There were a lot of differences between living with my mom and living with my dad. The obvious ones like the size of the house, the neighborhoods, the number of occupants; just to name a few. The rules were also significantly different. My dad was super strict. There were so many rules, it would make your head spin. At my mom's house, there were very few rules. Pick up after yourself; if you use the last of something make sure to write it on the list on the fridge; and if anyone knocked on the back door, I was supposed to let them in and then immediately go get my step-dad. No questions asked.
"Time to get up!" I groaned and tried to hold one of my many pillows over my head as my mom pulled the curtains and blinds open. "C'mon! You'll never be able to get up tomorrow if you sleep 'til noon today." She was right. I knew she was right. But my bed was just so comfy. And I hadn't been able to fall asleep last night over the anxiety of starting a new school shortly. One that I hadn't heard a single good thing about since I'd moved at the start of the summer.
"Rise and shine! I made hash browns!" My step-dad called from the kitchen. My bedroom was at the back of the small single-story house, just off the kitchen. It used to be a catch all. Anything they didn't want to get rid of but didn't want out in the house had ended up in here over the years. They'd had to move most of it out when I'd moved in. It still looked like a catch all, with the mismatched furniture and the mess from me living in it. But it was my own space in their house. I wasn't about to complain.
The promise of hash browns and the cheese covered eggs he made every time he made breakfast got me up and out of my bed. In the kitchen, I ducked around the pair of them and headed straight for my favorite coffee mug. Once the dark blue ceramic was full of coffee and a splash of creamer, I dropped into my usual seat at the small square table. Doc, my step-dad, dropped a plate in front of me. "Eat up kid."
"Thanks." Both he and my mom watched me eat for the first few bites. They'd taken up the habit when I'd moved in. It still freaked me out a little, but it was for their own peace of mind, so I didn't say anything about it. My eyes fell on the over-sized clock on the wall. Mom insisted it made the place seem more like a home. Doc and I both thought it looked ridiculous. "Don't you need to go to work? It's almost nine."
"Shit!" My mom called out. She rushed towards their bedroom before reappearing two seconds later with her purse and Doc's leather jacket. "Let's go, honey!" We only had one functioning vehicle right now, so Doc had to drive mom around everywhere. The garage that Doc worked at had to order some part for the truck, and it was taking forever to get here. So until then, he was stuck driving the pair of us wherever we needed to go.
"Love you!" I called after them. They both yelled it back as the door slammed shut behind them. I finished my breakfast in the quiet before cleaning up the kitchen. My last day of freedom passed quickly while I painted my nails and watched endless amounts of Netflix. Dinner that night was normal, until Doc got a phone call and had to leave quickly. It was almost one in the morning when I heard his heavy boots walking through the kitchen again. I was once again too anxious about starting at Southside High tomorrow to fall asleep at a decent time.