𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑 - marcus baker

five

"Bye, Mom," I smiled at her as I got out of the car.

Normally, I walked to school because my parents work early, but today my mom started work later than usual. We had just dropped Devin off at his school, so that left me alone with my mom.

She smiled back as she waved and said, "Bye, sweetie! I love you!"

"Love you, too," I waved and turned to walk into school.

The bell was going to ring in about ten minutes, so I made my way to the cafeteria, where my friends sat at the tables. The cafeteria was never crowded in the morning because they didn't offer breakfast to students. The table my friends sat at was the only one being used.

I made my way over to the table and took a seat across from Monroe.  It was the last day of finals week, which meant the last day of school.   The entire group was sitting there looking a bit drained.

"Are you guys okay?" I chuckled as I sat next to Eli.

"No," Monroe frowned as she spoke, "There was supposed to be another party this weekend but Eli's parents came home early."

Eli's parents were a bit unpredictable.  I don't know why he bothered planning parties when his parents show up randomly.

"What about the school thing tomorrow?  It's like a goodbye thing, mostly for the seniors but everyone goes. Most of the school is going," I suggested as I remembered a flyer I saw a few days ago.

"But it's at school," Monroe kept her frown plastered on her face.

"No, it's at the park down the street.  It's a big barbecue kind of thing."

The group looked around at each other before coming to a consensus. We were going to the barbecue.

As if on cue, the bell rang, sending us off to class. It was the last week of school, so that meant it was finals week

I didn't have any classes with most of the group, other than third-period math. My first class was English, but the final was probably just an essay.

We all filed into our classrooms, unrealistically hoping for finals to be canceled.

"Welcome to Finals Week!" our teacher yelled at us.

"I don't want to do a lot of grading so your final is multiple choice," he smiled widely at us.

A few kids let out sighs of relief, glad that they could just guess if they didn't know an answer.

The teacher passed out bubble sheets and printed exams as he explained that we shouldn't write on the tests.

The questions were all grammar and syntax, so it wasn't very difficult. 

Eventually, the hour of bubbling in circles was over.  The bell rang and we made our way to our next class and soon after, the next one.

The school day was over, and I was ready to go home.

"Aylin! Come here!"

I sighed at the thought of staying at school but turned to the familiar voice.

Eli was waving at me from a table he was sitting at.  I walk toward him and the group he was in.  I was familiar with everyone there, so I wasn't uncomfortable.

"What's up?" I asked as I neared him.

"Wanna go over to Press' house?  Its just a small bonfire."

I look around the group to see Press standing there with a straight face.  Somehow, his emotionless face was comforting.

"Can Monroe and Sadie come?"

Everyone nods and I smile back. 

"Okay hold on."

I quickly grabbed my phone and texted them to meet me so we could all go together.  Their replies were not what I was expecting.

'can't.  i have to study.'

'me neither, mom is mad at me lol'

I looked up at the group and gave a small chuckle, "Never mind, just me then."

"Cool, let's go," Eli smiled before everyone stood up simultaneously.

"A bonfire?" I asked Press as the rest of the group walked in front of us.

"Max suggested it and I have a fire pit in my backyard.  It kind of just got thrown at me," he said with very little emotion.

"I think the last time I used a fire pit was when my dad took us camping in elementary school," I laughed at the memory.

"Yeah?  I've never been."

"What about s'mores? Ever had s'mores?" I asked, trying to get to know him better.

"Nope."

"What? Hold on," I stop in my tracks,"You have to try them.  When we get to your house, we are making s'mores.  No exceptions."

He chuckled at me before saying, "I don't think we even have the things to make them."

"We're goig shopping then," I smiled at him before we turned down a different street than the rest of the group.

"I have to get my car, and then we can go," I said before continuing toward my house.

The house was empty so I ran inside and grabbed the car keys before running back outside.

"Let's go," I smiled as I sat in the driver's seat.

Press got into the passenger seat as I started the engine.  I pulled out of the driveway and we were on our way to the nearest grocery store in no time.

The walk around the store wasn't too long, since we were only looking for a few things.

"Are skewers really necessary? We can use a fork or something," Press said as I grabbed a pack.

"You're getting the full s'mores experience, whether you like it or not."

He chuckled as I threw them in our cart.  I double-checked to make sure I grabbed everything before we made our way to the register.

I paid without any objection from Press and we were on our way to his house.

By the time we got there, there were a few cars parked on the street.  So it really was a small thing.

I parked as close as I could before Press grabbed our bag and I followed him inside.

How has he never had s'mores?