Mikey's morning started out wrong.
"Mikey," his mother said, pulling him out of a sound sleep. "Why aren't you up yet? I told your brother to wake you up. He must have forgotten." This disappointed Mikey, who had planned to secretly laugh at whatever funny outfit Jon was wearing.
"Shoot," he mumbled. He must have gone to school early or something. Maybe to hang out with Karyn. She was pretty cool for a girl because she didn't act all girly, even though she had long blond hair and stuff like one. Maybe he could wish her into being a boy sometime to see what it'd be like.
He showered, got dressed, and had a bowl of cereal. His brother and sister were nowhere to be seen, but that often happened. They could walk to school if they wanted. His school was twice as far away and his mother didn't want him doing it. A lot of the other mothers didn't either.
That is why they had the bus. One of his best friends, Jimmy Maxwell...his mom drove the bus every day.
He got out to the street just in time to see the bus pulling away without him. His mother tsked. "Now I'll have to drive you," she said, sounding annoyed. She didn't want to be late herself.
They got into the car, and she was about to turn the key when suddenly she opened the car door and walked away in a daze, leaving the door wide open. He unbuckled his seat belt and started after her, calling her name.
