No One Left Behind

Chapter Three

F/I/C/F: Favorite Ice Cream Flavor

(Later - Outfit One)

The sun had finally peeked through the clouds, warming up the land of Hawkins, Indiana. Bunnies skipped across the grass to the right and left of the tar street ahead of the C/O/C Volkswagen that my mother had gifted me. Bright blue sky lit above me, creating little sunny patches across the road and grass on either side of me. The slight hum of the music put me at ease; almost making me forget what was actually happening in my life. All I wanted was a normal junior year, but the universe had different plans for me.

My life wasn't always weird. Besides the fact that my father left when I was nine years old and Dustin had just been born. My mother was always there for Dustin and me, always has and always will. I saw the variety of cars parked in the lot in front of Hawkins Middle School. About four or five buses sat in front of the sidewalk beside the school. The little clock in my car's middle console read 2:45 pm.

The music continued to play as I sat in the parked car while I waited for the boys to walk out of front entrance. Parents stepped out of their cars, awaiting their children to leave the front of the school. I chuckled at the moms checking their watches in an impatient manner. The bus drivers all stood beside their assigned vehicles, conversing with the other drivers Hawkins Middle hired.

The familiar noise of the afternoon bell sounded from outside the school walls, coming out of the double front doors. I leaned to the right and rolled the window down. Dustin and Lucas walked out of the schools entrance with their backpacks in hand. The two of them walked over to their bikes that were parked at the gate area. I furrowed my brows and realized that Mike was not walking beside them.

Dustin and Lucas strolled over to my car with their bikes trailing next to them. They stood at the back of the car, waiting for me to step out of the Volkswagen. I opened the car door and met them at the tail of the Volkswagen. "Where's Mike?" I asked, opening the trunk of my car. They both shrugged and set their metal bikes into the back. Parents finally reunited with their kids and hopped into their cars, heading home; probably listening to their children's crazy stories or theories about life.

Lucas opened the door to the back seat, holding his backpack in the other hand. "Mike didn't come to school?" I asked, stepping into the driver side of the car. My brother hopped into the seat beside me and buckled his seat. "Nope," Dustin replied, popping the 'p' and dropping his backpack at his feet. I sighed and passed each of them a water bottle. They took them willingly, each taking a sip of the cold water. I put the key into the ignition and started the car.

"Think the plan went sideways?" Dustin asked.

The street in front of Hawkins Middle School wasn't crowded with cars as I drove home before dropping Lucas Sinclair off at his house. The two glanced out of the window, figuring out what questions to ask Mike when they found out where the hell he was. I stopped at a red light and tapped my fingers on the steering wheel and waited for the light to turn green. "My plans never go sideways," I said while shaking my head.

"Key word, your plan," Lucas retorted, using quotation marks around the words 'your plan'. I reached back and punched his knee. He yelped from the hit, jumping in his seat. Dustin and I snickered at the boys reaction towards the hit I sent him. Lucas crossed his arms, scowling; looking out of the window. I drove into Lucas' neighborhood and saw his house come into view.

Lucas stepped out of the car once I had pulled into the driveway. Erica sat on the front yard, playing with her Barbie dolls. A little doll house was propped up against a cardboard box with other dolls inside it. Her mother sat on the front porch, drinking a cold glass of lemonade while flipping through a book. Dustin stayed in the car while I helped Sinclair grab his metal green bike out of the trunk.