Watch Your Temper

Chapter Three: Day Off = Plaza Walk

        "Temper! Get up! Mr. Lane is expecting you at his store in ten minutes!"

At first, I just groaned at my mother's reprimanding voice. But then the words registered in my mind, and I sprung out of my bed. Was I ever actually going to be on time at Mr. Lane's store? I highly doubted it.

I was about to open the door and sprint for my life, but my mom blocked my freaking way.

"What are you doing?! Do you want me to mow you down? I'm late! Again!" I shrieked, trying to push my way past her.

"Stop. Temper, stop. Calm down. You're never going to make it there in ten minutes. You need to call Mr. Lane and tell him you'll be late, understand?" she said in a soothing voice. I took a deep breath and nodded, and walked into the kitchen.

I snatched the phone off of its cradle and dialed the store's number, which my mother had so kindly found and highlighted in the phone book for me.

"Hello, this is Lane's Convenience Store, how may I help you?" a voice I recognized as Harper's droned on from the other end.

"Hey, Harp. No need to use your bored-to-death employee voice with me," I remarked with a smirk.

"Oh, hi Tem! Thank God you called. Business has been super slow today, and there's nobody to talk to but Kennedy," Harper replied with a dramatic sigh.

"Oh, come on. There's your grandpa, too, right? And be lucky you even have a sister. I just have an annoying little creature that's sometimes mistaken as my brother," I said, just to taunt nearby Ronnie. His face twisted up in disgust and he mouthed a whole stream of words a nine year-old should not know. I sandwiched the phone between my ear and shoulder and went up to scuffle his already-messed up morning hair. He squirmed away, but I could see the goofy grin he was desperately trying to hide.

"Are you kidding me? I would do anything to have a brother! Wanna trade?" Harper joked.

"You would seriously do anything? Like, give me your collector's edition signed Beatles lithograph? Deal."

"No, I'm not that desperate. I'll just stick with my stupid sister for now. So what's up? Aren't you supposed to be here, like... now?" she inquired.

"Yeah, that's the thing," I murmured, twisting the phone cord in my fingers. "I'm always getting up super late, and I'm obviously not on time... so I guess I'll be there in fifteen minutes, tops. Sorry about this. I promise it won't happen again!"

There was silence on the other end for a minute, but I could vaguely hear Harper talking with Mr. Lane in the background.

"Oh, wait... you know what? Grandpa says you don't even need to come in today, since business has been so slow and all... what, Grandpa? Oh, he said there's not enough people coming in today, so yeah. I guess you got the day off," Harper replied. 

"Really?" I exclaimed, not believing my ears. Since when do you get out of community service work?

"Yup! Hey, why don't you meet us all down by the plaza? Alec's gonna bring some friends from downtown, and we can all hang out together. You wanna come?"

My mom wouldn't be too pleased with me not volunteering... but then again, Mr. Lane didn't need me! So...

"Okay, I'll take your silence as a 'yes.' See you in a few!" 

Then she hung up. If Harper wasn't one of my best friends, I swear I would kill that girl. I sighed and hung up the phone, pondering on what the hell to tell my mom. If I told her the truth, that Mr. Lane didn't need me, she would insist I do chores or something-- trust me, she would find work for me to do. But if I lied, she would be happy and thinking I was off to help Mr. Lane, but then I might end up feeling guilty... eh, probably not.