Out of the Ordinary

Chapter 8: The First Day at School

Monday unexpectedly came; the sun crept on the horizon. It's hard waking up on Mondays when you spend all your energy on the weekends. But I forced myself out of bed and got dressed and cleaned up. I wore my best pink and white blouse and glittery jeans―since it was a special day for Dainu. I went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast and found Dean eating his breakfast and reading the paper. He looked up at me and smiled. I rolled my eyes and made no eye contact with him.

"Good morning, Kaley," he said. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," I mumbled.

Mom came over to me and hugged me.

"Kaley," she said to me. "Aren't you forgetting something?

I looked at my mom with sudden eyes. No way was I going to apologize to Dean about yesterday. He was the one who should apologize to me for asking too many aggravating questions. Mom's stern expression told me to do it. I shook my head at her, but she gave me one of those looks that meant I have to do it. I hated when she does that to me.

I took a deep breath and said to Dean, "I'm sorry, Dean. I'm sorry I was really rude to you yesterday. I shouldn't have done that. Will you forgive me?"

My stomach turned when I said all this.

"Of course, I forgive you, Kaley," he smiled. "It's OK, we have our bad days sometimes. It's no problem."

"See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it, Kaley?" Mom said. "Now everything's OK again. And I don't want this to happen again, Kaley. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I groaned.

"Good!" she said in a cheerful voice. She grabbed my lunch bag off the counter and kissed my forehead. "Here's your lunch, Kaley. Have a nice day at school."

 I put on my shoes and grabbed my backpack. Dean said goodbye to me but I pretended I didn't hear him as I left the house. I went next door to Kyle's house. I knocked on the door and he answered, looking so groggy. He was still in his pajamas with uncombed hair, unshaven face, and droopy eyes.

"Hi, Kyle," I greeted.

"What's up?" he said, rubbing the sleep off his face.

"Is Dainu ready?" I asked.

"He's in the kitchen having some breakfast. Come on in. I was just about to have some coffee."

I entered his house. Kyle was walking sluggishly like a snail. I entered the kitchen and found Dainu eating some eggs and drinking milk. He hugged me immediately when he saw me.

"Hi, Dainu. Are you ready?" I asked.

"As soon as I am finished with my breakfast," he said.

Kyle entered the kitchen too. He turned on his coffee machine and refilled his mug. A rich, roasted, chocolaty smell filled the kitchen that made my whole body feel refreshed.

"What is that?" Dainu asked Kyle.

"Oh, just some coffee," he said. "We always drink this in the morning. It refreshes our mind and body."

I never drank coffee. My mom won't let me. She said I don't need to depend on caffeine just to fuel myself.

"May I try some?" Dainu asked.

Kyle shrugged. "OK, I guess so. But I must warn you, this has a shot of espresso in it, which means it has extra caffeine, so I think you should just take a little sip."