"Okay, kids," my mother says to my brother and I on the couch, when we had finished unpacking, "new town, new school, are you ready to make some friends?" She looked so hopeful, so I plastered a smile on my face, elbowing my brother to tell him to do the same.
I nodded, still keeping the smile, my dirty blonde curls bouncing in my face, and I moved to push them behind my ear. "I have my phone, and me and Bub will walk to school, right?"
Mom nodded, the tight ringlets I got from her bouncing behind the bobby pins' reach. "That's right, and you remember you're supposed to call me when you get home from school?" Her blue-green eyes were shining from behind her glasses with worry from being in this new environment.
Having gone over this a thousand times, I resist the temptation to roll my eyes. Instead, I nod again, "Yes, Mom."
Mom turns to my freckly brother, now. "Don't break your glasses, you hear? We can't afford a new pair." Bub nods, uncharacteristically serious. He's heard, just as we all have, of the ruthlessness of Gotham's streets.
"Okay," Mom clapped her hands together, "Dad will be home soon, so I need to get something started for dinner. What do you guys think of me popping a pizza in the oven?"
Bub and I both nod our head enthusiastically. I stop when I feel my head pounding with the movement. My headaches were caused by my mouth being too crowded, I had been meant to get braces in back home, but we had to leave and we don't have the money to do that now. Even if we had done it back in Oklahoma, my parents would have gone into some debt.
"Your head bothering you again, Sis?" Mom asked. She paused where she was in the doorway.
I didn't want to worry her, so I lied. "No, I'm just tired."
She nodded, accepting the fib, "Well, you'd better make sure you go to bed early tonight then. You start school in a couple of days, and I won't be there to wake you up." At our old school, Mom had been the High School Principal's secretary. When I was close to falling asleep, she would let me have some of her coffee. Now, though, she was lucky enough to get a job as a secretary at Wayne Enterprises. It didn't allow us to live like kings, but it was the best job she could get and still spend time with her kids and husband.
Mom turned back around to go start dinner. I turned to my brother to see him cleaning his glasses frustratedly. He was trying to clean the lenses with his t shirt, but it was an extremely soft material.
"Would you like to borrow my shirt, good sir?" I said in my purposely-silly British voice.
He nodded furtively, and I walked over, holding out the corner of my rougher-material shirt. Once his glasses were clean, I said, "You probably should get in the shower, dinner won't be ready for a while."
He nodded and went to get his clothes. Soon I could hear the sound of running water, and my brother loudly singing 'Echo'. By the time he was done, Mom and I had the pizza out of the oven and cut into eight pieces. Two for Mom, two for Bub, two for me, and two for Dad. Speaking of Dad...
A man with short brown hair, glasses, and a stubbly goatee walked through the door in his regular work clothes.
"Dad!" Bub and I raced towards the door. I glomped him, and Bub, with his lesser height, hugged Dad's waist. "We have pizza!" I exclaimed.
"Cool," he replied. He looked both sad and excited, which I didn't know was possible until now, but then again, I didn't know Egypt was in Africa, so who am I to talk?
"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.
"You know how back home I worked on a farm?" I nodded. "Well, the only farming job I could get in Gotham was at least thirty minutes out of the city, so I'll probably be home for you to see ten minutes each morning, but it ends two hours earlier than in Oklahoma. So I'll be home around five-ish."
"That's great!" Mom made her presence known to Dad. "Hi, Honey," she nuzzled his cheek and kissed him.
"I'm gonna go shower," I informed to my mom, who nodded and said,
"Don't take all the hot water, sweetie."
As I went to my bedroom to get my pajamas that consisted of a well-loved t shirt, and a pair of comfy windbreakers, a strange feeling overtook me. It was like I was being watched, so I peeked out my window. It was dark, but I caught sight of a silhouette standing on the apartment across from ours, and then it was gone in the blink of an eye. Thinking the stress of going to a completely new school was getting to me, I left to take my shower.
Hey, guys! So, this is my first story on this site with an OC. This OC was modeled after me and how my family interacts, it's so much easier to write. If you are reading this and you liked it, please let me know through the comments, cause I love comments. Also, if you could check out my other stories, that'd be great. I update as often as I can, so please be patient with me. No flames please! Only constructive criticism if you want to give it! Find me on wattpad at SimplyBookworm1604.