My Neighbor Is A U.A. Student

Chapter 1: Black Scleras

The wind pushed lightly against my face as I soared above a bustling city. How such a large place could feel so puny from so high above was unbelievable. The comfortable silence up in the sky incomparable to anything else that I'd ever experienced. This place gave me solace, it gave me everything I'd ever wanted. I continued flying freely, the stress that had been crushing my heart being completely alleviated as I dashed from side to side, letting the winds decide where I was going next.

Suddenly, I felt my body get yanked higher into the sky. My wings froze up as I felt the air thinning out and my body getting colder. It wasn't long before the city turned into a grey cluster from my point of view. I looked up to find myself breaking through the clouds. Still, I didn't struggle, knowing this was simply the end of my lovely dream. I sighed as best as I could without a mouth as I thought, 'Why'd it have to end so soon?'

I teared up a little bit as I was pulled higher and higher, beginning to freeze from the lack of heat so far in the sky. My vision grew blurrier as the light faded. The Earth below was the only source of light I had, but wherever that light originated from was not present. There was never a Sun in my dreams and I finally understood why.

Resembling a moth, I was always reminded that I was drawn to light. I was drawn to bright things. It was a habit I couldn't break from my early life and into my middle school years but recently it'd come to a complete halt.

All of the brightness had vanished.

Every ounce of light in my life was suddenly smothered by an influx of responsibility. An assortment of mandatory decisions flooded my life as I yearned for a calm, careless future. Even if my appearance was that of a moth, with wings and all, I was basically quirkless. I couldn't fly, not even if I tried my hardest. No matter how hard I flapped my wings, I couldn't ever create lift. It felt like my wings were just there for looks. It was a tragedy, not being able to do something you've desperately yearned for your entire life. I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but it was a heart-wrenching discovery that I had come to terms with... or at least I thought I did.
I've had the same dream for a few days in a row, probably due to the anxiety of starting at a new high school.

Moths being drawn to light... I could surely find that light again... I just needed to flip that switch...

If only it were that easy.

I woke up facing my alarm clock, but I still couldn't see the time due to my blurred vision. I reached out across the gap between my bed and my nightstand to grab my white-framed glasses. I turned my body and sat up, looking back at the clock. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the time. I quickly rubbed my eyes under my frames to make sure I was seeing the correct time,

7:54?!

41 minutes... I had 41 minutes to get up, get ready, prepare my lunch, brush my hair, get out and make my way to the school to be on time. I hadn't spent a ton of time studying for my entrance exam just to end up being late on my first day! I thought about the consequences for so long that I let another minute pass, the clock shifting to 7:55 before my very eyes. I darted across my room and started to get into my all black uniform. My Mom had made sure to iron it so it wouldn't have a single wrinkle. I fixed my white buttons down my shirt and to my waist, quickly tucking it into my pants before sliding my belt through the loops and buckling it up. I checked myself in the mirror and fixed my collar, the white stripes on the collar crossing my neck and down my shoulders, but ending before they reached my sleeves. I got into my blazer and quickly made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I grabbed a plastic container to stuff whatever food I could find into it, not paying much attention to what I grabbed as I shut it tight, swiped up my bag, and finally slipped into my loafers.

As I opened the door I started to think;

'I took such a hard test, made it all the way here, and I'm still making it a hassle to wake up early!?'

"I took such a hard test, made it all the way here, and I'm still making it a hassle to wake up early!?"

I paused for a second as I stared at the inside face of my open door to my left, had someone said what I was just thinking? They were the exact same words but they were not the sound of my conscience...

I shut the door and now stared at the outside face of the neighbor's door,
overhearing someone's goodbyes.

"See ya Mom, see ya Dad! I'll be back soon!"

As the door swayed to a close, I was met with a carefree smile and a vibrant gaze. As I looked right into this girl's eyes, even though it was just for a few milliseconds, I felt like I was looking at a polar, pink opposite of myself. Pitch black scleras and in the center were bright, yellow irises. Cute little horns stuck out of her hair for seemingly no reason. Her pink complexion was as surprising as her cool demeanor on a busy morning. Wasn't this girl as late as I was? How could she look so calm? I felt myself thinking up a lot more questions about this girl in just a half second or so, but it was bold for anyone to assume that I'd be able to maintain eye contact with a girl for any longer than that. As I realized that this girl was literally right in front of me, I averted my gaze to the ground and awkwardly lifted my hand up as to say 'Hi',

"Oh! Hey neighbor- I'm in a little bit of a rush right now but good morning!"
she happily greeted me with a burst of energy. Was this energy natural or was it just from the adrenaline of being in a rush? Regardless, it was still quite surprising to me. As soon as she finished exchanging pleasantries the pink girl stepped past me and down the hall of the apartment complex. I looked back as I saw her leaving and realized how fast my heart was beating. That uniform... that girl was a U.A. student?! I couldn't believe it, even if the city was close to U.A.'s main campus it was still quite shocking to know I lived right next to a future hero...

That girl was so interesting...

I found myself pondering for a moment.

'Interesting' didn't feel like the right word.. maybe captivating was a better word, or something like-

WAIT-!

Quickly, I snatched my phone out of my pocket, checking the time.

8:09!?

I only had 26 minutes before being considered late on my first day of class. Quickly, I started making my way to my school as well.

Regardless of who that girl was, it didn't matter right now, but hopefully I'd have a chance to introduce myself properly.

As I picked up the pace I wondered why that last thought came to mind...