Blue Kisses

Chapter 1

It's 7:23am. I put my phone away in an effort to prevent myself from checking the time and counting the seconds. Normally I would've been on the bus already but Joshua insisted on taking me to school in his "new amazing truck" that he saved up from mowing lawns all summer. The crisp morning air touches the skin on my bare white legs and I regret not waiting inside my warm house. Should I at least use this time to switch my skirt for pants? No, he could be here any second and plus, mother would catch me changing and ask, "Why don't you want to wear the new skirt I got you specifically for your first day of school? If I had legs like yours, I would wear skirts everyday, no matter the weather." I roll my eyes at the made up thought. 

An old gray pick-up brakes abruptly in front of me, Joshua is driving and Lucy is in the passenger seat hand rolling down the window. She gives up about half way and shouts out happily, "Josephine Keller, Junior of Snow Hill High School, get in the truck!"

I open the passenger door "you guys are late," I sigh getting in. Lucy scoots over to the middle seat, she's wearing a white button up shirt and a plaid skirt with tights and long socks. Her outfit looks very much like a school uniform even though our school doesn't have a dress code. This is the first time I'm seeing her new hair, which is now in tight thin braids and dyed a pearl blonde that suits her cool brown skin. "Lucy, blonde looks good on you!"

"Doesn't it?" she says with a full grin and flaunting it off in the rear view mirror.

I can't tell if Joshua got new clothes or even a haircut, he's the same curly haired boy who got a tan and is wearing a striped shirt and cargo jeans. "Buckle up Josie," he tells me while I'm staring at the clock that reads 7:36.

"Is it really 7:36?" I ask as I panic and check my phone, 7:26. I sigh out of relief.

"No, the clock is ten minutes fast. I still haven't been able to figure out how to change it," he says, finally driving off. "Don't worry, we're still going to be over twenty minutes early." he says as if that's going to make me feel any better. 

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Lucy pats my knee. "I wasn't ready when Joshua picked me up, It takes a long time to look this good." She does look really pretty but she's always pretty. Ever since I met her in elementary school I thought she was the prettiest girl. "We still have plenty of time to scout out where all of your classes are." she says, looking at me with her doll eyes.

"Ugh I hope so..." I sigh and turn towards Lucy, "I had a dream last night that when I got my class schedule it was a bunch of weird symbols I couldn't read. I opened door after door and finally I found the right room but the class ended and the teacher told me to drop out because I already failed by not attending the first day."

"Aww poor baby," Lucy says, leaning her head on my shoulder and wrapping her arm around me.

"I know, it was horrible. Don't let that happen to me, okay?" I say in a baby voice.

"Never," Lucy replies, patting my head.

"Josie, how come you haven't said anything about my awesome new truck?" Joshua interrupts mine and Lucy's baby act and Lucy stops patting my head.

"Oh, I haven't?" I reply. The truck is old with a gray interior. It looks like no one has dusted in years and coffee has been spilt all over the radio. Smells of dirt and cigarettes.

"No," he says, waiting for a compliment.

"It's nice," is the only thing I could think of saying without hurting his feelings.

"It's old and dirty," Lucy says without hesitation.

"Hey, I bought this with my own hardworking money, not all of us can wait for daddy to buy us a shiny new car." Joshua says.