Shelby Blanke

A Lonesome Afternoon

I continued walking to my next period and finally sat down in my seat. This was an independent course called Diverse Cultures Online Learning Engagement, or DCOLE.Virtual classes were fun because if you finished your daily lesson, you could play games on the laptops. The teacher took role and showed us where to find our lessons and check our progress, along with some other random crap that no one cares about. Finally the bell rang and we were free of school at last. I walked to my bus and spotted Reed walking over to his car in the parking lot. Soon after, I saw Abigail and Noah holding hands, which they had never done before. Did they like each other? I guess they had gotten pretty close with all of that alone time. While they were my best friends, I still blew them off all summer. I stopped staring and focused on finding my bus. Finally, I climbed on to the giant yellow vehicle, and walked down the aisle to an empty seat. I sat down, shifting my bag into my lap, and scooted towards the window. I popped in my earbuds and turned on some music to blur out the chaos. When everyone had piled on to the bus and the seats were filled with people, the bus driver shut the doors and drove out of the bus loop. I watched everything pass by out the window as we drove, listening to old songs that I hadn't heard since I was in the fifth grade. I just continued adding to the one playlist, so occasionally shuffle would allow me to hear a flashback to my past. As we neared my stop, I packed up my bag and made my way to the front of the bus. The doors opened and I stepped off the loud, crowded, and smelly torture, into the fresh air of my half-decent neighborhood. I walked home and opened the door to find a note on the table. "At a meeting, feel free to relax and do whatever. I have dinner in the fridge if you want to heat it up but feel free to order pizza. Love you sweetie! Be good and get your homework done! Love, Mom." I threw the note away and went to the pantry to grab some pretzels. I poured them into a bowl and sat at the counter. While snacking on the pretzels, I did some homework. When I finished that, I washed out my bowl and left it in the sink. I switched on the TV and let the noise blare in the background. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my Instagram feed. I texted some people who gave me their numbers explaining that I was absolutely dying of boredom, per usual. I checked the time, 5:37. Wow, phones really do kill time. I set my phone down and got up from the couch. I flipped off the TV and went over to the fridge. I pulled out dinner and started cooking. While there wasn't much cooking to do, it took me forever to read instructions and re-read them over and over. I was a terrible cook, and I rely on instructions to not burn the house down. I had to be thorough. Finally, at 6:58, the food was ready, and it smelled delicious. I gobbled down the warm and scrumptious meal and cleaned the table. I washed dishes and then sat on the couch to continue watching TV, for real this time, while I wait for my mom to come home. I instead, later decided to switch off the TV and head upstairs to shower. I hopped into the shower and scrubbed my hair and body germ-and-odor-free. I got out and dried off. I changed into pajamas and checked my phone to
see in anyone had responded to my text, which someone had, Cassie Miller.

Shelby: Hey Cassie. It's Shelby. You gave me your number, so I just wanted to say hi. Super bored. Text me if you want to talk or something.
Cassie: Oh hey Shelby! I'm rlly bored too. Wanna talk??

I text back.

Shelby: Sure. What do you wanna
talk about?
Cassie: Hmm. Not sure. Any thoughts?
Shelby: Wanna plan to hang out sometime? Are you free this week? I'm up for a hang.
Cassie: Oh sure! Sounds fun! Saturday good?
Shelby: Saturday is great. Let's talk details.

We talked on and on about where to meet and the details of the situation. Finally my eyelids grew heavy and I felt overly tired.

Shelby: Saturday is perfect. Can't wait. I have to go now. I'll see you then!
Cassie: Alright! It's a date! See you then! ❤️

A date? It was just a hangout sesh, but it's fine. It's just a fancier term. But with a heart? No it's fine, she is just being friendly I'm sure. I set my phone down and climb into bed. My mom still hadn't come home, but I was pooped. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, maybe I would dream about puppies? Haha, probably not.