The Perfect Mix

Zero. The Perfect Mix of Old and New Things (Prologue)

It wasn't really my "thing". But for a chance to get back with my friends again after we graduated from High School, it has to be my "thing".  I wasn't all that excited about it because I'm forcing myself to do it. But I knew I needed it.

I needed a break from school. You see, last Monday, my partner in crime or my partner in creating a book report about crime was absent. Monday was the deadline of the report. Monday was when I wanted to kill him for not showing up. Monday was the day I faced my professor and the rest of the class. I don't remember much since I chose not to remember. But I do remember my professor doing her impression of the reaper because as far as I know, I was dying.

The following morning, my friend Bob, came up to me and asked me how it went. I looked at him and punched him in the face. No, that didn't really happen. What really happened is that following morning Bob didn't even come to class again. But I did saw his van in the parking lot, and when the doors opened, smoke came out. It was like watching a wrestler make his entrance except the music playing on my mp3 player was Nickelcreek's This Side. So it didn't really fit well. I waited for Bob to come out, then after about a minute or two, the smoke cleared and I saw two guys talking in the back seat. One was Bob, the other was somebody I knew by face but not by name. I approached them wanting to ask Bob what had happened but I noticed his eyes were so red and I didn't like the stench coming off the van. So before they noticed me, I quietly walked away, more frustrated than ever.

For the record, I didn't choose him to be my partner. It's one of those random pairings our professors put us up to. They always say that in the real world, we don't get to choose our partners except in marriage and even marriages do not work out. So I guess if gay marriage is legal and Bob and I are married then we are getting annuled or divorced. For the record, I am not gay.

The rest of Tuesday went well, Wednesday was not noteworthy at all. Physics laboratory wasn't my forte but I had to attend it if I wanted to pass the subject. Then there's Thursday.

I was eating a dish called Pork Diablo in our canteen (which we all labelled 'greedy' by the way) with two of my college friends when I saw my ex-girlfriend doing googly eyes with someone I do not know personally. She noticed me and she made googly eyes with that someone more. That someone happens to be our former friend who, during the time that she and I were together, was always in the picture trying to tease her or make bad comments about her. It seems appropriate that she chose that person to make me jealous but it's kind of stupid because he never really liked her before. I think.

I told Mark, one of the friends I'm eating with, about my ex is now together with that guy. He told me that she is ugly and I should get over it and find someone new. Lucas, my other friend, was too busy eating his pork diablo, when he finally had the chance to speak, he told Mark we should go play pool later. But I didn't know how to play pool and he knows it, I knew I wasn't going to come with them later, I never do. Regardless, these two guys are pretty solid when I needed company in school. But when it comes to going out, I know I'm not fun to be with. I tend to get quiet most of the time and everybody else tries to hard to get me back in the conversations. But I seldom do. I always end up being the quiet observer, the problem adviser and after parties, the designated driver.

I never really felt that I belong among friends. The"What kind of person are you test", from one of the websites I visit, really got to me. It said that I was melancholic, even if I changed my answers to my second option, I was still melancholic. Then finally, after about the fourth time, it said I was a perfectionist.

Friday is when Mike called me and asked me to come with us this Sunday, he convinced me that it was going to be fun. Ron will be there he said. These two were really close to me while I was in high school, especially Ron. The fun run was this Sunday, I quietly dub it as "lazy day". But even though it was a "lazy day" I just couldn't pass up meeting my old friends after two years we graduated from High School.

So here I am with my High School friends, we got these outfits, Mike has running shoes on, but Ron and I didn't. I can't remember what Ron was wearing though I told him he should have worn his leather boots. I was wearing my basketball shoes because I didn't have any other shoes. I looked stupid because everybody else that I see in the fun run was wearing running shoes, even the grandmas and the grandpas were wearing running shoes. I guess I'm not alone since Ron also looked ridiculous. Ron and I seem to help each other get through awkward moments. There were countless occasions where we looked like idiots together.

The countdown for the run has started. Fifteen minutes was given for everybody to warm up. Ron and I were busy talking about what happened when. Which leads often leads to more nostalgic stories. He liked this girl way back when but when things got serious, it didn't work out. And how I never really got a girl despite having to court so many of them. Those stories. Then there were those stories that we fought in the sixth grade, punching one another like a girl. I guess we're both sissies back then but now look who's going for a 5K run! Look who's geared up showing they're manly shoulders and hairy calves. Look who's talking before a 5K run while everybody else is warming up! Five minutes later, we noticed that Mike was missing. Not lost, he was just missing from our sights. He can never get lost to these fun runs, he is the one who liked these events. He knew the organizers, he knew some of the people. So we're guessing he just saw someone he knew and talked. But shouldn't he be warming up? Then when we finally saw him, he's talking with two girls. Ron was like, "Mike being Mike", and I agreed, then we started to laugh a little. Then we realized that he's actually with two of our High School batchmates. The other was my prom date on our senior year, whom I rarely talk to nowadays.