A Little Too Late

A tragic tale of a rebellious teenager who had it all and rebelled against it all...to no avail; only to her demise.

The lighting was dim; the room almost in complete darkness. A smell of alcohol and cigarettes lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of the sweaty teens stumbling around, bopping their heads out of rhythm to the drum and bass that blared through the speakers, hidden somewhere in the crowd. Around a small table at the back sat five risk takers, all shaking with nerves and anticipation; bar one. Sean had done this before, he knew what he was doing. "All ready?" he said to the table, as he pushed the last line across its surface. After a sign of agreement was given by all, the five heads dived towards the lines of white powder fearlessly. A snort later, Sean turned to face his friend beside him with a smile. As their eyes met, Sean quickly realised what was happening. The smile disintegrated.
   Rebecca was thirteen when it all began; when childish pastimes faded away, when a quick scrub of the face in the morning  became a quick lick of eyeliner across each eyelid, too. She was growing up, and fast. Time was nothing to Rebecca but it meant everything to her mother, Sarah, who felt as though only yesterday she was still cradling her baby to sleep. She dreaded the teenage years, and all of a sudden they were here. All Sarah wanted was to have her little girl back again, but at the same time, she knew she had to let that little girl go.
   Rebecca lived with her mother in their small white bungalow, down a secluded country road lined with ancient sycamores. Around their house sat acres and acres of grassland, inhabited by livestock of all sorts; ambling through the lush long blades, contributing the odd whinney or low to the otherwise silent soundtrack of the countryside. Sarah loved it here but Rebecca wasn't sure. It was beautiful, yes...but not very stimulating.
   September crept around and suddenly it was time for the next step in Rebecca's life; secondary school. With Rebecca being an only child, Sarah had never experienced this before; this terrifying moment that really marked the transition from child to teenager. For Rebecca, this day was special, but not momentous. Whereas to her mother? This was huge. This started the countdown of the last few years she would have with the sunshine of her life. Sarah feared the loneliness that would come with her daughter's absence, but Rebecca always promised that she'd never be gone forever.
   A year had passed and Rebecca was already blossoming into her true self. Sarah could see the changes everyday, and slowly came to terms with her daughter's growth. Her once chestnut locks now featured crimson streaks running through them; the two licks of eyeliner had noticeably thickened and were now shielded by blackened eyelashes; dungarees and t-shirts had morphed into miniskirts and netted tights. Rebecca had her own individual look, and although not seen as ideal in Sarah's eyes, she accepted it.
   Rebecca was making new friends, she was getting invited to places and meeting more new people. It was all innocent fun and Sarah had no objection to it. Every time Rebecca arrived home she would tell her mother about all the events of her day, and that pleased Sarah. She and her daughter shared a beautifully close relationship. They could talk for hours on end about anything and everything. They rarely argued and when they did, it was soon forgotten about with a laugh and a cuddle.
   One day after school, Rebecca burst in the door with excitement. Almost mechanically, Sarah sat down on the settee, smiling; eager to hear her daughter's news.

"Well, spill the beans" she said. Rebecca set her schoolbag down and pranced around the dining room as she told her story.
"Okay, you know Nathan? ...Ah mom, come on; Nathan, with the curly hair? I met him at Anna's house a few months ago? ......Ew, no mom, they're cousins! ......Anyways; Anna-told-me-today-that-she's-having-a-house-party-next-weekend-and-she-says-she'll-give-me-a-lift-there-and-back-home-the-next-day-too-and-everthing. Can-I-go? Oh-please-oh-please-oh-please!"

For the first time in Rebecca's life, Sarah refused her. That was the catalyst.

   A row was had; a cliché parent-teenager row with raised voices and door slamming and the typical "I hate you" thrown in and all. Rebecca locked herself in her room for the rest of the night and went off to school the next morning without breathing a word to her mother. Sarah was in shock. Was she a bad parent? Had she done wrong with her decision? She spent the day asking herself these questions and eventually ended up with the conclusion that no; no she was not a bad parent. She knew of the affairs that went with the term 'house party' and Rebecca wasn't old enough to partake. End of. When Rebecca returned home that day and set her bag down, there was no news to dispatch to Sarah, She went to the sink, filled herself a glass of water, sat at the table, and began her homework in silence. Sarah was shocked, but felt no pity. Her conclusion was final, and Rebecca would grow to understand.
   Months passed, seasons changed, Rebecca grew older and changes continued to take place. Her once chestnut and crimson locks were now electric pink allover; the thickened licks of eyeliner and blackened eyelashes had gotten darker and bigger; the mini skirts and netted tights now included low-cut vest tops accompanied by elaborately Gothic jewellery that drew the attention to certain places. Rebecca had her own individual look, and although it was seen as ideal in her own eyes, it certainly was not by her mother. Sarah no longer accepted her daughter's style choices. It wasn't unusual that Rebecca would walk out of her room and start an argument simply with her appearance. Things were changing in the Harford household, and fast.
   As time passed, more and more invites came Rebecca's way to events she knew she'd never be able to attend. She would ask all the same, but she was never surprised by the answer. Of course she was still allowed to go and see friends, stay over at theirs for a few nights, head to the cinema with some mates but that wasn't enough. Rebecca would hear all these exhilarating tales from her friends of nights out, parties that had lasted 48 hours, new things they'd experienced. She was envious of them. She wanted to taste the flavour of the freedom they were all lapping up. It was time she made some choices of her own.
   It was a typical Saturday night as far as Sarah was concerned; another Saturday where Rebecca was off to stay in Anna's for the night. For Rebecca, THIS was momentous, THIS was something to get excited about. At 8 o'clock they arrived at the house. Rebecca had no idea who's party this was, but Anna assured her that that didn't matter; as long as you brought your own drink, you were more than welcome. As Sarah sat at home that night by the fire, doing her crosswords as she did every Saturday, Rebecca was waiting on a round of shots to be poured; throwing them back one by one. By 11 o'clock, Sarah had completed her third crossword and was taking a break to make herself a cup of tea. By 11 o'clock, Rebecca had downed eight or nine shots of vodka and held her sixth can of beer in her hand as she jumped around the foreign sitting room, to dance music she'd never heard before, with several others. By 2 o'clock, Sarah was fast asleep. By 2 o'clock, Rebecca was passed out in the lap of a boy called Sean.
   She would never forget the adrenaline, the thrill of it all on that first night of partying. She had tasted several types of alcohol, she had discovered the taste of a cigarette between her lips; as far as Rebecca was concerned, she had tasted true freedom. It was a night she would never forget; not only for the party, but for him. That was the first time she had ever met Sean. That night, when Rebecca and Anna walked through the door of that house, he was the first person to catch her eye. He stood there at the fireplace with a joint in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. When his green eyes met hers, Rebecca had never felt more exposed. It was as though he could see right through her, like he was trying to tell her with that look "I can give you everything you've been dreaming of", and he did.
   Months passed, seasons changed, and Rebecca and Sean grew closer. Rebecca introduced him to Sarah eventually, but of course she was not impressed. She blamed him for the nights Rebecca came home late, for Rebecca's new habit of smoking, and for whatever else her daughter was at that she didn't know about. Rebecca was seventeen by now, and the relationship her and her mother shared was a mere shadow of what once existed between them. Although maddened by the things Rebecca had done in the past few years, Sarah still loved her daughter, and she knew she always would.
   Around a table at the back of a dark room sat five risk takers. "All ready? said Sean, as he pushed the last line across the surface of the table. After a sign of agreement was given by all, Rebecca placed her hand over Sean's and held it tightly as five heads dived towards the lines of white powder, fearlessly. A snort later, time stopped for Rebecca.

"Why am I doing this?" she thought.

Sean turned to face Rebecca with a smile.

"I was lucky. I had a great childhood, a wonderful mother... what went wrong?"

As their eyes met, Sean quickly realised what was happening.

"She was just looking out for me...she was right; I was too young... I still am.
I'm sorry mom. I'm...I'm so sorry."

As this last thought spiralled through Rebecca's mind, her eyes rolled back and her body fell lifelessly to the floor. Sean's smile disintegrated.



By 2 o'clock, Sarah lay in her bed restless, worried sick; as usual. Eventually she convinced herself to get some sleep, that Rebecca would always keep her promise; she'd never be gone forever.

But by 2 o'clock? Rebecca was dead.

Author's Note

Wrote this for an English assignment a few months ago. We had to write about a rebellious teenager; this was my take on it. All feedback is greatly appreciated! :)

Reviews

[yvo miki]

oh wow this is sad and kindna reminds me of me except i only did two thinks in this story but very strong and good i liked it also sad

[Leviathus Fortes]

What a terrible ending.
Not the writing itself, but "the way" the story ended and the promise that was broken.

Enjoyed reading every bit of this.

[DarkRainbowPie]

Thank you very much for the feedback. Much appreciated :)