Breaking Curfew

A Daily Flash Fiction entry

The bedroom was quiet except for the sound of birds chirping outside the window, introducing the spring morning. Jenna sat on her bed, hoping no one heard her enter the house through her window. She crept into the house, way past curfew and hoped she didn’t wake anyone in the house. Her mother was strict about coming in late, especially for her and her younger sister; not so much for their brother who was the youngest of the trio, which seemed unfair. Whenever there was a rule broken and each of the kids would say, “I didn’t do anything”, their parents would always turn to her and say, “As the oldest, you should know better.” If Jenna dared to express the injustice, she would be met with “This isn’t a democracy.”

Now, she actually was guilty of breaking the lights out rule because she had to go to this concert. She was the lead singer in the group, and this was their first gig. Jenna believed her parents might understand, but she couldn’t risk it. If successful, she could pay for college for her siblings. If not, no one would know.

She heard a creak on the stair. She quickly got under the covers to her neck so the fact she was still wearing street clothes could not immediately be seen from the door. Holding her breath she as the door opened slightly, Jenna could see from the sunlight entering the room and through narrowly opened eyes, that it was her mother. Jenna hoped her breathing was normal for someone who was deep in sleep. Her mother nodded approvingly and softly closed the door.
Jenna let out a sigh and took the check out of her pocket. This time she would happily take the blame.