A Shade of Cool

XXIV: Good Returns, Bad Greetings

Yawning and stretching, I headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Rubbing my eyes as I yearned for that bit of peace before the last day of school.

"And a good morning to you, Jakey," A familiar voice spoke from inside the kitchen as I passed through to have some breakfast. Freezing, I opened my weak eyes.

"Marissa?!" I gawped.

She stood and pulled me tightly, "Happy holidays, little bro," She smiled. Hugging her back, I looked over to see Mom sat there with the biggest smile on her face and a mug of coffee in her hand. "Didn't want to wake you, she drove in earlier this morning," Mom explained before taking a sip of her drink.

We parted and she ruffled my already messy hair before sitting back down, "Couldn't miss seeing my brother before he was carted off for a horrific last day of school, huh?" She cocked a brow, picking up her mug.

"Very considerate," I nodded before heading over to the counter where I began preparing my breakfast. It felt nice to have another presence in the house, especially for Mom. Although I was sure she could manage, it was never definitie. That was something we all knew by now.

"I hear Avery's gone?" She said, with my back turned I could just picture that 'I knew it would happen' look on her face. Pouring out my Fruit Loops, I nodded, "Said she was off on an adventure, knowing her, that could mean anything," I said. From the looks of the house she was living in I could just picture her sunbathing by the warm blue sea in the Caribbean and in a way, I couldn't hold that against her no matter how much it was annoying that she left. Marissa could.

"Well what more do you expect? That's Avery," She sighed.

"That's exactly what your brother said," Mom shrugged, "Hey, what are you going to do? She's always been a wild child. Gotta just let her do what she feels she needs to do, then maybe she'll come home."

I doubted that, Avery seemed pretty settled (settled in a Avery fashion). I took my bowl and headed to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down, "Yeah, I guess," I lied. I looked up, exchanging that look with Marissa that assured that we were both thinking the same thing. I took a bite of my cereal and listened as the conversation drifted into a less serious topic; Marissa's new job, her annoying roommate who keeps leaving her dirty clothes around the place, how she went on a date with a politician, the usual.

It was nice having Marissa here. It felt like home again. Me, her and Mom. The only missing people here were Avery and Dad. I could remember the last Christmas that we were all together, I was nine years old and I remember that Avery was extremely quiet. Then I remember shouting and Mom crying a lot. It was like a Soap Opera, how the big climax just explodes on Christmas Day causing the audience to sit on the edge of their seat. Well that was our Christmas. Before Mom began drinking, before Avery kept running away, before I never saw Dad again.

Blocking the memory from my mind, I finished my cereal and got ready for the rest of the day, a hopeful smile on my face.

The ending of a Christmas year at school was like the end of some great and terrible war, people went crazy and people fled the school as if freedom was their middle name. The entire day, though, was quite a breeze. The work was most fun practical stuff for instance in Science we attempted to make galaxy looking goo and in English, wrote a short poem about Winter. And I was kinda left feeling a lot more happier than before the week began.

Sat with Noah in the canteen, we ate as we enjoyed the last two periods with no lessons. He sat reading 'The Virgin Suicides' quietly and I enjoyed my warm hot chocolate, watching his beautiful face as his nose crinkled, his concentration and focus on the book.

"There he is!" A voice squealed from beside me as Kathy appeared, placing herself beside me, accompanied by her friends, "My prom date!"

I swiped the chocolate from my lips and looked around me, before looking at Kathy, "Oh... um... hi?"