Finally Back

One|| "You're Undercooked."

Natalie
To say I was nervous for school was an understatement. I was petrified. Most people look forward to the first day. I however, don't.

Summer was more my thing. No school, tanning ,and time to do whatever you want. Even though I was worried for my first day I knew it was a chance to recreate my image. Not in a bad way. In a way where I actually made friends and didn't sit by the trash can every lunch. That kind of way.

I woke up earlier then I wanted. Like an hour early. So by 5:45 I was ready for the beginning of my sophomore year. The rest of my family? They haven't made signs of life. They could either be dead or still sleeping. I hope for the latter.

Most people go all out for the first day of school. Me? Well if you call your older sisters old 'Journey' tee-shirt and worn capris with rips, then yes I went all out. Not that it was my first pick but my stepsister insisted I'd wear her old shirt ,and my stepmom agreed only so we wouldn't have to spend money on a new outfit. The perks of being a middle child.

Unfortunately, I had to be a bus rider this year. Of course,my stepsister insisted on helping me pick my outfit but couldn't take two minutes out of her morning route to drop me off at school. Which was also the same school as hers, but she couldn't be seen with her "lame sister" and had to pick up her "cool friends".

Not only was I gonna struggle with making friends in class, I was gonna struggle with making friends on the bus. Don't get me wrong I have friends just every year the school administrators have the "grand idea" of mixing up students so you rarely get classes with your friends.

The bus would come for me at 7:15. I had so much time on my hands I actually decided to treat my family to breakfast. Mostly to distract myself from the butterflies in my stomach.

My family was unique to put it nicely. My
mom left my dad when I was born leaving me with him. They technically weren't married at that time. Later, my dad remarried to Jess. Her husband died after they had two kids. Which was 17 year old Isabelle and 12 year old Jack. Making me the middle child at 15 almost 16. Isabelle and Jack both looked alike. They both had light brown hair and hazel eyes with similar noses and ears. Isabelle could be easily mistaken for the teenager version of Jess.

I however stuck out between the two of them. My blonde hair looked even lighter next to their hair. My blue eyes appeared grey next to their hazel. I had my dads ears and knees. That's about all my dad and I shared. At a first glance we wouldn't be associated at father and daughter. His hair was a dirty blonde (that I often called brown just to annoy him )and his eyes were a blue green.

Not only did hair color and eye color differ me from my siblings but height did too. Jess was 5'7"and Isabelle two inches shorter than that. She would basically be mistaken as Jess twin when she's older. Jack was already 5'5". Way taller then me ,and he's 12. Just this summer I finally grew an inch and made to 5'1". Which I don't understand since my dad is 6'0". He fits in with Jess's family more than I do.

Surprisingly, our family's have blended into one nicely. It has been about 13 years. Don't get me wrong we have our sibling fights a lot. As in daily. Whether it's about not putting the toilet seat down or who got to sit in the front when either mom or dad didn't come in the car with us.

Jack was first to wake up out of the remaining sleeping family members. He came down in a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' shirt and shorts.

He immediately dug into the waffles I made.

"They're undercooked." He complained.

"You're undercooked." I replied.

"Natalie, you've been in middle school and high school for four years and you haven't come up with better comebacks?"

"Shut up and eat your waffles."

"I think I'll have Cheerios." He said throwing away his waffles.

"You excited for the new year?" I asked.

"You're talking like mom again." He said.

"What? I was asking!"

"I guess. I mean it's gonna be new and big." He said between crunches.

"Sixth grade is hard. A big transition. Try to do your best."

"You're mom mouthing again."

"What I'm just informing you." I shrugged.

"I'll be okay. I'll make friends ,too. Watch me." He said confidently.

"Awesome and if anybody messes with you tell them I'll beat them up." I said throwing punches around me.

Too bad I hit the uncapped milk Jake brought out for his cereal and knocked it all over the counter. I quickly threw down kitchen towels and tried wiping it off. I thought I did pretty well cleaning up. I was almost done till the smoke alarm went off. I forgot had a waffle cooking. I quickly unplugged the machine and let it cool then waved a kitchen towel in front of the smoke alarm to shut it off. Once everything was calm again I checked what damage was done to moms waffles maker. Let's just say I'd be buying her a new one sometime soon.

"Yeah. Um no thanks. You can't fight for your life. Remember when we went to the beach and you hit the volley ball met with your hand and it got stuck. Then before we all knew it you were in a tangled mess and we had to cut you out?" Jack said.

"That was a long time ago, Jack. I'm better know." I said while wiping up the rest of the milk.

"It was three weeks ago."

"Almost a month."

"Not really."

"Okay okay. I just want you to have a good time."

"Don't worry. This is me your talking to." Jack smugly said.

Jack and I had breakfast together and talked for the morning. The others still were asleep and I knew they would be late ,but Jack and I both knew waking them up was a whole new world of hurt. We grabbed our black Jansport backpacks and went to wait for the bus.

He was on one end of the sidewalk. I was on the other. His bus came first and five minutes later mine came. Right as I entered the bus and the doors shut I heard a crash form my house and figured my family finally woke up and they weren't too happy they were late.