dear jack • jack hughes

002

COOTIES
Liana's Point of View
📍Toronto, Ontario Canada
March 2013

I walk to the bus stop by myself today. It's nice enough outside I only need a small jacket, it's tied around my waist right now.

When I get to the bus stop, I see Luke waiting for the bus, too. His mom or dad usually drives him to school. I wonder why he's riding the bus today.

Once the bus pulls up and the doors open, I'm the last to get on. All the seats are full, so I have to sit in the back of the bus.

Once the bus starts to move, I start to count like I always do. "1, 2, 3." It takes 953 seconds to get to school.

-

I'm at lunch now, I sit at the end of the long table alone like I always do until someone sits down across from me.

"Hi." I look up. It's Luke. He starts to unzip his Spider-man lunchbox.

"Hi." I reply. My mom packed me spaghetti for lunch. I don't want to eat it.

"You don't want to eat that, do you?" He asks. I guess I'm not good at hiding my emotions.

"No, I don't like spaghetti that much." I say. I wonder why he's sitting here, he has friends.

"Do you wanna trade? I've had PB & J three times this week." He says.

"Yeah, sure." I pass my thermos to him and he slides the plastic baggie over to me. I hope he didn't touch the sandwich yet, he probably has cooties or something.

"Do you want to play after school?" He asks. "We like to play hockey a lot."

"I don't know how to play hockey." I say. I've never even watched it before.

"I can teach you. My brothers and I love it. We are going to the NHL one day." He says. I do know what the NHL is.

"I'll ask my mom after school." I say. Once lunch is over, he gives my my thermos back and we part ways.

I see him in ELA, but we don't talk much, we did silent reading for most of the class. I didn't seem him on the bus ride home either. "1, 2, 3." It takes 1093 seconds to get home on the bus.

"Hey, mom." I throw my backpack down on the floor along with my jacket. "Can I go play with the neighbors next door?"

"The Hughes boys?" I nod. "Okay, come back in time for dinner, hun. Okay?"

"Yep, thanks mom." I say. I leave the house again. I step over the cracks and walk up to the door. I knock on it.

"Who are you?" The other Hughes brother opens the door.

"Lia, Luke asked me to play after school today." I say. The other Hughes brother leaves the door open and turns around.

"Luke! Someone in here to see you!" He yells really really loud.

"Oh," Luke comes into view. "Hi, Liana. Let's go." I follow him inside and to the backyard. His house is set up the same way mine is.