The story is about 999 words, so adding the songs will make it over. Sorry!
"Gwen! Gwen! I'm hungry!"
"Nathan, go away! Why don't you tell Mama."
"She ain't here."
Suddenly, my alarm clock goes off, and I slam the button on the top angrily. I glare at the numbers: 5:00 AM. Who reset my alarm clock? A note sticks to my fist: Had to go into work early. Love you, Ma. I groan and pull on sweatpants and open the door to find my brother pouting sunken down against the wall.
"Get your butt up and get ready for school, boy," I order.
He grumpily runs fingers through short black curls.
"Vaminos ahora. If you are late for that bus, so help me, I will skin you!"
He whines, trudging off to the bathroom.
I open the door adjacent to mine. My sister Courtney went deaf three years ago from bacterial meningitis. Now almost fourteen and starting her last year of middle school, she has overcome many obstacles. I shake her gently.
She opens her almond-shaped eyes. She looks mostly like our mother's side, the Puerto Rican Taino Native Americans.
I sign to her: Good morning, beautiful, ready for the first day of your last middle school year?
She smiles, shoving long black hair from her copper brown face.
She frowns: Will you help me pick out my outfit?
I laugh, "Sure. Trying to impress someone special?"
She shrugs as I go to her closet. "It wouldn't be Brady, would it?"
She slides out of the bed to be greeted by her little calico cat, Clover. I turn from the closet, pulling out blue jeans and a beautiful light blue blouse with ruffles across the top.
"What about this? Not too young, but still modest."
She nods sharply, satisfied.
"Well?" I raise my eyebrows.
She gives me a downcast look as my answer and lets her sleepy shoulders sag. I cradle her face in one hand, forcing her to look at me.
"He would be fortunate to be with you...you're so beautiful, Court. Just...no kissing." She laughs.
"Go on." I nod to the empty bathroom as Nathan heads back to his room.
My sister Franchesca opens her door. She just moved back in with us after losing her job as a teacher due to budget cuts.
"Good morning!!!" she exclaims.
She is not usually a morning person, but I guess she has an interview today.
"Morning."
I enter my room, close the door, and pick out a red and white striped tank top and red shorts for my last-first day of high school. I am hoping to finish early so that I can start working and saving for college. I think that's where I want to go. I pull my wavy/curly hair up into a ponytail. Courtney is the only one that looks Taino. The rest of us have varying degrees of African American and Puerto Rican features. Me? I have caramel brown skin and dark chocolate brown hair that almost looks black.
"Can we have food now?" Nathan grumbles.
"You have two seconds to get out my room, Nate!"
I hear him race downstairs. Annoying seven year old. My red and white pit bull adolescent, Lavender (Lava for short), scratches at her crate irritably.
"Alright, alright," I laugh. "Maybe tonight we will try letting you sleep out again, but no more chewing my shoes, Lava."
She beats me downstairs and tackles Nathan.
"Can I walk her?" he laughs.
"Finally, you're being helpful. Go on, so I can get breakfast started."
He grabs her leash off the counter.
"Stay where I can see you in the window."
Our neighborhood is nowhere near safe. Thugs running around all the time.
I open the refrigerator, immediately expecting to see tumbleweeds travel past. I slam it and turn discontentedly to find Courtney staring at me.
I can eat at school, she says.
"No, not your first day."
As I open the cabinet, I find oatmeal and sugar. I put a pot on the stove and check on Nathan.
As he makes his way back into the house, he is accompanied, "JT is here."
Sebastiano Jamal Thornton, our neighbor. The love of my life. My boyfriend off and on since ninth grade.
"Hey Ashtin," I greet. I am the only one that calls him that.
"Hey, bae, what's good with you?"
His little sister, Abigail, trails behind him followed by their Canary dog, Bugs. Nathan races outside to play with the dogs together. Abigail asks Courtney questions about seventh grade.
"Getting these rascals in line?" he asks.
I roll my eyes. "Trying."
"What's for breakfast, ma?"
"You know I hate when you call me that."
"Bahaman thing, sorry. What's for breakfast, Gwendolyn?"
"Oatmeal. Ain't enough for us all."
He nods to Abigail. "Give her some, and I will buy you breakfast."
"You'll buy me breakfast anyway."
He gives a mannish grin. "I am, huh?" He leans across the table to kiss me just as Francesca joins us.
"Ahem. We have children down here."
I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. "Right." I look at Courtney and Abigail. "Not until you're 18 or 20 or so."
Courtney laughs, The chemistry is real. She fans her face mockingly, and Abigail laughs.
"You can say that again, Court," Francesca laughs.
Sebastiano shakes his head bashfully.
"You're hilarious," I reply sarcastically. I finish the oatmeal and call Nathan. After giving them the lunch money Dad left on the counter, we see them off to the bus.
I hop in the car with Sebastiano after taking my bathroom turn, putting the dogs in the back gate, and shoving my bookbag on my back.
"Ready for some learning?" he teases.
"Always."
He leans over to complete our kiss from earlier.
"You know you're my heart, right?"
"Psshhh, boy, bye!"
He smiles charmingly, dimples and all, and I tip his hat, "I know."
"So, darling, what do you want for breakfast?"
Songs:
Hey Pretty Girl, Kip Moore
Best Love Story, Lanco
A Small Town Boy, Dustin Lynch
ns 15.158.61.48da2
