by Kathleen Lynn

Created on: June 02, 2009

Novel excerpt from : The Sins of Eden

He watched his brother from the corner of the room taking long swallows off the end of his beer. As he swallowed the last gulp he tossed his cigarette in the bottle and heard the slight sizzle as the flames met the liquid before they extinguished. The cheerleader he had been in love with for the past year was throwing herself on his brother's feet.

"Oh Abel, are you busy this weekend? I need help with my algebra again!" Becky giggled.

His stomach churned and he couldn't take another minute of watching everyone treat his brother like some sort of Demi God. He got that enough at home. He reached in his pocket for his keys. Jingling them in the air loudly, he turned to make his exit.

"Wait up, bro, I will ride with you." He groaned at the sound of Abel's voice beckoning him for a ride home.

"Whatever," he replied. He wanted to say don't ride with me. I am not only wasted I'm sick of watching everyone else waste their time with you. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. If he didn't give his brother a ride, his parents would know he was drunk again. Then they would want to know why he left his brother at the party where underage teenagers were drinking. It was easier to take the golden boy home.

He got behind the wheel and turned the stereo up, cranking the sound to annoy Abel. If the music was loud enough they wouldn't have to make conversation. The tires squealed as he peeled off the street where he was parked.

He felt light headed and dizzy from the alcohol he had tossed back that evening. His foot hit the pedal and his mind switched off. He wasn't even paying attention to the speed he was taking the car. When he hit the two lane highway, his mind was free of worry. He turned the corner a bit too sharp and met the glare of headlights.

Blinded by the bright light he was too stunned to react quickly enough. He felt the jolt of his body as the two vehicles made contact with each other. The airbag exploded in his face. The combination of the hit and the airbag hitting his head made him momentarily black out.

When he came to he was in an ambulance. His body was strapped to a board and they were shining pen lights into his eyes. He wanted to ask about his brother but his throat felt thick and heavy. Instead his eyes began to drift closed.

The next time he awoke it was to the sound of his mother's voice. "Where is my other son? Where is he?" she was demanding from the woman dressed

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