Chapter 2: Ms.Parker

The next morning arrived far too quickly. Mom was wide awake, bustling around the kitchen while I willed myself to rise from bed. I gratefully accepted the steaming cup of coffee she handed me. “Good morning Mom! How was your sleep? Anything exciting planned for today?”

“Fine, thanks. Just getting ready to leave for work. Your Aunt Cloe is coming over later.” Cloe was Mom’s sister and next to Mom my most loved person in the world.

I grabbed my book bag, said goodbye to her, and hopped on my bike for the ride to school. Despite the teasing from my friends about not having a car, I loved riding the bike to school. I felt almost awake when I arrived. I weaved through the throngs of students before finding my seat in class. Plopping down in the chair with a sigh of relief, it was time to learn something new today.

As I settled into my seat, Hazel strolled in. She was my best friend for as long as I remember. Her green eyes scanned the room before locking onto mine, and a smile spread across her face, lighting it up.

“Hey there, Andy,” she greeted, sliding into the seat beside me.

“Morning, Hazel,” I replied.

“So, did your mom finally finish that garden arch? I remember you mentioned she was working on it last week,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

I smiled, appreciating her memory. “Yeah, we wrapped it up over the weekend. It looks amazing now with all those climbing roses.”

“Fantastic! I bet it looks stunning. How’s your mom doing these days?” she inquired.

“She’s doing well,” I responded.

At that moment, Harry flopped into the seat across from us, his untamed brown hair and wide grin as familiar as ever. “Hey there, lovebirds,” he teased, causing both Hazel and me to roll our eyes.

“Knock it off, Harry,” Hazel retorted, giving his shoulder a playful punch.

Harry turned his attention to me. “Gaming session after school, Andy? The new expansion just dropped.”

I paused before shaking my head. “Not today. Aunt Cloe is visiting.”

“Oh, sweet! She’s a riot,” Hazel grinned. “Been ages since we’ve seen her.”

I nodded, smiling. My buddies all knew Aunt Cloe from my birthday bashes - she never missed one. Even though grown-ups were usually banned once you hit a certain age, Aunt Cloe was the secret sauce that made everyone go nuts for my parties. And let’s be real, they all adored her.

“Yeah, it should be interesting,” I chuckled.

Harry’s eyes lit up with feigned disappointment. “Aw man, you know I live for those gaming sessions ... and your mom’s cookies.”

Hazel rolled her eyes but smiled. “Don’t you have your own mom to ogle?”

Harry winced. “That’d be weird. Plus, her cookies got nothing on Andy’s mom’s.”

We all laughed at that. Despite his antics, Harry was a solid friend.

Just then, Nima and Kaira walked in, their identical features and confident strides catching everyone’s attention. They were twins, and always seemed to add an extra spark to the room.

“What’s so funny?” Nima asked, sliding into the seat beside Hazel, with Kaira taking the one next to Harry.

“Harry’s being a dork about Andy’s mom again,” Hazel said with a smirk.

Nami and Kairi settled in, their presence immediately shifting the atmosphere. Nami, ever the bold one, leaned forward with a sly grin.

“So, Harry,” she began, “still dreaming about Andy’s mom? You know, your obsession is starting to sound like one of those plots from my hentai collection.”

Harry’s face turned a shade redder than Hazel’s hair. “Oh, come on, Nami,” he groaned, trying to hide his embarrassment. “It’s not like that.”

Kairi giggled. “Yeah, right. Bet you’ll be begging Andy to steal his mom’s panties next.”

“Gross! Leave it to you to take this hentai-level weird,” I laughed, shaking my head. “You two are something else.”

Nami shrugged. “What can I say? Art imitates life.” She shot Harry a wink that made him squirm even more.

“Alright, alright,” Harry said, raising his hands in surrender. “You win. But seriously, Andy, when are we going to have a gaming session next?”

“Aunt Cloe’s visiting. And the weekend’s full, so maybe Monday?” I said.

“Harry, you’re hopeless,” Kaira groaned, but she was smiling. Her eyes landed on me. “So your crazy aunt’s dropping by today, huh?”

“Yep, can’t wait. It’s always wild when she’s in town.”

“No kidding,” Kaira said with a sly look at Hazel. “Remember the chaos at your last birthday bash? What a hoot!”

Hazel cracked up. “For real. Wonder what shenanigans she’ll drag you into this time around.”

As the bell rang signaling the start of class, Hazel leaned over and whispered, “Maybe we can hang out in the garden this weekend? Mom needs help with some new plants.”

Hazel’s suggestion about the garden caught me off guard. I loved spending time in the garden, but the weekend was already booked.

“Sorry, Hazel,” I whispered back. “I’m going to the beach with my mom on Saturday.”