Logan got off the school bus and grabbed the mail from the mailbox by the side of the road. He flipped through the circulars and ads, looking for any letters that might be of interest to him. There wasn’t anything for him; just a couple of bills for his parents which he was happy to set on the mail table when he got in. He put the other junk mail into another basket on the table and took off his backpack.
He set it in the cubby next to the staircase and shrugged off his jean jacket as well. He hung that up on the hook above his backpack, and then headed down the hall into the kitchen. His mom was there, reading at the breakfast bar, and she smiled when she saw him.
‘Look at you! You look really nice, honey,’ she told him.
‘Thanks, mom! It’s kinda weird wearing a nice shirt during the school week, though. I think I’ll stick to my t-shirts unless I want to switch it up a little,’ he confessed, opening the refrigerator to see what was inside.
‘Switching it up is good. You don’t want to wear t-shirts every single day, the rest of your life,’ his mother teased, her dark green eyes sparkling.
Logan took out the pitcher of lemonade, shut the refrigerator door, and poured himself a glass. He took a long swallow and then said, ‘Yes, yes I do. I shall be a sloth the rest of my life. It is my goal to swing from tree branch to tree branch and sleep amongst the leaves most of the day. I shall make a most excellent sloth and wear t-shirts of many designs. And not another buttoned shirt will I put on my sloth body.’
His mom laughed. ‘Goodness. Someone’s been watching the Nature Channel with Alexa again, I see.’
Logan groaned. ‘She is hooked on those shows. Just when I think we can watch something else, there’s the preview and it’s a show about baby koala bears or something. She gets all mushy and there I am, sitting there, watching a damn show about koala bears. Or polar bears. Or seals. Anything with big eyes and whiskers and she’s a goner.’
‘I wasn’t aware that polar bears have whiskers. Or koala bears for that matter,’ commented his mom with a smile.
‘The point is,’ Logan went on determinedly, ignoring the grin, ‘she’s animal crazy. I had to come home and watch The Godfather again, just to cleanse my brain. Anyway, how did I get off topic? Oh, right. I’m to be king of the sloths.” He took a breath and let it out, slowly. “I would rather be king of the basketball court but that’s not going to happen while Johnson is head coach. He gave me a look today as we passed in the hallway. I’ll be lucky if I make it to the B squad. Asshole,’ Logan muttered.
‘I see your first day of school went well,’ his mom said, pushing a plate of cookies towards him. ‘And be respectful, please. Asshole is not the word you use towards a teacher,’ she reminded him.
‘Sorry. First day was OK. Hung out with Alexa and Miriam. Miriam’s twin sisters are freshmen this year. Can you imagine?’ asked Logan. ‘I remember when they were in elementary school. Anna is a firecracker but I think I’d better keep an eye on Ruth. She’s the quiet devious one. And those are the types who are the masterminds behind the revolutions. I know the type.’
‘Yes, you do. Speaking of type, your brother needs a ride tomorrow morning. He’s going to be going in early to get a head start on a couple of classes,’ said his mom.
‘OK. Good thing he isn’t the same age as the twins. The school wouldn’t know what hit them.’ Logan bit into a cookie. ‘These are great! Can Alexa come over tomorrow after school? I want to go over some math stuff with her.’
‘Sure. Are you going to ask Frances over as well?’ asked his mom, knowing the answer.
Logan sighed. ‘I don’t want to. He’s such a jerk, sometimes. He ragged on me this morning about my clothes and I wanted to punch his stupid head in. I don’t know what she sees in him. He’s such an arrogant rich ass, sometimes. But Miriam likes him, too. Maybe I can invite Miriam as well. That way, I won’t have to talk to him. Much,’ he amended, frowning.
Logan’s mom, Beth, sighed. She knew perfectly well why her son and Frances were butting heads; it was all about Alexa and competing for her time and attention. She knew Alexa didn’t do it on purpose. She’d seen Alexa spend time with both Logan and Frances and paid equal attention to both boys. Alexa wasn’t to blame for either of their behavior; these two had to get their acts together or she might leave them to themselves out of frustration over their immaturity. Beth hoped that Logan would realize he was jealous and he had no need to be.
‘That might be a good idea. I’m sure Miriam would appreciate not being left out. Let me know if anyone wants to stay for supper. We could order some pizza and you all could study after you eat, too, if needed,’ said Beth.
‘Thanks a lot, mom. I’ll see what they say and we’ll let you know tomorrow when we get here. I better go and put a load of clothes in. I need to wash some jeans for this week. Are you headed into work?’ asked Logan.
‘I am. Stupid shift change. I have a casserole in the oven. It’ll be ready in an hour. Take it out and make sure your brothers eat. Your dad will be home later tonight, I think. Set aside a plate for him, ok? And put everything away in the fridge when you’re done. It’s Josh’s turn to do the dishes. I told him but remind him if he forgets,’ said Beth. She gathered up her car keys and her lunch bag. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, honey. Love you,’ she said. ‘The boys will be home in about half an hour. They can have a quick snack but supper will be ready soon.’
‘Ok, mom. Have a safe night. Love you, too,’ replied Logan. He hugged his mom, then headed upstairs to his bedroom where he grabbed the jeans he’d discarded earlier and some other dark articles of clothing. He ran back downstairs and then went into the basement, turning on the light to the laundry room.
As he put his clothes in the wash machine and measured out soap, he thought about his first day at school. He knew he shouldn’t let Frances rile him up. Nor should he start picking on him for no reason other than to see him flare. It was childish and it annoyed Alexa, too.
Alexa. Logan’s face softened just thinking of her. He should have asked her out this summer. He should have dredged up the courage and asked her out and started dating her so that when they started school, he could say, ‘I’m her boyfriend.’ But he didn’t. And Frances was always around, picking up Alexa in that flashy red convertible that she made faces at when he wasn’t looking. Logan felt small feeling happy about that fact.
The wash machine started up, making the familiar hum and chug chug chug noise as it agitated the clothes and Logan leaned against it, liking the feel of it vibrating against his belly. He decided that it was time to stop being a chickenshit and man up.
He would ask her out to the fall dance. He’d tell her he wanted to date her. He’d be nicer to Frances so she wouldn’t get that miserable look on her face when they sniped at each other. He’d scrape his courage together and take the chance, reach for the brass ring, risk his feelings and his pride.
He wanted this year to be great. Next year, they’d be seniors and he wanted the chance to start something now that could maybe last beyond high school. He didn’t know for sure but he could hope that things would work out.
In the meantime, he had homework to start on and a casserole to keep an eye on. Logan bounded up the stairs and took out his economics homework from his backpack, sitting at the breakfast bar with an eye on the timer over the stove.
The kitchen filled with the smells of the casserole baking and Logan’s stomach growled. Forty minutes left on the timer. He ate one more cookie and had another glass of lemonade. That would have to do until it was time to eat.
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