Shadows of Resentment

This is my first attempt at writing a story. I want to thank you for taking time to read it. I especially want to thank the people that helped me in the creation of this tale. Mokkelke,thank you for all the time you dedicated in helping me write this story. You're the best. Mostera1, thank you for helping me with the plot and story development. JazCullen, thank you for your sage advice and the knowledge that you shared with me. Kalamazoo707, thank you for encouraging me to try this and helping guide me along the way. Thank you all so much.

The Beginning

Sierra Granger, the youngest of the Granger kids, sat with her parents in her high school gymnasium during the State Semi-Finals Game cheering for her school team, The Fighting Herons of Hillside High School. She wasn't just cheering for the team but for her twin brothers, Darius and Derrick, and secretly their former best friend, Cameron Richards.

The game was in the final quarter as their opponents, The Mighty Rams of Gentry High School, had the ball. The Rams were leading the game by two points. The Herons had two choices to win this. They could make the steal, go for a lay-up, and tie the game which would lead into overtime and hopefully the win, or they could steal the ball, pass it to their point shooter for a three-point shot and win the game at the buzzer.

Darius and Derrick wanted to win, so with two minutes left on the clock the boys looked at each other and knew it was time for "their" move. They had practiced on it for ages, planned and tried until, to them, it was perfect. Derrick approached the Ram's guard, diverting his attention as his brother Darius came up from behind. Derrick blocked the guard while Darius came closer and executed their well practice move by successfully stealing the ball from the guards right side.

Sierra held her breath knowing if the boys could pull this off they were going to State. Her heart pounded loudly. Her eyes were glued on the court watching the action so intently, everyone else in the gym faded away. This was the moment her brothers had been waiting for. She closed eyes and prayed,

"Let it work! Let it work! Let it work!"

Sierra opened her eyes to the watch the final seconds of the game.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!" roared the crowd. Everyone on the Heron's side were on their feet, stomping and yelling. The Grangers boys had done it again. Nothing would stop them now. The Heron's finally had the ball, there was one minute forty-five seconds left in the game.

Cameron, whom no one was watching, assumed his position at the three point line. Derrick brought the ball back down the court. He successfully blocked an interception from the Rams and passed the ball to Cameron. He aimed and shot. "Whoosh!" Nothing but nets right at the buzzer, and just like that the Herons won the game. The Heron's had just defeated their biggest rivals, The Rams and were headed to the State Championships.

The crowd went crazy with Sierra and her parents screaming the loudest. People rushed the courts to celebrate with the winning team.

After a while the excitement began to wear off and everyone headed home. Sierra and her parents waited patiently in front of the gym for Darius and Derrick to come out of the locker rooms.

Marvin and Marge were so proud of their sons because they knew how hard they worked to accomplish tonight's win. When the boys came their parents immediately grabbed them in a tight embrace.

Marvin hugged his sons, his heart filled with pride he said, "You boys made me proud tonight. I knew you could win this. I never doubted you for a second."

"Hmm! He knows y'all got your talent from me." boasted Mom. "Back in the day I lead my school to two State Championships. I'm so proud of you boys," Mom said as she hugged each boy tightly. "Now let's head on home so you boys can get some rest."

Cameron stood off to the side and watched the Granger family embrace one another. He knew this was a big moment for them but could not stop the sharp pain of jealousy that speared through his heart.

Did they know how lucky they were? There was a time he would have been included in that group hug. But that time had passed, there was no need to travel down memory lane.

His Dad had to work, so he was unable to come to the game. Being a single parent his father often worked overtime to earn extra income and tonight was no different.

Sierra saw Cameron, and walked over the congratulate him. "Congrats Cam, good game," said Sierra.

"Thanks Sierra," replied Cameron snidely, "Now run back to your folks. I don't need to deal with your brothers tonight," he stated bluntly, trying to figure out how he was going to get home.

Sierra was shocked because she had not done anything to cause him to be so rude to her. She was just trying to be friendly. "Cameron," Sierra asked, "Do you need a ride home? I'm sure my parents won't mind giving you a lift and you know it's too far for you to try and walk this late at night."

"That's a'ight," Cameron replied, "You know Derrick and Darius can't stand me and I don't want to be around them any longer than I have to be, so thanks, but no thanks. I'll walk."

Cameron picked up his duffle bag and headed for the door. Before he reached the door, he heard Sierra call to him and her parents.

"Cameron, wait!" yelled Sierra. Darius and Derrick looked up and saw Cameron walking away from their sister rather quickly.

Hold up. What's going on?

Darius wondered as he watched the exchange between Sierra and Cameron.

Why is Sierra talking to him?

"Mom, Dad," yelled Sierra, "Can we give Cameron a ride home? I'm sure Darius and Derrick won't mind. You know he only lives just down the street. Besides, didn't y'all just win the biggest game of the year so far?" Sierra stated as she goaded her big brothers.

"It's fine with me," Derrick began to say. "Come on Cam, you can..."

Darius cut him off, "Man, the dude said he wants to walk. So let him," he grumbled as he grabbed his duffel bag off the floor.

Derrick was stunned at Darius's unfounded reaction. He thought Cameron was cool, but their friendship ended years ago so, he did not hang out with him anymore.

"Darius," admonished Marge. "Of course, we'll give Cameron a ride home. Right Marvin?" she stated. Marge gave Darius a pointed look, "We'll talk about this later young man," she told him.

Darius knew he was in big trouble, stopped talking immediately and defiantly marched out of the gym mumbling. His parents had raised him to be respectful, but he wasn't a big fan of Cameron and had a hard time being civil towards him.

Derrick followed his brother outside. "Come on Darius," he stated, "The guy needs a ride home. You know it's too far for him to walk this late. Come on, man."

"You don't get it, Derrick," Darius tried to explain. "It's not just giving him a ride home. I just don't..." he stopped because everyone else came to the minivan.

On the surface it seemed like the boys were a perfect combination of friends. The three boys were all-around American boys, popular, athletic, and physically fit. They were sports fanatics and played every kind of sport that they could. Although the boys were good at most sports, baseball was not one of their favorites. Cameron branched out from his two best friends and wanted to run track. In the spring of each school year he would run track, and his two best friends showed up at each one of his track meets.

Throughout their school years, everyone came to games to watch Cameron and the Granger boys play. Growing up with the Granger twins, Cameron was an important member. The only problem, Darius was bossy and always wanted to call all of the shots. Sometimes Cameron went along with it, at other times he challenged Darius. He and Darius butted heads all of the time, but they always managed to resolve their issues until, spring three years ago.

"Get in the van, boys," Marvin spoke, thereby effectively ending their conversation. "We've gotta catch up with Cameron before he gets himself hurt out here walking in the dark." Everyone got in and Mr. Granger took off to pick up Cameron.

Sierra knew her parents wouldn't leave him to walk home alone. After they all climbed in they drove off and stopped again next to fast walking in Cameron.

"Get in son," her dad commanded. Cameron started to argue, but with one sharp look from Mr. Granger, he knew to stop talking and get in the van. Derrick and Darius moved over to make space for their former friend.

Cameron- The Ride Home

Cameron sat in the back seat of the minivan with the Granger twins as they headed home from the school.

"Cameron," Marvin asked, "How's your Dad holding up? Is he still taking his meds?"

Cameron's dad, Nick Richards, suffered from two serious illnesses, Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure. He was going to dialysis three days a week because of complications from the diabetes.

"He's fine, Mr. Granger. Thanks for asking," Cameron replied as he stared out of window of the minivan.

Cameron was worried about his father, but he wasn't comfortable discussing his family business with anyone else. His Dad looked more tired than usual. He told his Dad he could get an extra job to help out, but his Dad refused to let him. He had several discussions with his Dad about his health.

EARLIER THAT WEEK

"Dad?" Cameron queried, "Are you out of your meds again? I haven't seen you take your medications today," Cameron sighed, suspecting that they were low on cash again. "If it's because of the bills don't worry about them, I'll pay them."

"Son," Nick interrupted, "I'm the parent here. Let me worry about the bills."

Cameron ran his hand through his hair and continued, "Look, Mr. Lee will let me have an extra shift and he said I can borrow some money to cover the bills this month."

Nick became agitated. "No!", he yelled ,"You will not take money from that man. We are not a charity case."

"Dad, Mr. Lee's not like that," Cameron tried to explain," He said he'd give me extra shifts so I can pay the money back."

Nick slammed his hand on the table. "Enough," he roared, "I'm your father. You listen to me. I want you to go to school and learn, so you can have a life. I am fine. Let me worry about my meds and the bills. You just worry about finishing school."

Cameron kneeled before his dad where he sat at the kitchen table and asked, "What happens to Rosa, if something happens to you?"

He stared pensively at his father.

"Dad," he spoke softly, "We can't lose you too. Go to Xander's Pharmacy and get your meds Dad or give me your money and I'll go get your medicine for you," Cameron begged.

Nick Richards looked at his oldest son, his only son, and he felt guilty. His boy had to give up too much of his life when he should be hanging with his friends. He used to hang out with the Granger boys, but after he lost his Mom, he never invited them over anymore. He hurt because he was supposed to be the one that worried, not his nineteen year old son.

"No, son," he lied, "I'm not out of meds. You know sometimes I forget to take them."

Cameron knew his Dad was not telling him the truth.

Even though he knew his father was prevaricating, Cameron decide to let the subject drop, however he would go to Xander's to see if his dad had any refills left.

The sound of Mrs. Granger's voice brought him out of his trance.

"Cameron! Earth to Cameron!", called Marge, "You zoned out on us son. Is everything alright?" Marge knew something was definitely wrong.

"Yes, Ma'am," Cameron answered, "Everything is fine. I'm just a little tired from the game."

At one point Cameron was like one of her sons, running in and out of her house. After his mother, Saria, died, he stopped coming over and his friendship with the twins ended. His response concerned her because she knew he was lying. She looked at Marvin, and knew they had to do something about this situation. It had lasted too many years. Secretly, she admitted to herself that she wanted her lost son to come home again.

Marge recalled the day that Cameron entered their lives. Cameron, Derrick, and Darius were five when they met in in the bathroom at school. Cameron was being bullied by a big secone grader and thw twins wouldn't stand for it. In a manner of minurtes those two boys had taken the bully down a few pegs and sent him running t the office crying.

Of course all of the parents were called down to the school. Marvin and Marge were surprised to see their neighbor Saria and took a few moments to catch up before meeting with the principal about their wayward boys. Realizing they lives right down the street from each other, a friendship, more like a brotherhood was born that day, and the three boys became inseparable. They were best friends who practically lived each other's houses. The three boys were so close that they often declared that Cameron was their brother from another mother.

Marge did not know what happened a few years ago with the boys, but she knew enough time had passed for them to try and finally fix it.

Despite their tumultuous past, Cameron loved the Granger family. There was a time that Mr. and Mrs. Granger were like second parents to him, but after the fight with Derrick and Darius, he no longer had anything to do with them. Not wanting to remember, Cameron shut his eyes tightly for a brief second to block out the memories from the past.

Derrick looked at his friend and knew he was remembering the worst days of his life and his heart broke into a million pieces for him. He felt torn. Between supporting his brother and wanting to stand up for his friend, Derrick really didn't know what to do. He missed his friend and wished they could hang like they used to, but he didn't want to betray his brother. Besides Darius said they weren't friends anymore.

Darius felt extremely uncomfortable, because he knew he was being unreasonable. His declaration two years earlier was foolish, but he didn't want to come across as weak so he acted as if Cameron's was the bad guy. He pretended that having his old friend around didn't faze him at all. After all, it was his mantra that they were no longer friends. So, in cold silence, all three boys sat in the back of the minivan not acknowledging, or even speaking to each other. Darius and Derrick watched as Cameron took control of his emotions, not saying a word.

When Cameron opened his eyes, Mr. Granger was talking.

"Cam, tell Nick, I want to work on the Crown Vic this weekend. If he can come over to help rebuild the engine, I'll surely appreciate it. Why don't you get that cute little sister of yours and all of y'all come over early Saturday morning? We'll have a cookout, and it'll be nice to catch up. What do you say?" Mr. Granger asked.

"I'll let Dad know," Cameron replied. "But, I'm pretty sure we won't be able to make it." He didn't want to tell Mr. Granger that his Dad was not doing well and would probably be too tired to even get out of the bed on Saturday. Mr. Granger would often come by their house at least twice a week and check on his Dad when he first got sick, but he hadn't stopped by in a while. And when he did, they pretended things were better than they were.

Cameron was afraid of losing his Dad, and not being able to support his baby sister, Rosa. He planned to finish high school and get into the community college, so he could learn a trade and quickly find work , so he could help support his dad and little sister. They were his everything and he was all they had.

Everyone in the minivan was quiet for a few minutes and then Darius decided to speak. "Dad, can we stop and pick up a pizza on the way home?"

"Yea," Derrick chimed in, "I'm starving."

"Why don't we just stop at Antonio's and order a pizza and the works?" said Marvin. "Cam, you're welcomed to join us."

Cameron could see that his presence was making the twins uncomfortable, besides he had other responsibilities. It was one thing to accept a ride home, but something totally different to act like he was part of the family.

Sierra could not take her eyes off of Cameron. She had spent the whole ride from the school stealing glances of him. Sierra held her breath because she wanted Cameron to join her family for pizza. She loved being near him. When he was around, he made her day a little bit brighter, her heart beat a little bit faster, and everything seemed much more vibrant.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Granger, but no. I've got to get home and pick up Rosa from Mrs. Beans," Cameron explained. "She will only keep her until nine o'clock and it's almost that time now. If you can drop me off on Cedar, I can walk home from there."

"No son," Mr. Granger said knowing that this boy needed a decent meal at least, "I'll drive you to Mrs. Bean's house. It is too dark out here for you to be walking all on your own. You and Rosa can join us. Come on. It'll be like old times."

Cameron hesitated. A part of him wanted to accept, but he looked at his old friend and saw the animosity he tried to hide in his eyes. He knew that even though he wanted to join them it was not a good idea. So once again, he declined. "Thanks Mr. Granger, but its past Rosa's bedtime. Maybe I can join you all another time." He offered sadly.

Mr. Granger drove up in front of Mrs. Bean's house and Cameron exited the vehicle. He thanked the Grangers for the lift home and went to pick up his sister.

Secret Number One

Now, they were seniors in high school and heading into the biggest game of their high school careers. They would graduate in a few months, and even though they played an intricate part in each other's lives, their friendship died a slow death a long time ago.

Therefore, Cameron was determined to be the best, and if Darius and Derrick hated it, so what. The only Granger he was interested in impressing was their cute little sister, Sierra.

So, here it was a Thursday afternoon and the team had basketball practice. The State Championship Game was two weeks away, and everyone was working hard, perfecting their moves.

Cameron looked toward the bleachers and sitting there, waiting on her brothers, was the object of his desire, Sierra.

Cameron had been enamored with Sierra forever, and tried to see her at least once daily. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, only she didn't realize how lovely she really was. Even though she was innately shy, she was smart, popular, and friendly. He knew that her brothers would definitely come after him if ever he approached her, so he stayed away. They were extremely protective of their baby sister. However, what Derrick and Darius failed to realize was that Cameron was just as protective of Sierra as they were.

She wasn't model thin, but curvy. Her milk chocolate skin was smooth and flawless. Her dark mocha colored eyes entranced him, making him spend hours just thinking about her. Her five feet six inches made her look like a sweet dark pixie compared to his own height. He loved the curve of her wide hips and she had the sexiest pair of legs he'd ever seen.

Cameron shook his head and focused back on the game. Nothing good could come from fantasizing about Sierra. Anyway, he was dating Deidre Barnes, Sierra's best friends. If Deidre thought he was even thinking about another girl, she'd beat him down. He took his eyes off of Sierra and focused on the court.

Basketball practice took place every day after school, and Sierra agreed to wait on her brothers. Since she was on several school committees, she didn't have to wait for very long. She truly didn't mind waiting on them because this was her a chance to check out Cameron.

Sierra was very careful to keep her feelings for Cameron hidden from her brothers. They used to be best friends, but something happened years ago that ended their friendship.