I think I'm finished with the first chapter...have any suggestions feel free to tell me. Thanks for any reviews.
Beep! Beep! Was what I heard that Monday morning when I was trying so desperately to get just five more minutes of sleep.
Stomping into my bedroom was my mum saying, “Liam get up!” She yelled. “Don’t make me come in here and turn that alarm of yours off again!” She said while slamming on the snooze button. “And your dog needs food, water, and to go outside.” She gestured toward the kitchen. “Your father didn’t give him to you so you can ignore him. How old are you again?” She asked me. Apparently she was having a bad morning.
“Thirteen.” I said nothing after that while taking the blankets off and getting up.
Rubbing my eyes, my dog came into view from the hallway. He was waiting for me to say he could come in. Ralfeo was a very good dog. He was trained well; it took forever, it seemed like.
“Come on in Ralfeo.” He came and jumped on my bed. He wobbled a little; then slammed down.
After I got up and around, I decided I had some time to go ahead and eat some cereal. I searched the dark cupboard for my favorite cereal, and then found it. I smiled.
When I was done, I put the bowl on the floor and called Ralfeo over to lick it clean, well not clean we still have to wash it but it will be easier. My mum came in the dining room to get me for school.
“Come on Liam, go head out to the car. It’s time to leave.” My mum told me with her keys dangling on her finger. “Oh hey, go start the car would you?” She asked.
“That was unusual…” I thought. Shrugging my shoulder with a smile, I snatched the keys and went for the car. As I turned the key, the engine came to life. The sound of the engine was a sweet noise to me. Something about being behind the wheel got me going. I imagined myself in a nice silver mustang and started to fake drive when my mum came out the side door, then I swiftly got out of the driver’s seat, wiped myself off and went to sit in the passenger seat. My mum laughed; she must have seen me turning the wheel.
“Having fun?” She asked me in a playful manner.
“Humph. Yeah, I was.” I said.
It was already a few months into school. As my mum pulled up, I saw my bud drawing in his binder.
“Bye mum!” I yelled as I was getting out of the car.
She called after me and said, “Don’t forget your book bag.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Thanks mum.” This time I gave her a hug and I heard my friend laugh from outside the car.
My mother drove away and I pushed my friend and said, “What’s so funny, Josh?”
He just snickered and told me, “You still hug your mom good-bye?” Josh laughed.
“Oh, shut up dude, it was one time!” I snapped. Looking at him I said, “It looks like you just woke up. What’s with your hair?”
“I literally only had like three minutes to get ready this morning. My mom finally decided to wake me up when the bus had honked three times. I brought a comb but it didn’t seem to help, with this mess!” He said while pointing to his ragged brown hair.
“I guess that would explain your pants about to fall off…” I warned him pointing down at the ratty old blue jeans, that were clearly too big for him.
“Let’s get to class.”
With my backpack over one shoulder, Josh and I walked through the C-Hall door. My other friend saw Josh and me and came over to us. She wore light blue shorts with a nice blue over shirt and a white under shirt. As she bounced over to us, her dirty blonde hair got in her face and she brushed it behind her ear.
“Well, you’re blue today.” I told her as I over looked her.
Smiling she said, “Thank you!”
Josh made a face. “How’re you, Katie?” He asked her.
“I’m all right. What about you?”
“I’m pretty good actually. I was drawing this morning and I think I’m going to show the art teacher in seventh hour,” He paused. “Maybe…” He finished.
“Oh cool, what did you draw?” She asked.
Thinking he said, “I drew a person, someone random, holding a coffee cup or something.”
Katie asked him if she could see it. While they were talking about his drawing, we made our way upstairs and sat down in our first hour. English. Then I saw her.
I felt my mouth open a little; I quickly shut it. Josh saw me, I guessed; he looked up at me from his drawing and laughed. Katie looked at me and flashed her brown eyes in the mystery girls’ direction. Then she looked back at me, covered her mouth, and giggled her high-pitched laugh. As I looked in my friends’ way, she sat in front of me. While the teacher came up to her, Josh came to my side and whispered,
“Hm…looks like you like her.” He said.
Before I had a chance to react, she turned to me and said, “Hi, um…I’m new here. Can you help me read my schedule?” She asked, half smiling.
Michele had a perfect beautiful smile, one that made you wanna smile too; every tooth that I saw was a pearl white. Her hair was a shiny black under the bright school light, her cheekbones poked out a little, like super models did. She was somewhat tall maybe as tall as I was, and skinny. Her eyes were light blue-green, and she had a cute little button nose. Then, I realized I was just sitting there staring at her with a smile of my own. Josh had snapped his fingers in my face, I gave him a look that said go away and he knew. Michele laughed a little giggle.
“Uh…Hi, I’m Liam Lumbridge,” I paused, looked down and continued. “It’s nice to meet you Michele. Sure I can help you read your schedule.” I told her reaching my hand out to take it.
She reached out also, our hands touched. It was one of those lame romance movie moments, where they flinch away and laugh. I just reached normally taking the paper in my hand. When I did I smiled and nodded my head a little. Michele just smiled half heartedly.
I looked over her schedule. Smiling I saw that she had a lot of my classes, so I could show her around and walk her to class; if she wanted me to. I hid my smile with the sleeve of my blue hoodie.
“Um…you and I have some classes together, I could show you around, if you’d like.” I asked her politely.
She didn’t hesitate when she said, “Yeah that sounds great!” She smiled at me.
“Cool, I’ll see you after class then?” I asked. A half smile spread up under my cheek.
“Yep!” Her eyes glimmered.
Later that day, I had already shown Michele around and she had asked me if I could hang out with her tomorrow, if her parents said ok. I was so happy that she asked me, I couldn’t stop talking so fast. She has a baby sister that she adores; she also said I could meet her, if I liked to. Again I quickly said, “Yes, yes! I’m an only child so you will only be able to meet my parents…” I stopped to look at her face then added, “If you’d like.” I finished. Michele did the very smile I loved on her. Showed all her teeth, it really lit up her face. We said our good-byes and I headed off toward my friends.
“See you guys tomorrow!” Katie said while running to her big yellow bus.
We waved even though she didn’t see; she knew. I remembered when I first saw her; she was pretty but not as pretty as Michele. When I saw Katie the first time she wore her hair up the why that she hates, but it didn’t look half bad on her. For like the first few days I knew her, I thought I actually liked her. Trying to escape the nasty thoughts I searched for something Josh and I could do. Josh had found it for me when he said,
“Hey,” He snapped his fingers at my wondering eyes. “Do you wanna hang at the park, or something?”
“Hey,” I snapped back in his face a few times. “You snap in my face a lot, you know.”
“Oh, I do, sorry. So, how about that park, wanna go?” He asked once again.
“Well, why not.” Shrugging my shoulders for the second time today, we set off for the Ridgeway Park.
We wandered the park for a while then stumped upon the swings. We set our book bags down and sat on the worn out swings. They squealed under our weight, but that didn’t stop us. I felt like a chick, just sitting there on the swings. Guys are supposed to skateboard and run around or something. I’ve never seen a few guys just sitten on some swings.
“Dude, remember when we were like five or something, when I first moved here we played on these swings. What was it we called it? Oh yeah bumper cars, such fun we had.” I asked Josh, smiling at the memory.
Bumper cars – a game where two people would swing side to side and slam up against each other while still on the swing.
“Ha, yeah I remember that, you were a scared lost little boy then, and shy.” Josh laughed. I tried to cut in and tell him he was wrong but he was right. Then he went on. “You member that other game we played I don’t think we had a name for it. When we acted like the ground was lava, and if any of us touched it we were out. We would climb on the swing sets, and jump from a rock to another piece of equipment.” Josh laughed and looked up at the sky, and plopped on the ground below the already low swing.
“Yep, I remember. We were so carefree then, and we still are a little.” I got up and went around to the other side of my rusty red swing and laid on it belly first, spread my arms out and kicked my feet off the ground and swung a few inches. As I did that, Josh – still sitting on the ground but now with his hands up over his head holding his also rusty old green swing - just watched me with a weird look. “What? Its fun, you try it.” I told him.
“Oh I know that. I used to do that with my brother.” He said.
“Oh. I wish I had a brother or sister just to take to the park and swing with or something, it’s boring around the house when you’re an only child.” I said, with a sigh.
“Trust me, dude you do not want siblings or older brothers and sisters. They’re annoying and they bug you all the time. You never get any alone time. I would know.” He replied raising his eyebrow, probably wishing he was an only child. “But hey, that’s why you got me. We’re basically brothers.” He said with the corners of his mouth pulling up, and turning to look at me while I was touching the ground and moving some sand around between my dry fingers.
“True, true,” I mumbled. “We are like brothers. Ha, you’re my brother from another mother!” I said in the best “gangster” voice possible for me. I also crossed my arms a little above my chest.
“Wow…don’t do that again…” He said looking away. “Really don’t if someone’s watching.” He said once again looking away, embarrassed.
A few minutes went by. I just laid on my swing listening to the wind and the birds chatter.
“Let’s have a blast from the past!” I said as an idea came over me.
Josh just stared, waiting for me to explain.
“You know, we could play bumper cars and that lava game. Come on we have nothing better to do.” I said while I threw my hand in the air.
“Hm…” Josh mumbled. “What if someone sees us?” He paused. “I’m not gonna get embarrassed ‘cause you were bored!” He told me.
“You’re worried about being embarrassed?” I questioned. “Jeez, if you want to just sit here, bored that’s fine.” I said while getting back onto my swing the right way. “Hell, I’ll go get my dog, if were just gonna do that.” That wasn’t a bad idea. I thought.
“Ugh! Fine, let’s go get your dog and we can come back.” Josh finally answered. “Then if I feel like it, we can play the lava game.” He said. You could tell he wasn’t so happy about it. “It doesn’t sound too bad…” He stopped. “I guess.” He ended while getting up and grabbing his binder off from the ground. I did the same, except mine was a book bag.
As we walked Josh started talking about Michele.
“She’s pretty.” He said. “No doubt about that.”
“Yeah, I know…” I said with a sigh.
“Do you like her?” He asked looking up at me.
“I guess. I don’t really know her…at all.” I said while kicking a rock across on the
street.
“Oh.” He said.
A car slowly went around the corner behind us. It was a black Ford f150.
“That’s a nice a car.” I pointed over while nudging my friend.
He looked and said, “Wow that is!”
It slowed as it went by us. I could see a person in the passenger seat staring at us. “What’s there problem?” I thought.
Josh just stared at the car, and said, “I hope when I grow up, I can afford that kind of car!”
“Ha ha,” I laughed. “Yeah, same here. It’s a nice one.” I took my eyes away from the car, which was still following us as we made our way down the cement squares in the sidewalk. “What are they doing? They’re just following us…” I trailed off. Josh had started to get jittery.
“I don’t know, but it’s freaking me out.” He said with his forehead creased into wrinkles.
“Dude, hold on. I’m gonna go talk to them, see if I know them or why there just following us…” I stopped, thinking. “Maybe there lost?” I meant to say that in my head. As I approached the unknown car, it stopped.
I could hear Josh whispering, “Dude, come back! I want to just go get Ralfeo and go back to the park, were its safe!” I just turned to him then turned back.
Then, the truck window rolled down, I saw that the person who was staring at us was a husky little kid. I tried to memorize his face, just in case this was to come up bad.
Someone spoke up, not the little boy, the driver. “Are you two lost?” He asked, pointing to me then at Josh. “You don’t look familiar.” He said in a gruff voice.
“You don’t look familiar.” I thought. Then really replied, “Uh…No, where not lost…Are you?”
“Didn’t your momma ever teach you to not speak to strangers?” He laughed slightly, then said, “Why would I be lost, I’ve been living here for a year now!”
“Then why haven’t I ever seen you around here, ever?” I thought about saying that, but I didn’t want to upset the strange man. I also tried to memorize his features, for future references.
His huge muscles flexed, some of the veins popped out too. I could tell he was getting either inpatient or angry that I hadn’t replied yet.
I quickly said, “Oh. Is that all? Is that why you were following us?”
He hesitated. The boy looked at the driver waiting for him to answer; he too seemed curious as to why he had slowed the pace to follow ours walking minding our own business. The man pushed his fingers through his black hair, and then put a hat on. While he still hadn’t answered yet Josh was getting inpatient himself. My curious friend came to my side and looked at me.
Alarmed at the sound of someone approaching, the man quickly snapped up from his thought and said, “Who’re you!?” Josh jumped a little, he also alarmed.
In a small voice he said, “I’m his friend…” He pointed his thumb out toward me.
I was getting tired of his dilly dallying. “So you’re telling me you slowed down, wasted your time just to see if we - two mindless teenagers – were lost?” I snapped.
The man raised his eyebrows so did Josh. “So your teenagers?” He said trying to escape my question.
This time the little boy asked, “Dad, why did you slow down?”
He didn’t answer for a few moments, but what seemed like hours. “I thought they were someone else…” He trailed off.
I said, “Well, if that’s it good-bye happy day to you both and you can go on your way now.” I raised my hand to the street. He just gave me a dirty look; I smiled as he whispered something to himself. Josh was just standing there, staring at me. “Come on, let’s leave.” I told him getting back to the sidewalk once again. Josh followed at a slower pace. The still unknown car drove away around the next corner.
“That was…” He paused looking for the right word and just said, “Weird.”
“Yeah, it was. I don’t like that guy; whoever he was. It didn’t seem like he was telling the truth.” I said putting my hands in my hoodie pockets.
“You noticed that too?” He asked. “That’s why I was getting freaked out a little.” Josh was still a little shaky.
“Yeah, let’s hurry up and get my dog.” Josh agreed and we started running to my house.
