Dots and Zeros [Completed]

2. Sam

The new school uniform sucks. I've seen a lot of them in my life, and admittedly they're never good. But this one? The king among bad uniforms.

It starts with the fact that I don't like yellow in or on my clothes in any way. It's just a no for me. Pair that with some weird checker patterns on the tie and it's a nightmare. I can't wait to move on from high school and wear whatever I want every day.

My hair is still damp as I walk down the stairs with my backpack hanging from one shoulder.

'Morning, sunshine.'

I hum back to my mom who clearly saw my not-so pleased expression. She's sitting on the couch with her feet on the low table. She's reading that book again.

'Did you sleep well?' she asks as she closes it and lays it down next to her.

'It was fine. You?'

'Great, actually. That new mattress is already doing wonders for my back.'

'Good to hear.'

I walk over to the kitchen. I leave my bag on the counter and start looking for a bowl other than the two dirty ones in the sink. All cabinets are empty.

'Mom?'

'Yeah?'

'Bowls?'

A second of silence.

'Box.'

I turn around to examine the rest of the kitchen. With my back to the counter I see the dining table, no chairs, and beyond that a bunch of boxes. About ten. They're neatly stacked and don't cover the windows in the wall directly behind them.

I walk over to them and open the nearest one. Mugs and plates. I refuse to look through all of these. Instead, I grab two mugs. I fill one with milk and the other with cereal. Together with a spoon I walk back to the living room to sit next to mom.

'That's inventive,' she says.

'Thanks. How did you eat breakfast?'

'I had leftover soup from yesterday.'

'Didn't we have bowls yesterday? Are they the ones still in the sink?'

'Yeah.'

She takes her feet off the table and puts them on the ground. She twists a bit so she faces me. As I take a sip of the milk-mug she explains.

'I only took out the essentials yesterday. I didn't think about the day after that.'

'You didn't think ahead? Are you okay? Not feverish?'

'I'm fine,' she says with a smile. 'It's all a little hectic.'