Between The Lines

Chapter 3

A vote would be very much appreciated for the time spent writing this chapter containing 3000 words!  Thank you! -->

So last chapter we went over the reads and votes goals (thanks so much! O.O) but not the comments, so here are the goals this chapter.  Love you all!  Enjoy!

Goals (meeting these will ensure quicker updates):

- 100 reads

- 25 votes

- 10 comments

 

 

Rushing downstairs, I messily inserted two clips into my bun, spinning myself around using the banister as I hurried to collect my shoes and bag.  I almost slipped when my socks slid on the wooden floor but somehow I managed to keep my balance by grabbing hold of the closet door handle.  Thanking the skies that I wasn’t going to break my neck today, I ripped the door open, not pausing to worry about the mess I made as I knocked piles of shoes to the floor in the search for my plain black shoes.

“What’s the rush?” I heard one of the triplets ask casually from behind me.

He dodged out of the way as I backed into the hallway, shoes in hand.  I collapsed backwards onto the floor to pull them on, knowing that I’d only slow myself down further if I attempted the feat standing upright.  I glanced briefly upwards as my hands fumbled with the small task of pulling the flats onto my small feet.  I noted that a trademark yellow snapback was resting on the triplet’s head.  Only Oscar would wear such a thing.

“I’m going to miss the bus,” I spared a quick breath to answer.

I would have been yelling if I wasn’t so out of breath from sprinting to get ready in five minutes flat.  Now that one more task was out of the way and my tootsies were nice and snug, I leapt to my feet and slung my bag over my shoulder before rushing to the door.  My hand was outstretched when Oscar’s voice stopped me from moving.

“You forgot your badge, Eleri!” he called with a hint of amusement.

I whirled around, scolding myself for being so careless.  I thanked him genuinely, plucking the badge from where he dangled it in the air.  I didn’t want to forget that.

“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on,” he berated.

I managed a laugh as I opened the door.  “I know.”

The door clicked shut behind me.  For a second, I stood there, staring at the bus stop at the end of the road, my brain registering the fact that a small shuttle was already pulled up against the curb, its doors open as an elderly couple climbed onboard, gripping the hand rails as though it was their life line, which it probably was.

As my brain registered the fact that the bus in front of my eyes was mine, my feet came to their senses and slapped against the pavement as I ran.  I’d like to imagine that my bun bounced gracefully on my head and my legs were long and swift as I used my strong thigh muscles to propel myself towards the open doors.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how life worked.

My arms flailed around me as I tried to freestyle through the thick air and I felt my lips drying up as I blew short breaths of air up my forehead to get the fallen strands of hair out of my eyes.  It was just as a surge of relief powered through me, not unlike the first puff of happy gas before you get a tooth removed, that I allowed myself to slow down.  As my feet executed the last few feet, a loud rusty squeak warned me that the bus doors were closing.