IncuBUST

School Days

"Octavia, hurry up! You're going to be late!" I said from outside the closed bathroom door and she whistled to let me know she heard me. I sighed and left the hallway stopping in the living room to grab my half empty mug of English breakfast tea and my keys, phone and wallet.

I heard the bathroom door open and turned to see Octavia coming down the hall. She was wearing one of the new outfits I bought her, there was liquid eyeliner on her eyelids and lip gloss on her lips, and little bits of her hair were twisted into braids along the sides of her head. The effect was quite startling. I hadn't seen her wearing makeup before or with her hair not in a ponytail.

"Wow, you look really nice," I said hastily tacking on, "Not that you don't always look nice, but with the makeup and--"

"Thanks, Chase," she signed and I smiled sheepishly feeling my face grow warm. She stooped by the couch that was currently pulled out into a bed and grabbed her book bag checking it briefly before zipping it up and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Alright, let's go," she gestured and I nodded and we headed towards the door but as I reached for the handle the door swung open nearly hitting me in the face.

"Greetings, children of earth! I come bearing puff pastries and frothy caffeinated beverages!" Sissy exclaimed stumbling through the doorway and shoving a small pretty decorated cardboard box into Octavia's hands.

"Vanilla Chai tea latte for my best bro!" she said handing me a paper cup with a plastic lid. I took the latte and set my boring old mug of tea down on the table by the door.

"Thanks, Sis, but we gotta go," I said and she frowned before looking at Octavia who was silently munching on a square of baklava.

"I don't know what you like so I just got you a hazelnut cappuccino with almond milk in case you're dairy free," Sissy said holding out a second cup. Octavia set down the box of pastries and took the cup with a smile and a nod of thanks.

"Okay, we really have to go now," I stressed. "Love you, Sis," I added grabbing Sissy and kissing her on the cheek before edging around her and out the door.

"Love you too," she mumbled and Octavia made to follow after me but Sissy stopped her asking, "You get out at 3:15pm, right?" Octavia nodded and Sissy smiled continuing, "I'll pick you up, okay? At the front of the school." Octavia smiled timidly and nodded in agreement before leaving the apartment.

She joined me in the hallway and we walked down to the elevator. She sipped at her cappuccino and finished her baklava and signed with one hand, "It was really nice of your sister to get these for us." I nodded and replied, "She has her moments."

We rode down to the underground parking garage and Octavia said, "She's picking me up after school too."

"That's nice of her. But I don't know how she'll manage considering this is the only vehicle we own," I replied as we stopped by a bright red 1969 Ford Mustang and Octavia whistled before signing, "I'm not really into cars, but damn." I grinned and unlocked the passenger side door.

"It is kind of...ostentatious. Sissy picked it," I said as Octavia slid into the black leather seat. She looked up at me and signaled, "So if Sissy isn't at the school by four I'll take the train." I sat down in the drivers' seat and said, "If she's not there by four you call me and I'll...make sure she's there by 3:15pm. She needs to learn how to keep her promises." Octavia smirked with half her mouth and I started the car pulling out of the underground parking lot.

We drove through the city leaving the skyscrapers and nightclubs behind exchanging them for suburbs and the local high school that dominated uptown.

I maneuvered through the traffic of crazy teenage drivers and crazier parent drivers dropping off their kids and made it into the car loop. Students and parents alike stared as the car reached the drop off point. It was a bit loud and not just visually. Sissy insisted that putting a muffler on a car like this was sacrilegious.

Octavia took a deep breath and stared out the windshield for a moment before looking at me, forcing a smile on her face and signing, "Thank you for driving me to school, Chase. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem," I replied and after a moments pause I asked, "Is everything okay?" She looked at me for a moment and then nodded hastily and said, "Yes, everything is fine." She opened the passenger door and got out and I watched her walk up to the school though the person behind me was honking at me to move.

She was halfway to the front door when a group of girls approached her. I couldn't hear what they were saying in the midst of all this din, but the way Octavia shrunk away from them I could tell they weren't her friends.

I watched the exchange suspiciously, ignoring the cars piling up behind me. I saw one girl flick at one of the braids in Octavia's hair and another one kicked at Octavia's new boots, putting a scuff mark on them. Octavia signed something with her free hand that I didn't catch and the girls laughed like something was pathetically amusing. Then the one at the front knocked the disposable coffee cup out of Octavia's hand spilling it all down the front of her new clothes.

I didn't know when I got out of the car, but suddenly I was walking towards them.