Already Home {H.S}

2

LAYTON

"Hey, hey, hey, no running with scissors!" I yelled out to the little boy that wasn't listening to me.

"Can't catch me," he giggled.

"Cade, get back here!" I said, running after him.

I swear working at a daycare gets exhausting. Not only do the kids not listen, but they laugh at you when they see you're struggling. It's cute the first time, but not the tenth, the fifteenth, or even the hundredth.

I've been working here since I was 17 years old, so 4 years now. I really do enjoy working here except when the kids act up. That's the only part of the job that I hate. Other than that, this job is like a second home to me.

The main reason why I began working here was because of the history I had here. My parents would bring me here during the day when I was a kid because they had to work. This is also where Gemma and I met. I was around 4 years old, and Gemma was 7 or 8 when we first met. It was very weird because we instantly clicked. It was like we were the same age and the same person. We've gotten along so well and still do. She is definitely my best friend. It's more like a sister, actually.

"Gotcha!" I said, picking up the toddler from behind and putting him on my hip. "Thank you," I said, taking the scissors from his small hand and putting it back in the bin with the others.

"Hahaha," he giggled.

"You're a little sneak, aren't you?" I said, tickling his belly. He laughed some more. "You're so lucky you're cute,"

"I'm back," Adrian announced as she came back into the room, putting her keys behind the front desk.

"You came back a little too late," I said, setting the 3-year-old back onto the floor where he could play with some toys that won't harm him in any way. "This one here was running around with some scissors. He took them when I turned around for a split second,"

"Typical Cade," she laughed as she went to check on the other kids we had today. "What time are you out today?" Adrian asked from across the room before she began telling the kids that it was time for their nap.

"I'm scheduled until 3 today, but I was hoping I could leave a bit early today," I explain. "I had a horrible date last night, so I went and vented to Gemma about it. Didn't fall asleep until 2 or so,"

"I can cover for you until Skyler gets in if you want to leave at 1 o'clock," she suggested, turning off the lights in the next room and making the room dark.

"Thank you," I sighed, a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I could finally relax when I get home and maybe even take a nap. "You're a lifesaver,"

I began cleaning the playroom while Adrian was getting the 3 little kids to sleep. Usually, we had around 6 or 7 kids at the daycare, but today was an easy day. We had 3 toddlers, which would be great and all, but it's the 3 that are the troublemakers. You can't turn your back on them for even a second, or they will get into the only few things they're not allowed to touch. Like Cade finding a pair of scissors and trying to run away from me with them in his grasp.

I started sweeping the white tile by the entrance because it was full of dirt. Don't ask me how it gets as dirty as it does, because frankly, I have no idea. Once I swept the dust into the dustpan and disposed of it, I began picking up the small toys and putting them in their labeled bins. The toys ranged from little toy trucks to small books, dolls, and wooden puzzle pieces.