Seventeen | ✔️

The sensational smell of onion rings hit me when I woke up. I turned to look at my surroundings, realizing I was in the old diner just near the border of Michigan and Ohio. I didn't exactly remember why I was here, but I realized I must have made onion rings last night and had forgotten to package them up. I wasn't complaining about the smell, although I'm sure most people would. Not everyone can truly enjoy the greasy and salty smell of fried onion in the morning. I, however, loved the scent.

    I rolled over onto my side and sat up from the blue leather booth I was laying in. It was a booth I had turned into a bed by pushing two together. It had been like this for years now. Groggily, I got up and made my way towards the counter to retrieve my phone.

    472 texts plus 2 missed phone calls, but only 2. Both were from Jason. I didn't even know what day it was, but according to Jason's latest text, it had been weeks. I unlocked my phone (1717) and checked my texts. There were about two hundred from Jason, twenty from Harrison, and the rest from the Dean.

    The Dean. I was a teacher. I had 5 separate English classes to teach. First period, second, fourth, sixth, and seventh. I also had a house where I lived with Jason, my step-brother, my roommate, and my best friend. And I had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who, judging by her texts, seemed worried about me.

Where did you go?

    Jason filled in for you today. Is that really how desperate things have gotten?

    I have a feeling you're ignoring me, whatever.

    Why are you so mad?

    I talked to Jason...

    Look, we need to talk. No, it's not about what that line usually means.

    I know about you.

    Jason told me everything.

    I'm sorry, Otto.

    You should be sorry, too.

    There were more texts that I skimmed over before deciding to leave. I left the restaurant and walked outside to my car, which was thankfully still there. I got in and quickly started up my car, then driving away and leaving the city, wherever the hell I was. As I drove, I remembered the first time something like this happened.

    I was walking home after a long night, and I had just been to my first football game as a freshman. I was with this girl, her name was Susanne. She had lovely, short blonde hair, and she was rather petite. I returned home that night and tried to sleep, but for some reason, I couldn't. So I turned to the internet for answers. I was able to find where Susanne lived, what things she liked, what she did in her free time, what her family was like, and even her favorite songs. I wanted to know every single thing about her. I thought I was in love and Jason was happy for me. But the other Otto inside of me got angry. He got really, really angry when Susanne said she didn't like him in that way. So he took his rage elsewhere. He crossed the street from the school (right as he was supposed to be in his sixth-period class), and he hopped in a cab which took him to this bakery. Susanne's mother owned the bakery. He asked about Susanne and her mother talked a lot, speaking so fondly of her. He left later, and I woke up in the alleyway between the bakery and another shop in town confused as to how I got there.