"Wakey, Wakey. Time for school Mare," I hear Ray in my ear.
"Go away! Don't you have a home. You're always here," I mumble in my pillow.
"Ouch grumpy Mare is alive. I hate being on wake Mare duty," Ray groans.
"Get out," I say dreading the moment I have to get out of my bed.
"Wakey, Wakey Mare Bare," Darren burst in and I sit up abruptly.
I began to yell in disdain "Why is everyone saying that? The sky's not awake, so I shouldn't be awake! You understand that?! No? Go watch Frozen, lil girl Anna had great logic. Now shut up with the wakey, wakey bull," I fall back into my pillows.
"You gotta get up Maria, I'll take you out for ice cream and brownies later. Sound like a plan," My dad says standing outside the door and I'm up and out the bed within seconds.
"That is how you get Mare out of bed on the first day of school guys," Daya walks in, smirking.
"I know my baby," My dad says leaving the room.
"Daddy's girl," Darren says.
"Mama;'s boy," I stick my tongue out and he leaves my room as well.
"Get out Ray, she has to get dress and stuff," Daya says pushing him out the room as well.
"Good morning Lawrence," I run to him and hug him.
"Good morning Mare. I'll see y'all in a few. Don't take too long. Day is Zac here," He asked.
"Yes he is, keep him company." Daya says shutting the door behind him.
"Chop, chop young Mare. We've got our first day of school to get through," Daya pushes me into my walk in closet.
"Pick out an outfit, don't take too long there's no need to impress people you've seen for the past two, three years. They know you already," I laugh at her and grab a pair of black combat boots, black jeggings and a white Artic Monkeys wave graphic sleeveless shirt.
"Good enough," I mumble to Day.
She thumbs up and says, "You didn't even have to try," I laugh.
"Off to the shower I go. If you need to use any makeup and hair products you know where there at," I grab my towel and walk out.
"Somebody should use them, seeing as you hardly ever wear it. I don't get you Salvatino," She yells to me.
"Natural beauty babe, natural beauty," I giggle closing my bathroom door.
Thirty minutes later, I'm dressed and sitting at the table with everyone else eating a breakfast burrito.
"This is definitely what we all needed to start this day off. Orange juice and a breakfast burrito," Ray says digging in.
"Don't forget the fruits fattie," I nudge Ray.
"He would be all about the burrito," Daya laughs.
"Men," Daya, my mom and I say, laughing and the boys join us.
"Twenty minutes until the first bell. Finish up so y'all can get there on time," My dad says kissing my forehead and walking away with the newspaper.
"Have a great day young man," I yell to him.
"Have a great day old women," He yells back at me.
"That goes for all you crazy kids down there too," He adds.
"Sir, yes, Sir," They all yell back and I hear my dads laugh.
"Goodbye mama," I kiss my moms cheek and rinse everyone's dishes off.
"Goodbye bye baby," She kiss me back and I tell everyone to head out to the cars.
"So, are we all separating or same car," I ask while walking towards my GMC.
"Great minds think alike, huh," Zac laugh as I look at his 2015 GMC Acadia.
"Damn, she's a beauty," I laugh with him.
"I know, so is your 2015 Terrain. Can't get enough of GMC, they wheel me in," He shrugs.
"Exactly. My baby treats me right," I rub the hood.
"Okay, are we gonna stand here and talk about GMCs or are we gonna go to school now," Daya rolls her eyes at our car talk.
"I suppose you're riding with Zac and Ray's riding with me," I ask.
"Did you even really have to ask, see ya in a bit," She says getting in the car and I unlock the door for Ray.
"It's going to be so strange hearing people call you by your first name again," I say as we pull out of my drive way, Ray doesn't speak, so I hit his arm to get his attention.
"I'm sorry, I'm a little disappointed that I've been with you all summer and you've never let me drive your car. In fact I never rid in the car with you this summer, you neglected your baby. How dare you? You're a sick car owner," Ray says shaking his head at me.
"Well between running and walking with you, Drew driving me around or your BMW, I didn't really have to touch my baby," I say innocently.
"I even let you drive my baby," Ray says ignoring what I said and I laughed.
"Look, if during lunch Daya and Zac decide to branch off, I'll let you drive me to the nearest smoothie place and back to the school," I try to make a deal with him.
"Only if you buy the smoothies and I buy the wraps," He says pinky out.
"Deal," We pinky shake on it.
"We're so weird, we basically just pinky promised but it was a pinky shake. Does that still count as a promise," Ray says as his eyebrows come together in thought and I laugh.
"Poor baby, you're thinking so much into this. It's a pinky shake Ray, not a promise. The world's not ending," I pat his shoulder at a red light.
"Shut it Mare, lets to get to school on time," and we're off to school and comfortable silence.
____
"Hey babe, I was just calling to see how you were doing. I'm going to lunch with my friends, call me when you get a chance. Bye," I say to Drew's voicemail.
"No answer," Zac says arm around my shoulder.
"No answer," I sigh.
"Let's go stuff our faces, majors kicked all our asses today. Rather it was physcially, mentally or emotionally," Daya laughs and we all join her in agreement.
"What we got a taste for," I ask as we all close our lockers.
"Sushi," Daya says.
"Pizza," Zac says.
"Smoothie and wraps," Ray says looking at me.
"Well considering I don't know a place that sells, pizza, sushi, smoothies and wraps it seems like we're splitting up. Again," I laugh at them.
"Lets try this again. What do we have a taste for children, this one's on momma," I tease them.
"Pizza," Daya and Zac say together.
"I still want smoothies and wraps," Ray sighs heavily with a smirk and smile, shaking my head.
"Okay kiddies. Y'all want me to give y'all the money. Or you good," I ask.
"We're good. Meet back in thirty and eat together for the last twenty minutes," Zac ask.
"Yeah." Ray and I say, as I give Ray my keys.
"Jamba juice, we go," I almost yell excitedly and everyone laughs at me.
"Jamba juice is good, but it ain't got nothing on that Pulp place in Ohio that we went to," Ray says and Daya hits him.
"Shut up, remember we had to get Mare through withdrawals for a whole month after we left. She wouldn't shut up about it. Don't bring it up again," Daya says to Ray and then looks at me.
Zac begins to laugh at my distraught face, "Dammit Ray now look what yo've done. She looks lie Puss in Boots with sad eyes in Shrek Forever After," Daya sighs, hands in her hair.
"I'm okay.. I;m good. Take me to Jamba juice stupid," I say to Ray trying to not to think too much about the amazing place that Pulp is.
"That's right baby, take all that sadness and anger out on Ray's money," Daya says and they all laugh.
"See y'all in a bit," I say walking away from them and to my baby.
"Hey baby, momma's missed you," I say to my GMC as I hear the doors unlock, I turn around seeing Ray walk towards me.
"Come on we gotta get some food into you soon. you're on the verge of crazy. Talking to your ca-" He begins.
"It's not just a car, it's my baby Lawrence. Watch yourself kid, you're walking on a tightrope. Let's go," I get in the passenger seat and shut my door, I hear Ray chuckle.
"I get to drive still, yay," He jokes and a punch his arm playfully.
"Can I have a Spinch n' Cheese Breakfast Wrap and a Turkey Sausage n' Cheese Breakfast Wrap," I ask politely to the Jamba Juice worker.
"Also can we have two original size Peach Mango smoothies," Ray adds.
"That'll be $18.36," the cashier says and I go to get a twenty out my purse.
"I got it this time," Ray says paying the bill.
"Show off," I tease him.
"Just say thank you Mare," He nudge me.
"Thank you Ray," I sigh dramatically and he grins. We step to the side and wait for our food to be done, while the next person orders.
"Lets head back my dancing friend," Ray says as he carry the food bag and I hold the drinks.
We make it back to our little sitting area before Daya and Zac so I turn my Spotify playlist on until they get there.
Hozier's Someone New begins to play and I jump and start dancing.
"This is my favorite song Ray, don't judge me," I say smiling as I dance around singing.
"I'm not judging, although the people walking past us might be," He grins with a dazed look at me.
"Forget them. I'm having fun," I say laughing. Ray stands up and grabs my hand to dance with me, he sings along with me.
Would things be easier if there was a right way?
Honey, there is no right way
And so I fall in love just a little, oh, little bit every day with someone new
I fall in love just a little, oh, little bit every day with someone new
"Now spin, spin, spin, dip," Ray says and I giggle the whole time.
"Wonderful babe. Just beautiful, work it. Bust a move," He adds and I fall to the ground laughing.
"Ray, you've gotta find a chill," I giggle as he picks me up.
"We gotta finich the dance Mare. Come on we can do the traditional middle school sway and turn dance. The I don't really know how to dance, awkward dance we all did with our dates," and I smile up at him and nod. We continue to sing it softly, with a few giggles and laughs when Ray tries to spin me around or dip me. My beeps and I look down and see it's a mesage from Drew.
Drew: Sorry, I missed your call babe. I'll see you later this week, everything's a bit busy.
I roll my eyes, he had time to text me that, he had enough time to do a quick call. I check my twitter and see that Alice, one of Drew's friends posted a picture with him and a few other friends, but there was a girl standing by Drew that I hadn't met before, they look awfully close. I shook my head, not thinking much on it and went back to dancing with Ray.
I fall in love just a little, oh, little bit every day with someone new
I fall in love just a little, oh, little bit every day
Love with every stranger, the stranger the better
"Well, well what have we walked in on," Daya jokes.
"Mare had a crazy dancer moment and I decided to join her, you've caught up on the crazy lifes of FRIENDS," Ray says smirking and Daya slaps his arm.
"Let's eat kids," I say sitting down where the food is and digging in.
"Mare and her food," Daya laughs and the boys join us.
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Who loves Shrek Forever After (advertised as Shrek: The Final Chapter or Shrek 4) !!!?? I do. (baby moment, okay I'm over it... now)