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On My Way

Growing Up Separated - Fighting through the years

By Zachery LeePublished 7 years ago 11 min read
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So, a big part of growing up where and how I did was realizing that my brothers, well they loved to see me suffer for sorts. Later in life they would call it brotherly love, but some things just don't apply to that criteria. This article isn't going to focus all on legal matters, but more like the behind the scenes in a few time jumps that involve some dark places where my moods were both fantastic, and devastated all in one.

When I was younger, I think I was probably close to like 6 or so. I got into a fight with my best friend James. I don't remember what it was all about but I could recall that we were at his house, playing outside and my brothers and sisters were egging on a fight between me and my buddy. I started off pretty hard. James broke a plastic lawn chair over my back and I had fallen to the ground. A small one, child size, but regardless of the size, it still hurt A LOT. I dropped to the ground with an arched back and a spine twist. While James had his back turned I got up and came back after him. I punched him and he punched me back. We rumbled back onto the sidewalk, now, James had a large amount of RED ANT HILLS all over the sidewalk out front of his house and down his driveway. We were so young that James was still in diapers, and so, I spotted the hills and I shoved him as hard as I could and as soon as I saw the expression on his face when he sat down on the ground..my heart dropped. James was now crawling with Red Ants, screaming and crying out so loud. I didn't know what to do so I backed off and watched as his mom rushed out the door yelling at everyone, gripping him up off the ground after he thrashed his way through the front yard and was rolling around on the ground. I went home soon after cause clearly the fight was over and I had no place there in the moment. We made up soon after, but I still felt bad for a long period after the fact.

I was 8 years old when I got into my first fight with a stranger. I had just gotten my first Dirt Bike and LOVED riding it all around the sub division that we lived in. My brother Colin and I went out for a ride one day, beautiful day too. Perfect for riding. So we went, and we rode through the streets and down to the park that we would all play in. I was driving and he was on the back..the suspension didn't take it to well and curbs were a mess to go on, but all in all we were having a great time. So we got to the park and there was another older girl, and her little brother playing. My brother, being the cocky show off that he is...the two older siblings of the group decided to put a wager of who out of the younger ones would win in a fight. The bet was $20 on the table that that girls younger brother could kick my ass. Colin bet and even though I didn't really want to fight, we squared up. I smiled, shook this boys hand and then we backed up from one another. I'll never forget this kid, He was a short dark haired boy, wearing a bright orange t-shirt, sporting a curly afro, kakie shorts and open toed sandals. My guard wasn't all the way up and he darted at me with a swift attempt at kicking me in the nuts. I caught it last second, and threw my hands down with a little jump. I didn't avoid this kick entirely but I definitely lightened the blow. I raged out and kind of blanked on what happened next. All I remember is charging at this poor kid saying "you little mother-" and just like that, it was over. I woke up with my hands kind of hurting, looking back to this kid on the ground screaming and crying for his mom. I looked at my brother and shakily said "I don't like fighting". We got on the bike and went home.

When I was 15 or so I got in another fight after YEARS of keeping my distance outside of those rage bursts on my brother and family. I was hanging out with my buddy RJ in his garage on a nice sunny day. Just chillin and smokin, listening to music and having a good day. RJ got a phone call and got up and stepped off to talk. When he came back he asked soft but firmly, "You know Matt Brookes right?". I did, I went to school with his younger sister Shayna and had a thing with her for a short period of time. "Yeah" I said, "What about him?". (RJ) "Welll, he wants to fight you". (Me) "WHAT?! Why?". (RJ) "He just does! I dunno. He's on his way over and if you back off, you're gonna be called a pussy. You don't want that do you?". (Me) "I don't have any reason to fight him." (RJ) Well I guess he's right around the corner so yes or no dude?" (Me) "I mean I guess.". We walked down the drive and out to the intersection where Matt and 3 of his friends we walking up to us. RJ had thoroughly convinced me this was Matt's first fight too, and that it could go either way. I convinced myself that this was no big deal and that it wouldn't be so bad. I wasn't wrong in the end but (spoiler) I got my ass handed to me. We squared up in the middle of a 4 way intersection and were sizing each other up. We walked circles for a good solid minute and then out of nowhere Matt's DAD bumped me with his Dodge Magnum and shouted out the window "QUIT CIRCLING YOU BUNCH OF PUSSIES, HIT HIM!". I looked back at Matt and it was dumb, but I threw the first punch. He dodged it and hooked my in the eye. I stumbled back, catching myself every step of the way until I dropped down into a ditch and knocked my head on a nice large rock. Matt thought it was over but I got up. I walked back up to the street and we squared back up. RJ told me I didn't have to do this. That I proved my point just in getting back up. I was flooded with adrenaline and charged at Matt, who swiftly dipped and put me in a headlock. I got 5 knees to the face as I was rapidly swinging back trying to land a solid connection. Nobody stepped in, which was respectable. But I was finally convinced that it wasn't worth it, and we stood up, shook hands and parted ways. My face was busted open in a few places, My eye was dripping blood down my face and I couldn't do anything but laugh about it. So as me and RJ walked back down to Barry's parents house, laughing, dripping, I even whipped blood down a few cars on the way. Drew a smiley face on someones window. There was no pain, I was in another world the whole time. Mom freaked out, and I rested for the rest of the night. Wasn't a bad time though. Just a lesson in peer pressure. DON'T CAVE.

A few years later, right after I turned 18, my brother Colin invited me out to a party one weekend while I was out visiting in Belleville. I was so excited to get to party with my brothers it was unreal. It was fit to be a great time, the party we were going to was a "Foam Party". There was beer tents, a foam machine coated the back yard in bubbly bath foam, plenty of room to get lost, beer pong tables inside and outside of the house, LOADS of gorgeous women, and I even saw a few familiar faces in the mix. We partied HARD, Shot pong inside the house for a few hours, beer pong under the tents out back. I even wound up getting lost in the foam a few times with some random beauties who were mainly prancing around in tiny bikinis. Life. Was. Good. Now mind you, I had just been granted the ability to drive my dads truck. It was an 04 four door F-150, fucking gorgeous. However, because we were out partying, and I didn't feel comfortable driving my dads truck while slightly intoxicated..Colin drove us to the after party. I was expecting to just have another few rounds of pong, grab a few more drinks, and wind down the night with a few more names in my contact list. Didn't work out that way though. We arrived to the party, which was PACKED. We pulled in and immediately Colin was noticed by the owner of the house. He abruptly stopped us from parking and partying because, there was A LOT OF PEOPLE AT THIS PARTY THAT DIDN'T LIKE HIM. Calmly, we acknowledged the issue and decided to just go home. BUT, when Colin went to back up and drive off, he accidentally backed into the front bumper of another car. EVERYONE rushed the truck and we were now surrounded by at least 75 people. Colin pleaded out the driver side window that it was an accident and we were just trying to leave. Instead, someone reached in and clocked him in the face, throwing open the door and dragging him out on to the ground. 7 more people jumped in and started whaling on him. Everyone got out of the truck and were basically defending it as the fort. There was 5 of us I think. My brother, his girlfriend, Our buddy Ryan and a few more. I stayed in the truck and basically lost all control. Screaming out the window for my brother as I watched him get stomped on the ground by a large group of people. Nothing I could do but watch. As I jumped seat to seat yelling at the top of my lungs, Someone threw a swift jab and knocked my dizzy in the back seat. I dazed and settled, when I came to, I hopped out the back of the truck rear window and was frantically yelling in the bed of the truck. Nothing was working as I just watched the few people trying to diffuse the situation. I climbed back into the truck and hopped in the front seat. Just then, this guy jumped in the driver seat and started whaling on my face. I couldn't feel any of his hits but later found out that he put my front tooth through my lip. I finally swung back and this guys face just froze. He mumbled under his breath and jumped out running to the other side of the truck presumably to drag me out and stomp my face too. Luckily, my brothers girlfriend and another friend of ours was there to keep this guy off of me. He backed up and shortly after things settled. Colin managed to get back into the truck. He was in the back seat now and I was driving again. This large crowd of people were now stomping the side of the truck and rocking it as they were trying to tip us over. Colin begged me not to look at him and to just drive. I caught him in the mirror and lost it a little bit. His face was extremely swollen, you couldn't even recognize him anymore. It was THAT BAD. As panicked as I was, I managed to throw the truck in gear and burn out of the drive way. spraying everyone with dirt on my way out. We got off the property and at the first stop sign, I was shaking so badly that I couldn't even see straight. Emily (Colin's Girlfriend) Offered to drive, so we switched spots and she took us back home. Alec was at the house playing XBOX in the upstairs living room. He asked how the party was and then saw Colin. Simply said "Glad I didn't go out tonight" and continued his game. We had some drinks to calm the night down. It ended calmly with me cuddled up with the dogs and sleeping on the couch upstairs.

I know that none of these stories are very bright for lengthy periods of time. But they are all true and you should feel lucky that you didn't have to live them yourself. I have been mortified on more than a few occasions in my life, these are just some of them. Still have a lot to tell here, and I hope that what I have said has been able to keep your interest in whatever way possible. I will strongly urge you to keep reading, and I plea to you for feedback. My family may be pretty messed up, but they are my family and I love them. I don't like them most of the time, but I do love them.

Written and lived by: Zachery Lee

humanitysiblings
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About the Creator

Zachery Lee

Just a loner kid who's been through some things in his life. I have mountains of stories to tell, not all of them clean... I hope that my stories inspire, and maybe even teach you a bit of something about life.

Proceed with caution.

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