Not Just Another Number

Big Sister Sarah

Sarah's POV

I tighten my bun as I sit down for breakfast. I grab my fork and dig into my eggs. I eat rather quickly, needing to hurry for work. Still need to pick up Christine. Mom comes up from behind me, patting my bun. "You're inhaling your food. What's the rush?"

I wipe my mouth as I finish my plate. "Gotta pick up my friend so we can head to work." I put my plate in the sink and kiss mom on the cheek. I walk over to the couch, looking for my jacket and bag.

"Hey, hey, hey. Wait up." Mom says, making me look up. I see a disheveled Johnathan rushing to leave. He's buttoning up his shirt, but something on his cheek catches my eye. There's a lipstick stain on his right cheek. That must mean Nancy was here. I roll my eyes and flick a bit of water at his face.

He looks at me weirdly. "Clean your cheek, dude." He blushes as he nods. He rubs at his cheek as he hurries to the door. "I'm late. See you later." He calls once he's out the door. We say goodbye to him. I look behind the couch and find my jacket there. Okay, one down, one to go.

"Gross." Will groans as he messes with his food. Mom laughs at his tone. "I don't think you're going to think it's gross when you fall in love."

"I fell in love and I still thinks it's gross." I chime in. I finally spot my bag on the other table. I grab it and sling it over my shoulder. "No you don't. You do it all the time with Steve." Will fires back.

I blush and flip him the bird. "That's different. Johnathan's my brother, I don't want to see that." I rush past them, giving Will a nougie for good measure, before racing out the door. "I'll be back tonight!"

I jog over to my car and pull out my car keys. I unlock the car and hop in, turning on the engine before I even buckle up. I pull out of the driveway and make my way to Christine's house.

I get there pretty quickly, considering that she lives near the party. I park in front of her house and walk up to the front door. I knock, waiting.

"Who was that?" Mr.Willis's voice yells.

"My friend Dad. I'm heading to work!" Christine yells back.

"Have a good day sweetie!" Mrs.Willis joins.

The door swiftly opens, revealing an out of breath Christine. "You okay?" I ask. She nods and makes her way to my car. "Peachy." I climb in my car and start the car. I pull out of the street, making our way to the mall.

"Why are you out of breathe?"

"Woke up five minutes ago." She laughs, running her hand through her hair. So that means she hasn't eaten yet? My 'Big Sister Mode' kicks in at that thought. I point to the back seat. "There's a bag of snacks back there."

She sends me a thankful glance as she leans back, searching for the bag. Suddenly, she screams. I lurch, making the car move to the side, at the sudden noise. "What happened?!" I yell. I pull over on the side of the road.

Christine leans forward, looking surprised. "Something hissed in your bag." She says shakily. Something hissed? As if reading my thought, a hissing noise fills the car.

"This is Gld ldr" A voice says. The voice is familiar. Dustin? Wait, so that noise was... I start to laugh loudly, holding my stomach. Christine looks at me, confused. "Y-You were scared by my radio!" I laugh.

Christine puffs out her cheeks in embarrassment. I reach back and grab the bag, pulling out the radio and handing Christine the snacks. Now, I can hear Dustin better. "This is Golden Leader, returning to base. Do you copy? Over."

I press the button on the side and respond. "Provider to Golden Leader, welcome back." I smile widely, excited now that Dustin's back from camp.

"Sarah! Quick, head over to base!" I start the car and begin driving to the mall. Christine looks over at me, confused, and she eats a Baby Ruth. I put a finger up, telling her to wait for a second.