Friday: 8:00
Greg was hiding at the top of the stairs; Rodrick was fighting with their parents again. Greg sat at the top of the stairs, trying to distract a sobbing Manny. It had been like this since dinner on Tuesday.
Tuesday: Dinner
"So Rodrick, what colleges have you been thinking about?" Susan had asked, casually as she cut her steak, carefully.
"I'm not going to college." Rodrick had remarked, shaking his head, his mouth full of food.
Susan had dropped her knife. Both her and Frank had been expecting this but they were not excited to actually hear the words come from their sons mouth. "DAMMIT RODRICK!" Frank had said, slamming his fist down on the table, causing Manny to shriek. All of the kids looked surprised; they had never seen their dad this angry. "Listen to me Rodrick, if you don't go to college you will stop being my son!" he said, Frank didn't really mean it but he was really pissed.
Rodrick paused in the middle of wiping the food off his face. He dropped the napkin and blinked a few times, taken aback by his father's words. He stood up quickly, "Yeah, well fuck that. I'm eighteen. I can make my own decisions!" He began to leave but then turned back around and kicked his chair over, angrily before storming off to his room.
Friday: 8:05
Greg rubbed his temples, all this yelling was giving him a headache, especially combined with Manny's crying.
"I don't need a fucking 'higher education' I'm a drummer! I don't need to know learning good to do that!" That was Rodrick.
"Don't make a decision like this without a plan!" shouted Frank.
"Why? I mean it's my life! Besides I do have a plan! I'm going to be a drummer!" said Rodrick, frustrated.
"Rodrick! You are never going to make it as a drummer honey! You aren't even that good!" That was Susan.
"Oh, yeah go right ahead and fucking insult my music, bitch!" Rodrick was pretty pissed, his language was making Greg flinch.
"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that!" That was Frank. "And watch your language, Manny can here you!"
"Oh, whatever… I hate both of you!" That was Rodrick.
"Honey where are you going?" That was Susan.
"To go smoke some weed!" There was a sound of a slamming door.
"Oh just leave it honey, he'll be back…" Frank sighed.
Greg walked down the stairs and into the living room. "How much did you hear honey?" Susan asked Greg, motioning for him to sit down next to her. "Honey… you're brother is not doing so well…"
"Mom… What's weed?" Greg asked weakly.
Susan frowned, "It's a drug… Marijuana, it's not technically legal."
"Then why did Rodrick say something about going and smoking it?" Greg asked, confused.
"Honey… how about you just go to bed…" said Frank, patting Greg on the back. Greg shook his head.
"Is Rodrick okay?" he asked, worriedly. Frank and Susan were quiet for a moment.
"Your brother has been going through a… rebellious stage…" Susan said, trying to make Rodrick's problems seem less… problematic.
Greg knew his mom was bullshitting him so he wouldn't worry. He needed to talk to Rodrick so he jumped from the couch, opened the door and slammed it behind him. The distinct sound of heavy metal was coming from the direction of the shed. Greg opened the door. Rodrick was smoking a joint and rolling his eyes as a girl sitting next to him jabbered away.
She was pretty, her large brown eyes were heavily rimmed with black and her short, harshly cut hair was tinted purple with a bad dye job. Her Nirvana t-shirt hung limply off her shoulder. Her legs were crosses, she was wearing dark skintight jeans and her shiny, red six inch heels were resting in Rodrick's lap. "Well that's the point right? To get away from them? Go to college or you will be stuck with those fucks, living in their basement, forever," she drawled taking a drag on her joint.
Rodrick blew some smoke into the air before turning to her, "But I don't want to have to take four more years of teachers and fucking learning… I think Loded Diper is actually getting somewhere… besides I don't have to live with mom and dad, I can live with you."
"Yeah, we're close but um… not that close Rod." The girl chuckled, blowing some smoke in his face. "Whatever do what you want but believe me, you'll regret it. Loded Diper sucks… Please tell me you were being ironic with the spelling of that name… Uh oh, little brother alert… twelve o'clock…"
"Ugh Greg… Go away twerp… I don't need you lecturing me too, with mom, dad, and Karma… It's bad enough." Rodrick said, rolling his eyes and balling his fists.
"Ah." Thought Greg, this girl was Karman Dianna, a well known 'bad influence' and self described 'Rocker Chick.' "I just want to talk to you, Rodrick!" squeaked Greg, Karman scared him just a little.
"Ah… let the kid come in Rod, he can't do any harm…" said Karma. Rodrick gave her a withering glare. "Oh come on. He's your brother, he's harmless…" she whispered.
"Fine. Come in Greg… Beer?" he asked, holding up a glass bottle.
Greg shook his head firmly. "Rodrick, mom and dad are really worried about you…" Greg stammered.
"Well you can tell mom and dad to go screw themselves…" Rodrick rolled his eyes taking another drag on his joint.
"You know what Rodrick; I came here because I wanted to help you but if you are going to be this way… I'm done." Greg shook his head and left the shed.
"Fucking siblings…" chuckled Karma, opening a beer and taking a large sip, "I'm not gonna make you do anything… but honestly, I think if you go to college you will be a lot happier."
He rolled his eyes, "Dad is fucking pissed right now… God I don't even know what I want to do anymore… I don't think I've ever seen dad that fucking angry…" he said, running a hand through his hair, obviously stressed.
"Dude… it's gonna be fine, you're parents are good people… They'll get over it." She said reassuringly. The door was suddenly flung open. It was Frank and Susan.
"Shoo, tramp…" Frank said, looking at Karma and gesturing for her to leave.
"Yeh, Rodrick… I was wrong about the good people thing…" She said, kissing Rodrick on the cheek, and standing. "Fuck you, twat" She said, walking up to Frank, and flipping him off. She threw her joint onto the ground in front of him before grinding it into the dirt and stomping away.
"Rodrick… what are you doing honey? Hanging out with girls like her… Smoking weed" Susan said in her best caring mother voice. She grabbed the joint from between his fingers. He glared rolling his eyes.
"Rodrick, Karman Dianna is a bad influence… I don't want you hanging around her…" Frank stated, shaking his head.
"Yeah, it really wasn't Karma who fucked me up… possibly it was the two over protective parents that raised me… just a thought…" Rodrick stood, picking up his beer and walked over to Frank "Karma was right, you're a fucking twat," he said, emptying his beer over his father's head.
