Imperfect Crossroads: The Drive Series

By Marina O'Brix

It has been six years now since Sabrina’s father has gone missing.

“He is missing out on everything, where could he have gone?”

Searching for answers, Sabrina wonders if she will ever reconnect with her mother.

Can she hold onto what is so dear to her… her family unit? 

Can Debra ever love her like she loves Shelby?

Can she find someone to love her?

Can her life just be normal for once?

Can she shine brighter than the darkness? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marina O'Brix
• Release date: Jun 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386012566

Book preview

Dedicated To:

My Family, Friends, and Fans,

With love, gratitude, and support,

Blessings

Special Thanks To:

Quinn Shane Carter

Extraordinaire Artist

A harsh wind blows open the window as she grips the sheets...in her sleep.

She whips back and forth as she felt herself trying to escape but only seemed to get closer as they sneaked around the brook. Laughing about as their love was possible in their treasured life of imperfections. His embrace embodied her thirst for him.  His kiss made her hungry, no more. He was the love she waited for.

A piercing and striking pain overcame her as she looked back over her shoulder as she clutched it.

That heartless bitch clutched her lovers’ arms as her beloved was mercifully pushed to the side.

She ran for her life as blood started to trickle from her wounded shoulder.

The wind picked up the words as it howled after her,

You shall never have him; as long as I am living, you whore!

One

Times Have Changed

Wear these stirrups, and this neon top, oh, and wear these bangles, she said. Oh, how I could just kick her in the knees right now, Sabrina thought as she walked into a hall.

Ping, Ping!  Spiraling coins hit her feet as the looks, whispers and the giggles behind her back make her feel like turning around and screaming, Just Leave Me Alone! Clutching her books to her chest as she closes her eyes; feeling the anguish inside of her as she walked through the halls of Hatchetmen High into her first week of freshman year.

Her eyes grazed the floor tile as she looked up through the crowd of people in the center of the hall.

BAM!

Slammed into the wall of a locker as another person ran past her without a sorry. Scores of boom boxes line the hall floor as different sounds of music hit the walls as boomerangs.  A Clash of voices goes above and beyond the voices of what is heard over the intercom trying to speak over them. Attention...attention the assembly is in the auditorium, for all freshmen, please, make your way there, thank you, as the person on the intercom blares out into the halls.

Humph, now to find my locker and homeroom, says Sabrina as she delegates through the mirage of students and as the bell rings. She locates the auditorium and looks over the crowd to see if she sees a spot to sit at. A hand waving in the distance, she moves toward it and finds Sybil briefly waving her hands as she tries to dry her fingernails.

––––––––

Rolling her eyes at Sybil, Sabrina says, Well, you could have looked for me at least right? Sybil sits up from her slouched posture and says, I just got here too and I did not see you in here either.

Sabrina shrugs it off and sits down as the Principal begins to tell them the do’s and don’ts of the conducts of the schools’ academic systems. As the time nearly end, Sabrina looks over to Sybil as she sounds like she is snoring lightly. Sabrina in disbelief slowly lifts with her finger Sybil shaded glasses and sure enough noticed she was sleeping.

A roar of sudden laughter and commotion from all the chairs starts to make ‘banging’ noises as others start to move out of the auditorium. Sabrina quickly nudges Sybil out of her sleep. A quick snort comes from Sybil as she is awakened and she hurriedly moves out of her seat too.

The crowded halls caused Sabrina to crinkle up her nose as it seemed to cling onto some unwavering smells. She quickly noticed a strong smell of musk in the air very close to her as one boy walked past which seemed like he did not have a chance to shower before school. She thought at first she would become sick before reaching her homeroom class. She finally caught up to Sybil as she walked in the room like a movie star. Sybil flicks her hair; points her finger and says, There! She finds a desk in the center of the room and walks over to it as sultry as a runway model would. Sabrina somehow does not feel so confident and scans the room for a desk for herself.

Sabrina feeling awkward in the doorway with her stirrups leggings, a neon shirt and some old sneakers from last year; she sees the teacher writing on the blackboard, a name. She peers around the room and sees a desk in the far corner in the back of room and moves slowly towards it.

Meanwhile, getting vague glances from others and feeling the anxiety of laughter coming from them as she reaches her destination. Sabrina moves in the desk and places her things on it. Her pencil rolls off and lands right under the desk. She goes to retrieve it as she rolls her eyes. A hard ‘THUD’ is heard echoing in the room; quickly all forty-two eyes are on her at that very moment.

Holding her head; she quickly sees them lurking at her as some giggles reach her ears. Rosy cheeks begin to form against her face as she climbs back in her chair and places the pencil down as her face begins to become redder as the faces, just stare at her. Sabrina places her head on hands on the desk in embarrassment. She thinks to herself, Freshman year is going to suck!

After homeroom finishes, the bell rings and Sabrina is off to her new adventure of her first year in school. She slowly works her way through the maze of corridors and begins to look around at the walls with pictures that line it as she moves through to find her first official class of science. 

Sabrina’s first day seemed to go so fast and as she started to walk out the front doors to go home, something caught her eyes. She looks over to a bulletin board and sees track try-outs.

She taps her finger in her chin and says, Interesting.

Sybil lurks behind her and makes Sabrina jump as she begins to speak, Track, really, you will be just wasting your time, Sabrina.

She spins around and she says, How so, Sybil? They walk out the doors of school as Sybil says, You do not have the legs for it. They want runners and you have small, short legs.

You will not get them unless you stretch your legs out longer than what they are now.

Sabrina quickly says, Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sybil. They load up into the bus as Sybil’s witty response, Hey, just trying to help you out. Sabrina looks at her friend and asks her, So how is that helping me out if I am wanting to try-out for track?

Sybil looks to her frustrated, and says, Because Sabrina they only look for people that have muscle tone and speed, Geez, Sabrina just let it go, will you! Sabrina slumps back in her seat as the bus starts to move toward her stop. She vividly sees houses; trees, people and other things pass her eyesight. Sybil gets up abruptly starts her way toward the front of the bus to get off at her stop. She shouts back to Sabrina, I will catch you later on today! Sabrina does not say a word as she sees Sybil run up to her house as the bus again, pulls off. 

A few stops and Sabrina gets off the bus as well and heads in the direction of her house. A dreaded feeling starts to wander in her thoughts as she walks into the house as Debra is making dinner. Her sister is found watching T.V. as she heads for her room upstairs. Sabrina tends to do her normal when she comes home.

She straightens up her room, changes her clothes, and washes her face and hands and heads back downstairs for dinner. She sits at the table as Debra hands her a bowl of food and she notices her food is less than that of Debra’s and her sisters. Sabrina slowly gets up the encouragement to ask Debra, May I ask, why my food is less than that of yours and Shelby’s?

A slow crimson red befalls onto Debra’s face as she quickly slams her spoon into her bowl and looks at Sabrina, heartlessly.

Debra’s teeth seem to grind against the other; as she speaks to Sabrina harshly.

She replies to her, My dear, sweet child, I run this house now since your father is no longer with us at the moment and I pay all the bills here, not you.

Debra goes on to say intensely, If you have to ask then you should know you will be having a job too, effectively tomorrow!

Sabrina shocked as her words rang out across the table. Sabrina says to her, How am I suppose to work; I am only fourteen! Debra spikes right up out of the chair and places her arms on the table to look directly at Sabrina and answers her, It has been arranged already! Sabrina scoffs, How and with what will I be doing? Little droplets of sweat form at Debra’s forehead as her blood pressure rises. She replies to Sabrina, You, my dear are at an age that can work for your supper so to speak and help around this house too.

Beyond everything that Sabrina believes in; she now has to work to eat in her own home. Just as Sabrina begins to shutter the thought of working, Debra starts to speak to her again.

––––––––

If it was up to me at this time of chaos in this house; I would have you live someplace else so that there would be one less mouth to feed. Starting tomorrow after school you are to go to the daycare and work with your Aunt Judy and when you get your money, half of it comes directly to me so that you can eat.

A tear forces down Sabrina’s face as she herself cannot believe that Debra is acting like this to her. Clear your tear from your face, Sabrina, this would not have happened if your father did not go missing, Debra says.

A desperate look came over Sabrina as she jerks the chair away from the table and screams at Debra, I hate you! and runs up the stairs by two. Slam, goes the door as Shelby sheepishly looks up to her mother and says, I love you, mommy.

Sabrina springs to her bed, face down, and began to scream into her pillow as her tears fall quickly. The stair panels squeak as Sabrina hears them come up and move into their rooms for the night. Still, in a pouting formation, Sabrina sits on her bed just waiting for Debra to come in screaming at her again as she does every night since her dad went missing.

Somehow tonight was different not even a peep came to her. Her feelings have awkwardly changed over the course of the evening sky as she looks out her bedroom window. A sudden thump startles her. She turns around and sees her journal has landed on the floor with her pencil not far off.  An overwhelming feeling of her father comes to her mind and starts to write.

EVERYDAY

I am older now

My mind tries to push away the pain

The memories that play of how we used to be

I feel so lonely...Where can you be?

I don’t regret thoughts of you

My heart takes over my mind

As it beats just like it did, yesterday

If just a wish to tell you, it remains

Three words and a heartbeat

Everyday

A silent silhouette caresses her hair as she writes. She looks again at what she wrote only to place it down on her nightstand and she begins to cry. The silhouette fades away as Sabrina drifts off to sleep.

A humid morning as Sabrina rushes out to catch the bus to school. Taking the steps onto the bus, Sabrina notices she was the only girl there with five other boys lurking in the back of bus with her. She slumps quickly into a seat and slides over to the window to look out as she faintly hears Debra saying, Remember Judy after school! She quickly raises the window up to not hear Debra, say a word to her today.

A few more stops and she sees Sybil getting on as Sabrina waves her over to her seat. She looks at her friend as others begin to ask her, Where did you get that leather jacket? Sybil answers them, I just got it from my mom this morning, isn’t it grand! Sabrina tells her, Yes, it is, and looks back out the window of the bus as they turn toward the front of the school. The other kids seem to swarm Sybil and ask her a million questions about her new jacket. Sabrina moves out of the seat and off the bus as Sybil is still clustered by the many.

––––––––

Some other girls walk right past Sabrina as she hears them call Sybil an attention whore.

Sabrina grips onto her books closer to her chest as they pass ever so slightly looking toward the ground so to not have them pay any attention to her as they all stroll into the doors of Hatchetmen High together.

As the days turn into weeks at her new school; she often hears the whispers and name callings of her friend, Sybil.

She thinks to herself, I could never speak those foul words about her or even to her like they do behind her back. If she only knew what they were saying; would she even change how she acts? I hope that I never hear someone speak ill of me in here and if I did; what would be my reaction to it? Sabrina tries to wipe her mind clear of what just happened and to keep focus on the task at hand. She needs to hurry up and get on her bus and then head again to the daycare to help her Aunt Judy with the children and maybe a little after, play basketball with her Uncle Bo, too.

Sabrina hops onto the school bus and makes sure she gets the first seat so that she will not miss the stop to the daycare again. She hands the bus driver a note from Debra so that she is allowed to get off earlier than she stop to go home. She can hear loud and clear of Sybil’s voice laughing at something; to which she is not hearing what it is. She and Sybil have yet to have a day for each other since she has to work now after school. The last argument they had was a bad one between them.

Sabrina could hear her words cut her down ‘about how Debra has her on a short leash ’and‘ how she needs to break away from that bitch as soon as she can or she will always work and have no fun.’ 

––––––––

The only good thing Sabrina heard from her friend is that her mother is finally going to AA meetings and doing somewhat good on her sobriety.

Although, Sybil does not like her mother being at home more often and trying to be a mother now after all this time.

She once heard Sybil say, That she wished her mother would just die off somewhere and leave her an orphan.

She quickly responded to Sybil, Please do not ever wish that about her because you have even seen how I am dealing with no parents.

Sybil scoffs back, Even you at one time or another has wished that, Sabrina!

No, I would never ask that in a million years; I at least want a family I have never had, she says to Sybil.

Lucky for you to not bear the pain and bullshit I have had to endure from my mothers’ stupidity! Sybil exclaims.

Debra has you on a short leash; you need to break away from that ‘bitch’ as soon as you can or you will always work and have no fun, again. Sybil retorts, You are just her damn puppet and she holds all the strings and you, let her do it too!

Tears fill Sabrina’s eyes as her only friend belittles her. Oh, suck that shit up, Sabrina, only you can change that! Tears seem to flow like fluid down Sabrina’s face as Sybil tells her, Oh, will please stop the waterfall. I am just saying you will just end up being a little bird on a small branch if you do not try to fix your problem.

Sabrina’s mixed emotions during the argument they had; seemed to hit hard. Without a word to Sybil which who was still talking to her; Sabrina just disappeared from her site to clear her head of what she heard and felt.

Sybil turns around to hear what her friend had to say to her advice and noticed she was talking to ‘thin air,’ she yells for Sabrina, stomps her foot onto the ground and walks off with anger. Grrr, I really hate that shit when people do that to me and do not take my professional advice!

Sabrina can somehow understand what her friend was saying, but she herself has nowhere else to go until she is older to do so. Her heart aches at the notion that Sybil is correct and she will never get away from Debra’s hand.

Sabrina just edges the corner as she sees the daycare in her sight. She hurriedly ran up on the steps and walks into the foyer to see Aunt Judy helping some of the children getting ready to go home for the evening.

Hello, Ms. Judy, where can I help? Sabrina asks her. Just