Lost Puppies and Runaway Trains
The doorbell rang once, twice, thrice, in rapid succession.
"Olette, honey, can you get that?"
Olette sighed and stood. "Yes, Mom." She went to the door and pulled it open, knowing already who was on the other side.
"Hey, Olette!" chorused the boys standing on the doorstep.
"Hi, guys," she said, smiling.
"What are you doing?" demanded Hayner. "We've been waiting for you for the last forty-five minutes!"
Olette had known from the moment she had woken up that morning that they would show up like a bunch of lost puppies at her door. They had no memory spans whatsoever, and they just couldn't get along without her.
"I told you yesterday, I have to practice piano for two hours today," Olette reminded him.
"You did?" asked Roxas.
"Two hours?" Hayner echoed incredulously.
Olette nodded. "That's what my teacher said."
"You actually have a piano teacher?"
Olette rolled her eyes. "Yes, Hayner. There are such things as piano teachers."
Hayner scoffed. "That's like when I found out about remedial algebra. I didn't even know such a thing existed until I had to take it."
"Neither did I," Roxas said with a laugh.
"Not that you'd need it," Pence added, looking at him.
"Teacher's pet," Hayner muttered.
Roxas rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Am not."
"Well, Seifer is," Pence pointed out.
"Though you sure can't say the same for some of his pals," Hayner said. "Especially Rai, you know? He's probably never written a whole sentence in his life, you know?"
He laughed, proud of his Rai-impression, and slapped Roxas and Pence high-fives.
Throughout the duration of this conversation, Olette had stood in her doorway, staring at them in silent disbelief. Finally, she opened her mouth and said, "How in the world did we get from my piano lessons to impersonating Rai?"
The boys all stared at each other blankly. Then they turned to her as one and shrugged.
Olette sighed and slapped a palm against her forehead.
Pence laughed. "Guess that's just our train of thought."
"Our runaway train of thought," Hayner added in a lame attempt at joking.
"Not that kind of train, Hayner," Olette said.
"I know. I was trying to be funny."
"Don't. Please."
Hayner laughed.
"Well, we'd better get going, then," Roxas said. "We'll see you later, 'kay, Olette?"
"Okay," she agreed, nodding.
"You'd better come to the usual spot as soon as you're done, got it?" Hayner commanded.
Olette laughed. "Got it!"
"'Bye!" Pence called.
She waved after them, then went back inside, shutting the door behind her. She grinned.
They were lost puppies without her.
