"Ashton, come on honey you're going to be late!"
Taking one last look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror I took in my plum purple t-shirt, my uniform shorts back from the hotel I had worked at in South Africa, and my tennis shoes.
"Ashton!" Mom called again.
"Coming!" I yelled back, shutting off the bathroom light and swinging my new backpack over both of my shoulders before heading downstairs.
Once there I found my Mom buttering a slice of burnt toast, while my younger brother Harry, and my little sister Lauren, sat eating at the table.
"There you are," Mom sighed as I rounded the corner, "You look nice, are you excited."
"Yeah," I lied, taking a deep breath, trying to swallow the impending bile which rose in my throat due to the butterflies which were reeking havoc on my stomach.
"Are you hungry?" she said with a smile, "I made you toast."
"Uh, no thanks," I replied, "I uh, I'm too excited."
"I'm sure you'll love it," she gushed, tousling my hair, "I know I used to."
"Yeah back in the stone age," Lauren giggled.
"Excuse me!" Mom cried.
"Just kidding," Lauren laughed, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.
"You better be," Mom replied with a smile.
Biting a hangnail on my thumb I looked at the newly installed clock on the freshly painted wall of out new house.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked, "Thinking about the wedgies you're going to get later?"
"What?" I cried.
Grinning Harry rose with his plate and carried it over to the sink, "Or maybe it'll be a swirly, or a wet Willie."
"Harry!" Mom warned.
"What?" he whined.
"Nobody will be giving or receiving any swirly or wet willies, this is real life, not a 1980's movie."
"So that stuff doesn't actually happen?" I ventured tentatively.
"No," Mom replied rolling her eyes, "You're going to be fine."
"He's going to be late, that's what he's going to be," Lauren piped up.
Looking back at the clock I swallowed realizing that I was supposed to have left several minutes ago.
"Oh crap," Mom sighed, "Do you want a ride?"
"No!" I cried much too quickly, knowing full well a ride would involve a goodbye honk and a kiss on the cheek, "I was just leaving."
"If you're sure..." she said slowly, still a bit surprised by my outburst.
"Uh, yeah," I replied, forcing a smile as I bent down to kiss her on the cheek, "Thanks for offering though."
"Okay," she sighed, "Well have a great day, I want to hear all about it when you get home."
Nodding I picked up the paper bag lunch she had left on the table and started out the door.
"Good luck," Lauren called, "Don't blow your entire social life your first day!"
Swallowing nervously I stepped outside, closing the door behind me and started the ten minute walk to my new school.
-
You know that feeling when your little and it's your birthday and there are a bunch of strange family members you never see crowded around you, staring at you and singing awkwardly and you don't want to look at any of them so you just stare hard at your cake, begging for it to finally be over?
