Chris yawned, rolling over beneath the crumpled white sheets. Beeping penetrated the heavy silence, and he dragged a hand down his face. He tried to turn his back to the repetitive whine, hoping that if he ignored it long enough it would fade away.
He pressed his face into the pillows, lifting his sheets over his head as the beeping only got louder. He moaned in complaint, then felt a slight tug on his sleeve. The covers were ripped from his head, and the warm breath of his little sister washed over his face as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
"Chris. Chris! Momma left you a note. Wake up," she tugged on his sleeve again, but he shrugged her off, turning his back with a grunt, "Chris," the girl whined, tilting her head back in frustration. Then she heard the familiar wheeze of brakes, and she dragged one of the satin curtains open. "It's the bus!"
An incoherent complaint toppled from Chris's mouth as the rays of light fell across his face. Then her words swam into his groggy brain, and he cracked an eye open.
He shot up straight into a sitting position, his eyes flying open wildly, "The bus!!"
"Bye bye," his sister waved out of the window as the yellow bus chugged down the street, turning steadily around the corner.
"Lily!" Chris flung himself from the bed, grabbing the note his mother had undoubtedly left on the nightstand, "Lily, why didn't you wake me up?!"
Lily blinked slowly, "I did."
"Mom's gone on a meeting and I have to take you to class early... this is a horrible day to sleep in!" Chris nearly panicked at he looked at the clock. He had thirty minutes before class started. "Lil, go get dressed. And grab yourself some cereal!"
He ran into his closet, trying to find his school uniform. To his horror, it was missing. He dove onto his bed, rolling across it to peer underneath it. He pulled out his boots, hurling them across the room so they'd be ready when he changed. "Lily!! Have you seen my uniform?"
"Mom hung it outside to dry on the line," Lily walked past the door, holding a plate loaded with chocolate cake covered in chocolate sauce. Chris opened her mouth to tell her that cake wasn't cereal, but he closed it with a snap. No time to scold her.
He raced outside, tripping over their tiny gray cat as he practically fell out of the screen door. He cursed as the wet grass sent a chill up his spine, but stumbled towards the clothesline. He tried to avoid stepping in the mud so he wouldn't have to wash his feet before putting on his shoes.
He made it to the clothesline, and he grabbed his white shirt and gray pants from the line. There were damp and cold to the touch, wet from the rain that had bathed them the night before. He bit back a moan and snatched his tie from the line as he hopped across the lawn back to the door. He made it inside and was attacked by brutal claws down his shin as the cat meowed impatiently.
"Lily! Feed the cat!" Chris begged as he staggered towards her. She sucked on the edge of her fork, the plate of cake still in her hands. He watched in agony as she tilted the plate, allowing half of the sticky cake plop onto the floor.
Chris clenched his hands spastically as he reached at her in exasperation. Then he forced aside his anger, racing into his room to change. He grabbed a brush, tearing it through his almond hair to slick it out of his eyes. His tie had gone missing, he realized, and he slid over the counter to reach the back door where he had last had it.
The cat was curled on top of it, tiny claw marks joining the stripes on the moist tie. Chris let out a guttural noise of frustration, and tore the tie out from beneath the cat. Needless to say, it wasn't pleased by the gesture.
