CHAPTER FIVE

Mike was running a hundred scenarios through his head and of the hundred, he imagined he couldn’t find one where he and whichever sibling he chose to ask, would have a peaceful drive back home. He was really starting to entertain the thought of walking home in the rain but he really didn’t want to catch a cold and possibly miss out on school. Mike knew that there was only one way he could get home today and that was either to ask his sister Sophie or his brother Steven. He weighed his options multiple times, listing down the advantages and disadvantages of asking either of his siblings, and at the end of it all, he found himself walking to where his brother parked his car.

Sophie had just gotten her car, so the chances of her giving Mike a ride back home were very slim but with Steven, his chances weren’t as slim. Steven had given Mike rides before, but that was only a handful of times when their father had asked Steven to do so because Mike was taking too long to get back home.

It was still raining outside but it wasn’t as heavy as it was before. Many people at Macendric High had their personal cars and those who didn’t have cars either had friends who had cars or went with the school busses. There were only a few people who walked home and those few only did so because they lived relatively close to the school. Mike could have easily gone with the busses that the school provided but he had one too many traumatizing experiences on those buses and he didn’t want to get any more. Though it seemed like his parents didn’t care for him, when it came to monetary matters they would go to the ends of the Earth but only if it benefited them in the long run.

Mike was one of the few students who stayed back in the school to avoid the rain and now that the sky had finally cleared up, the students could finally start to leave the school and go to their houses. Mike was very anxious to ask his brother for a ride home because his brother usually gave his other friends rides home and Mike didn’t really feel like sitting in a car filled with people like his brother and personalities that could rival his. Steven did have a few decent friends but even the decent ones can be cruel when given the right motivation. Mike had been the victim of Steven and his friends’ torture for a long time and he was convinced that he would continue to be for a very long time to come.

Steven and his friends were stood at the mouth of the school entrance laughing and making jokes even though they knew that they needn’t be on the school premises unless they had something to do, which they didn’t. Mike gathered up his courage and started the walk to where his brother was stood to ask him a question he knew would bring him no good. As he neared the group of boys, one of them saw him coming and did what looked like whispering to Steven who stopped talking and looked at where his friend was pointing.

“Hey Steven, can you give me a ride home?”

Mike wasn’t one for giving eye contact when nervous, so he was facing anywhere but at his brother when he spoke.

“No, I will not. Don’t you have that friend of yours who drives you to and from school?”

Steven’s answer wasn’t surprising and Mike fully expected to receive such an answer but one of his brother's friends didn’t seem to like it, or at least he wasn’t comfortable with how Steven talked to his brother so he spoke up.

“Hey, Steve just give the kid a ride. He is your brother after all.”

Steven gave his friend a long look and when he was done he looked at Mike who was now looking at the boy who just vouched for him.

“Fine, but just know that I’m only giving you a ride because of Jeremy.”

Mike now knew the name of his savior and he was now planning a hundred ways of thanking Jeremy in his head. Jeremy was one of the decent ones but Mike knew not to hold his breath because if he did he would get crushed on the hopes that his brother had a genuinely good friend. Mike looked at Jeremy and flashed him a smile of gratitude showing just how much he appreciated him for vouching for him. Jeremy seemed to know what Mike’s smile meant so he gave one of his own and started to walk over to where Steven’s car was parked.

Steven gave his little brother one last look before he also started to walk over to his car. Mike started to follow the group of boys and with a smile plastered on his face but as soon as he reached where the car was parked the smile disappeared almost instantaneously and all by force of habit. There were five boys including Mike. Steven only drove with Jeremy while the rest went in another car. That is just how it was but today it was a bit different, because today Mike was joining them and Steven didn’t seem to be too happy with the arrangement.