Lunch Box

I feel dizzy. It's six in the morning, and I think I'll sleep a bit more. Laying on my bed with my eyes closed, I'm still thinking. I decided to give myself another thirty minutes. Mmmm...

"WAKE UP! It's six in the morning, and you're going to be late for school! You kids just don't realize how important it is to get up on your own. How long do you think I'm going to be here waking you up every day?"

Just thirty minutes more, I tell myself. It will only take me half an hour to bathe, eat, and get ready. The bus won't arrive for another thirty minutes, so why do I need to be up so early?

"You should wake up and study a bit. How do you think you're going to survive in the real world? I'm so fed up with you kids!"

"Aah! MOM, it's still six! Let me sleep!"

Why does this cycle repeat every day? First, my mom starts shouting, then my sister gets mad and joins in. Why can't I have a peaceful morning? And then...

"EVERYONE, WAKE UP!!"

"Please don't take away my blanket!!" My father takes away everyone's blankets, starting with my brother first.

"Hahahaha"

"Dad why do you have to take away my blanket."

"Because it's morning and you gotta go to school ."

" I wish—something that could teleport me straight to school so I could wake up just one minute before the class starts."

"You would still have to wake up one hour early because you are a crybaby who needs his mom to get him ready as he is still a toad."

"Mom! Lea is making fun of me! "

And now he'll cry and won't stop until we get to the school.

What did I do wrong to have been born into a family like this why is this toad always crying? "Now you also wake up Emma."

"Five minutes please".

My parents are both professors. Both teach at different universities and my sister who is older than me studies at a different school than us. Us being me and my younger brother.

My blanket has been taken away. But it's only 6:10, and I still have time.

I wish I could live alone. I need to brush my teeth first ummm look at my face I have eye bags I am gonna look hideous today. I'll take a shower we only have two bathrooms one on the ground floor and one on the first floor.

My sister and I share a room, while my brother, who is quite the crybaby, sleeps with Mom and Dad. Most of the activities in our house take place on the first floor, which is usually mostly vacant. Oh no, I need to hurry; my sister might get to the shower room before me. I want to use it first! Damn, she's already picked out her clothes. I'm being so slow. She's smiling at me. 

"No, I'm going in first!" I say.

"No, I am!" she argues back.

"Both of you wait here! Your brother needs to go in first. I have other work to do, and I'll take five minutes to bathe him," Mom intervenes.

"No, Mom! You always do this. I came in first—I'll shower first!" Lea protests.

Now both of us will have to wait. It's just another reason for me to dislike living in this house. My sister and I got here first, but once again, that crybaby gets to go in first. Ugh, I hate it so much!

Where is my tie I cannot find it. " Here you go," says Lea. "Why do you have it?" "I hid it so I could stall time but you didn't even look for it and were ready to go in the shower" " I hate you" "Go on hate me as much as you can." I'm already over today.

"Oh, today we have my favorite toast for breakfast! I love it," says Emma. 

"I know you love it; that's why I prepared it," replies their mother.

"Mom, I love you!" Emma exclaims.

"Isn't this because you made a small portion of noodles yesterday and couldn't give it to her for lunch?" asks Lea.

"What?" their mother responds in surprise.

"Oops!" Lea realizes.

"You should keep your mouth shut!" shouts their mother. 

Why did she say that? What did I do wrong? Last Saturday, she did the same thing. Sniffling, I ask, "Mom, why didn't you give me noodles for lunch like them? Why do you always do this?" 

"I hate you, Mom!" I cry. "I'm not coming back home; I'll just disappear. I hate this family. They always do this to me."

"I'm leaving," I say, grabbing my bag.

Crying, I bang the door. 

"Why can't you ever keep your mouth shut, Lea!" their mother yells after me.

"What happened, honey? Why was she crying?" their father asks as he walks in.

"You and your daughter always make my situation worse," their mother replies.

"She has gone to school by herself. Now take your son with you," she instructs.

Why does my family hate me so much? The bus is here. I get on, still sniffling. The bus is ready to leave. I can see my father outside the window, looking out of breath. "Wait, Hans!" he calls. Hans is the driver of the bus. "Karl, your kids are always late!" Hans replies. 

"Sorry, Hans, it's Anton," my father says, coming closer to me. "You shouldn't leave your brother like that." Everyone on the bus is looking at me, and my face is probably bright red. 

"Bye, kids." 

"Bye, Dad." 

Everyone is still staring. 

"See you, Dad." 

I'm going crazy. Anton is already in second grade. Why do I have to take care of this brat?

/

The first class of the day is math. "Why do we always have to start our day with maths?" Emil complains. "I know, right? I don't like maths either," responds Jakob. Emil points towards Emma and asks, "What happened to her?" "Probably a fight with her family," he snickers. "You know her family..." Emma glares at him. "Oh, I meant nothing."

Walking towards Emma, Emilia says to Jakob, "Get away from here, you idiot." 

"Hi, Emma, the teacher will be here soon. You need to take out your book," Emilia chimes in. "Oh, hi, Emilia," Emma replies, rubbing her eyes as she takes out her books and sits with her friend. 

"So, did you finish yesterday's homework?" Emilia asks. "Yes, I did." 

"Could you please help me with these two questions?" Emilia requests. 

"Sure. This question just needs the formula for time, speed, and distance. You just need to take the reciprocal; the answer is 72 km/h. For this one, you need to know the ratios. There, done." 

"Thank you so much, Emma! You are really good at solving math problems. We have a quiz today about problem-solving; would you please be my partner for that?"

"Hahaha, she is only her friend because she uses her and makes her do homework," snickered Jakob.

"Now, class, zip it." The teacher is here.

I know that Emilia only sticks around because I help her with homework. Beyond that, she doesn't seem to care much about me. But at least she is kind to me; she also shares her lunch with me. I can't lose her until school is over for good. 

Lunch break has started. "I'm going to use the washroom for a sec, then we can eat our lunch. Wait for me, Emilia. I'll be back." 

"Yeah, sure, go ahead."

Why are all the toilets occupied? Oh, this one is free. What a relief! Emma comes out of the washroom, washing her hands. A huge crowd has gathered outside the washroom. What are they doing? Why are they all laughing? I don't have time for this. Emilia must be waiting for me. I need to hurry.

I enter the classroom and look around. Nobody is in the classroom. Where did Emilia go? The tiffins are not here. I'll go look for her in the corridor. She is nowhere to be seen. Where did she go? That crowd just got scolded for blocking the way. I rush over to that spot. Wasn't there something here? It was always here. Why can't I remember? 

Crap, only five minutes left. Where are you, Emilia? I run off down the corridor, panting. The break will be over in a minute; I need to get back. Thank goodness I made it in time. 

I'm surprised. When did Emilia come back? I need to take my seat. The teacher is here. "Everybody, take your seats." 

I'm out of breath. Where is my water bottle? Glancing at me, Emilia signals me. What? A note in beautiful handwriting reads, "I'm sorry I had to leave to see my sister; she got hurt while playing. I'm sorry."

I wrote back, "It's okay. I hope your sister is alright." 

"Yeah, she is fine. Sorry for making you worry," she replies, giving me a sweet smile. I smile back at her. 

My facial expressions communicate, "It's okay. Let's focus." 

"Yes," I reply, looking at the teacher. Focused, resting her head on her hand. But if she went to the infirmary, where did our lunches go? Next up is the quiz class. 

"Emma, we will have to form pairs. Sorry, but can you team up with Alina? I need to go back to the infirmary." 

"It's okay," Emma smiles. I understand her sister is not well, but I wish they could have discussed it. Why is she avoiding me? 

In PE class, she paired up with one of her friends when she usually pairs with me. The same happened in Science class; she grouped with those annoying boys, Jakob and Emil, who were making fun of me that morning. There's something suspicious about her behavior. I'm confused as to why she's running away from me. 

Right now, I'm even more confused about our lunch boxes. I want to ask her about them, but there she goes. Just thinking about it makes me anxious. Did Emilia eat our lunch boxes with her sister? I wouldn't mind, but at least she could have informed me. I'm struggling to focus. What has she done with our lunch boxes?