On the Edge
Authors: Mari Brown
Dad- For encouraging his daughter to live her dream even if meant writing smut and putting a stripper pole in her bedroom!
Once again, I’m in the club down the street from my house, drunk. Should I be here?
NO!
At sixteen, I should be at home asleep, but a little over two hours ago, my mother kicked me out of the house.
Why? Because she came home drunk and immediately started yelling at me. “It’s your fault I’m all alone. If I hadn’t let myself get knocked up with a bitch like you, I would still have the love of my life.”
As far back as I can remember, my mother has blamed me for her misery, never my older brother, only me. I have received verbal lashings my whole life, and when my brother moved out three years ago, the abuse turned physical because he was no longer there to protect me. I don’t blame Drew for bailing as soon as he turned eighteen. I would leave now if I could.
He works for Knight’s Construction, and even though he doesn’t live at home anymore, he hasn’t forgotten about me. He sends me texts daily to the cell phone he bought for me. We meet up for a meal of some kind every weekend. He is truly all I have in this world. I don’t say how terrible things are at home, because, for once, he’s happy, and I don’t want to ruin that for him.
My body slamming into a hard wall of muscles brings my attention back to the guy dancing with me. Damn, he’s hot, and I’m horny. He can be my toy for the night. Looking older than sixteen has its advantages, so by using a fake ID, I’ve been clubbing for a year and, during that time, I’ve discovered drinking, smoking, and sex.
Sex means two things to me. It helps relieve the stress of living with my mother, and it equals power. That’s right. Pussy is power. My bitch of a mother needs to wake up to that reality. Then maybe she wouldn’t feel the need to beat me down. I will never allow a man to control me the way she does. How many times have I seen the asshole she brought home with her abuse her? Too many to count. I’m never going to be that person. I’m always going to be the one in charge.
The guy in front of me is demanding my attention, so maybe I should focus here instead of losing myself in my thoughts. My 5’5” frame presses into his larger one and the slight bulge in his pants nudges against me. I grind myself on him, and as his bulge grows against my stomach, his hands freely roam my body. I enjoy the feel of his hands, so I let him lean in to kiss my neck. The music pounds through my body and our dancing is turning me on. It isn’t long before we’re full on making out on the dance floor. I lose myself in the feelings. Just when I start to tell him to take me somewhere, my arms are empty, and he is gone. When I open my eyes, I see that the person who has pulled him away from me is my brother, Drew. Seeing my brother’s 6-foot plus frame in front of me surprises me. A few guys stand around him, but I pay them no attention. My focus is on my furious brother.
“What the fuck, Kat?” Drew spits out.
“Well, I was dancing and getting ready to get lucky with that hot guy you just knocked out.” I wobble drunkenly, and my words slur as I scream at him.
Drew grabs my arm and drags me away from the dance floor. I fight back at him, but it’s no use. He is bigger and stronger, and I’m too drunk. He pulls me out of the club and walks me towards his car in the parking lot.
“Drew, man, come on. It’s not that big a deal,” I whine.
“My fucking underage sister, drunk in a club, making out with a guy way too old for her. Not happening!” He gets in my face to yell at me.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I mumble.
“Fuck, Kat, what’s going on with you? Why are you trying to mess up your life? You have a chance to get out this town one day.”
“Fuck you! You don’t know what it’s like, living with mom now. The bitch is crazy. The reason I’m out tonight? She kicked me out of the house for ruining her life. Where else am I supposed to go?”
“What is that bitch doing to you? Don’t fucking lie to me either,” Drew barks out.
I see anger brewing in his eyes. I also see guilt, but I don’t want him to feel blame for anything that has happened since he left. Since I’m drunk, the words just tumble out.
“Mom’s verbally and physically abusive. She hates me more than ever before. Every day, I struggle to survive whatever she is going to dish out. I do what I have to do to get by.”
“Fuck, Kat” Drew rubs his hand through his dark locks, and his green eyes boring back at me look so much like my own. “Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?”
“I don’t know. You have your own life now. You’re away from our mother. I didn’t want to drag you back into that mess.”
“Kat,” he groans out, letting me know he isn’t happy with my answer.
“Drew, I’m sorry, okay?” Tears slide down my cheeks.
“Hey.” My brother pulls me into a hug. “I want to help you. I’m making decent money now, so please, let me help you. I can set up a private account for you that mom won’t know about. That way you’ll always have money. But I want you to do something for me in return. I want you to get an education, and then get the fuck out of Belmont.”
“What do you mean, Drew?”
“I mean I want you to get the fuck away from our mother. Use your time in high school wisely. Get into college, make something of yourself, and stay the fuck away from this town.”
Getting the fuck out of Belmont becomes my goal in life from this night on, and I apply myself more in school. I find a small group of people to hang out with so that I’m not alone. No one, not even my mom, will get in my way of leaving this town. On the nights she kicks me out, I use the money in the account Drew set up to pay for a hotel room for the night. Sometimes, I still go to the club, because a girl has needs and I love sex, I won’t lie.
This is my life now. I’ve taken Drew’s words to heart. I’m determined to get out of Belmont and away from my mother. I’m not going to be stuck in this town. I’m careful about the guys I hook up with. Like my brother, most of the guys around here work for the Knight Family. Besides, I refuse to be some guy’s arm candy. I’m going to make something of myself.
