At The Bonfire

||C H A P T E R O N E||

      "Good morning beautiful people of Leighton! I'm your weatherman, Brian Brooks, here to report the weather for this week."  I watch the television as I scoop another spoonful of cereal into my mouth. 

I hear footsteps in the background and assume it is my sister getting ready for school. My parents later come down, as well. We say our short acknowledgements as we tune into the weather. 

"Winter dear, are you ready to go to school?" 

I turn to my mother and smile as I say, "Mom, you should know by now that I'm going to always be the first one awake, first one ready, and first one out the door. I think the one that should be receiving that question is Sophia." I nudge my head to my sister who is running around probably looking for her shoes or half-completed homework as she runs into the couch with a sweatshirt on her head.

I hear by dad laugh but once my mom whips her head towards him, he tries to cover it with a cough, takes a sip of his coffee, and tries to keep the smile off his face as he turns his head towards me. "Now Winter, be nice to your sister. Your mom was just asking a question. It's too early for your smart, funny, but still snarky remarks." He slightly chuckles and gives me a wink.

My mom gives him a light slap on the arm. "Oh mom, you know I'm just kidding. I love you, plus I had to get my wittiness from someone and I already got my humor from dad." I wink at her as she just nods her head with a ghost of a smile playing on her face.

I look at the clock and see I have approximately seven minutes until the bus comes. I grab my backpack and kiss my mom and dad on the cheek as I head for the door. 

"Goodbye my dear, witty, sarcastic, humorous, remark-filled daughter!" My mom shouts back. I chuckle slightly as I turn back around and say, "Bye mom! I'm pretty sure grandma used that once or twice on you already. Step up your game and get some original comebacks!"

"Shut up, that is original! Get on the bus Winter!" I laugh just loud enough for her to hear.

"Bye Mom!" I shut the front door and head towards the bus stop around the corner. I shove my hands into my pockets to keep warm from the Northern chill and kick a small rock down the sidewalk. 

I approach the bus stop and plug in my earbuds cord into my phone and the earbuds into my ears. A couple of songs in shuffle later, the banana colored death trap comes around the corner. I walk up the four extremely, steep steps and sit in seat number thirteen. 

As I'm about to listen to music again, I hear the bus assistant announce to everyone that she won't be on in the afternoon and they couldn't find a substitute so it will just be the bus driver and we must behave. The freshmen high-five and cheer as the other kids just stare at her, blink once or twice then turn back to their phones or finish up last night's homework.

I plug my music in and think. Why do we even have a bus assistant if all she ever does is either yell at the kids turning around, sign referrals all day, or cough her left lung out?

I mean she's okay and all but come on, ever heard of a cough drop or not signing referrals? We literally have Referral Friday where she basically hands out referrals like free samples at Costco on the weekend. 

The school approaches so I unplug my earbuds and swing my backpack onto my back and I wait for the bus to come to a 'full and complete stop' as the bus assistant usually yells like an extreme coupon-er on Black Friday. I slide into the aisle and walk a zombie-pace down the aisle like the rest of the kids on the bus.

As soon as I step off, I take a deep breath of fresh air and head down the bus loop to the front gates of the school. As I near the entrance doors, I hear someone screech my name and feel a full force crash into my back. We both fall onto the grass that was, luckily, close by.

"Dammit Frankie, you almost made me piss myself!" I yell towards my best friend as he stands up and lends me a hand to pull me up. I take it as I stand up and brush the gross grass stain to only have it smear more. I just flick it off my denim jeans and glare at the six foot tall, lanky figured male standing in front of me.

"Again." He snickers as I slap his shoulder and he raises his hands in a surrender stance and look back at me with innocent eyes. We start walking to first period as he gets the pieces of grass out of my hair.

"Okay, for one, that was all your fault. Two, I really had to go to the restroom and I would've actually gotten to my destination if only you didn't scare the shit out of me. Lastly, that was in third grade so you really have to let that go." I conclude as we turn down into the hallway of Ms. Jones' classroom. 

I hear him mumble something along the lines of 'fourth grade' and 'when pigs fly' but I just ignore him and drag him into the old bats' classroom.

 Me and Frankie have been friends since Kindergarten when he stuck a glue stick in my hair so I shoved a box of slightly melting, worn-out crayons into his chinos. After that day we, strangely, agreed to become best friends as long as that encounter didn't happen again. Of course, it happened every year after that and has become an annual tradition. He's crazy, funny, and aggravating all at the same time but I love him like a brother I never had so it's okay.

We sit in the third row and wave at everyone as they enter the room. The bell rings and everone hushes down. Frankie stands up and takes the teacher's pointer and takes Marilyn Randolph's glasses and stands in front of the class with her glasses sitting midway on his nose.

"Okay class since Ms. Jones isn't here, I will be your teacher, Mister Miss Jones. Today, we will be learning how to add nine plus ten because I learned some youngster on the inter-web doesn't even know how to math, according to my nephew's phone." Everyone laughs and just as he takes the dry-erase Expo marker and write the unequal sign, Ms. Jones enters the room and looks at Frankie with a half-amused, half-not look and shakes her head.

"Ah Abby, you are late. Do you have a tardy pass?" The class giggles as Frankie calls Ms. Jones by her first name and mocks her stance.

"Very funny Mister Francisco. Please take your seat so I can take attendence and start class." Frankie takes a bow and everyone claps and laughs. He gives Marilyn her glasses and apologizes yet thanks her.

He settles down in the chair next to mine and turns to me. Frankie wiggles his eyebrows and just as Ms. Jones gets a peep out, he pretends to doze off. I chuckle lightly and face forward. A few minutes into the lesson, he lets out a loud snore, interrupting the teacher yet entertaining the class. I chuckle lightly and flick his forehead as the lesson continues.

Every so often you hear Ms. Jones mutter 'one more week' under her breath and I realize we only have one more week until summer break.

I consider taking a nap but decide against it and just tune out the class, waiting for the bell to ring, indicating the end of this class and the beginning of second.

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That was the first chapter of At The Bonfire! I hope you you enjoyed this chappie and, hopefully, decide to read on.

If you really, really liked it, you can add a comment, vote, add the book, or even share, that would be great for any of those!

I will extend this AN on 'Everything and Nothing' so yeah, go check that out.

Disclaimer: Oh my fucking god, my dog just caught and ate a fly right in front of my face. I think that's the grossest thing I saw all week... and it's Saturday.

But yes, thanks for reading and remember, someone loves you because I do! Bye! -A . J .