starting it she barely realized that she was already on her way to her first friend pick up. Almost at her friend’s house she forced herself tp refocus on the road to ensure that there weren’t any idiots out to get her that day. Like there normally were.

The idiots seemed to be bothering another person that day because she didn’t encounter a single one.

Pulling down the road towards her high school, after finishing picking up her friends, three friends in total, an unknown feeling hit her stomach and her thoughts instantly turned towards her brother. She didn’t know why but something was making her hope that he was okay.

Something was wrong though and she knew it even more so than she knew her own name. Nearing the main intersection by her school the feeling intensified until she saw it.

There had been a major accident and one of the drivers was hurt and there was an ambulance. The police were controlling traffic in order to try and keep calm. For a brief moment there were no cars blocking her view so Jordan saw one of the cars that had been in the accident.

It was a green Subaru Outback.

It was her brother’s car.

Without thinking she put the car in park, left her car without a word, and started to rush to the accident hoping that it wasn’t really her brother, that she was mistaken, that he was perfectly fine, but the closer she got the more her stomach sank.

Finally she was close enough to make out the figure of the hurt driver.

It was her brother.

Her brother was hurt and trapped in his car while the drunk that had hit him even so early in the morning was fine. Her anger from that morning came back and intensified but this time it directed towards the drunk and the fools that weren’t helping her little brother.

Coming forward even more she tried to pass the tape but a cop stopped her before she got too far. “I’m sorry miss but you can’t pass it’s too dangerous.”

“I’ll have you know that I’m not leaving. That’s my brother and I refuse to leave him.” She basically growled at the already annoying officer. She was so close to hitting him it was nothing but sheer willpower that was holding her back.

Then the pain and a sense of helplessness over came her forcing her voice to soften into a whisper, “I need to be near him please. It’s all my fault that he’s like this. If I hadn’t pissed him off this morning he’d have been safe with me.”

Sighing the cop pulled her aside and started asking all the normal questions that could help him out.

Yes, she was older.

No, he didn’t normally drive to school.

Yes, she had another brother, but he was only five.

Yes, her dad was home.

Yes, she could call her mother, but she was at work in D.C.

No, she didn’t know neither his nor her own blood type, incase he needed blood.

Yes, they went to the same school, they were only two grades apart.

No, she didn’t know the full medical history of their family, but she did know that he was allergic to sulfur.

Nodding at the answers to his questions the cop didn’t notice that her eyes had never left her brother’s unconscious body.

Suddenly pulling away and ignoring the now indignant cop, she put her cell phone up to her ear while walking towards her brother and called her father, to explain what had happened.

Just as she knew he would he started freaking.

“DAD!! Calm down I’m here now. Just get Aaron, don’t change him or anything just bring him and you can give him to me so that you can go with Daemon.” After a few seconds of yelling and attempt at calming him she ended the conversation. Then she called her mother having to repeat the entire process again minus the instructions for the care of her baby brother.

Finally ending all her calls, she was at her brother’s side ignoring all the instructions for her to leave. She was watching for any signs that her brother might be waking up here and not at the hospital. She fortunately did see signs that he was coming to and could have cried at that moment. Without thinking, she leaned over her brother’s side lightly to look at him as he opened his eyes, he was clearly in a lot of pain. But he was alive.

She was so focused on her brother she had no notion that there was anyone else around her not the medics, not the cops, not even the cars that were trying to pass by. Nothing else mattered but her brother.

“Hey Dae I told you not to drive to school.”

She took a ragged breath to steady herself and to stop herself from crying all over him, “Daddy’s coming and he’ll go with you to the hospital and then they’re going to fix you up so you can play soccer this upcoming season, k?”

She saw his fear easily. He may have been sixteen but he was still her baby brother. She started to coo at him trying ease his fear as best as she could. “It’s ok I’m here there’s nothing to be scared of. You’re safe nothings gonna happen, k? Trust me, you know I don’t lie to you. I’m sorry. You’re fine just a few scrapes is all. Don’t worry.” She didn’t care that she was rambling nonsense, she needed to believe as much as he did right now.

Her father arrived, as soon as he could manage, haphazardly dressed and in his arms was a tired and scared five year old boy. Jordan heard the commotion and instantly recognized her father’s voice even in its panicked state. She looked around and soon located him yelling at the same cop that had tried to stop her earlier.

Gently leaving her brother with promises that everything was ok, she went to her father. She took Aaron out of his arms while pointing him in the direction of Daemon, and letting him go to her brother, all the while still ignoring the cop.

After her father left and she stayed with Aaron in the middle of the street her last thought left her. She no longer knew what was going on or why everything was happening so fast. She didn’t even notice that her friends were pulling her away from the scene and back towards her abandoned car.

She barely felt the child in her arms. She didn’t hear his voice asking what’s wrong, she didn’t hear his question, “Why are you crying, Sissy?” Needless to say she didn’t even know that there were tears running down her face.

Her friends sat her on the edge of her Dodge Neon staying with her until her grandparents arrived to take her back home. Her friends knowing that they couldn’t really do much else to help walked the rest of the way to school, which was just across the street. Jordan knew none of this was going on. The only thing on her mind was Daemon.

~~~~~~~

For the next week things were hectic and tense.

Still numb she went around doing her chores without complaint and without knowledge that she was even doing them. She blamed herself for the accident and refused to believe that it wasn’t her fault, no matter who told her otherwise.

She was excused from school without even knowing it. She ate without really tasting, the only thing she didn’t do and knew that she didn’t do it was sleep. The one time that she tried to sleep her dreams were plagued with images of her brother dead, bloody, and voices screaming that it was all her fault.

Sitting on the couch in the family room, on the Saturday after the accident, and petting the heads and furs of the family’s many animals was how her mother found her.

“Hey honey, come on its time to visit Daemon and you haven’t seen him since Monday. Come on now,” came the whispered command. She didn’t want to go. She was terrified but she listened to her mother and went.

The trip was uneventful and silent. No matter how her mother tried the conversation was always dropped one way or another.

Arriving at the room Jordon was still apprehensive about seeing her brother.

What if he knew it was her fault?

What if he blamed her out loud?

What if he didn’t want her near him?

‘What ifs’ filled her head as she hesitantly entered the sterile smelling room to see her brother awake. It didn’t seem like he was in too much pain.

“Hey Jordon where’s my orange juice? I’m thirsty.” Smiling Jordon went over and hugged her brother tightly.

He didn’t blame her and he still wanted her around. They would fight and yell and argue but they were still siblings. Looking into his eyes she saw that he actually knew why it had taken her so long to visit.

He knew that she had been scared, not of the hospital or even of knowing that he was there. He knew that she had actually been scared of his reaction towards her. But he wasn’t blaming her…he never could. It was his fault that he left the house angry and drove his own car. It was his fault not hers.

Yes, she definitely loved this brat.