Our First Meeting

I finally reach the outside of my building, which sobers me up a little bit. I felt another strange burp coming. I covered my mouth, but it didn't help as the burp led to vomit. I spewed up paste and chunks of my poor diet, sifting through my fingers. After I finish, I wipe my mouth and see my awful-looking hand. A bike cover caught my eye. I jogged over to it, looked around, and wiped my hand off on it, leaving behind an orange stain. I wobble off to where I think my class is.

I was still unsure about where I was going, but the more I walked, the better I felt. I walk into a small patch of fog on my way to class. It smells nice. The damp air warmed by the sun felt nice on my skin. The sun refracting through the fog looked like the world was ending, and the earth was exploding. It's such a lovely morning. I can't help but feel so happy that I’m alive to see this.

I finally get to my class. I burst through the doorway, and everyone turns and looks at me. I expected it from being late. It’s nothing new; I always draw unwanted attention, whether it's my awkward height or just my terrible personality. I take my seat as everyone's eyes are quietly following me. As I sit, the teacher continues

“Before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying that the one-year invasion of Ukraine by Russia led to the downfall of the Asian continent superpowers.”

He scribbles some more notes on the board I can barely see, and I scribble it down on my tech pad. I feel a hard elbow dig into mine. I look over to see Damarion grinning my way with no doubt another insult his tiny brain thought of. He should put his last brain cells to living rather than wasting it on me—either way, I’m honored.

“Ha ha, you're late! There goes your perfect attendance, and now I’ll be top of the class!”

“That's not how that works. Also, I’m not top of the class. The holder of that title is Araceli. You have a long way to go.”

“Well… at least I’m not a weirdo like you are!”

This is going nowhere, and it's not even fun breaking his arguments. I look back at the board and see what I have missed and franticly scribble more down, hoping to make it legible so I can learn it later. About halfway through the class, I realized I needed to pee because I forgot to in my rush to get out the door.

I quietly stand, trying not to disturb Damarion, but I see a dumbfounded look on his face, staring off into space. He has a long way to go not to be at the bottom of the class. Just before I push the door to exit, I see a flash of dark blue light from the middle of the room, and everyone in the classroom has some strange blue 2D marking hovering, rotating above their head.

I must be hallucinating. I did hit my head pretty hard. I get to the bathroom, splash water on my face, and shake my head. I look in the mirror, and I see I have one above my head, too. I look at it out of the corner of my eye as if looking at it directly would make me crazy. I think it is best to ignore it and go to the bathroom and get back to class.

I unzip my pants and let it go. I was holding it in for so long that it felt so good to go that I closed my eyes. I hear the splash of the water, then quiet for a moment, and a new sound, the sound of water hitting a hard surface. What, how could I miss!? I didn't even move? I open my eyes to see an ornate marble and gold floor like something out of a Chapple. I hear sounds of people whispering and Uhhhing. I turn my head to see my whole class behind me.

“OH SHIT!”

I yell when I see the mixed faces they are making, and I quickly zip my pants closed. And a little bit got caught, so I bit my lip so as not to embarrass myself further. I re-zip my pants, turn around, and try to slip away into a shadowy corner of this new ornate room.