Of course, Thomas was just as excited about starting school as the rest of them. It was a great milestone in his life, and he was very well aware of that. He had gone through the same stages of incredulity, anxiety, and enthusiasm as everyone else did.
But it was just too early in the morning.
Thomas was surrounded by robots; they were all completely functional the very instant they turned on. One minute, they’re asleep and the next, their ready to run a marathon. Twice.
It was sickening, really.
It should have been a crime to be so chipper in the morning while the rest of the world suffered. Rosalina once told him that morning people weren’t weird, only outnumbered. If that were the case, then Thomas must have been one unfortunate fellow to be surrounded by this supposed minority of oddities known as morning people.
“Hurry up, Thomas!” Cooper called from outside his house.
It was bad enough that they were shouting outside, causing an enormous racket. One of them was also calling his phone and Rosalina was honking that obnoxious horn. Thomas swore to himself that he would trash that car one day.
But not today. Slowly, but surely, Thomas threw on some jeans and a shirt, washed up, grabbed his bag, and trudged out the door.
“It’s about time,” Alex whined.
A forced grunt was Thomas’ only response.
“Just leave him alone for a bit. He’ll wake up before we get there.” Rosalina glanced back from the driver’s seat. “You guys all buckled up?”
“Yes, mom,” the boys chorused with devious looks on their faces.
She rolled her eyes and began to pull away from the curb. The instant she shifted gears, all of the boys with the exception of Cooper and Nat started to scream at the top of their lungs while shouting, “We’re al going to die!”
Rosalina switched back to park and threw her hands up in the air. “Do you guys want me to drive you or not?”
Each of them plastered innocent smiles on their faces.
“I thought so. You know, I could just let you all walk.”
“Yeah. That’s so much dorkier than hitching a ride in your stylish mini-van.”
“Shush!” she held her hand up. “It’s not my fault that my dad got me a mini-van. It’s better than having no car at all.”
“Hey, guys, can we just get going? I want to be there early.”
“You always want to be early, Cooper.”
“Okay,” Rosalina sighed. “Let’s go, but not a word from any of you. Promise?”
“We promise,” they chimed like a group of children.
Rosalina rolled her eyes and began the steady drive to their newly renovated school. “How do I put up with you guys?” she sighed, speaking to no one in particular.
“You know you like it, Rosalina,” Nat teased.
He had been grinning the whole time. No matter how obnoxious the guys behaved and how annoyed Rosalina pretended to be, Nat knew that she loved it all. Everyone really was grateful that Rosalina could give them rides, and they often wondered if they should be nicer to her.
But this way was just too much fun.
“Alright, guys. We’re here. Get your stuff.”
Everyone grabbed their bags and marched towards the door of the shiny, new Amigos Combination School. They found it a bit strange to see elementary school kids walking amongst the high school students with middle school kids scattered between them. It was sort of nice, though. Now, there was nothing stopping them from spending every free second of their time with each other.
Well, almost nothing.
Within minutes of walking through the door, Alex caught sight of Juanita and bolted off, promising to meet everyone during lunch. They smiled at their young friend’s energy and enthusiasm, remembering the days when they used to be the same way.
But now they were all in high school, forced to go through the same monotonous routine day-in and day-out for the next nine months. Suddenly, the boys weren’t feeling so excited. They felt small, almost insignificant, caught in the climax of their school’s educational system. They had become so entranced by their thoughts that they hadn’t realized that Rosalina was speaking to them.
“…and good luck finding all of your classes. I would try to help you out, but the whole school’s been renovated, so I’ll be as lost as the rest of you. I could probably tell you guys about your teachers later, though. I have something to do before class starts, and the high school classes are all the way across campus, so I’ll meet you all at lunch!”
“Wait!” Nat said, grabbing her hand before she could run off. “Where are we going to meet for lunch? I know the school’s going to try to keep it normal for us, but we can’t guarantee that. Is there any place we can eat without getting mobbed?”
She took a quick second to think. “I know a place. I’ll see you at your lockers at the start of lunch and I’ll take you there. I really have to go now. Bye!”
Rosalina waved as she walked off cheerfully, leaving the boys to wallow in their stupor. They were so dumbfounded by the very thought of high school and yet Rosalina walked through the halls proudly, as if she knew the school like the back of her hand.
It was strange for the boys. Normally, Rosalina was the odd one out, being both the oldest and the only girl in the band. Now, it felt as if they were the ones out of place.
“Hey, Nat. You still in there?” Cooper was waving his hand in front of Nat’s face. He had been staring blankly into space.
“Yeah. It’s just this high school thing. I don’t know if-“
“Oh yeah!” Rosalina appeared from nowhere, taking the boys completely off guard. “I forgot something.” She glanced around her to make sure not too many people were around and gave Nat a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll see you later,” she said with a slight blush.
“Right,” Nat managed to sputter.
Qaasim nudged Nat playfully with his elbow. “So what were you saying about high school, Nat?”
He looked at them, his trademark goofy grin stretching across his face. “I think it’ll be a fun year.”
