Red cups and bottles littered the sticky floor.

The police hovered peskily over the group of sitting teens, asking stern questions and making phone calls to multiple gardens. One of the youngest officers could be seen out the back door draining the trash can keg full of home made beer in an amber wave across the walkway.

Allison shot daggers at her date Ryan who sat miserably across the room.

If the police weren't apart of the picture... And if the room wasn't spinning...
Where were her shoes?

"Which one of you is Allison Froud?" A policeman asked, stepping into the front room.

Ally's stomach churned at the sound of her name spoken in such a gruff tone. She raised a shaky hand and cleared her throat. "Me... I am."

"Do you know a Sarah Williams?" He quizzed, motioning for her to stand.

"Yes! Yes yes that's my aunt!" Ally nearly ran to the officer, jumping from her place on the floor.

She followed him through the front door and out to the front lawn.
Sure enough, there was Sarah, talking with another policeman as they examined her credentials.

The relieved smile on Allison's face melted away at the sight of the grim set of her aunt's features. The frown lines in her brows illuminated by the flashing red and blue lights of the cop cars.
Sarah's eyes met her niece's not in a kind way. Ally almost visibly shuddered under the cold stare.

"Come on Allison, we're going." She instructed.

All business.

Ally looked back up to the officer for the ok before joining her aunt on the walk back to the car.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The car ride was painfully quiet, and seamed to go on forever. Tension strung so thick you could cut it with a knife.

A few blocks from the home neighborhood, Sarah pulled into the parking lot of a Jack in the Box, and parked it.

The two sat in silence, before Ally turned to ready her defense.

"Aunt Sarah I-"

"You promised me wise choices tonight Allison. You betrayed the trust of me, and your parents."

"I know I know I-"

"You're lucky I came to get you and not your father... We both know this would be a very different evening if he had."

Allison swallowed back the bile in her throat. She was lucky.
But conflict with her aunt wasn't exactly ideal either.

"Do you even know how dangerous what you did tonight was? How vulnerable drugs and alcohol can make you..." She trailed on flabbergasted. Completely disgusted with the entire situation her niece had been in.

Allison was facing her own inner turmoil. Fifteen.
Fifteen!
Who gives a damn? She was in control the entire night! Not once did it seem like anybody was going to do anything to her. There were no villains in the real world. No goblins. No magic spells.

"You took the peach Allison!"

"Who cares?!" Allison snapped.
Sarah looked at her unfathomably. Who was this naïve teenager reeking of booze in front of her?
"Peaches are sweat, and soft... What do you know of peaches? I was fine, and I can handle myself!"

Sarah shifted in her seat to better stare Allison in the eye.
"You think yourself very grown up don't you? Well you listen here... You have a great deal to learn. One day I won't be around to save you Ally, and if you don't start acting your age then you will crash and burn in the future."

Allison fought back the hurt tears of broken pride and embarrassment from spilling over. Her throat strained and bobbed in attempt to choke it all back.

But she was an open book.

And Sarah was an avid reader.