Dwayne's Middle School Days

Chapter 18

We pulled into a Subway that's like down the street from a Walmart.

"Can we get cookies from here?" JD asked. "I really love their cookies."

"Sure, I can buy each of us two cookies." Grandma answered unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Yay!"

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We sat a table for four and Grandma placed the tray full of our food down. The smell made my stomach grumble loudly and my appetite grew. I looked over and Ricky still had a mean look on his face. I think he's still holding that grudge. Poor Ricky.

"Thank you for the lunch, Grandma." JD said with his mouthful.

"You're welcome sweetie, and don't chew with your mouthful."

JD  swallowed his chewed up sub. "Sorry."

Grandma noticed me brushing my hair away from my face every minute. "I think you need a haircut Dwayne."

Here we go again. "I don't want a haircut." I said.

"I mean they could just cut the front of your head a little shorter so it won't be in your face as much."

"It's fine the way it is."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Whatever makes you happy."

I looked over at Grandma's left side. "Ricky, you still mad?" I asked Ricky who was playing with his sandwich.

"Leave me alone." Ricky answered quietly and in a very mean tone.

"Boy, you better eat that sub. This whole thing costed almost $20." Grandma declared. Ricky took a small bite of his sub and continued looking at it. "Look we're still gonna go to Walmart and buy you a new football."

"But that was my only football." Ricky trembled sadly.

"Ricky I'm sorry but I think all footballs are the same. Once we buy another you're gonna love it like it's still your old one. Heck, it might throw farther."

Ricky thought about and his face brightened a little. "Okay I guess." He said as he picked up his sandwich and ate it normally.

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We entered the front door of our house and settled back in. That was the most relaxing few hours I ever had in a while. I stretched and headed upstairs to my room.

"Hey Dwayne," Grandma called me, "does Lucille usually nap around this time?"

"I think so." I answered.

Grandma took Lucille out of her car seat and handed her to me. "Good. So while you're going up there you can put her down for a nap."

"Ok." I said while walking upstairs. I went to her and JD's room and placed Lucille in her crib. I'm surprised she didn't start crying, she just went straight to sleep.

Making me even more sleepy than I already am, I began to yawn and went across the hall to my room. I took off my shoes and laid on my bed about to close my eyes till I heard a loud thud next to my bed. I saw a football land under the window and Ricky entering the room.

"Grandma Vynette was right, it can throw farther than my old one." Ricky said picking up the football.

"You could've broke the window." I said.

"But I didn't, right?" I rolled my eyes and laid back down. "Aww, you're about to nap?" Ricky asked. "I was gonna ask if we could take out the mini TV from the closet and play on the Game Cube together."

"Maybe later." I mumbled. I heard Ricky sigh and sat on his bed probably fiddling with his football.

~~~~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~~~~

"Do you know if you have another game next week, Ricky?" Dad asked.

"I don't think so." Ricky answered getting out the car.

"Okay. Have fun at school boys." Dad turned down the radio. "What's the matter?"

He noticed me looking out the window with my "resting bitch face" I guess. "Just tired." I answered. I'm actually kind of nervous about going back to school thinking back to what happened after choir Wednesday. I'm not sure what's gonna happen next.

We pulled up to my school and I got out the car with my mind racing. "Have fun at school." I heard Dad say.

I waved and entered the building looking around to find either Jacqueline, Richard or Christopher. Instead, I saw Chanel walking towards me. "Hey, have you seen Richard anywhere?" She asked.

"I just got here." I answered quietly.

"Oh." Chanel mumbled.

"Did something happen?"

"No, I just need to ask him something that's really important."

Richard and Jacqueline walked up a few moments later. "Hey baby I was looking for you." Richard said.

Chanel quickly turned around. "I was looking for you, too. I have something really important to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Can I copy your math homework?"

Richard face changed and he sighed loudly. "Sure."

"Hi." Jacqueline came up and hugged me.

"Hey." I greeted back.

"So how you've been lately?"

Why does she have to create small talk? I hate small talk. But I answered anyway. "I've been alright."

"That's good." Jacqueline said smiling holding my two hands making me blush. What she's doing is a huge weakness of mine. Everytime she does this it just makes me wanna.....I can't say. "Hey, where's Chris?" Jacqueline asked.

"I don't know." Richard answered. "He should be here by now."

All of a sudden Christopher came rushing in from the entrance. "My mom almost made me late." Christopher said almost out of breath.

"Why?" Chanel asked.

"Cause she decided to cook a big breakfast knowing that she still has to drive me school and get herself ready for work. And by the time we was finished we were like 10 minutes late from the usual time we get out of the house. So I literally had to rush myself and her to get ready before school starts."

"Well at least she was trying to be nice." Jacqueline said.

"But her niceness almost made me late." Christopher grumbled.

"Well you're here now and the bell hasn't rung yet. So stop complaining." I said to him. Christopher made a face at me and we both laughed. The warning bell rang which means as always, it's time to get to class. "See ya'll at lunch and Richard I'll see you in third period." I said walking away with Jacqueline.

"See you there." Richard said.