Chapter 2 Five Kids

A WEEK AGO . . .

SAMSON

Samson woke up from his deep sleep thanks to the persistent ringing of his alarm clock. He rolled around on his bed, not wanting to respond to the call so he pushed the clock off his nightstand and it fell to the floor. Samson covered himself up with his blanket and went back to sleep only to be suddenly forced awake by his little brother Jamie, who jumped on top of him in an attempt to wake him up. "Wake up, Sam. Wake up! It's time for school. Mom's already made breakfast and I need you to drop me off at my school." Jamie said in his innocent, adorable little voice. "Get off me, Jamie. It's the last day of school before the holidays. We don't need to go early so leave me be." Samson said and tried to sleep again. "Let's go, Sam." Jamie cried out and gave Samson a smackdown, landing hard on his belly. "Oh, that hurts!" Samson said in playful anger. "You want to wrestle, little man? Let's do it then, come on." Samson said and picked up his little brother and threw him over the bed and began tickling him. "Stop it Sam!" Jamie said while laughing. "If you want me to stop, you have to tap out and admit defeat," Samson said playfully. "Fine, I give up," Jamie said and tapped the bed with his hand. Suddenly, their mother walked into the room, looking very serious. "Enough of that Sam. Get downstairs the two of you and get ready for school." Their mom said, sounding a bit angry. "You better get going little man," Samson told his brother who hurried off and went downstairs. "And what about you?" She asked him. "I'll be down in a second Ma. Jeez!" He said with sarcasm and a little disrespect. "Hurry up. You have to take your brother to school and I have an early shift at the clinic." She said and left the room. Samson rolled over to the side of his bed and unplugged his phone from the charging port and began texting his friends on their group chat. "Morning guys, 🥱" He wrote in a text, "Crazy morning here at home. Wouldn't be coming to school today if it wasn't the last time I'll be seeing your ugly faces this year." "Very funny." Another person with the name tag 'Nelly' typed. "How's your morning going?" Samson asked. "Not so great either."

NELLY

Nelly was the youngest of his group of friends at just sixteen years old while Samson was the oldest at eighteen. Just like Samson, he lived with his single mom and his sick, old grandfather. His dad abandoned them when he was still very little and he had no siblings. Nelly was at the breakfast table, texting his friends on his phone while having his meal while his mother was scrambling all over the place looking for something. Nelly put down the phone to enquire what she was so worked up about. "What are you looking for, Mom?" "Your Pop's medication. I left them on the kitchen counter but I can't seem to find them anymore." Nelly looked at the table where he was eating from and pointed at some medicine containers. "This medication right here on the table?" He asked his mother with a little arrogance. "How did I not see that?" She asked and put her palm on her head. She walked over to the table and grabbed the medication and took it to her dad who seemed to be in a vegetative-like state but not entirely. "Here Dad! Time to take your medicine." She said and gave him his drugs to take and some water to swallow with. "You need to take a break Mom. You're working way too hard and you need to just relax a little." Nelly said to her. He had the best of intentions but was a little unrealistic. "Oh sure. I'll take a nice long break, maybe go to the salon to get a haircut and do my nails and all our bills will just magically pay themselves." She said sarcastically. "You don't have to yell at me Mom, I'm just trying to help," Nelly said defensively. "If you really want to help, then as soon as school closes, come straight home and look after your Pops while I work at the restaurant." She said. "When did you start working at the restaurant?" Nelly asked, recalling the last conversation they had about her working in a restaurant in the evenings and how she decided not to do it. "I start today." "You decided to take the job?" "Yes Nelly, I did. My job at the DMV doesn't earn me enough and we need the extra money so I took the job." Nelly was upset that she didn't tell him about her decision earlier and was now trying to spoil the plans he had already made with his friends. "Why do I need to come back early and watch over Pops? What about Brenda?" He asked. "I had to let her go. We cannot afford a private nurse at this moment so you're going to have to chip in a lot more around here." His mom said to him. Nelly groaned in frustration and rolled his eyes at his mother. "Can I count on you to come home and take care of your Pops?" She was more serious now. "Fine, I'll be back as soon as I can," Nelly said angrily. "Thank you. I have to go to work now so make sure you go to school so you don't miss any of the important last day announcements. I'll ask Mrs Johnson to check up on Pops while we're out." "Ok" As she got to the door, she said to her son. "See you later Nelly. I love you." "Yeah Yeah, you too Mom," he replied without even looking at her and she left.

PEACE

"You boys think your morning sucks, count yourselves lucky that you don't live in my house." Peace wrote in a text on the group chat. "Why? What's going on at your house?" Nelly asked on the chat. "Oh, nothing! Just woke up to the blissful sound of my parents arguing." She wrote. "Again?" Samson asked. "Just like always. Gotta get ready for school. See you in a few." And she went offline to prepare for her day at school today. Peace had twin younger sisters and they both looked up to her and always ran to her for comfort whenever their parents were having a fight. "Peace, Mommy and Daddy are fighting again." Jasmine, one of the twins said as they entered Peace's room. "It's okay. They're just talking. Come here!" She said to them and gestured to them to climb into her bed. They got in the bed and she held both of them with both hands. "And what do we do when Mommy and Daddy are talking?" She asked them. "Stay far away from them!" The two girls said in unison. "Exactly. And even more important, we leave the house so let's all go have our baths and get ready for school." Peace said. "We already had our bath." Lilly, the other twin said. "Really?" Peace asked and sniffed both of them, "Then how come you both smell disgusting?" She teased. "No, we don't. That smell is probably all you." Jasmine replied. Peace sniffed herself and grimaced in disgust, "Eww, you're right, I stink. Alright, let me fix you up some breakfast and I'll go take a shower. Sound good?" "Yes!" The twins said in unison again and they all went downstairs. Peace made them some toast and eggs and poured them some orange juice. The twins ate their meal and as soon as they were done, their school bus honked at the driveway. "That's the bus. Here are your lunches. And have fun, okay?" Peace said and saw them off. She watched them board the school bus and drive off. She went back inside and ate the little food that was left in the kitchen. She went back into her room and went to take her bath. She got dressed for school, wearing a short, tight skirt and a sleeveless blouse with a lot of goth make-up. As she was about to leave for school, her father came out of his bedroom and spotted her at the door. "And where do you think you're going dressed like that?" He scolded. "Dressed like what, Dad?" "Dressed like a little slut, with that short skirt and that top that's showing off all that skin." He said without curbing his tongue. "This is the way I always dress Dad." She said in defiance. "No, it isn't." He denied, oblivious to how his own daughter dressed. "Yes, it is. You're just always so busy arguing with Mom that you never notice." "You better watch the way you talk to me. I may have problems with your mother but that doesn't give you the right to disrespect me. I'm still your father." He warned her. "If you want me to respect you, then start acting like a real father. Your little girls already left for school and you didn't even see them and now, you're giving me all this BS about my clothes." "Peace! Mind your mouth." Her mother said suddenly after also coming out of the bedroom. Peace scoffed and picked up her phone from the parlor table. "You two are perfect for each other." And she left the house, slamming the door shut in anger.

JENNIFER

"Hey, assholes! What's up?" Jennifer wrote in her text and sent it to the group chat. "Well look who finally decided to get out of bed, little miss sunshine." Peace wrote. "Hey, unlike the rest of you, I need my beauty sleep." Jennifer texted back. "Unlike the rest of us, you can sleep in for as long as you want because your parents are loaded." Nelly texted. "Some people find luck, others are born with it." She wrote back. "Tell them, Babe!" Darryl, the final member of the group and Jennifer's boyfriend said in a text. "Morning handsome. Are we going to have some fun today?" She specified the question to Darryl. "Of course, gumdrop. We should all meet at the rendezvous by nine and all head to school together." Darryl wrote back. "Sure" - Peace "Alright, see you guys there" - Samson "Let's do it" - Nelly "Let me make myself all pretty for you and then I'll meet you there Babe." - Jennifer wrote to Darryl. "Sounds good babe. See you soon." "Wait! You forgot to send me a morning kiss?" Jennifer wrote to Darryl. "My Dad's screaming his head off, calling for me but here's your kiss 😘. I'll give you a real one when we see each other." He wrote on the chat. "Mhhmm, can't wait." Jennifer wrote back. "Seriously guys, right here in the group? Two letters, DM. You both make me sick." - Peace "Someone's a little jealous!" Jennifer wrote to Peace. "You wish." - Peace. Jennifer got up from her king-size bed, put on her pink silk robe and slippers, and went downstairs to begin her day. She was the MARY SUE of their little group except for the one flaw she had of always bragging about her parent's wealth and fortune. "Hey there, Señor Cookie. How'd you sleep, my little baby?" She said to her little dog which barked at her and scurried away. "It's way too early to be so rude, Cookie!" She yelled out after the dog and went to her private bathroom to take her bath. After her long bathtub soak, she finally came out of the bathroom and got dressed. She did her fancy make-up, wore skimpy, sexy clothes and red bottom heels and a really expensive Chanel purse. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long while until she was finally satisfied with what she called "Perfection". She picked up Señor Cookie and went downstairs to the living room. Her house was so large and it had so many rooms but so far, she was the only one in view. She walked over to the fridge and took out a plate of salad. She put it in the microwave to heat up and after it did, she ate a few spoonfuls and drank some orange juice, a very light meal. She was obviously one of those girls who were super sensitive about their weight. Finally, someone else was confirmed to also be in the house when her mother walked up to her. "Good morning mother." Jennifer greeted. "Good morning Jenny." Her mother said back, already dressed and ready to leave. "Where's Father?" "Oh your father already left for work but he left some money for you on the counter." Her mother informed her. "I have to go now so I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Her mother said, much to her surprise. "Tomorrow?" "Oh yes. I have a really busy schedule and I won't be back tonight." "And what about Dad, I mean Father?" Jennifer quickly changed the synonym. "He's gone on a trip and won't be back till next week." Her mother said and noticed a little bit of disappointment on Jennifer's face. "I'm sorry that we're always working so much but that's how you have everything you have. You can't have it all so you should be grateful for what you have." Her mother lectured. "I am, mother!" "That's good to hear. If you get too lonely, you can invite your little squad over but make sure you don't throw a party and remember to keep the spare key under the rug for the cleaning company." Her mother said and began walking out of the house. "Don't worry, I won't and I will." Her mother got in her car and drove off to work. Jennifer walked over to the counter and picked up the money that was left for her by her father. She counted Five Thousand Dollars and put it in her purse. "I guess it's just you and me again, Señor Cookie," Jenny said to her dog with a hint of sadness and picked him up. She carried him outside and put him in the passenger seat of her pink convertible, got in herself and drove off to school.

DARRYL

"Darryl, get down here quick. I need your help. The pipes are leaking again." His father called out to him. "I'm coming Dad" Darryl replied and went downstairs only to find his father battling with the water leakage. The ceiling was damp and water was dripping down from it. "When are we going to take care of this?" Darryl asked and handed a bucket over to his father. "We'll fix it when we fix it." His father responded and took the bucket and placed it underneath one of the leaks. "This is why I never bring my girlfriend over here. What would she think about this place?" Darryl said and pointed at the damp ceiling and the awful living conditions they were subjected to. "That's what you're thinking about? What would your little girlfriend think about your house? You better get those useless thoughts out of your mind and focus on graduating from high school so you can go to college." His father said to him and walked over to the table and picked up the keys to his pick-up truck. "I don't need to go to college, Dad," Darryl said. "Yes you do," His father said immediately, "You will go to college, you'll graduate with a degree, you'll get a good job and you'll live a good life." "How are we even going to afford college? It costs almost a fortune to study engineering in a good school." Darryl confronted. "I've been saving up for your tuition. We could also apply for a loan and you still have your job at Winston's, right?" His father asked. "Yeah, I still do." "Good. Save some of your wages for college and stop wasting it on a girl who doesn't even need it." His father lectured. Darryl's expression changed and his father noticed so he tried to be less demanding. "Darryl, I know I'm usually hard on you but that's just because I know how smart you are. You've got so much potential and I don't want to see it all go to waste. Next year will be your last year of high school and you'll be done. Just focus, alright?" "Whatever," Darryl said dryly. "No, not whatever Darryl," His father said and grabbed his arms and faced him, "You know I love you and I only want what's best for you." "If you really wanted what was best for me, you wouldn't be forcing me to do something that didn't make me happy." "And what do you think happiness is?" His father asked, his voice much louder. "You think true happiness is something you get by living in a nice fancy home or having a girlfriend at seventeen years old? True happiness is something you get from working hard and becoming successful, you stupid boy." "I guess that's why you're so miserable," Darryl said and pulled away from his father's grip, "because you've never worked hard a day in your life and you're the opposite of successful, you're wretched!" He yelled at his father. This made his Dad very angry and he punched him hard across his face and Darryl fell to the floor. He immediately regretted it and tried to apologize but Darryl looked at his father from the floor with anger and disdain. "I'm so sorry Darryl. I...I didn't mean to." He said and tried to help him up but Darryl pushed him away, got up, picked up his jacket and stormed out of the house. "Darryl, I'm sorry. Come back!" But he didn't listen and walked away. His father was angry at himself for what he had done to his only child. He sat down on the couch and stared at the hand that he had just struck his son with. He wanted to take it back but he couldn't. What's done is done. So, he got up and decided to leave for work. He went outside the house and locked the door. He looked around the street for Darryl but he was already gone so he got into his truck and drove off to the powerplant where he worked. Darryl was walking angrily to school when he heard a car honk behind him. He turned around to see who it was and a huge smile materialized on his face when he saw that it was Jennifer. "Hey, handsome! Need a ride?" She asked cutely. "Perfect timing!" He said and hopped over into the car since the top was down. "Good morning," Darryl said but Jennifer didn't reply. She just grabbed his face and gave him a hungry, wet and possessive kiss. "Looks like the morning just got better." Darryl managed to say after she finally let him go. "I missed you," Jennifer said to him. "Yeah, I can tell." He said sarcastically and wiped off some lipstick from his mouth. "Well? Shall we go pick up the rest of the gang?" Jennifer asked. "Let's!" Darryl answered. And she turned the car on and they drove off to the rendezvous point to meet the rest of their friends. "This is going to be the best last day of school ever. We're going to have so much fun."