Sensation

Beep beep beep. My alarm clock rang. A perturbed sense of trepidation overwhelmed me. The events that unfolded yesterday would surely bleed into today. It was the start of a shift I could not prepare for, yet I was conscious. The soft taps of raindrops resounded through my window. A minor omen that only unsettled me. From how the light concerted, I concluded it was dawn. The delicate rustling of my blanket reflected thunder to my ears. I rubbed my eyes. The subtle rhythm of the alarm clock ceased as my body rolled forward.

A new morning.

The drawer was unhinged and inside the granola bar rested there. It teased me with its wrinkled wrapping, which resembled a face. My stomach rumbled, pleading for breakfast as I sighed before unfolding my blanket. A prickling pain ensued in my legs. Each step I took was purposeful and calculated. My legs hadn't woken up yet.

My mother, who was watching television, heard my shuffling and peered down the hallway. There I was, struggling to walk through the plank floorboards. She gazed at me with an unconcerned expression. I grinned and chuckled before reaching the dining table. Already, she had fixed breakfast for me. I thanked my mother before digging in. The flavor of flawlessly seasoned scrambled eggs pursued a sensation of satisfaction. Although the eggs were cold, the taste compensated for it. Through the blinds, gleaming speckled stars encapsulated the landscape.

I stood up and walked over to the refrigerator. Inside, I grabbed a carton of iced coffee and poured it into a glass. After returning the carton and closing the fridge, I sipped the beverage, savoring it. In the background, my mother was preparing to leave for work. She let out a goodbye before closing the door. There was silence before the dabbing of the rain continued. My fingers tingled, a sign of the caffeine. Soon, the glass of coffee would be empty, and I strolled to the kitchen, placing the plate and the glass into the sink.

Before heading to my room, I rubbed my leg and yawned. My closet was barren. Just a dozen pieces of apparel dangled from the pole. Scanning the wardrobe, a clothe caught my eye. It was a martial arts set that I no longer used. I scrunched my face in deep thought before continuing down the line. A dark blue t-shirt, jeans, and a grey hoodie looked fine in the mirror. Before leaving the room, I grabbed a pair of socks and slipped on my rucksack. After, I rummaged through the shoe rack for a matching set of shoes. The shoes echoed in the empty apartment hallway. Pulling the key out of the door and sliding it into my pocket, a thought crossed my mind. Alison wanted me to meet the new kid formally. I knew she was anticipating me at school, scheming something.

Last night, Alison and my mother sang karaoke while I perched like a grump. In absolutely no circumstance would I ever have sung with them—unless, of course, my favorite song emerged on the tracklist.

I shuddered. The glass doors sensed my presence and slid open. I hopped down the steps and found my way through the parking lot before reaching the bus stop. My seat was empty, as always. The sky was the same familiar dark purple with a tint of orange. The wind, a pinch warmer than yesterday, filled me with a feeling of calmness. Another bad morning: rescued by nature. The rain plopped and splashed on my head while I sat there. It was only drizzling, so I didn't need an umbrella. Fluid sounds of the raindrops rattled in my ears. Cars whizzed by, squealing as if to imply it stormed in the twilight. Noticing the wet roads and the damp bench, I knew that the drizzle would die off.

Hum, hum.

The bus had arrived as sparkling ice formations covered the windows. I climbed in, greeting the bus driver for once. As I reached my regular seat, the bus jerked forth, and I lost my balance. After a moment, the bus began to move at a slow pace. I reclined with my rucksack beside me as subtle bouncing from the road caused the bus to judder. Gazing outside the window, the pattern of the road consumed me. My face rested on my fist as I started daydreaming.

The bus halted and shook. I stirred up gradually with my eyes widening. The chatter of students muffled by the frozen windows. Outside was the courtyard. My feet hit the dense, cemented pavement. A brisk flurry wriggled up my shirt. I tugged the back of my shirt as a response and resumed onward. Emphasized by the dark cloudy sky, the cherry tree appeared to blossom. I followed my routine path. Something occurred to me though the new kid would presumably be present today. Looking around the library, he was nowhere. I advanced to the manga section, trying to find the title from yesterday. My knees bumped the ground as I knelt. Suddenly, a shadow rose on the bookshelf. Behind me was him. I paused for a moment as we swapped glances.

"Oh, hey," I apathetically uttered.

"Hi," he replied nervously, "I never caught your name."

"Ah, yeah, it's Evan. Some people call me Ev, but you don't have to."

"Okay. Well, uhm, my name is Will," he returned awkwardly.

After a nod, I swiveled back to search for the book. Will hovered about before squatting beside me. He was wearing the blazer today; however, instead of black trousers, he wore white trousers. It surprisingly complimented the dark blue blazer. Noticeably from a squatting stance, his shoes appeared to be brown. As he looked down at the books near the floor, his ruffled hair curled. Maybe Will wasn't as faulty as I assumed. Will stole my dream-like gazing and hopped back in humiliation before falling on his rucksack and blushing. I suppressed my face from flushing and proceeded to help him.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's alright man," I said.

He looked up and beamed. Caught off guard, I stood up. The bell rang as we brushed ourselves off. I readjusted my pants and strolled down the congested corridors. Behind me, Will followed. He seemed to know where I was heading. Will increased his pace whenever lumps of people split us apart. As I approached my locker, he was nearby down the hallway. His locker was not far from mine. My face contorted in suspicion. With my sharp reflexes, I unlocked my locker, shoved my rucksack in, slid out my water bottle, and locked it back again, all in a flash. Will, whose locker was still ajar, peered at me with astonishment. I smirked to myself and gracefully sauntered to class.

Upon entering the classroom, I sat down next to Ari and Alison. They looked at me, both smiling peculiarly. Next to my chair was another chair. Without a moment's delay, I connected the dots and apprehensively—

Will entered the room.

Alison got out of her chair, clapped, and stretched her arms out.

"Surprise!" she shouted.

The entire class was not bothered by this and overlooked the absurdity of Alison's enthusiasm. Will appeared beside Alison, who hugged him and sat down. Ari noticed my gawked expression and patted me on the back, misunderstanding the situation.

"Yeah, I know, she's moved on man," he sincerely expressed.

"What- NO! It's just-" I chose not to get heated.

Ari laid back with an expression that exhibited a "winning" look. Will giggled before scootching closer to me.

"Alison and I are friends, she's said so much about you," he remarked.

"Yeah...I know," I shot back.

Will was still shy by the look of his posture. He had a slumped back and liked to hide his hands in his pockets. Unlike many of the boys in our school, he did not wear a watch, a chain, or accessory: he had no possessions to flaunt. I sank back in my chair and groaned. Will looked at me distressed as I continued to let out a long, drawn-out groan.

"This is normal," Ari spoke.

I relaxed and attempted to rest before Alison shot question after question at Will. Unlike Ari, I was visibly agitated. Alison wore more makeup than usual—most likely to impress Will—and had a blue blouse that swirled as she moved. Will did not seem to be as impressed with Alison as I was. Never before had Alison done anything to steal my attention. Ari was right; she had moved on. Even though Will was answering questions, he still sat next to me, intending to chat with me. After a long sigh, I dipped my head in his direction. Will looked at me and nonverbally communicated that I should speak. My eyes replied with a lifeless stare. I could see Will's glistening brown eyes reflecting off the window. As he gaped back, the bell rang, interrupting the brief closeness.

Already in the hallway with all my belongings, Will clutched my shoulder and stopped me in the hallway.

"I'm sorry," he softly voiced.

Without a response, I resumed down the corridor to my next class. Will had nothing to apologize for: he was the new kid. His boyish energy compelled Alison to pursue him. Then again, Alison had never appeared more in love with anyone else. I sighed. Maybe the next class would take my mind off Will.

Unsurprisingly, all I could think of was Will. The beating of my pencil ushered through my ears. The indistinct lecturing of the teacher and the whispers of nearby classmates were almost noiseless. Outdoors, the rain seemed to end. No longer was there a natural ambiance to calm my nerves; instead, the artificial hum of florescent lights compensated for the near-silence. I flipped the pages of my textbook. Flashes of pictures kissed the air before being tucked away. The factory stench of the pages recemented my aversion to school textbooks. Class, in general, was repulsive to me. Why were students like me forced to sit through an hour of lecturing about something that happened thousands of years ago? Nothing made sense. No one in this class would remember the events that took place in the next decade. Over my shoulder, I saw a student sleeping. I was jealous. There was absolutely no way that daily ancient Roman rituals would have significance in my life. Bending backward, I dropped my pencil. The teacher looked up from his pedestal before pointing at me.

"Mr. Ross, what seems to be the issue?" he inquired.

Suddenly, the entire class surrounded my peripheral. I shook my head and held up my pencil before he continued with the lecture. Soon, the class ended. A rejuvenating feeling of vitality manifested.

The wind licked my face like a cat. Outside was still chilly, but it was sunny enough to tolerate going out. The ground was moist from the recent downpour, but it dried fast. Cherry blossoms fell from the tree and skid across the concrete terrain. Picking up one, I examined it. The rounded, pink curves accentuated the buds. I sat on a bench beside the cherry tree. Occasionally, one or two students would pass by the courtyard before entering the cafeteria. Inside the room was a suffocating amount of students all jammed together. Even outside, the gossiping of people was audible. My ears caught a separate noise. Someone was nearby. Behind me, across the cherry tree, sat Will. He looked down at his lunch depressingly. Alison was nowhere in sight. She was likely conversing in the cafeteria with her alleged "friends." Ironically, she was possibly talking about Will. Baffled, I scootched over. Will motioned before taking another nibble from his rice. My food paled compared to his; the old fish, old rice, and vegetables from the mall contrasted by his steaming beef bowl were dodgy. He understood this and extended a cut of beef to me. Shaking my head, I declined before consuming the rest of my lunch. My legs swayed as Will hummed. An awkward silence ensued.

"So what class do you have next?" Will raised.

"Math," responded.

"Oh, well I have Math too!" he excitedly mentioned.

"Probably don't share my class," I sighed, "I'm in an accelerated class."

Will saw me watching the clouds.

"You must be smart," he observed.

"Not exactly," I replied.

Another moment of muteness. Will rose and took my hand. I shook it, expecting him to let go. Instead, he propelled me up. He let go as I squirmed and pulled away, seeming confused. Then, Will gestured me to follow. He went up to the tennis court and pointed at Alison. Still perplexed, I tilted my head.

"Did you know she plays tennis against the boys?" he asked.

"No, actually, I never knew where she got her strength," I forced a chuckle.

As Will and I spectated, she noticed Will and ran over. The bell rang. I petted Will in the back and wished him luck before continuing to my next class. Alison and Will would get together; I had a feeling.

A couple of hours had passed before I remembered that Jun and I would socialize today. The courtyard was chock-full of other students exiting school. The sight reflected a war drama. Hundreds of teenagers and adults, trying to advance into "convoys." Occasionally, the screams of people's names would ring into my ears. At one point, I could hear my name; of course, it wasn't for me, rather a separate Evan. Cars, trucks, and buses left one by one. I sat on a bench, waiting for Jun. It wasn't a very long wait: he had passed by only minutes later. He saw me and grinned. Jun's orange hair was short but very striking. His shirt had stains, and his blazer hung on his shoulder. His black pants and black shoes were dirtied—most likely from football—and his face had some scratches. Predominantly, he had a slash across his cheek, which a patch encased. Jun hadn't changed since elementary school.

"D'you have football or somethin'?" I questioned.

"Yeah, how did you know?" he rubbed his neck bashfully.

I snickered before we strolled down the road. The rain from this morning was gone, and the sun was out. Jun would not stop talking; he was most likely trying to catch me up on the years we missed together. I smiled and laughed when appropriate before we reached a crosswalk. The faded white streaks of paint evenly spaced out. Across the street was the usual scene of kids entering the ice cream shop.

"We don't have to go to the ice cream shop if ya don't want," Jun suggested.

"Yeah, I was already here yesterday," I agreed.

Past the ice cream shop was a little restaurant. Jun expressed that he would pay for a box of chicken wings. I nodded and looked down at the entrance decorated with Christmas ornaments—a bit too late for that. My fingers smudged the dirty glass door before Jun pushed the door for me. A server greeted me before showing me to a couch next to the window. There seemed to be a bar and a pool table across the room. It was mostly empty, and the building as a whole only had four or five customers, plus us. Christmas music played in the background as Jun bounced on his couch. The dingy springs squeaked as he glowed with an adventurous look. A person approached us as we took our order. Jun ordered a box of spicy chicken wings and added a cola for me. We sat there, looking at the table.

"So, about that one girl that liked me," he brought up, "turns out, she already had a boyfriend!"

My eyes lightened up.

"And like, I told her boyfriend about it and he pushed me. I was like 'calm down dude, I'm trynna help' and he told me to back off," he continued.

"Jeez, that's pretty intense," I acknowledged.

"I didn't even like that girl or any girls for that matter. I've never thought of having a girlfriend. Not when I have friends like you."

I straightened my posture as a flustered expression crawled up my face. Jun reached his hands out.

"Ah, no need to get embarrassed, it's true though!" he began shouting, "If I loved anyone in this entire world, it'd be you, bro!"

I shushed him before the waitress returned. The chicken looked delicious. Smoke emerged from the box: the spicy odor swelled in my chest. Jun inhaled a big sniff before rapidly hacking. I stretched over to pat his back. The glistening wings caught my attention as I leaned backward and selected a piece. Jun did the same before we pressed our wings together and dug in. A juicy, fresh burst of flavor coated my tongue. I drooled as the aroma climbed into my mouth. Before long, a dozen wings had slid down my gullet as a sigh of satisfaction arose. Jun burped with his blazer and shirt that splotched with sauce.

"Thanks, dude," I breathed.

"Yep, no worries-" he burped again.

As we stood up, he left some cash on the table before bidding farewell to the staff. Outside, cars hurtled by, and the sky was yellow: it was time to go home. Jun proposed a chance to stay over at his parent's place.

"It's kinda getting late," I stated.

"Understandable."

He sank. I stepped closer to Jun; his red-stained mouth smelled of spicy chicken sauce. My breath and his met as I wiped some sauce off his clothes. He looked surprised. His fingers curled before we hugged. The sun was pretty, and the cars blew our clothes in a flurry. A warmth I hadn't received from many other people slowly clasped my body. Jun chuckled and let go.

"You're still as emotional as ever," he joked.

He detected a pinch from his waist before wincing in pain. I grinned. Jun patted my head and brushed my hair before squeezing my neck with his arm. We walked down the street as the sun diminished. Behind us, the city lights illuminated. A sense of jubilation drifted through. For once, I had felt nice.