Flipped

Chapter 11- Secrets Revealed

Rose

The next morning I wake up an hour before I usually do. It isn't difficult, even though I hardly slept last night. Every nerve in my body is awake with excitement.

So, no surprise, I am dressed and ready to go before Sam has even gotten out of bed, and spend a good twenty minutes just waiting for him to wake up. I can't help it. Today is the day we're presenting our character blocks in art class.

"Oh my god, get up you lazy ass!" I finally shout after bouncing in place on my bed for ten minutes.

Sam groans and rolls over to look at his alarm clock. "Rose, it's barely 7:30," he complains.

"I know, and school starts in half an hour. Now get up!" I hit him with a pillow.

He throws it right back at me. "It takes me ten minutes to get ready and five minutes to walk there. Even I can do enough math to know that I have a good fifteen minutes left of leave me the fuck alone."

"Uggggh, come on Sam. I'm presenting my first serious art project today, and I have to make sure that it's perfect." For effect, I start listing off what I need to do. "I have to double check my paint and make sure there's not a single missed spot, I need to redo some of my older bold outlines so the pictures stand out, I have to—"

Sam makes a sound like a dying grizzly bear and puts a pillow over his head to block me out. "Then go without me," I hear his muffled voice groan underneath. "For the love of god, just go without me."

That command makes me stop dead. My first thought is, Walk to school without him? But....we always walk together. It's what we do.

Almost immediately, however, I realize I'm being silly. Of course I can walk to school without my brother! I walked home without him yesterday, after all. And what, am I supposed to put my life on hold just because the guy doesn't want to get his ass out of bed? I have shit to do.

"Okay," I respond simply before turning on my heel and leaving. I don't look back to see his reaction to my quick exit, if he has one at all. He probably just went back to sleep, anyway.

"Bye Mom," I say as I pass her through the kitchen.

"Oh, you guys are leaving already?" she asks before turning around to see that I'm by myself. She looks confused. "Where's your sister?"

"She isn't ready yet, and I really need to get to school and prepare my art project for today's presentation."

"Oh..." She frowns and eyes me suspiciously, as if she thinks I'm lying.

I try not to let my annoyance show. Is it honestly so hard to believe that Sam and I can walk somewhere separately? Man, we really need to stop being so codependent.

"Well, alright then." Mom says at last. "See you after school."

"Bye."

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The art room is packed this morning, with my class as well as students from other class periods putting finishing touches on their character blocks. Paint already splatters Miss Vaughn's nice clean tables, which makes me a bit annoyed on her behalf. She probably had to open her door half an hour early this morning just to accommodate everyone's last minute preparations.

But as always, our art teacher is warm and inviting to us all.

"Morning George!" she greets me kindly from where she kneels on the floor, cleaning up someone's spilled paint mess.

I immediately set down my backpack, grab some paper towels and rush over to help her, dodging bodies between every table.

"Oh, thank you so much, hon," Miss Vaughn says gratefully. "Ugh, this place is a zoo this morning! Presentation day and all." A few tables away, someone knocks over another paint bottle and leaves the small red puddle to spread across the tile.