Quicksilver - Jamilton -

Chapter 18: First day

I watch as he walks away while chuckling at the stupid name I put in. What an evening! Not in a million years I thought that would be how my dinner would go. Gremlin looked so uncomfortable, poor him. He really has bad timing, normally my parents are pretty cool and fun but today they're not in the best of mood. Dad just returned from his friend's place and since then they keep fighting. They criticize everything the other person does. Normally they hardly ever argue, but I don't know, something happened, I guess. It's ridiculous, why can't they just make peace!

...

That's a little hypocrite considering the James situation. I mean I could forgive him and move on but... I don't think I should do that. Forgiving him would kinda, in some way, meaning forgiving my parents. After all, they did the same thing. And I don't want to forgive them. They are still not telling me what's really happening. They think I'm an idiot! A child that needs to be protected. I'm not a child nor am I an idiot. I need people to understand that, so I can't forgive James. At least not now. 

"You didn't need to beg that boy to stay! He clearly didn't want to but, no miss need to force him."

I close my eyes in defeat. It's been one day, and I'm already just so tired of their constant screaming. 

"I was just being polite! Thomas doesn't have that many friends and I have the right to be curious about whom he hangs out with!"

"You were not being polite! On the contrary, I'll even say. You were the most disrespectful person ever!"

"Disrespectful, me? Are you even hearing yourself? You were the one to make that boy uncomfortable. You kept attacking me with your little remarks and not paying attention to them! You don't speak like that when there's a guest." 

I go up to my room, I don't want to hear them anymore. I can't listen to their stupid quarrel. I slam the door behind me out of anger and confusion. The sound of something falling echoes in the silences of my room. What's that? I walk toward it and to my surprise, it's the photo album. Huh,  I didn't look at it in years. It's mostly pictures mom took back in the days when everyone took pictures of everything. It's kinda sad when I think about it. I mean, we still take a lot of pictures it's just that seeing them through a screen hit differently than in real life. The album looks quite old and the yellowish cover has lost the vibrant color it once had. I go sit on my bed with the album in my hand and enroll my duck blanket around my shoulder. Nana's the one who buys me that blanket as a joke, and now it's one of my favorite. It's probably weird, but I don't really care. I turn the first page.

"Dad, I don't want to wear that! It's ugly!"  I take the shirt off, I don't want to wear it.

"What do you mean it's ugly? There's a cool blue car on it!"  Daddy gets on his keen to be the same height as me. I want to be as tall as him one day.

"It's not cool dad, everyone's going to make fun of me!" 

"James also going to have a car on his shirt, don't you wanna match with him?"

"... let me think about it." Mom likes to say that to dad, so I do it too. James is the coolest guy I know, so if he wears a car that means cars are cool. 

"What color is his car?"

"Hmm, I think red?"

"I want to have a red car too! If James wears a red car I want a red car too! "

"Blue is the color of the sky sweetheart, and it's also the favorite color of your dad."

"But mom, James has a red car!"

"Yeah, but your not James, and your favorite color is blue, not red."

"Why can't I be James then?"

Mom and dad laugh, I wasn't making a joke.

"Why are you laughing!?"

"Nothing honey. Do you want to know what miss Shelter made you for breakfast?"

"Yes! Tell meee."

"Put on your shirt and I will tell you."

I put it as fast as I can, missing the head hole. Daddy ends up helping me.

"Soooooo? What do I have for breakfast!"

"Waffles!"

I run downstairs with all the energy I have, which is a lot. I loooove waffles, I would eat them all the time if I could! 

"Waffles, waffles!" I sit at the table and clap my hand.

"What's the magic word?"

"Pleaaaaase!"

"Okay! Haha, you seem excited for your first day?"

Nana smiles at me. I love nana. 

"No! I'm excited about the waffles!"

My parents sit at the table too and the adult starts to talk about something, but I don't listen. I'm excited to see James, it's been... I count on my hand, but I can't seem to remember.

"Mom! When did I last see James?"

"It's been three days honey. You know that starting today you're going to see him every day?"

"Really?!"

"Yes, every day in kindergarten."

"Yesss!"

I eat two waffles, well almost, dad helps me finish the second one. 

"We should get going. Come, Tommy."

"Wait! Before you go,
let's take a picture!"

"Picture!" Nana takes the camera. I smile wildly, I'm so happy, I love pictures! And I love daddy and mommy who hugs me for the picture.

I smile at the photo. My first day of kindergarten was a disaster. I remember crying most of the day. James was so calm it was almost scary. I cried even more 'cause James wasn't crying. I was such an annoying kid. How did my parents support me! I wish I was a kid again. Everything was always fun, and the colors were brighter. Now everything changes, spins out of my control and it's scary. Growing up is just the worse, isn't it? I sigh, I feel so stuck about everything that's happening right now. I don't know what to do, and I hate that feeling. I'll just have to live as if I was alright, I guess. 

I turn the pages and after checking almost all of them, I start to fall asleep. 

Tomorrow is going to be a new day.