Breakfast with Sera was a quiet, peaceful event with just Kyle and her by themselves. Sera was anything but a morning person, so she slowly ate her meal while hardly even looking to see what was on her plate, and kept rubbing her eyes sleepily. Kyle thought she was quite the sight in her long black dress and white button up shirt – it was the basic girl’s uniform for the academy – and he happily kept staring at how large the curves were under her shirt. Sera truly was a gifted woman, and when she was half asleep like this, he could enjoy the view as much as he wanted.
After breakfast, Sera went over and plopped down on the couch and halfway went back to sleep with her head leaned over on the armrest and her feet propped up on the coffee table. Kyle eased over and sat down in the chair opposite her and flipped through the channels on the television until he found some cartoons to listen to in the background, while he watched Sera half drool on herself. Getting up and looking around, he found one of the many hairbrushes scattered in various places around the house – Fanny was terrible at putting things in the dangdest places when she was lost in thought for a scene for one of her novels – and then he walked over behind the couch and started gently combing through Seraphine’s hair.
He couldn’t help but think that it was a shame she didn’t pay more attention to herself. Sera was a beautiful girl, and could stand out as the most beautiful in the school, in his opinion, if she’d just take time to put on a little make-up, fix her hair, and care a little more about her appearance. But, something like that just wasn’t her. Sera had never been one to care overly much about her appearance, or what people thought about her. Heck, she even made herself sound like a dumb mountain hick while at work, just because it seemed like that was what people expected from her father’s child.
Kyle was almost finished with her hair; Sera had never even looked up or said anything during the whole time he was combing it; when Franklin finally came in from the hallway. “We be leaving,” he gruffly grunted.
Kyle glanced back and half laughed. “Aren’t you going to finish shaving the other half of your beard this morning? You’ll look stupider than usual with half a face of five o’clock shadow this evening.”
Franklin just snorted. “No time, now.” With a nod of his head, he motioned towards the clock on the wall. “Wake ‘er up, and let’s be getting. Don’t want you two late fer school.” He turned and lumbered out of the room, holding the car keys in his gigantic fist.
Softly, Kyle leaned down and blew in Sera’s ear. She twitched a few times and then swatted at her face slightly with her right hand. Kyle blew gently once again in her ear, and she twitched some more but didn’t wake as she feebly swatted back at the irritation. Grinning from ear to ear, Kyle slowly bent down and whispered, “Hey Sera, wakey, wakey.” When she didn’t respond, he gently blew on her ear again, and this time when she went to swat at him, Kyle grabbed her wrist and yelled, “TIME FOR A RAVASHING!!”
Sera half jumped forward with a start, and Kyle leaned across the back of the couch to mercilessly tickle her side while he was holding her wrist up to keep her from protecting herself. She yelped and squirmed, while yelling, “I’m awake! I’m awake!”
“Too late now! It’s time to be ravished!” Kyle told her as he tickled her wildly.
“I’m good! I’m good!” Sera was squirming, laughing, and trying to get away, when a loud POP rang out from behind Kyle and he let go with a yelp. “YEOWCH!”
Sera jumped up and ran half across the room before turning and sticking her tongue out at him, while Kyle was rubbing his butt and looking behind himself at Fanny, who was still waving her flyswatter menacingly. “Out! Out! Out! Both of you! You’re not going to be late on my watch, mister!” She tapped her foot and pointed to the door with the flyswatter as both Kyle and Sera ran out the door. “And get in the back seat,” she hollered after them. “I’m coming too!”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Then hurry up, you old hag!” Kyle yelled back towards her as he waited for Sera to slide into the back of her family’s SUV. The vehicle her family drove was a nice full sized Ford Explorer, but nobody ever sat behind the driver’s seat. Sera always sat in the middle of the seat, pressed against Kyle, and he sat on the right side near the window. Franklin was the one who usually drove, and his seat was back so far that only a child could comfortably think of sitting behind him. One might as well say he was sitting in the back seat, in his own way, and that meant that Sera sat in the middle next to Kyle – which he didn’t mind at all!
A few moments later, Sera’s mom opened the passenger seat and sat down. Franklin looked over at her, then back at the two kids, and then finally opened his own door and got out and walked back to the house.
“I wonder what he’s doing,” Fanny asked. No one answered, but both Kyle and Sera looked at each other and grinned secretly. Franklin was going back to make certain Fanny hadn’t left lights on, or the oven, or something else that might be hazardous for the house. It’s not like she did it on purpose, but Fanny was one of those people with a one-track mind. If she was thinking on one thing, she’d forget about everything else, and time had ingrained the habit into Franklin of going back and making certain everything was like it should be when she was the last out of the house.
A few moments later, Franklin was back again, and asked in his rough voice, “We all set? You kids got your stuff?”
“We’re good,” Kyle informed him.
“Yeah, ready to go,” Sera confirmed.
Franklin put the car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and drove on down the road. The trip to school was quiet and peaceful, and Kyle enjoyed the warmth he felt coming from Sera as she sat tight beside him. The scent of cherry lingered lightly in her hair, and he resisted the impulse to lean over and smell it. All in all, the ride was over faster than what he would’ve preferred and Kyle was hopping out of the vehicle in front of the massive gates which led up to the school. “Thanks for the ride, old fart!”
Sera just giggled as she got out, and waved back to her parents. “And mom, don’t forget to sign for me today if anything comes. I’m expecting a package later this morning.” Kyle was already halfway to the school by the time she turned back around and yelled at him. “Hey! Wait for me, I’m coming!”
“Wait my foot!” Kyle shouted back. “It’s friggin cold out here. You stay back there and freeze; I’m going on in!” Tugging open the door, he watched in amusement as Sera rushed up and tried to pull it open while he held the handle.
“Hey! Let me in!” Her voice was muffled by the door itself, and Kyle stuck his tongue out at her as she kept pulling on the handle while he held it tightly.
“Jerk.” A girl’s voice came from behind him, and Kyle half jumped and let go of the handle. Sera yanked open the door and dashed inside while Kyle looked over his shoulder and winced to see Heather standing behind him and looking disgusted in his direction. “Sera gives someone like you a ride, and you make her stand out in the cold. You’re an ass and a loser!” Snorting, she flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder and stomped off regally while Sera rushed to catch up and walk beside her.
Kyle’s good morning had officially ended, and he was now once again truly stuck at school.