Status: Finished
Comfort
New Friends
At 6:00 a.m. I woke up to Shane hovering over me. “Mama!’ “Yeah?” “I have photos....today.” He gave me his nervous smile, the one that lifted up just one side of his mouth. “Picture day? You have picture day today?” I groaned. “Is the form in your backpack?” He nodded. “Ms. Kane...gave it to...me.”
When we got downstairs Shane handed me the form, which I already knew what to do with. I ordered him the necessary amount of pictures and signed everything. “Shane, baby, get me a check please.” Mom always leaves me a stack of checks in case I need them. I can forge both her and Dad’s signatures flawlessly, but I swear I never use them for anything bad. “Okay, put this in your back pack and be sure to hand it into Ms. Kane today.” “Okay Mama.” “Bree.” But Shane never seemed to hear me correct him.
After that minor fiasco I put Shane back to bed and got ready for school. I knew my parents would wake Shane up, because obviously I can’t. Navy was dozing in her seat on the bus. I sat next to her, smiling. Even if she wasn’t my type, I had to admit Navy was cute, kind of like an anime girl. The large eyes and black hair only made the similarities more obvious. Her fingers twitched as she dreamed. “Navy. Navy, get up.” She flinched and opened her eyes, instinctively raising an arm to protect herself. “It’s just Bree.” I smiled and lowered her hands. “I thought you should wake up before we get to school.” “Thanks.”
Navy yawned, and for a second I thought she was going back to sleep. Instead, she asked me a question. “When does the Drama Club start?” I was immediately excited. “Actually, auditions are after school today! You should join, I’m already in it. I do props and makeup. What would you do?” Navy’s eyes lit up. “You’re in Drama? I’ll have someone to talk to then. And I’ll act.” “Did you do acting in your old school?” “Uh, we had a small Drama Club, but I still performed.” Her face darkened. “Well, I really hope you’ll like this one,” I told her as we stepped off the bus. “I hope so too,” she said quietly.
Before first block, while I walked through the hallway with Navy, my cell phone rang. I would’ve ignored it, except it was my house number and Shane would still be home. “Hello?” There was screaming in the background. “Bree, honey, where’s Shane’s backpack?! I can’t find it and he’s being bad!” I could hear my father’s voice, shouting, “Shut up! Shut up now!” “Behind the couch, but can I talk to Shane? I can calm him down, reassure-” “Thanks honey, bye.”
My mom hung up on me quickly, and I felt my hands clench around the phone. Neither of them had any idea what to do with Shane, how he worked. They wouldn’t even let me help him sometimes, they wanted a ‘normal’ kid they could understand. Navy didn’t make a sound when I turned to her with a forced smile. “Sorry, just a family thing. Now run, we’ve got to get to class!”
Once more I had to leave Navy behind in Free Period, her whole body screaming loneliness. I’d never met someone whose emotions showed so clearly. When I came back to her after Architecture she grinned and got happy again. “So we have Drama now? Do I need to learn any lines?” I smiled, leading her up to our lockers. “Drama will start at three, and they’ll be giving you a script to read off of.” “What play are we doing?”
I shrugged, because even though I did know the answer, it was supposed to be a secret until Drama really began. “Until it starts you can hang out with me, kay? I’ll show you some of the school.” “You really don’t mind being with me?” Her voice was so shocked I stopped and looked back at her. “Well, no. Of course not.” “Thanks.” I had a sudden thought to help her. “How about we go visit some of my friends?” “I won’t be bothering them?” What was up with her? “Why would you be?” “I dunno.” I sighed and pointed her down a hallway.
When we got downstairs Shane handed me the form, which I already knew what to do with. I ordered him the necessary amount of pictures and signed everything. “Shane, baby, get me a check please.” Mom always leaves me a stack of checks in case I need them. I can forge both her and Dad’s signatures flawlessly, but I swear I never use them for anything bad. “Okay, put this in your back pack and be sure to hand it into Ms. Kane today.” “Okay Mama.” “Bree.” But Shane never seemed to hear me correct him.
After that minor fiasco I put Shane back to bed and got ready for school. I knew my parents would wake Shane up, because obviously I can’t. Navy was dozing in her seat on the bus. I sat next to her, smiling. Even if she wasn’t my type, I had to admit Navy was cute, kind of like an anime girl. The large eyes and black hair only made the similarities more obvious. Her fingers twitched as she dreamed. “Navy. Navy, get up.” She flinched and opened her eyes, instinctively raising an arm to protect herself. “It’s just Bree.” I smiled and lowered her hands. “I thought you should wake up before we get to school.” “Thanks.”
Navy yawned, and for a second I thought she was going back to sleep. Instead, she asked me a question. “When does the Drama Club start?” I was immediately excited. “Actually, auditions are after school today! You should join, I’m already in it. I do props and makeup. What would you do?” Navy’s eyes lit up. “You’re in Drama? I’ll have someone to talk to then. And I’ll act.” “Did you do acting in your old school?” “Uh, we had a small Drama Club, but I still performed.” Her face darkened. “Well, I really hope you’ll like this one,” I told her as we stepped off the bus. “I hope so too,” she said quietly.
Before first block, while I walked through the hallway with Navy, my cell phone rang. I would’ve ignored it, except it was my house number and Shane would still be home. “Hello?” There was screaming in the background. “Bree, honey, where’s Shane’s backpack?! I can’t find it and he’s being bad!” I could hear my father’s voice, shouting, “Shut up! Shut up now!” “Behind the couch, but can I talk to Shane? I can calm him down, reassure-” “Thanks honey, bye.”
My mom hung up on me quickly, and I felt my hands clench around the phone. Neither of them had any idea what to do with Shane, how he worked. They wouldn’t even let me help him sometimes, they wanted a ‘normal’ kid they could understand. Navy didn’t make a sound when I turned to her with a forced smile. “Sorry, just a family thing. Now run, we’ve got to get to class!”
Once more I had to leave Navy behind in Free Period, her whole body screaming loneliness. I’d never met someone whose emotions showed so clearly. When I came back to her after Architecture she grinned and got happy again. “So we have Drama now? Do I need to learn any lines?” I smiled, leading her up to our lockers. “Drama will start at three, and they’ll be giving you a script to read off of.” “What play are we doing?”
I shrugged, because even though I did know the answer, it was supposed to be a secret until Drama really began. “Until it starts you can hang out with me, kay? I’ll show you some of the school.” “You really don’t mind being with me?” Her voice was so shocked I stopped and looked back at her. “Well, no. Of course not.” “Thanks.” I had a sudden thought to help her. “How about we go visit some of my friends?” “I won’t be bothering them?” What was up with her? “Why would you be?” “I dunno.” I sighed and pointed her down a hallway.