Excuse Me, Mr. Player? Could I Have My Heart Back? [WATTY AWARDS 2011]

Chapter One

Chapter One

"Sissy! Sissy! Wake up! School today!" Lauren ran through my room waving around a plastic fairy wand I had gotten her for her birthday last month.

"Where's mom?" I groaned into my pillow.

"I don't know! She was gone this morning!"

I sighed. My life has always been pretty crappy. My dad died when I was eight, and my mom has always ignored my sister and I. After dad died, she got worse. She wouild (and still does) bring home a different guy almost every night. They were usually both drunk, too.

Lauren only has me to depend on. And I'm only fourteen. Which reminds me, today is my first day of high school.

Great.

                                                                                        -

"Finish your ceral quickly, Lauren! The bus is almost here," I said, looking out the window at the large yellow bus that said Toppil Elementary School.

Lauen's class starts before mine does, at 7:50. My classes don't start until 8:00, so my bus won't be here for another ten or fifteen minutes.

"Done!" Lauren jumped out of her chair, grabbed her backpack, gave me a hug, then ran out the door towards the bus that would take her to her first day of fifth grade.

I cleaned up her mess. This morning she has a bowl of frosted flakes. Now, most fifth graders know how to make ceral. It's not that Lauren doesn't, she just can't clean up after herself. She spilled milk on the counter, then left the milk jug out. Ceral that came out of her bowl while running from the counter to her seat was left helplessly on the floor.

Crazy kid.