Waking Up.

*Ring~!*

"Ugh.." In a dark room, a young man groaned while slowly sitting up in his seemingly tiny bed. Even after sitting up, it was clear it hurt to open his eyes, as they had yet to open for more than half a second, remaining closed even as he opened his phone and dismissed his alarm.

Picking up old, black wireframe glasses, he put them on, letting them rest on his face as he just sat there, waiting. Minutes passed, and after what felt like ages to the boy, he groaned once more before sliding out from his blankets and padding out of his room to the adjacent bathroom, where he was blinded by the lights he turned on to see.

It was notable, that he only had one door obstruct his path, as he left his room it was clear that it hadn't had a door for a long while, causing some pain when trying to fall asleep. Returning to his room, he proceeded to dress in a simple pair of blue jeans and a plain grey shirt.

By now light was filtering into the room from the hall, and the boy's appearance was clearly revealed. He was quite tall and slender, almost as if he was undernourished, and incredibly lanky in figure. His face did him no favors either, painting a quite frankly absurd picture. His hair was a dark brown, with some lighter shades to add variety. The perhaps most prominent feature of his face, however, was his nose. It was quite big, taking up a huge space in the center of his face.

"James! Food is ready!" A voice yelled at the boy. He jerked, before finally registering the sizzling sounds of bacon and eggs. He took a whiff of the air and satisfied, put on socks before heading down the hall and into the dining room. After adjusting to the brightness of the room, James spotted his mother at the table, reading her daily scripture and writing down thoughtful words.

No greeting was necessary between the two, and James simply sat down in his usual spot at the end of the table behind which was an island counter, the only separation between the dining room and the kitchen.

Looking past the plate of two bacon slices and one egg, one would be able to spot the scars and blemishes of the custom wood table, words that belied its outer contemporary appearance. It has experienced moments far beyond many years, enduring time after time.

James looked at the clock with a piece of bacon in his mouth. 6:50 AM. 'Twenty Minutes', he thought. Twenty minutes until he had to leave the house for the usual American teen experience, school. Perhaps he wouldn't have enough time to do everything he usually did in the morning, but at least he didn't get up too late.

After finishing his food, he went to the restroom and proceeded to comb his hair and apply deodorant. That done, he slipped on his shoes and threw his Chromebook into his bag, along with a can of soda from the kitchen. Soda, one of the few drinks that could sate his thirst without completely disgusting his tongue.

Before he left his room, James took special care to pet his cat, who gave him a disgruntled look for waking her up. Showing a rare true smile, James pocketed his phone, keys, and wallet before returning to the dining room and kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

It was clear that James loved sweets, shown quite clearly through the four spoons of sugar and healthy amount of creamer he poured into his coffee, before taking a satisfying sip. He didn't really like coffee, but a can of soda in the morning wasn't any better and instead wasteful. He looked at the clock. 7:10 AM.

"Bye Mom," he called as he slipped out the door. "Love you." "Love you too have a great day!" As always she slipped some positivity in their talk, which while sometimes sounded annoying did overall have a good impact.

Stepping off the porch, James heaved a truly large sigh, stopping only for a moment before heading to his car, a 2013 Metallic Silver Nissan Altima his dad lent him. It was a good car, getting him from point A to B easily. Slipping his over six-foot frame into the low car, James turned it on and buckled in, before shoving his car into reverse. It was time for school.