Before You Know It

Chapter 21

A week has passed.

Every morning for school I would wake up and mom is in the kitchen. She's smiling more, she's gaining her color back, and she even cooks me breakfast sometimes.

After the news that the boys were coming back seemed to lift all of our dark shadows off the ground.

This morning Soph picks me up in her car because "she's too lazy to walk today."

The sun is high and bright early this morning on our way to school. I'm a windows down kinda person so as we drive the couple minute drive I roll the windows down and I feel the wind hit my face. It blows my hair all about the car and I try to make sure it doesn't get in Sophie's face.

Once we pull up to the school and park, I get out of the car and stretch as I wait for her to round the car to my side.

"Today is a nice ass day, I don't want to spend it inside." Sophie said.

"It's kind of purring me in a 'let's skip school' mood." I mutter.

She turns to me with deep hope in her eyes as her smile widens.

I give her my "absolutely not" face and her smile quickly falters.

"That's rude, man. You can't tease me like that." She groans.

"Since when have I ever said 'let's skip' and actually did it? In all of the years you've known me, Soph." I side glance at her as I try to hide my amusement.

"I know." She mumbles to herself before slowly walking to the entrance of the school. "Dream crusher." She whispers.

"What'd you say?" I shout towards her walking away.

"Nothing." She turns around to look at me with a smile, "I love you sweetums."

I laugh as I run towards her and put my arm around her shoulders. I quickly smile at her before pulling her head towards me into a headlock and I begin messing up her hair.

"Anneeee. ANNE. Stopppp." She kept shouting at me as she was laughing.

"Nope sorry. This Dream Crusher here cannot stop until the punishment is fulfilled." I laughed at her as we kept walking.

I finally let her go after a couple of seconds and the second she got a taste of freedom she looked at me with a scowl and rubbed her hair back down into place.

I looked at her and smiled, "Love you."

"Mhm. Yeah. Love you too, you butt." She mumbled.

I just laughed at her and walked inside school.

—
I was sitting in Sophie's car at the gas station when my phone began buzzing. I quickly looked down at it and answered it.

"Hey do you want to come to the park? I'm bored." Jan said over the phone as I'm sitting in Soph's car waiting to go home.

"Oh wow hey sis, nice to hear from you too." I laughed for a moment and heard her chuckle. "Sure why not." I replied.

I have nothing better to do.

A couple of minutes pass as I sit in the car waiting for Sophie to be done pumping gas, when she gets back into the car.

She hands me my Dr. Pepper and the amazing heaven that is Slim Jim's as she sat her drink down in the cup holder and threw her bag of nasty sea salt chips into my lap.

I groaned to her as a thank you as I took a bite out of my Jimmy boy.

I looked at her after savoring my Jim for a moment, "Hey, we're going to the park. My sister wants me to go for some reason."