"Michael, I have to ask you a favour."
Michael Clifford was sitting at the kitchen table, eating his breakfast and texting at the same time, and his mother was standing next to him, all decked out in her nurse uniform.
"What is it?" Michael asked, barely looking up from his phone.
"Could you please put your phone down for a minute and listen? This is important."
Michael sighed and shut off his phone, looking up at his mother. "Yes?"
"Could you take a break from being a stereotypical teenage boy tomorrow and drive your sister to preschool?" She asked. "I have a safety meeting at the hospital and it's an hour earlier than I usually go to work."
Michaels mother always drove Grace to school in the mornings because it was on the way to her work, and Michael drove his dad's car (which his father never used) to school.
"Do I have a choice?" He asked, already sure of the answer.
"No." Mrs. Clifford walked towards the front door, beginning to pull on her shoes.
"Why can't dad do it?"
"Honey, you know he's leaving for Chicago this afternoon."
"Oh yeah," Michael sighed. "Can't you just go to the meeting and then when it's time for Grace to go to school, leave work, drive back here, pick her up, drive her to school and then go back to work?"
"Michael," Mrs. Clifford crossed her arms. "It's not going to kill you to pick up your lazy butt and do some good for his family."
"Fine," Michael gave in, knowing it was hopeless to argue with his mother. "I'll drive her."
"Gracie, we have to go!" Michael's mother called.
"I'm under here!" A squeaky voice said. Grace Clifford appeared from under the table, her tiny Dora backpack clinging to her shoulders.
"Were you under there the whole time?" Michael laughed.
"Yeah," Gracie smiled her goofy, four year old smile. "I'm practicing to be a ninja. That's what I want to be when I grow up."
Michael couldn't help but smile. Grace changed her ambition for when she grew up so often, it was sometimes hard to keep track, and each job was equally ridiculous. She would go to school wanting to be a trainer for blind dolphins and come home eager to become a clown car mechanic.
"Grace Nicole Clifford, come here," Mrs. Clifford ran a harried hand through her hair, something she did when she was stressed. "Mommy's going to be late for work."
Grace quickly wrapped her tiny arms around Michael's leg, pressing her cheek to his knee. "Bye Mikey." This was how she said goodbye to him every day.
"Bye Grace." Michael patted her blonde head.
Gracie quickly ran to her mother, who tugged her by the hand out the door, and they were gone.
Sorry, this is a really, really short chapter, but its sort of just an intro into the story (even though we already had a prologue). Hope you guys like this one. c:
Loser_Luke
