Life Sentence | Harry Bingham

-One

Tiny warm hands wrapped around my legs, a cheek laying against the back of my thighs, catching my attention. I looked away from the crowd of parents and siblings hugging their loved ones to turn around, looking down at the small human being who grasped my leg, looking up at me with big brown doe eyes. It was my five-year-old sister who had a frown attached on her chapped lips. "I'm going to miss you." She whispered.

I looked up to see my mom coming towards me, her arms crossed across her chest, looking down at my sister with a sigh.

"I'm just gonna be gone a week," I ran my fingers through her long soft brown hair that traveled down her back, swaying side to side as she ran. "I promise, I'll be back." I gave her a soft smile and she gave me one back, her eyes shining with happiness.

She stuck out her pinky. "Pinky promise?" Her wide eyes and bright smile made me laugh as I wrapped my own pinky around her small one.

My mom came up right behind my baby sister, picking her up from her waist and putting Bella on her hip. "It's good you're leaving right when the smell comes back." My mom said, laying Bella's head on her shoulder. I nodded, taking notice of the smell that lingered in West Ham that every resident has become familiar with.

My mom sighed, placing her free hand on my shoulder, rubbing at it slightly. "You have fun, okay? Don't start any forest fires with your smoking habit," She rolled her eyes, knowing well that she has one of her own. "And don't cause any trouble." She brought me into her embrace, her warmth engulfing me. "I'm gonna miss you." She caressed the back of my head.

"I'm gonna miss you too." I hugged her back as tight, like as if this was gonna be the last time I was gonna see her.

"Okay, go!" My mother lightly pushed me back, giving me a big smile. "Before the bus leaves without you." I leaned down, grabbing my bag from the floor and slinging it over my shoulder. Bella waved bye at me enthusiastically and I waved back, jogging towards the buses filled with teens who all yelled and laughed with exhilaration. I grabbed a seat by the window, placing my bag down beside my leg and looked out the window to my mom and sister. I had a deeply unsettling feeling when I looked at them, suddenly feeling miserable, but I waved it off as I was gonna miss them for the week I was gonna be gone.

Becca, one of my best friends sat beside me with her own smile and Sam, who was deaf and also our other best friend, sat behind us with another girl who was talking to her own friends.

"You excited?" I signed to Sam and spoke to Becca at the same time. The bus lurched forward and started moving and everyone in the bus cheered, some even hanging their heads out the window, waving bye to their parents for the last time until this week was over.

Sam and Becca nodded and soon, we started our conversations that lasted throughout the what seemed like endless hours until eventually everyone in the bus fell asleep with rain lightly hitting our windows. I laid my head on the bus window and Becca laid her head on my shoulder.

Three hours went by until I heard brakes squeaking and the bus fully stopped. The lights turned on and everyone lightly groaned, rubbing at their eyes as we all woke up. I sat up straight, looking out the bus window expecting to see trees and endless land filled with grass and dirt, but instead, I was met with a foggy window with rain streaks. I wiped at the window and that's when I saw that we were back home at West Ham. I shook Becca's shoulder.

"Change of plans!" The bus driver yelled back at us. "Rock slides, the road is closed. You're back home." Everyone on the bus groaned louder with disappointment.

"I think we're back home." Becca signed to Sam who frowned.

"You think so?" Sam whispered and Becca nodded, placing a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.