Eager Beaver

Chapter Nineteen - After School

The Love's house wasn't too far from the school - just across the street, actually. As we climbed the steps onto the porch, Zach finally let go of my hand - reaching into his fleece jacket for a set of keys. He unlocked the door and led the way inside, quickly punching in the code on the security alarm. I looked up at him curiously.

"Aren't your parents home?" I asked.

He shook his head. "They're both working late tonight." he explained, shrugging nonchalantly as if it were a perfectly regular occurrence. "Mom said they wouldn't change the schedule." I studied his face, thinking he looked vaguely angry as he threw his backpack aside and hung up his coat.

"So Zach's looking after us!" Laurie announced excitedly, looking positively delighted at the idea of being babysat by his big brother. The kid had already kicked off his shoes, fidgeting happily on the bottom step of the carpeted stairs and wiggling his little toes inside his baby blue Paw Patrol socks. I grimaced. I was hardly thrilled to find out I would be spending the afternoon under the sole supervision of a boy a full year younger than me.

"Right, you two." Zach announced at once, putting an authoritative hand on my back and guiding me over to sit on the steps beside his brother. "It's naptime." he informed us, leaning down and moving to start undoing my shoelaces.

I flinched back my foot, brushing Zach's interfering fingers away and easily handling my own laces. I looked at him seriously. "I don't need a nap."

"Yeah you do." Zach contradicted. "Laurie always takes a nap after school." The first grader had already bounded up obediently and scurried up to the top of the stairs - looking down expectantly at me from the landing. "Kids your age are meant to." Zach asserted, going ahead and slipping my unlaced sneakers off my feet for me. "It's a good idea, even if you don't nap at school anymore."

I lowered my lips into a nervous pout, trying to think of a good excuse. I could hardly say I was too old - though it did surprise me that Laurie still took regular naps. I supposed he was only just out of Kindergarten, and it would explain how he seemed to have so much boundless energy. Even now, he didn't look tired at all - unlike myself. I was so exhausted I barely felt alive. I couldn't have gotten more than three hours of sleep last night, constantly disturbed by a nightmare of Nate chasing me around the school playground while I was wearing nothing but a soggy duckling themed pull up. I clenched my jaw firmly shut, refusing to yawn.

"My Mom doesn't make me nap..." I mumbled half-heartedly, my voice as whiny as a petulant preschooler. Snuggling up in a warm bed for a half hour or so actually sounded so good about then, but I refused to give in. It was just too embarrassing. I was eleven years old!

"Maybe she should." he shrugged. "You fell asleep in class today, didn't you?"

A high pitched giggle sounded from the top of the stairs. "Did he really?" Laurie asked jovially.

Zach rolled his eyes, not answering. "Go put your PJs on." he instructed. The boy obeyed without a second thought, disappearing from view.

"I wasn't asleep." I insisted, powering through my exhaustion to stand up and grab my backpack. "I was just thinking!" I hovered aimlessly at the bottom of the stairs, feeling oddly jumpy and nervous. "Let's just do our homework while Laurie naps."

Zach seemed to consider for a moment, but finally shrugged - picking up his own backpack and leading me forward into the kitchen. "Fine," he conceded. "You can show me how to do that Math worksheet. But I don't wanna hear you whining about being tired when we're going 'round with the apples later."

I blushed, sitting down opposite him on the counter and taking out my finished worksheet. "So the numerator is the one on top..." I began to explain.

A little while later, after I'd spelled out the basic concepts, Zach was answering the questions just fine on his own.