Follow Your Arrow

Introduction

"Let's go!" my mom yelled from the bottom of the stairs, over my blaring alarm clock. Not even a tornado or fire alarm could wake me up earlier then eleven a.m..  "You don't want to be late for the first day of school!"

I groaned as I turned over and slammed the clock to make the irritating noise to stop. Now if only I could make the other irritating noise to stop....

"Get up!" she yelled again, making me let out a loud, exaggerated groan.

"I'm getting up," I yelled back. "Just calm down!"

"You and your brother don't want to be late to your classes and be embarrassed," she told me, not yelling anymore as I made my way towards the top of the stairs. She had on her light blue and white cooking apron, which meant the annual "back to school pancakes". My mom only cooks breakfast for the first day of school.

After today, I would be having boxed cereal every day for breakfast.

"I wouldn't mind," I replied, trying to rub the sleepiness out of my eyes. "It means I would not have to face the people on the bus."

"Just hurry up and get ready," she instructed me as she walked back into the kitchen. "And wake up your brother."

I groaned once more earning a few inaudible words fro my mom below. My feet walked across the cold wood floor of the hall and made my way towards my brother's room. Swinging the door open, I was greeted by his room being lit up by the open curtains and a messy room.

We had only been in this house for a week and he somehow managed to make his room a mess.

"What are you doing?" he asked as I walked around the corner and was greeted by him ironing one of his shirts.

"Are you ironing?" I asked shocked, stepping forward to make sure this was actually happening.

"Yeah," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I was not raised in a cave."

"You want to say that to your room and the way you burp after drinking soda?" I shot back, raising my eyebrows up in question.

"Shut up," he mumbled as he looked at me up and down. "You got some drool."

I wiped the side of my face frantically, and was greeted by a warm, wet substance. Scrunching up my nose in disgust, Wesley, my brother, laughed.

"How are you up and at it this early?" I asked him, taking a seat on his bed, after moving some clothes and a bag of Chex Mix.

"Because I'm excited for the first day of school, unlike someone I know," he answered, giving me a look from the corner of his eyes. "I want to make a good impression."

"I'm planning on just laying low," I told him. "Maybe have one close friend, but that would be it."

"Why would you do that?" he asked me as he put the iron down and put the dark gray button down on him.

"I do not want to get involved with all of these other people," I replied, standing up once more and making my way towards the door. "Where there is people, there is drama, and I do not do drama."

"You are an idiot," he yelled at me when I was already out of his room and back towards mine.

"Takes one to know one Wes," I replied, and I heard some not-so-nice words being thrown at me, and then I closed the door to my room.

___________________

"Can you do this every morning?" my brother asked, as he stuffed pancakes into his mouth.

Wasn't raised in a cave my butt.

"Because she does not function before twelve every day," I answered for my mom, gaining a glare from here.

"You children would starve without me," she said, pointing the spatula at us both. "Be lucky I cooked for you this morning."

"There's a Sheetz down the street," I started as I shrugged my shoulders. "I do not think I would starve. I could just get a Freeze-E every morning."

"Shut up," she told me as she flipped another pancake and put it on the clear, glass plate.

We would be using paper plates after this morning.

"I'm going to wait outside for the bus," Wesley told us as he put his plate in the sink, giving mom a kiss on the cheek, grabbing his backpack, and making his way towards the front door.

"I got once piece of advice for you," my mom says, leaning against the marble counter of the massive kitchen.

"Shoot," I encourage, stuffing the last remnants of my pancakes into my mouth.

"Just follow your arrow," she starts. "Wherever it points."

"Mom, that's from a Kasey Musgraves song," I interject, shooting her a deadpan look.

"Yeah, but it sounded pretty clever didn't it?" she asks, raising her eyebrows and beaming with pride.