The alarm was so damn loud. Man, just shut up already…
I weakly got up, my hair a total mess. I should probably cut it soon; it was annoying. I mean, everything around me was annoying. Well, that's what I thought, then I remembered there was a field trip today. I swear I could see the sky brighten just from the thought of an escape from school, but maybe that was just my mood.
Oh yeah, 4 a.m.? I had forgotten how excited I was last night. I think we were going to a planetarium or something? I didn't really care; I was just glad we didn't have class and that I'd at least have a day with all my friends together.
I finally mustered up the strength to get out of bed after a full 12 hours of rotting, and I still asked myself why I was so weak.
As I headed to the bathroom, I realized I'd left the light on inside overnight. Well, at least my family is away for work, so I didn't have to worry about them scolding me like last time. Though, I certainly wished I didn't have to worry about money like those times.
I stared at myself in the mirror for a while. A whole mess. Messy hair, not that I ever combed it, and crooked round glasses. And I probably shouldn't have considered highlighting my hair by myself because it looked like I was staring back at a crushed Oreo.
Anyway, as soon as I got ready, I wore one of my favorite outfits. I mean, it was a special field trip after all. I could finally continue my science project, so I opted for a denim jacket and a dumb shirt with a fat cat barfing rainbows on it. Tacky, but as if I had better clothes.
I've gotten used to not eating breakfast, but that day was different. I ate something, but for some reason, I can't remember what I ate. I don't know why.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my mom's number. It rang for a while. I had the phone pressed to my ear, but there was no answer. As always. I still don't know what happened to my family, but they assured me they would be back next week. Yet, I still can't contact them for the past few days. Maybe I should have filed a missing persons report, but maybe they're just surprising me with something.
I opened the front door and stepped into the hallway. I glanced back at my tiny apartment, not knowing that maybe it would be the last time I would see my cozy home.
Stepping into the dimly lit street, the rising sun was partially blocked by massive skyscrapers in the distance, and an extremely polluted sky. The capital was known as being one of the worst contenders for air pollution in Asia. But well, the people here have stopped caring, I guess.
I walked to the store to buy a red bean bun— a classic, at least to me. It's cheap, so it's become my favorite snack.
When I got to school, I was greeted with something heavy and tall crashing into my back, followed by a slap on the ass. Not very pleasant.
"LEEEOON—"
Sam's loud call was silenced immediately by the power of my hands as I karate-chopped his annoying self. God.
"It's almost 8 a.m., damn it. And don't hug me like that!"
"Why? Are you shy, huh?"
He replied with a smirk, like the little funny guy he thinks he is. I don't hate him, but he's way too much sometimes.
"So… you excited for today?"
He happily draped his arms over my shoulders.
"I mean, duh. It's like the first time we've had a proper field trip as a class in, like, 2 years?" I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore his heavy arm on my shoulder. It seemed like Sam had been hitting the gym... From the look of his arms— no.
We approached the school gate. The school wasn't really anything special. The main modern building had a flat rooftop, blinding white walls, five floors, large windows, kind of looking like a factory or warehouse repurposed into a school. A couple of traditionally Thai buildings were scattered across the untidy field.
On the field, the entire class was waiting for the bus to pick us up. My class consists of 30 students, some playing soccer, others just on their phones with their friends. In the distance, I saw my other friends, Mari Crivello and Chanelle Moon. I immediately ran to them.
"GIRLLL!!" Chanelle yelled out, her long brown hair shining in the sun. Even without makeup, she outshone all of us with her beauty. Okay, maybe not Sam. His good looks are equivalent to Chanelle's, and that's the only thing letting him survive in this world.
"Did you bring the snacks, Chanelle?!" I shouted, trying to match her energy as she swung my hands up and down in greeting.
Chanelle stopped for a moment, laughing awkwardly and trying to avoid everyone's gaze. "So, um—" She was cut off when Mari threw the bag of food onto her chest, and she barely managed to catch it.
"Hey?! Wait… I thought I left these at home?! Mari, where the hell—"
"I know you so well, 'Nelle. Don't ask," Mari shrugged as she turned to me. "Leon, please watch over this girl for me. For all we know, she's going to drown in a meter-deep kiddie pool at the park." Mari sighed. She was probably the most mature of all of us. Her hair was black and shorter than Chanelle's, and she usually wore dark clothing. Kind of like me that one time in middle school.
"Pfft! What the hell was that example?!" I laughed. Chanelle slapped my arm, scolding me jokingly. It felt so nice to be with my friends. After all, they were my favorite people in the world; I had no one else closer than them.
As I was laughing, arms suddenly came from behind me, and Sam hugged me from behind again. Is that all he knows how to do?
"Hey, Leon… I'm here too, you know. Don't forget me…"
He looked at me, as if I was abandoning him. I hadn't interacted with him for a full minute, so I don't know how that counts as 'forgetting,' but okay.
"Sam, are you some big baby that needs their mom 24/7? Should I start calling you Baby Sammy?" I scoffed, thinking that would make him let go.
"Yes, please, Mommy!" he begged, chuckling and expecting a super hilarious reaction from me that would make him go, 'Hahahaha!' (Imagine this as laughing politely because I have no idea how to describe this ridiculous man.)
I was about to say something or punch him or whatever because, honestly, that response probably requires therapy, but fortunately, Chanelle threw herself in front of me, spreading her arms to protect me from the mental asylum patient.
"Get away from my baby, you gay perv!" she yelled at Sam, while Mari died of laughter in the corner.
"Um… Chanelle, are you forgetting I'm also bisexu—"
"It's okay, Leon. I'll protect you from this creepy man! This is why you shouldn't trust men!"
"Chanelle, for the last time.." I said, holding my laughter in while pretending to look dead. I thought Chanelle would perfectly fit the role of Karen if she starred in that mean girls movie or whatever.
"Hey! Where are you taking me? Mari, let go! I have to protect my daughter!"
"Nelle, he's not your daughter; he's a grown man. So let's go to the bus already; it's almost time to leave." Mari sighed as she dragged the hissing Chanelle away, leaving me alone once again with Sam.
"So… we should probably go too, right?" he smirked, looking down at me and fluffing up my already messed-up hair.
"No, we should stay here for the next hundred years and dance around singing till we die, like that one European plague. Of course, we should go now!"
We headed to the double-decker bus, looking up to appreciate its size. We then met up with Chanelle and Mari again, sitting at a row of chairs with tables. How convenient.
"Oooh! There's a table! When will we ever get this luxury again? Ow… That hurts…" Chanelle put her face on the table, while Mari parted her hair and squished her cheeks, looking dazed until Chanelle complained that she was squishing too hard without even realizing it.
The cool air from the air conditioning was refreshing. It kind of smelled like lavender. I looked up. I guess it was coming from there?
"What are you looking at, Leon?" Sam interjected, trying to locate what my eyes were focused on.
I looked at him, noticing a perplexed look on his face. Hm. Why did he look so handsome in the sunlight? His light brown eyes, even lighter than Chanelle's, were almost blinding as the rising morning sun shone across his face. I don't know why I was noticing this just then.
"Leon? Is there something wrong with my face? Or are you just sleepy?"
To be honest, I felt suddenly fatigued, even though I had gotten more than enough sleep. I sensed something was off, even though everything seemed to be going well.
He caressed my face gently. Honestly… Why was I giving into this? He says he's straight, and yet… Whatever. I'm just going to take a short nap; I don't want to think about it.
The last thing I remember is seeing Chanelle across the table, huddled in a blanket, sharing her earphones with Mari, watching some horror movie or something while eating the snacks. Sam let me lay on his shoulder, his arms around me.
I wanted to stay awake to scold Sam for even touching me, to eat those snacks Chanelle was finishing up, but I couldn't. I looked through the window. There was no life in the mountains. The government had previously deforested the entire landscape.
In the distance, I saw a strange mountain shaped like an almost perfect pyramid, it was completely deforested, without a single tree, just grass, and destroyed tree trunks, the rest of the mountain range was similarly stripped of its life.. I thought that wasn't possible; there were no famous pyramid-shaped mountains in the area… and I closed my eyes slowly.
When I woke up, the loudest sound I could hear was my own breathing. The silence around me was so complete. Sam was supposed to be next to me, mocking me for sleeping like a rock, and Mari and Chanelle were supposed to be in front of me, excitedly talking about our plans. But that was all 'supposed to' because, in reality, no one was around.
I got up and stepped outside the bus, feeling an overwhelming sense of loneliness. How did they leave without me? But wait. That mountain… It's still there. We appeared to be at the same location as before, but this time, the area was brimming with life, covered in dense rainforest and jungle, and so was the surrounding landscape, echoing what could have been in the place if it wasn't deforested.
Maybe we were just at a different place, despite the hills here famously known as the 'dead range' for miles around due to their lack of greenery. That must have meant they stopped and everyone just left for no reason, with no place to go. No… Why would they? This doesn't make any sense!
I turned around, hoping to go back on the bus, expecting it to be there. But nothing. The bus was gone, vanished. It's impossible for the bus to leave without me hearing the engine or the friction of the tires, but now it had disappeared into thin air, just like everyone else. Where the hell were they?
I gave up and decided to walk back. We weren't that far into the trip, so I knew where I was. Hopefully, I'd be able to find my friends at the school. Maybe the trip had been canceled somehow, and they all ran off as soon as I closed my eyes, and the bus just flew away?
Anyway, I began trekking the asphalt road back to the school.
Oh boy, how wrong I was about everything.