A day in the life (fruk)

16

"ALRIGHT! EVERYONE GATHER ROUND! WHO IS BETTING ON WHO?!"

"America!"

"What?"

They were setting everything up still, and I was starting to feel the effects of the acid. It didn't help that the colours were so bright and vibrant. It felt as if I were in one of the music videos from the Beatles. It felt psychedelic.

"How about this, if I win, you stay the night in my room, and if you win, I will finally leave you alone, deal?" Francis laughed. I noticed how his pupils were growing bigger than how they should, so it made me put the pieces together that he was tripping out already. He wouldn't say anything like this to me sober; it was too straightforward.

"Oh really? I doubt you'd want that," I laughed. We had our backs to the wall as the boys continued hyping up the entire situation. Francis had put his hair up, and I took off my coat. "You don't know what I want; trust me, I will ensure I will win," he laughed. I rolled my eyes at what he was saying, laughing.

"Francis, in all the years I've known you, you still manage to sound like an utter Twat. And you wonder why I never give you a ring."

"Darling, we will see."

"ALRIGHT! FIRST PERSON TO DO THREE LAPS AROUND WINS!" Alfred declared. Many nations cheered with delight, looking around as if tripping balls. They were...they were all tripping.

"ON YOUR MARK!"

"Hey, Francis, you know what?"

"What?"

"SET!"

"Well, I've always liked your hair down; you should keep it like that."

"HUH?—"

"GO!"

I took off.

I had thrown Francis off with my comment, taking off around the rink. The music began to play louder, and the cheers erupted.

"WHOA! IS THIS A MODERN-DAY ANGLO-FRANCO WAR?"

I began laughing as I turned around, seeing Francis trying to catch up to me. I had only been skating occasionally, but it wasn't rocket science. Also, Francis was easy to throw off. I had done it many times before.

"ENGLAND!" Francis shouted. I turned around, confused, but nearly shook in fear as he almost rammed into me. Francis had shoved me a bit, using my imbalance to get ahead of me.

He began laughing at me as I stopped to catch my balance. Many of our fellow nations cheered and laughed. It was amusing and felt good to have fun like this. I quickly gathered myself and immediately rushed to catch up to him.

The music continued playing in the back, making the situation surreal. Like a movie scene from the many films, I had seen in the past. All I wanted was for that to happen. I wanted my life to seem like a funny movie. A movie that would end eventually, so I didn't need to be sad or worried about what would happen next. I wanted to be the main character that everyone loved. To have THAT happy ending was something I wanted so badly.

Thinking about this as I skated was a mental reminder of who I was. What my purpose in life was. Sure, I was laughing as Francis, and I raced beside each other, but the thought was still in the back of my mind. I couldn't escape this reality.

I lived through some of the most tragic events in history and have done horrible things, yet I was here laughing. This idea feels so sickening to me. I constantly had the thought in the back of my head any time I allowed myself to have fun. I allowed myself to have fun but never be mentally present. I didn't deserve it.

Francis and I continued to race each other, and I was still inching behind him. "FRANCE!" I called. Francis turned around with this stupid smile. He looked absolutely adorable, and it only reminded me how much I loved him. "ENGLAND? Already giving up? You know what that means, right?" He asked.

We were still moving fast, and it surprised me when he did a whole turn around to face me. He was skating backwards but was still in the lead. "What?" I asked, surprised. He continued to smile at me, reaching for my hands. We were soon coming to an end, and it was inevitable that I would lose. We both had cheated, so maybe it was a draw.

Francis grabbed my hands, pulling me with him, despite my efforts to make him let go. I had begun pulling my hand away, but he wouldn't let me go. "OH? A TURN OF EVENTS? IT'S A DRAW!" Alfred laughed. I had given up trying to fight him, and we stopped skating once we reached the endpoint.

Jesus, I thought I would have done better than that.

Once I stopped, everything hit me.

I wasn't sure why...but it did.

The high feeling of being on acid.

I felt sick to my stomach as I heard Alfred talking. His face had started to become distorted. His head turned into an American Bald eagle, like his mascot or something.

"Far out..." I spoke, confused.

I looked at Matthew; his face looked like a giant maple leaf. Whoa...was this how I viewed them? Then, what about...

I turned slowly and jumped, scared, looking at Francis. Then, the horror continued. His head was like a frog—the opposite of something sexy. I was hoping for a little more skin, at least.

I opened my eyes wider to focus, but it felt like I had stopped breathing. "Well, that was definitely a race..." Alfred laughed nervously. So, in response, I did the next best thing.

I used my skate to shove underneath Francis' skate, causing him to fall back. As he fell, it looked as if these colourful orbs had come out of him. As if he were a video game character losing money. "Pardon me," I laughed.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Ouch, Well, if all of you excuse me, I'm going to go," I spoke. I tried to keep my composure, so no one could tell I was starting to trip on the acid. "What? Already?" Matthew asked. Today was beginning to overwhelm me, and I needed to leave. I looked down at Francis, and it seemed as if he had gotten the hint.

His face was still distorted, along with the many weird things I saw. Talk about sensory overload. I was done with it. "Sorry, boys, I will see you in the morning, have a fun night," I spoke. Many nations groaned that their entertainment was leaving, but it didn't take long for many to get over it and continue drinking and tripping.

"Oh, one picture at least!" Alfred laughed. He suddenly took out a Polaroid camera, snapping a surprise photo of Francis and me. Francis was still on the ground while I stood up, feeling shocked. Unbelievable.

"That's a keeper—"

"I'm going to go..."

I quickly rolled off the rink, feeling like I was skating downhill. "Huh? Really?" Francis spoke. However, I ignored him. I continued onto the colourful-shaped carpet, taking off my skates quickly. My feet felt odd and flimsy as I set foot on the ground. It didn't help that the acid made me feel like I was walking through water. I was lucky my brain didn't make it look that way, either.

"England! Wait!"

"You are leaving too? Will you be alright driving?"

"We can get a cab if anything..."

"Okay, well, be safe!"

"I will...England, Wait!"

I continued to ignore them. Our hotel wasn't far from here, so I'll walk if necessary. It would only be a fifteen-minute walk, max. 

The colours around me grew brighter as I continued to walk. I rushed to where I had left my shoes and coat. I wanted to leave before Francis could catch up to me. His presence confused me. As much as I wanted to be around him, I think that maybe it wasn't a good idea. I admit to flirting a bit at times, but I couldn't anymore.

THERE WAS NO POINT!

In any of this!

Nothing!

I don't want to think about this any longer!

I wanted it all to be over!