My brother held John's hand and stood by the side of the railing as we waited for mom to fix the lock on the door. My arms were crossed as I stood alongside dad on the porch staring out of the house.
Like us, there were also countless people on the streets. Some were students like us and the others were middle-aged men and women hurrying to their respective destinations. But I noticed that as they passed by one another, those who were familiar with each other greeted each other briefly before they parted ways.
Mom was done locking the door by then and she turned to us. "Done. We should get going now."
"Okay." Dad picked up his suitcase which he had dropped on the pitch and looked at us.
His gaze landed on Jasper first. "Jasper, I need you to watch over your siblings and make sure everything goes well at school. Can I trust you to do that?"
I looked over to Jasper and I could see him standing at attention as he nodded. He seemed pleased and I was not surprised because he had always been in love with the idea of being regarded as the biggest kid.
"Yes, dad. You can trust me on that." He responded.
"Good." Dad also said back in reply, "You all should do well, okay?"
And we all responded at the same time. "Yes, dad."
Mom also climbed down the stairs and gave us all a peck on the head each. Then, she adjusted her clothes and we began to approach the main gate.
Just then, there was the sound of a car pulling up right before our gates. A honk immediately came afterward. Jasper and I looked at each other for a split moment, our gazes conveying our confusion.
We had only just moved into the neighborhood. Who would be interested in us?
But my parents didn't seem surprised. Instead, he seemed delighted as he exclaimed, "They are here."
Then, he gave mom a look and said, "Didn't expect them to wake up early." And mom gave a small chuckle in reply to this.
The gates were pulled open by dad and we were all faced by the car parked outside. It was a truck with an open space at the back and colored green. I couldn't help it as my mouth pressed into a thin line, wondering who it was.
Dad walked forward first and at that moment, the driver's door was pulled open. The person behind the wheel stepped out and I was taken aback by who it was.
It was the neighbor's son. The one who had called me a fairy on our first meeting.
My brows furrowed slightly as he approached us and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Especially since my dad was familiar with him.
He stopped in front of us and gave my parents a respectful smile. "Good morning, Mr. Smith. My dad told me I was to stop by on my way to school this morning."
As he said this, I noticed that his gaze veered away from my parents and they landed on me. A small smile appeared on his lips in that split moment and I couldn't help but wonder if I had seen it wrong as it had disappeared almost immediately.
His gaze moved from me towards Jasper who was beside him. I could see his expression change for a moment and I could tell he was probably surprised to know that I had two brothers.
But, he was very good at managing his expressions and regaining his composure.
He returned his attention to my parents as dad spoke, "Yeah. Kevin, is it?"
Dad reached out a hand to him for a handshake as he spoke. My gaze narrowed for a moment as they landed on the boy named Kevin. He looks at dad's outstretched palm and immediately reached out to take it.
"Yes, sir. My name is Kevin." He replied as the two shook hands.
Dad had a smile on his face as he said, "We'll have to trouble you."
Kevin seemed to know what dad was saying as he quickly shook his head, waving his hands frantically. "No. It's not a trouble at all."
"Dad-" I couldn't help but speak at this. I was unable to figure out what was going on. "What's going on?"
Dad turned to me this time. "Sweetie, Kevin here will be driving you all to school as it would be a hassle to take the bus."
I could feel my brows furrowing as he spoke. My gaze narrowed as I looked over to Kevin. "Wouldn't that be a problem for you, Ke-"
"Kevin." The boy replied, finishing the words for me. His lips widened into a smile as he flashed his set of white teeth. He had that same boyish grin spread across his lips. "And, it is no problem at all."
"Okay." Dad reached his hand out to check the time on his wristwatch. "Time to go. You kids are getting late."
And that was how we all found ourselves in the truck. My brother was seated beside Kevin in the front passenger seat. John and I were seated with one more person in the backseat. It was Kayla, his twin sister. She hadn't gotten off the car earlier.
It was quiet in the car as no one was speaking. There also seemed to be tension in the air as we were all unfamiliar people getting to know each other. It was especially weird.
I looked up from my lap which I had fixed my gaze on since I stepped into the car earlier and looked out through the main window. Kevin seemed to be a fairly good driver. He weaved through the roads carefully and since the truck had a learner sign on it, it seemed cars gave him space and patience as he drove.
Thus, there was hardly any hassle that could make us jump out of our seats in panic as he drove. However, it only made the drive more laboring and excruciating.