k a r r i s

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I slumped back in my desk chair with my arms crossed against my chest. My gaze was fixated on two seemingly unimportant items on my desk, but to me, they meant everything because they used to belong to my everything. A simple set of silver keys on a blue clip keychain, and a black tattered leather wallet sat at the corner of the desk, wedged in-between a purple mug filled with writing utensils and a framed photograph of Gabe and I.

Two months.

Two freaking months since losing my twin brother, and the hurt still remained. Honestly, I believed the pain will always be there. Gabe and I shared more than just a birthday-- we shared the same womb, facial features, and a love for Spongebob. We were best friends, and I'll never get him back. Everyday I had to live with the horrible, sick memory of watching Gabe die before my eyes. I had to sleep with the light on because I was absolutely terrified of my nightmares. My home didn't feel like home anymore, and every corner was a threat to me.

Sebastian Grey killed my brother, and got away with it.

He was out on parole after only a $5000 bail on misdemeanor charges. His parents threw down the money with ease and used their White Privilege as an advantage. It wasn't just my life on the line-- my parents and Berkley's lives were too. One tiny slip of the mouth, and we'd all be dead. Sebastian was out on the streets, going to parties, and preparing for his senior year at Brampcrest Academy like nothing happened. Sebastian lived with a smile on his face while I lived in fear and in pain every single day. He was the criminal, but I was the one living in a prison.

Knock. Knock.

"Karris, are you ready?" my mother's soft voice filled my ears as she peeked her head into my room.

I sighed, standing up from my chair, "as ready as I'll ever be."

The door creaked open fully and my mom walked into my room. Her long, thick hair was in a low bun at the nape of her neck, she had on her signature red lip, and her petite figure was fitted into a charcoal-colored pant suit. My mother was a respiratory doctor at the local hospital and although she had to deal with several patients a day-- some of them dying, she still managed to look her best.

"You look beautiful honey," she complimented, scanning her eyes  across my body. I honestly wasn't wearing anything too special. Just a pair of skinny jeans and a pink chiffon top, which I guessed seemed nice since sweatpants had become my constant for such a long time.

"Thanks mom. I wanted to look somewhat decent for my first day of class," I told her, picking up my tan messenger bag off of the floor. Mom stepped closer to me and pulled me into a hug. I tensed up for a moment because I wasn't expecting the embrace, but one whiff of her expensive perfume that I knew so well and I felt at ease.

"This will be hard Karris," mom began, pulling away from the hug but still keeping a light grasp on my arms, "I don't want to tell you that it will be easy starting Willowridge, but I know you honey-- you are strong, resilient, and you have that same fight in you just like Gabe once had. I'm so proud of you baby and I know that your brother is watching proudly from Heaven."

I cried.

I might be an emotional wreck, or maybe it was because I was still bleeding from my lady parts but my mom's words meant so much to me. Never pushy and always supportive, my mom did all she could to make sure I didn't spiral down into an everlasting state of depression. She never made me talk if I didn't want to, and when I decided to drop out of Brampcrest, she trusted that it was the best decision I could make on my own.

"Love you mom," I whimpered, hugging her once again.

"I love you more," she declared, "now dry your tears sweetie and let me drop you off at school."

I nodded my head, "okay. just give me a minute to clean up."

"Yes sweetie. I'll meet you in my car," mom announced. She backed away and out of my room, closing the door behind her.

I stood before my white, oval shaped floor mirror to get one last look at myself before walking out the door. Whether Gabe mentioned to his Willowridge posse that he had a twin sister didn't matter at this point because the majority of the town knew now. The side stories journalists printed in the local papers about this family were perpetual. They were always written in the same tone: sappy, dramatic articles that highlighted the Villanueva's journey towards justice.

I was sick of it.

I was tired of how the papers portrayed this family, but I was mostly tired of being in the papers. Even if it was just my name-- never my picture. I just wanted to go back to how things used to be when Gabe was still alive; before my life turned into a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

My long, wavy dark hair was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck as my bangs swept to my left side. Large, wayfarer glasses adorned my heart shaped face and when I smiled-- even if it were fake, my solitary dimple came out to play on my left cheek.

I applied another coat of my favorite peppermint scented lip balm and headed out the door. I passed by Gabe's room on the way to the stairs, shuddering every time I did. It still felt foreign to have his room left exactly the way it was before he died. It was as if his room was stuck in time-- waiting for Gabe to come home before it can move foreword again.

I found my mom exactly where she said she was: her car. She sat with the garage door open and the windows rolled down. Her sunglasses were perched perfectly on the bridge of her nose as she sipped her coffee from a silver thermos.

"Let's go," I said, sliding into the passenger side of the car. My mom turned the key in the ignition completely and a rumble escaped the engine.

Buzz. Buzz.

From: Bestie Berkley - 8:15AM
Hey you're still coming to school today, right?

To: Bestie Berkley - 8:16AM
Yea. Mom's dropping me off.

From: Bestie Berkley - 8:18AM
Awesome! See you soon. I'll meet you at the front of the school.

The drive to school took about ten minutes, or about 4 songs on the radio playing all the top hits from the 90's. Willowridge High stood at two stories made with red bricks and tan stones. The front lawn was green with healthy vegetation and the main entrance of the school was at the top of a set of stairs with a grand, arched double door. There was a roundabout where students were dropped off and an island in the center with a huge tree.

"Have a great first day Karris," mom smiled as she stalled her car right at the front of the school. She slipped ten dollars into my hand for lunch before placing a kiss on my cheek. "Call me if you need anything alright?"

I nodded, "thanks mom," and with that, I pushed open the door and climbed out. I turned around to watch her give me one last wave before following the line of cars out of school grounds.

"Don't worry, I got you,"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned my head to see Berkley standing next to me with a grin on her face. Her thick, dark brown hair was perched atop her head in a messy bun, and a coat of bright pink color adorned her plump lips.

"Hey Berkley," I pulled her into a hug, taking a whiff of her signature fruity lotion.

"So, how you feeling Karebear?" Berkley asked, and I smiled at the mention of my nickname. Only two people ever called me Karebear. One was Berkley, and the other was Gabe.

I followed Berkley up the stairs towards the main entrance, "I could be better honestly. It's so different being on this campus compared to Brampcrest. Kinda missing the robotics club testing out their latest creations at the front of the school."

"Alright, so we may not have very many super nerds here," Berkley laughed, "but we do have more than just math and science clubs. You're locker 380 right?"

"Yea," I nodded, following Berkley through the large corridor, littered with students in a variety of fashion pieces. Uniforms were required at Brampcrest so the amount of fashion-forward students at Willowridge was quite overwhelming.

As the two of us sauntered through the hallway, we passed by a wall made entirely of a glass display case. My eyes scanned through the contents inside, noticing a plethora of accolades the school decided to showcase. Academic awards, speech and debate ribbons, shiny cheerleading trophies-- the school had it all. But among the selection of treasured awards, one thing caught my eye.

Gabe.

A photograph of him in his hockey uniform smiling brightly sat in a thick frame at the center of the display case. I paused suddenly, walking towards it like a bug to light. His photo was surrounded by more pictures of the team, along with last year's championship trophy. My brother's obituary was even framed and displayed. I felt my stomach clench in ache.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to mention it," Berkley stepped next to me, "the school kinda made a shrine for him."

"Don't apologize, it's okay," I told her honestly, "I kinda forgot that he was a huge hockey star. I always just saw him as my twin brother."

"Justice will be served Karris, don't you worry about that," Berkley confidently predicted. I knew what she was talking about-- what anyone really talked about when it came to my brother. It was always about finding Gabe's murderer.

I still hadn't told her about that night-- how I had witnessed him getting murdered before my very eyes. How Sebastian had threatened my life, my parents' life, her life if I ever told anyone. As far as she, the judge, and all 12 jury members knew, I was the one who discovered Gabe but that was all I told them.

"I really do ho--" my words faded into silence when I was cut off by the sounds of loud cheering and clamorous claps. I turned my head to face the main entrance where a large group of boys all filtered in. Tall, chiseled, and attractive, the boys walked through the doors like celebrities. They all wore matching letterman's jackets and as I contemplated over who they were, Berkley answered my thoughts.

"Hockey team," Berkley announced.

"Oh," I simply replied, drifting my eyes from player to player. At the very front, being greeted by a slew of high-fives and flirty embraces was the infamous number 15. My mind raced back to the night of the party when I accidentally made him spill his drink, and my cheeks grew red from the thought.

"Ashton Irwin is a hockey God, but is such a playboy," Berkley groaned, her eyes glaring intently at number 15, who grabbed the hand of a beautiful girl with flawless, ombre hair.

Next to Ashton was number 24. I remembered him from the party but instead of dark blue hair, he had purple. Number 24 was in an animated conversation with another hockey member who was a tall blonde with quiffed hair.

"Willowridge Academy!" Ashton cheered, his voice echoing through out the corridor. He was now standing on top of a chair as the student body looked up at him in ultimate awe. "We are so glad to be back at school. Not because we're itching to write essays and study quadratic formulas, but to play the game we love!"

A cacophony of cheering erupted from the entire hockey team, fist pumping in the air and giving each other high-fives. Ashton gestured with his arms to quiet down the crowd and relishing in his every word, the cheering faded.

"Last year was Willowridge's ninth consecutive championship win and we intend to keep it that way! But we couldn't do it all alone. We lost a very special team member over the summer," Ashton's voice softened, and when I peered at the rest of the team, all their heads fell in remembrance. "Gabe Villanueva was an amazing team captain and a brother to the entire hockey crew. As the new team captain, I have very large shoes to fill, but I hope to take Willowridge to a ten-year victory! For Gabe!"

"For Gabe!" the hockey team yelled back in unison. An explosion of delight and thundering claps filled my ears as masses of students crowded around Ashton and the rest of the team. I was surprised that number 15, the same jerk who flipped out over spilled alcohol, could string together a collection of words to produce a coherent and touching speech.

"Hey, let's go to your locker," Berkley said, pulling my arm away from the growing crowd. The main corridor was getting congested, it was if Beyonce walked in. I followed Berkley into an emptier hallway where classrooms stood on one either sides and lockers filled the spaces in between.

"378, 379, and 380," Berkley trailed her fingers across a row of navy lockers before stopping at a top compartment. She turned to face me, "I'm the locker right below you, I guess the school did it on purpose. Let me know if you want to trade-- you are lacking in the height department."

I chuckled, looking up at the locker than dawned before me. It wasn't that much higher, but the numbers on combination lock were slightly harder to see in comparison to the bottom locker.

"Let's trade," I declared and Berkley nodded her head. "I'd like this year to go by as smoothly as possible and a top locker isn't going to help."

"Especially when it's mine," a new voice entered our conversation, and I turned around to meet none other than number 15, Ashton Irwin.

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So tell me what you think about this story so far. Yes, only the prologue and chapter one is posted, but hopefully you're all enjoying it. I've always been a fan of sports stories, especially when they involve girls playing a "boy's" sport. Not too much action in this chapter, but I promise it'll pick up.

Please VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE if you liked this chapter. I would seriously appreciate it. Also, thank you so much for reading SLAPSHOT (and any of my stories for that matter). It means a lot to me that people actually read the stuff I took time to write. Thank you so much!

*NOTE* I picture Philippine actress Nadine Lustre as Karris. While Nadine does not wear glasses nor do any of the characters she portrays in TV or Film, in the story Karris does wear them.

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