The Girl Who Wore Jordans

Chapter Six

 Chapter Six

       “Mom! I’m home!” I yelled, slamming the door behind me, and kicking my shoes off at the landing below the stairs.

       “In the kitchen!” she called back. Of course she was…

       My mom loved cooking, baking, and anything that had to do with the culinary arts. One wouldn’t guess that she loves the kitchen as much as she does based on her slim figure, but she was blessed with an incredibly high metabolism, and works out a good amount.

       The good thing about my mom baking and cooking was that I liked eating. Scratch that - I loved eating. I loved food. Junk food, steak, cookies, chicken, pasta, pizza, I loved it all! I probably ate too much, but like my mother, I too had a high metabolism, and enjoyed playing sports more than your average ten year old boy, so calories didn’t matter to me. The only thing I didn’t put into my body was soda. It was gross, and terrible for your teeth and body. I wasn't a huge fan of coffee, either, for that matter, though my mom lived on the stuff. Oh well.

       “Hey!” I said, the aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted into my nostrils. 

       “Hi! How was your first day of school?” she asked eagerly.

       “Good…” I said truthfully. I lied to people, but it was still good. Alice was nice, and I discovered that Lauren and Tara were the type of girls that I wouldn’t mind hacking apart with a machete. Eric was in all of my classes, as was Alice, and both proved to be moderately intelligent. I didn’t see Dylan all day, and when I asked why Dylan wasn’t someone I should talk to, both Tara and Lauren strayed away from giving a real answer.

       “That’s great! How’d you get home?” she asked.

       “Uh… some friends drove me home,” I said, not fully comfortable with using the word “friends” just yet to describe Alice, Tara, or Lauren.

       “Really? What sports?”

       “Texting,” I said.

       “Cute. Really, what sports do they play?”

       “Hair straightening,” I replied.

       “Are you’re new friends… gay?” she asked skeptically.

       “No. They don’t play sports, unless you consider shopping a sport,” I said.

       “Elizabeth Turner, are you implying that you made some friends who aren’t boys?” she asked.

       “Yes,” I said.

       “Ah! Yay! I’m so proud of you!” she said, her oven mitt clad hands embracing me in a bone-crushingly affectionate hug.

       “Thanks…” I said awkwardly, escaping her tight grip.

       “I can’t wait to meet them! Where are you going?” she said as I began to walk away from the kitchen.

       “To my room,” I answered, “to change.”

       “Why? You look so pretty like this!”

       “Great. I’m going to the gym, can I borrow your car?” I asked, mid way down the hallway.

       “The gym? Why do you need my car?” she called, after I had already entered my room. I dropped my bag on the floor, not caring if the contents got damaged.

       “Because I don’t have a car,” I yelled, changing into a pair of black basketball shorts and a white T-shirt. So much comfier than a stupid skirt. I slipped on socks, and a pair of black Jordans.