The Miraculous Story of Harper Lynn

Chapter 7.

     Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! Beeeee-I groggily slam my hand down on the snooze button of my alarm clock, and roll onto my back. My room is dark, as you would expect at seven in the morning, but as my eyes adjust, I can see the outline of my room. The early morning air is calm, still with the absence of noise. 

     Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! the annoyingly loud ringing cuts through the air like a knife.

      "God damnit." I mumble, reaching for the cord. I yank it out of its socket and the noise ceases immediately. I half-sigh, half-groan, and try to rub the sleep out of my eyes. It's saturday, but I have plans for the day, unreasonably early plans I might add. My two best friends from my old school, Jerry and Brent had texted me after I got dropped off last night, asking if I was down to hang out the next morning. I of course agreed, and we decided to meet up at local diner Nicole's.  Literally. That's the name of the place. The young woman who runs the place, Nicole, was pretty up-to-date with the current trends, and her diner was Me, Jerry and Brent's favorite place to hang out. 

      I stumble into the bathroom and peel off my clothes from the day before. I had been so tired when I got home that I didn't even bother changing into pj's. Waiting until the water under the shower faucet ran warm, I checked my phone again for the time when me and the guys would meet there.

      9:15. Don't be late Leonard! Jerry and Brent were the only ones who called me Leonard. They claimed that "Leo" was a zodiac sign for Lion, and that In the animal sense, I was more a sheep than lion. I smile, it's going to be great to see the guys again. Ever since I switched schools and houses over the summer, we rarely had time to hang out, and I miss them. Jerry's ridiculously cheesy pick-up lines and Brent's constant over-thinking. We are a trio, the three musketeers, the three stooges, the good, bad and ugly. We always go together. Or at least, we did until I moved. 

      I step into the shower and let the hot water run down my body. Now that I actually think about it, if we were the trio from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly-I'd probably be the ugly one. In terms of looks, i am sadly average. Nothing special, nothing miraculous. Jerry and Brent, on the other hand, got hit by puberty like a bus. Jerry was short, and well built. Dirty blond hair that curled at the ends and a killer jawline, he could easily pass for 16 and not 14. He is on the football team at our old school, and will probably be quarterback on varsity by the time he's a senior. Me and him always joke around that we got switched at birth, since his parents are more intellectual and my father obviously favors him to me. 

      Brent, is tall and dark skinned. He isn't particularly buff, but is muscular and toned. Big dark eyes and black corkscrew-afro hair. He easily stands half a foot taller than me, and towers over Jerry. Brent is a pro at improv, and half the time he raps what he's trying to say, while Jerry and I beatbox. Brent always says he's going to drop out of high school and run away to California to become the next Snoop Dog, but his whole life has always been here. Could be why he wants out so badly. 

     I finish washing in the shower, and dry off quickly.  The clock on the bathroom counter reads 7:43, I've still got an hour to spare before i have to leave for Nicole's. I pad silently into my room, as to not wake up my parents. They both got one late last night, and woke me up with their fighting about how the tire marks got in our yard. I didn't dare tell them it was because of me and my crazy new friends. 

     I toss my dirty clothes onto the floor and pull on a clean red tee-shirt. i can hear my father's faint snoring a room over, and I tiptoe downstairs to the kitchen. Has anyone ever noticed how obnoxiously  loud pouring cereal is if it's quiet? Am I the only one who notices such trivial things? Because i swear to god, those damn cheerios sounded like a freaking avalanche in my bowl. I pause for a second to hear if my parents had heard. They hadn't. 

     Once I'm done eating it's almost time to leave, and I scribble out a note for my parents letting them know where I'm going. Not that they'd see it before I get back anyways.

      The air is slightly colder than i expect, so I quickly run back inside and grab my denim jacket. Nicole's is on the other side of town, so walking is clearly not an option. And since I am 14, I suppose driving isn't either. I sigh and make my way to the garage. An old red ten-speed leans against the wall, and I pull it out. I haven't ridden one of these for a year or so, but it appears as still functional, so it'll have to do. I plug in my headphones and crank the volume. Some rapper Brent is obsessed with screams his melancholy words into my mind, and I begin to pedal down the street. 

     The sun is still fairly low in the sky, and the street lamps are just beginning to turn off for the day. I pedal hard, my legs pumping up and down in time to the music. Brent and Jerry both love rap, although I'm not fond of it. I don't really have a taste in music, and the only things I listen to are the albums put on my phone by Brent. Which, by the way, are not that good. There is nothing satisfying about hearing the words, "FUCK ME HARDER LITTLE SHEEP" repeating over and over for four minutes. They both however, find it "sheer poetry". Go figure. 

     I cruise down the sidewalk, about a half hour into my journey, the cool wind biting at my face.  Not many people are out, but those who are are most likely businessmen and prostitutes judging by their clothes. I speed down hill, and veer to the right. Nicole's is only a few blocks away now, and I grin, eager to see my friends. 

     When I finally reach the small diner, I'm thoroughly out of breath, but I can see my friends through the windows, and I fumble locking up my bike I'm in such a hurry. 

     The smell of cinnamon and coffee engulfs me as soon as I walk through the door, and I wave to Brent and Jerry. They wave back, grinning like idiots. 

      "YOOOOO LEONARD! YOU ARE-" Jerry turns to Brent, who has a stopwatch in his hand.

      "TWO MINUTES EIGHTEEN SECONDS LATE!" He hollers. Nicole, the owner, laughs behind the counter, and I laugh too. I walk over to the small wooden table they're sitting at and pull up a chair.  Jerry slaps me hard over the shoulder and Brent high-fives me. Nicole brings over three plates heaped with food. Bacon, eggs and pancakes nearly spill over the edges of the plate and steam rises. I lick my lips, even though I already ate, biking across town works up an appetite. 

      "So, Leonard-"Jerry says between bites, "What's new?" He forks another forkful of eggs into his mouth. I take a swig of coffee and take a bite of pancake. The sweet syrup floods my taste buds, I've forgotten how amazing Nicole's pancakes are.

     "Well, my new high school, New High, is a dump, I am acing all my classes-"

     "Not that thats new" Brent snickers. 

      "And I met some cool new people. I'm pretty sure they're in some sorta weird gang or sumthin', I don't know, they seem all right though."

      "Little baby Leonard got himself in a GANG? Damn son, you leave us for a few months and you turn badass!" Jerry chides with me, and I punch him playfully.

     "Technically speaking, I am older than both of you." I say.

     "Yeah but maturity wise-"

     "I'm older then too!" We all crack up and shovel the rest of our food into our gaping mouths. 

     "Seriously though," Brent asks me, "What's this new gang business yo?" Both him and Jerry put their elbows on the table, leaning forward intently.

     "Okay, so I was in the lunchroom early, to get a table, and all of a sudden, like, this GANG runs in, literally, they were running, and like, apparently I was sitting at their table so we all went outside to this filthy lake and smoked, well, I didn't, but they did and it was just crazy." Brent and Jerry exchange a look and raise eyebrows, as if to say, What has our little Leonard gotten himself into now?

     "Then, like, that night, man guys it was crazy, they DROVE TO MY HOUSE, and we like, went to taco Bell and almost got in an accident 'cause Harper can't drive for shit, and then Zach and Jadyn got sick and were barfing everywhere and then they took me home." I finished and took a deep gulp of air. Brent leans back into his chair and combs his afro thoughtfully, while Jerry grins at me like an idiot.

     "Well, seems to me," Jerry grins, "That Brent and I, might need to meet these people of yours."