The Morning
By Luis Cabrera
Angelique had to get into the van.
"Maria! It’s getting late!" shouted Maria's mother for the second time.
"She always takes so long, just like Luis." whispered Angelique to herself as she gathered her things. She loved enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a blueberry bagel on her way to school, so while waiting for Maria to come down stairs she went into the kitchen and prepared her snack. As she heard, "Sensor one: garage door open," she realized Maria's mother had walked outside to the van, “damn we're going to be late again."
With only the sound of the radio in the van, through the rear view mirror Angelique noticed the impatient look in Maria's mother’s face. She placed her binder, book, and iPad on her lap and set her steaming coffee and bagel on the seat next to her. She shuffled through her large cheer bag for her phone but she could not find it. "Shit! Where did I leave it?" she said to herself.
Terrified to get off the car knowing they were already extremely late for school, Angelique jumped out of the van and without looking back ran inside like a dog chasing after a cat.
"Where are you going?" asked Maria as she was exiting the house into the garage.
"I can't find my phone!"
"You put it in your back pocket after you shut your alarm,” said Maria. “Where's Luis?"
"Not here yet. I'll text him to hurry up, that we're going to leave without him."
As Maria's mom was driving off Luis came speed walking towards the van.
He was wearing that orange stripped shirt he knows is hideous. Angelique attempted to open the door, pulling the handle, but she couldn't get it to move; the handle was jammed, so Luis violently slid it open, then clumsily hopped in the car.
Angelique, who chose to stay on the seat rather than moving one over, slightly turned her body sideways to make room for Luis to pass by and sit on the seat beside her. She had her stuff placed on her lap, still holding the warm bagel and coffee mug in her hands. Luis, with the little space he had, squeezed through when suddenly he heard Angelique shout, "What the heck Luis!"
"What?" Luis asked, a confused look in his face.
Panicked and upset, she shuffled through her bag in search for her napkin. With it she wiped off the coffee that was on her hands and jeans.
"You spilled coffee all over me!" She could not believe he'd just done that.
"I didn't even do it, ok!" Luis exclaimed as he sat down.
Maria's mother drove off.
Angelique sneered at Luis and in an aggressive manner continued to wipe at the coffee where it had spilled on her so that he could notice that she was furious, but Luis chose to ignore her the rest of the ride to school by pretending to be on the phone. He probably thought that she was over exaggerating. He was probably talking to himself right now, saying bad things about her like he always did after an argument, offended that she was blaming him for her mistake when obviously he was the one who spilled coffee on her, ruined her outfit, and didn’t even bother to apologize. Why did he think he was always right?
Upon arriving at school, Luis waved goodbye and went his own way, while Angelique and Maria continued to walk to first period together.
"Why are you all quiet, Angelique?" asked Maria.
“He gets on my nerve sometimes,” she replied, “it’s annoying!"
The bell rang and they rushed to class.
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