Where The Children Hide

Home

I feel someone shaking me. I open my eyes and see Levi and Reef looking at me. It is dark outside and the only light is a couple coach reading lights and the occasional streetlamp we pass. That's not ok. I check my watch, 1:35 am. "Oh hell to the no!!!" A voice in my head says sassily. "If they think that you, Cole Reed will be up before 8:00 am they are sorely mistaken." So I roll over and go back to sleep. That was when I smelt it. 

I sat upright and watched Reef take the lid off a box containing two pizza slice. Fuck sleep, pizza is the number one priority. Pizza is anything and everything you need in life. It fixes all problems, well maybe not obesity. "I think you'll find that belongs to me!" I demand as I tried reaching over Levi to grab the pizza. Reef pulls the pizza towards him and snaps the lid back down while Levi pushes me back against my seat. "Morning Sleeping Beauty," Levi mocks. I can't believe he's using one of my jokes against me. "Did I ever tell you how much I fucking hate you" I quietly growl at Levi and he chuckles. 

During this time Reef has gotten out our food. He hands me my pizza after what feels like a year of slowly reaching across the aisle and over Levi. Then I'm too busy consuming my pizza to realize he's also put an iced coffee and a doughnut on my pizza box. Levi and Reef also have food but it's not pizza so I haven't got time or a need to care. In a span of 10 minutes, I've devoured my food and drink. I start asking the boys for parts of their meals but instead, I get a packet of crisps thrown at me by Reef which I start to snack on slowly. Devouring every crisp slowly but sometimes I put a crisp in my mouth and crunched it in Levi's ear. It annoys him and ends in me getting punched by him right in my shoulder but it was worth it.

We finished eating. We had only 15 minutes till we got off the bus. So we started getting our stuff together. Slowly I watched the hands go around on my watch. Then I saw the dim lighting of our home in the distance. It was getting closer. I looked out the window in glee. School is such a waste of time. I stare at blackboards all day. It's so boring so I'm so glad to be home not learning pointless shit.

After what seems like forever the coach comes to a stop. Next to the only bus stop in our town. "The last one outs the rotten egg!" I whisper to the Levi as I roll over him grab my satchel and run off down the aisle. I jump down the coach steps and show the driver my very crinkled ticket so I can collect my trunk. It is so heavy. The boys and I have a secret weapon though. We have an old toboggan with wheels attached next to Stan's store and bar. The bus stop is practically on the shop's doorstep so he lets us keep it there so we can pull our trunks to our house when we get home each summer break. All three of us secure the trunks then start the walk up Grove street past Center street. We made it to our house, the first house after the bend in the street. One house and one shed. Reef grabbed the key hidden under a loose deck board and opened the house. We unloaded the toboggan and put the trunks on the deck. We then opened the shed and put the toboggan away, locking the shed as we left. Finally, we went inside. I took my trunk to my room and the boys took their trunks to their rooms. Then I dusted off some of the dust from my photo-frames patted the dust off my bed and went to sleep.