Maybe, just maybe, the air-monorail has never been late

Sleep. Waking up. Have breakfast. Sit by the window, waiting for the air-monorail to take me to school. Attend classroom activities. Lunchtime and some other school activities. I listed them as mere 'activities' because i never really cared for what they were about, only a few general classes actually counted towards my overall grades. While other students were doing the 'activities', i was just there by myself. But this isn't right. This isn't how i should live my life, i'll never get back my, uh, 'youth' again

Riiing-Riiing

Huh it's break time already? Internally i was thinking so assuredly that i should socialize with people but it's definitely not so easy to do in practice...

It was break time, so everyone left the classroom to do their own things, leaving only a small group of three students sitting and chatting. They had two boys and one girl, and one of the boys was taking out some kind of board game. Well, uhh, no more peeking, this is my chance
"Um, hello guys, what are you doing?"
"Oh, you're that kid who never talks to anybody. What's up?", the other boy spoke up
"Hey, that's rude!" "We're going to play this week's new game, it can be played with 2-3 players but best played with 4, so it would be great if you could join us!", the girl beamed
"A-a new game? They're making new games?"
"I'm not sure about that", replied the first boy
"Actually, every week the school picks a random game from the pool of past games and prints tons of copies of that game" "So pretty much an infinite number of games to play if i do say so myself", the rude boy again
"I-i see... do i have to buy the same one as this to play with you guys?"
"Nope, we only need one. And you could get it from the school library" "Wait a minute, 'buy'? Does that mean the same as 'get'?"
"Really bro? Does your mom never need to do groceries for cooking?"
"Cooking? Your mom must be a weirdo if she enjoys wasting time cooking"
"Hey! I do like cooking! Are you calling me a weirdo too?"
"What!? That's so weird- Wait I mean, no, well, as for you, uhh"

What an interesting friend group...

"Uh-um... like this?" This game is difficult, so many rules
"So, do you remember now? Move this piece like this, okay? Actually move it however you want" "Then take the dice and roll them to determine the number of stars you can take"
"Woww, that's it! You're getting pretty good at this!"
"Pleh, that's nothing, should i remind you guys it only took me 5 minutes to thoroughly understand the rules of this game?"
"Gosh, and does that give you the right to belittle every new player? We have always been a group of 3 because your little attitude scared everyone away!"
"Yeah bro, i doubt you'd be so thrilled about the idea of being the king, but also the only player of any game"
"Ugh, i guess you're right..."

Is it... is it really the right call to join them?

Riiing-Riiing

"Aww dang it! I'll have to get to my next class, see you!"
"Hold on, let me just wrap everything up real quick"
"Goodbye, nameless kid"
"Hey, that's not cool!"

"..."
Actually, if I could just be a little more careful next time, I will be able to score more points in that game. Wait, next time? I'm looking forward to hanging out with them already? I'm... having fun? With friends? Today has been a little unusual, right? Oh wait you aren't even here

I somehow bumped into that same group again in the afternoon break
"So where were you yesterday?"
"I, uh, was sick?"
"Really!? Sick!? In this day and age? You know it takes a loot of effort to be able to get sick right? Why did your parents even modify your genes?"
"I don't know dude. My dad said something like 'without pain you'll never know what it means to be surviving', and uh, 'to survive is to live' " "Yeah i don't get that at all, but big deal, i get sick all the time. But i cannot die of sickness though"
"I-i see...", this guy's dad... sound a bit like my own dad
"Bullshit! What backward parents y'all have. Mine have always supported my decision of getting those 'Ascensions' as soon as possible"
"Really? To be honest that sounds kinda cool but i'm also afraid of it... I mean i've heard stories of people going overboard with too many 'Ascensions' "
"Tsk, you think adults don't have self-control? I'm sure only idiots will fall for that"
"Um, truth is, it did happen to my great-grandfather... And i guess my mom and dad to some extent"
"My dad experienced the same thing. I think he said something like 'when you could do everything, the world becomes devoid of purposes' " "And he rerolled himself back to school, the only place where he felt like he had a purpose"
"I'm so sorry that happened to your family, both of you!" "Honestly yeah, it sounds scary if anything. Being omnipotent, you'll feel trapped by your imagination, by your memories, by your own personal attachments. I've read a lot on this trust me. A god-like human isn't a human no more..."
"W-what's with y'all? Don't scare me like that" "I'll just take the basic 'Ascensions', that's all!"
"Yeah only a few of them should be alright!"
"What's with that change in attitude!?"
"Honestly dude, i don't care about all that 'Ascensions' stuff, i may but also may not get a couple of them. I'm just glad to be alive"
"Now it's you who sound like my dad haha" crap i said it out loud "I mean, uh, yeah, birthrate has been declining for like a few hundred years now. We all should be glad our parents gave birth to us"
"Yeah... It's pretty sad but also spine-chilling to think that i'm the only kid in the whole neighborhood. Ever since the success of the 'Humanity Ascension project', nobody wants to give birth anymore..."
"I mean i could turn out to be one of them so it would be hypocritical of me to criticize"
"Like my dad said, 'our world doesn't have a need for child-"

Riiing-Riiing

After the break ended, we exchanged goodbyes with each other and left the cafeteria. I went to my next class as usual, but this time I made an effort to pay attention to the lecture rather than daydreaming. Was this also a way of enjoying my youth? Soon, class was dismissed. Quietly, I made my way to my regular waiting spot

"Hey! There you are! We were looking for you all over!"
"Uh, huh?" I got startled "I'm just... waiting for the monorail, to get home" all three of them came looking for me?
"Tsk, that piece of junk always arrives late"
"Bro, that used to annoy me too. But at least we got a bit of extra time to hang out after school"
"You guys... really want to be my friends?"
"Mmm! You were fun to talk to, and oh, also pretty good at games" "Which reminds me, i never got to know your name?"
"My name?"


There exists people who want to be my friends? They want to be my friends? I took a look around, no monorail in sight, the schoolyard was filled with students chatting and playing together, none of the students were waiting for the air-monorail like I usually was. Maybe, just maybe, at least for my generation, the air-monorail has never been late. It's pretty much on time