Yorkdare Bay: The Elites

Kelley’s father, Charles Alexander, was a hard man. He was cold and distant, or rather, that’s how Kelley perceived him. He was a man more interested in his money than he was his children. His sister, Marley, would say different. Their father doted on her and she really was Daddy’s little princess. Despite all that, Kelley was a top student, played football and slept at home every night. They lived in the upper north side in Yorkdare Bay. Their house was situated on the incline of a sloping hill, almost looking down at the rest of the upper middle class of the town. A castle on the hill with Charles Alexander as their King. Kelley was quiet and reserved when he was at home, avoiding the stern looks from his father and keeping away from his mother. At school he put on a smile, played the role he was assigned as the popular jock, the easy-going life of the party. Kelley wasn’t a talker and he hated the egotistical boasting of his group of friends and the fact that he pretended to be on

It was nine pm by the time Kelley pulled into the garage, looking at the empty space where his father’s car should be. The foyer light was on but the rest of the house was cast in darkness. It was Marley’s sixteenth birthday that she was spending at a hotel in the city, a gift from their father. Kelley froze in the hallway and turned towards the kitchen. The bright moonlight illuminated the room with its large bay windows and he saw his mother sitting at the table, a glass of wine in front of her. “Mom?” Surprise laced his voice since his mother and father were supposed to be in the city with Marley. Tears streaked Laura’s face and Kelley went down on one knee in front of her, his hands on her knees. She laughed ruefully and sniffed as she slugged down the rest of the glass’s contents. “You look like him.” “What’s wrong, Mom?” “Too many secrets in this house. If I could go back I’d make a different choice. I had no idea who your father really was, but his brother was worse and her

Kelley sat in his Escalade and rubbed the raw knuckles of his hand. Hanson had passed out and Kelley had left him like that, blood on his face and spatters on the wall. He had seen red when he mentioned Marley’s name.Even if she was mean and rude, she was still his sister. He wasn’t driving to the house he grew up in though. He needed to see someone else first, needed to clarify a few things. He didn’t have far to go, just another four blocks from Hanson’s house.The empty garage told him that her parents weren’t at home so Kelley rang the doorbell instead of sneaking in like he’d done with Hanson. Kelley stuck his hands in his jacket and waited as he heard Norah yell at the dog.The door opened and Kelley turned to face her, her gasp audible in the quiet night. “Kelley … what are you doing here?”“Can I come in?”Norah opened the door wider and Kelley stepped inside, the house warm and sterile at the same time. “Are you okay? Your dad told mine what happened. What happened to your f

The basement smelled dank and musty, the windows having been painted shut many years earlier. Lee’s form was huddled into the corner, his fingers and toes having lost all feeling. He shifted against the metal bars of the cage and the chain leading to the collar around his neck rattled and echoed around the basement.The metal band around his neck had rubbed the skin raw and his eyes flitted open as his body shivered in the cold. A cough wracked through him, the phlegm tearing up his throat and making him gag. His throat was raw and it hurt to swallow, his tongue swollen from lack of moisture.The smell of urine permeated the air around him and his eyes closed again. He had no semblance of time and he had no idea how long he’d been down in the basement. His shoulders stiffened as he heard the key in the lock.“I brought you some porridge.” Another key scraped against metal and Lee’s eyes focused on the woman in front of him.“Mommy … please …”“I can’t let you out, Lee, you know what h

Coach Maxwell stood just inside the locker room and looked around. It was two hours before their first match against Smith’s Private School. “Kelley, in my office.”The guys jeered and laughed as Kelley grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head before exiting the locker room and heading to the Coach’s office. He knocked on the door and opened it, closing it behind him and sitting down in the single visitor chair in front of the desk.“Yes, Coach?”“Why are you at Public, Kelley?”“Coach … it’s a long story and personal. I’d rather not discuss it.”“I’m not just your Coach, Kelley, I’m also a person that has your best interests at heart. I care about every single player on my team.”Kelley had been running drills and practices with the team for two months now and it seemed for the time being that Arlo O’Neill had pulled his head out of his ass. Kelley still didn’t really have friends but on some occasions he sat with Lee during lunch, when Mason wasn’t there.“Coach, if I tell you