Wanders

Chapter 3

As the strawberry sky rises starting a new day and the cool of the night recedes back into the trees, I am awakened by my small little brother running in my room in his Spider-Man pajamas screaming, " I'm 6 I'm 6!"
Charley is the shortest kid in his kindergarten class. He has brown hair that reaches all the way down to his eyebrows, anytime mom asked to cut it he would refuse and run away screaming about how he needed it. Charley has blue eyes and is the greatest artist ever, well for a 6 year old.
  Birthday boy had requested blueberry pancakes. I felt bad but I had no time to sit and eat. I needed to see if I could catch a glimpse of wander boy before school. I grabbed a pancake off the tall stack and ran out the door yelling a quick bye and patting Charley on the head.
  We're in late March now and my legs match more of a winter tone then they resemble the warm, sunny days we've had. Less than a month of school left, I'm acing all my classes and I've missed 4 days. If I wanted to I could probably skip the last couple weeks of school.
  I'm almost to school when I catch a glimpse of him. He's laying on his back under a tree. While i'm thinking of ways I could sneak up on him and blurt out many questions I have, he notices me standing there in the middle of the street in my skinny jeans and red converse. First thought that comes to my mind is to run.
  I abandon my bookbag on the sidewalk across the street and chase after wander boy.
When I was little my mother used to read me stories. Tortoise and the Hare was one I really remember because Charley would always yell out, "Let's race Finn!" And then proceed to pull my arm pulling me off the couch and pushing me to run. He'd run in slow motion while chanting, "Slow and steady wins the race!"
  In this situation that was not the case. The rabbit beats the tortoise today, and always.

  Sitting under the tree wander boy once occupied I think of ways I could catch him and talk to him. Something I needed to build up was my endurance, maybe after then I could finally catch him? I hate this mystery of not knowing who he is and what he wants. The school bell ringing drags me out of my thoughts and in panic I jump up grabbing my bookbag and racing to school. A tardy pass won't be too bad.

  The day drags on slow and steady. I listen to Eli talk about this new band she likes and Matthew talks about how he's got the whole football team convinced he's straight. I forgot to mention that part. Matthew is as straight as a circle and he's head over heals for the drummer boy in band class whose name is Oakley.
Oakley is a wallflower. The only reason he's not in our little "clique" is because Matthew doesn't want his secret lover from a far apart of this. How else would he drool about him all day? Matthew always goes on about Oakley's baby blue eyes and curly blonde hair. Today he talked about how Oakley is joining the track team and-
that makes me think of something. Matthew is the best on the track team. Fastest mile runner and best hurdler. Maybe if I told him about wander boy he'd help.
"Guys", I break Matthew out of his rant and they both look at me.
  "Meeting tonight, at the park. Its important." I say getting up out of my seat and leaving them.