Butterfly Kisses

School Morning

Joey's P. O. V.

I woke up, confused to see the sun peeking through the curtains. It was Friday morning, which meant I had a full morning of classes and then work straight after. I glanced at the clock which was on the dresser and nearly bit my tongue in half as I realized the time!

It was 6:45, and my first class was at 8:00. My aunt lived thirty minutes away from the school, and it was even farther from my brother's house. I would have time for a quick shower, but nothing else, and I'd have to hustle!

I grabbed a change of clothes and my showering supplies and rushed to the bathroom. I quickly rinsed and washed my body and hair. Seven minutes later had me struggling into my skinny jeans and my short sleeves T-shirt. I practically ran to my bedroom, sliding on my socks and shoes while I grabbed my wallet, keys, and phone.

I stampeded down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants, tugging my hoodie over my head as I went. Steven poked his head around the kitchen corner, a concerned look on his face as he saw me in such a flustered state at 7:00 in the morning.

"Joey, what's going on?" Steven frowned.

"I'm going to be late for class!" I explained, swinging my backpack into place.

"We were planning to drive you," Steven arched an eyebrow. "You and Theo go to schools in the same area that I work, so I'll be dropping you off most morning. Did you really think we'd make you walk?"

"My Aunt did. She said it was good exercise," I shifted uneasily.

Steven's facial muscles twitched, but he had amazing control so they didn't betray his feelings.

"Well, we are not going to make you walk forty five minutes to school. Come on, we're making breakfast," Steven finally sighed.

I blinked as Steven and Chris easily moved around each other as they got breakfast together. Steven was simultaneously cooking bacon and eggs in different pans, Chris was buttering toast, and Jay was quickly bagging lunches and writing our names down the side in sharpie. Theo was making four huge thermoses of coffee and keeping an eye on the blender that was going full force with some kind of green drink.

"Okay, breakfast is served!" Steve announced as he divided the serving portions up onto five plates.

"What about Michael?" I asked, sliding into the bench.

"Oh, he leaves around 6:30 to get to work on time," Chris explained.

I nodded and then shoved a forkful of egg into my mouth. My plate held two fried eggs, a piece of toast, and two pieces of bacon. Theo's plate had an additional piece of toast, as did Steven's, but Jay and Chris each had three eggs, four pieces of bacon, and three pieces of toast. We had the option of orange juice, milk, or coffee, and I was surprised to see them all opt for coffee even though they all had towering traveling cups to take with them.

After we quickly cleaned up, Theo went to get his school bag and everyone split off to do their own thing. Jay hopped on his beautiful motorcycle, while Chris drove off in his old Ford pickup that was half rusted apart. Steven had a Civic Honda, and it was sleek and beautiful.

"Alright, I'll see you at lunch, Theo," Steven smiled at his younger brother after our twenty minute drive.

"See you," Theo agreed, turning and heading toward his school.

"So you need a ride home?" Steven asked, looking at me through his rear view mirror.

"No, I have work after," I declined. "It'll cut my walking time down to 20 minutes or so, which won't be too bad."