“Mitch, get up!”

I groaned as my older sister started beating me with a pillow; I knew it was Friday, but I still didn’t wanna go to school.

Eventually she threatened to get mom, so I sat up; she walked away talking about how annoying I was and slammed my door. She’s such a nice person! I love her!

Anyways, I got up and started getting dressed; I grabbed my favorite beanie out of my beanie basket and put it on without bothering to brush my hair. 

I was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, I think. I’m pretty sure it was the hoodie that had my favorite show—Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse—on it. Not that it really matters. All I know is that I got downstairs and had to say hi to mom.

“Matthew.” 

Oh, she’s moody today. Great. I thought to myself as I grinned at her.

“Morning Mama! Have a great day!”

I ran out of the house as fast as I could, ignoring how she yelled for me; when I got outside, I realized my friends were already out there, waiting for me.

My best friends in the whole world are four people: Alex, Rain, Sarah, and Elliot. Of course, I give them nicknames, but I’ll bring those up as we go. 

Alex and Rain are twins; Alex is the older Grumpypants Mcgee while Rain is our resident Sunshine Baby. I’ve know them since kindergarten, and through…hard times, too. Sarah is the Mom Friend who always has our backs, even before we know we need her; we met her a few years ago at this gym thing. 

Unfortunately, Sarah goes to another school, and Elliot–or, Eli, that’s what he prefers…well…he actually lives in another state. We met him online a while back, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. He and I actually have the same birthday—we’re only two minutes apart! So we’re twins but not by blood. He always says “someone mixed something up, up there.” 

Anyways—Rain and Alex were waiting outside for me; Rain waved with all her peppiness while Alex gave one of his barely-noticeable half smiles. I almost fell down the steps waving back to them; Alex groaned while Rain ran over in a panic.

“Are you okay, Mitchie?!” 

She’s been calling me that since kindergarten. Never gets old.

“Yeah, I’m good!” I flash her a grin and throw an arm around her shoulders. “How’s my favorite duo this mornin’?”

“Fine.” Alex grumbled, looking at his phone.

“We got in trouble for talking to Elliot again,” Rain deflated as she talked. “They still think he’s an internet creep.”

“Blegh, really?” I shook my head. “They’re the weirdos for thinking that.”

My parents and their guardians are…not the brightest, to be honest. They’re waaaaaaaay overprotective, even though we all turned 18 this year—we barely got them to let us have our phones at all times! And they still take them away as much as they can!

“I can’t wait to move out,” Alex said it before I could; he shoved his phone into his pocket as we started walking.

“Hey, one more week of this crap and we’re done!” I grinned at him and threw my arm around his shoulders as well.

“Yeah, and then you’ll have no excuse to not have a job.” He rolled his eyes at me and shoved me off.

“I’ll find a way!” I flicked the back of his head. “I always do!”

I’d passed my classes, after all; nobody knows how I did it, not even me!

“Ooooh, maybe we can get a job with Muffin!” Rain referenced Sarah; that’s the nickname we gave Sarah cause she loves sweets so much. “Do you think Chickie-D’s is hiring?”

Sarah’s the only one of us with a job right now; it’s just fast food, but hey, she has money!

“I dunno, maybe—?”

“Have you seen the druggies that hang out there?” Alex practically growled. “Both of you would get in some shady van if they promised you candy and get kidnapped.”

I didn’t have a good argument for that; when I used to walk my dog, that exact thing almost happened once. But it was five years ago! And Alex beat the guy up, so it doesn’t matter!

Either way, he wasn’t wrong about the druggies…

I tried to steer the topic in another direction. “How’d you guys sleep last night?”

“I didn’t.” My blondest of blonde boys grumbled; I wasn’t all that surprised.

“I slept fine,” Rain replied. “What about you?”

“Eh, some weird dreams. That’s about it.”

“Did you have the bathtub dream again?”

“Nah, one where I was, like, some prince? And you guys were there too. I think? We all had different names…”

“If you were prince of anything, I’d fucking leave.” Alex smirked.

“You’d love me! Everyone would get churros!”

“And then a war would break out.”

I miss the simple arguments we used to have. I miss those simple walks to school. Hell, I’d go so far as to say I almost miss school, if only because it was, again, simple and repetitive.