Boring, 1997-1998

First Day, School Year '97-'98

Luke rapidly shoveled cereal into his mouth while Kate just looked at him with a mixture of shock and disgust. "You'll choke, you know," she said, as she raised a spoonful of her own cereal to her mouth. "Stopmf... yellinmk at me.." He started before aggressively coughing and slamming his hand repeatedly on the table. Kate tried to keep a straight face but soon began to laugh at him.
"God damnit Luke," Sherry sighed as she walked into the kitchen and immediately began patting his back. "I tried to warn him," Kate giggled. "Oh honey, why bother? He's done this at least once a week since he started eating solid food," She rolled her eyes.
Luke tried to catch his breath, and when he leaned back in his chair, he revealed he had milk all over shirt. Upon seeing it, he exclaimed, "No! I don't wanna be late for the first day of sophomore year!"
"Suck it up, big guy. Dad and I are leaving whether you're in the car or not. I refuse to be late for my first day as a junior," she got up and swung her backpack over her shoulder.
"Honey, are you coming?" She heard Ken's call from the driveway. "Yeah, be right there!" She turned to Luke, "I hope you get your shit together," she said to him and began to head out the door.
Damn. Spending a summer with Emaline can really change a person's vocabulary, Kate thought to herself. She opened up the passenger door and sat down, glanced at her watch and the time read a threatening 7:42. "Luke! We're gonna be late!!" She yelled. "Kate, give him a moment," Ken said, obviously exasperated.
Luke ran out from the Messner household with a bag in one hand, and pulling a clean shirt on with the other. He jumped in the backseat and before he even had his seatbelt on, Ken was speeding away.
"You kids excited for the first day?" He asked, grinning.
"Yeah, I guess. Honestly, I'm just excited to see Emaline. I haven't seen her since she got back from camp a week ago,"
"Emaline... is she that friend you spent the first half of the summer with? Zarginda, if I'm recalling correctly?"
Luke let a laugh slip when Ken said "friend", but Kate turned in her seat and glared at him. He silenced himself quickly.
"Yeah, she played the female lead in Luke's movie. She'll be a senior this year," Kate said as casually as possible. Her stomach was fluttering in anticipation of seeing her.
"Ah, speaking of Intergalactic Lust, any ideas on this year's film, Luke?"
The teen shuffled in his seat awkwardly, "I haven't actually given it much thought." That was a blatant lie. He had been thinking about it all summer, but Kate was the one who came up with the plot for the first movie and he hadn't asked for help yet. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed her creativity.
The remaining car ride was spent in slightly uncomfortable silence. When they pulled into the school parking lot, Kate kissed her dad's cheek, "Treat Luke and I like any other students. I love you," she gave him a sweet smile, and exited the car. Luke wasn't far behind her, and Principal Messner was the last to enter Boring High School.

...

Kate waited awkwardly by Emaline's locker. She checked her watch and grimaced. 7:53. She wasn't too worried about them being late to class, because like last year, they shared the same gym period. Unfortunately, this year they had it first thing in the morning. Nothing quite kicks off the day like Hell.

Kate was lost in her thoughts when suddenly there were a pair of soft hands covering her eyes. "Guess who?" Kate could practically hear her grinning. She whipped around to see her beaming uncontrollably. "Emaline! I missed you!" She said and wrapped her in a hug. Kate pulled back and stared at her. She had gotten a bit tan, and her hair was sun-bleached, making it even more blonde than normal. Despite the slight changes, she was just as beautiful as Kate remembered. "Shit, do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?" She puckered her lips and ran her tongue along her teeth. "No, no, you're fine. I just forgot how gorgeous you are." Emaline smiled at the floor, "I missed you too, cutie."
The bell blared and both girls looked at each other, wide eyed. Laughing, they both raced to the girls locker room.