A Dream by Noon.

Chapter 5.

CHAPTER 5.

I woke up to the smells and sounds of coffee brewing downstairs, the sun barely up. My text book is still next to me and papers are scattered down beside my bed. I rub my eyes, annoyed at falling asleep so early.

"Morning." My dad said before I was in the kitchen.

"Goodmorning." I managed, rubbing my eyes and wandering toward the coffee pot.

"Tired last night?" he asked.

"I guess so. I don't even remember falling asleep."

He looked at me with a mixture of worry and comfort, handing me a place with two pieces of multigrain toast, exactly how I liked them, almost burnt and covered in butter.

"Thanks dad." I said, grabbing my coffee and having a seat on one of the bar stools at the counter. The news played on the 12 inch tv mounted above.

He smiled. "I'm heading to work. You all set?"

I nodded.

"Let your mom sleep, she had to stay late at work last night, k kiddo?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay, have a great day at school. I'll see you later on."

"No promises." I half joked back as he headed out the front door on his short commute.

"You're so weird!" Amara joked, waking me up out of my daydream.

I startled, looking over at her and then down at my slice of pizza that I had been tearing apart and eating tiny bite by tiny bite. I smiled but continued to rip tiny pieces while I ate.

"Did you hear anything we said?" Mel asked

"Something about costumes." I answered.

Mel shook her head at the others. "Okay, you just need a collared shirt, skirt and mary janes. Can you manage that?" she asked.

"Shirt, skirt, shoes. Yup, I got it." I answered, unconvincingly.

They continued talking and I half listened just in case there was a quiz at the end. Outside the cafeteria, kids play hacky sack. I watch as they hit the sack back and forth to each other and eventually sit down to eat on the grass. Two girls in dark clothes walk past and I can see them light a cigarette in full view of the cafeteria staff as they sit out there, passing it back and forth, smoking with no concern of getting caught. I recognize one, Erika, from my art class. I think for a second I wish I could be out there with them, and at the same moment, the darker haired girl named Erika turns and looks through the glass in my direction. I quickly look away and I can hear Mel and Amara saying to each other, "How gross," and I'm not sure if they're still talking about the way I'm eating or the girls smoking outside, but I don't to ask.

In art class, we sketched still life objects. I stare at the vase with dying flowers in front of me and tried to find motivation to spend the next hour drawing it. I focus on the petals, shriveled and an old shade of pink to brown. I glance three tables over to Erika and realize she's looking back at me, almost expressionless, and I look back down before she does.

Off the bus and home, I see Joe and Joe getting home from school two houses down so I walk down, figuring I have to get this item checked off my list.

"Hey!" they both say as they see me approaching.

"Hey! What's going on?" I ask.

"Not much," they say, almost in unison as they unload the car with their backpacks and gym bags.