My Class

Chapter 2: Bob

Class had just ended, and I walked with Josh until we reached the school entrance, where Amari was waiting for him. He excused himself and left first. Now that I knew Josh's dream, my plan was starting to take shape. I just needed to gather about 21 other dreams and try to make them come true—all in the next three months.

Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to use the restroom, probably thanks to the "poisonous" soup Amari had given me for lunch. I hurried to the bathroom, relieved to find it empty.

"I'm never eating anything she cooks again," I muttered to myself.

As I settled in, I heard the door open. Two people walked in.

"The lore behind Bob is incredible. You need to read it," one of them said.

What the hell is Bob? I thought. The voice was familiar—it had to be Umu, the guy who beats our philosophy teacher in debates every day. He's got a reputation for it, too.

It sounded like he was talking to someone else. I wondered who it was.

"I'll make sure to check it out. I've got some business to take care of, so I'll head out first," the other person replied.

That was Vicellon, another well-known figure at school. I'm pretty close to him too, but meeting them under these circumstances wasn't exactly ideal. Damn it, Amari, what did you put in that soup? I'm stuck here for a while.

"Alright, no worries. See you tomorrow," Umu said.

Vicellon left, and Umu was alone, washing his hands. I figured this was a good time to talk, even though the situation was a bit embarrassing.

"Uh... Hey, Umu," I said awkwardly.

"Is that Kyopon? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.

Even though it was obvious what I was doing, he still asked. Maybe he was just shocked that someone had been there the whole time.

Not wanting to publicize Amari's dangerous cooking skills, I kept my answer simple.

"As you can see, I'm taking a massive shit," I said, deadpan.

There was silence for a moment, and then Umu burst out laughing, his voice echoing off the bathroom walls. It was a bit unsettling, but I laughed along with him.

Once the laughter died down, I decided to ask him about his dream, curious about what someone like him would say. Umu always seemed to live in his own world.

"So, Umu, do you have a dream or anything?" I asked, focusing on the conversation and trying to recover from my lunch.

"A dream? I'd like people to try my puzzles," Umu said, clearly amused by the idea.

What the hell? That was unexpected. But he's a simple guy, and I respect that. If that's his dream, I could help him—after I finish my business here, of course.

Still curious, I pushed further. "What would you do if you only had three months to live?"

"Hmm... I'd probably help others achieve their dreams," he answered thoughtfully.

A tear welled up in my eye. How could he be such a nice guy? Wait... Does that mean he could help me with one of my dreams?

Excited, I asked, "Do you want to be my dad?"

"No," Umu replied in the same calm tone.

Well, building a family was going to be harder than I thought. I went silent for a moment but realized how I could help him achieve his dream. His puzzles were probably going to be a pain, but I had nothing to lose.

"Wanna solve puzzles together?" I offered, finally finishing my battle in the bathroom.

"REALLY?" Umu's excitement was palpable.

It sounded almost like a date. I always end up in weird situations, but hey, it's for the Bob. While they were talking earlier, I looked up the lore of Bob on my phone. It was surprisingly interesting, though I found some odd images I wasn't going to question Umu about.

I got up, opened the door, and found Umu already pondering what kind of puzzle he'd have me solve. After washing my hands, we headed back to class. The classroom was still open even though class had ended.

As we entered, we saw Angel, feet up on a table, gazing out the window. And... What the hell? He had a fat blunt rolled up. Well, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. I smoked one with him last year—just not in school.

"Whaddup playas," Angel greeted us, clearly high.

Angel was the kind of guy who chilled everywhere after class. I walked over to say hello, with Umu following behind.

"What's good, Angel? Looks like you're going crazy," I said with an amused grin.

"Nah, I'm just chilling, you know. Want some?" Angel offered, extending the blunt toward me.

One puff, and I'd probably pass out, so I politely declined. "Not today. I'm here to do some puzzles with Umu."

"Umu's here? My man, how are you?" Angel said, his eyes half-lidded.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Looks like you're enjoying yourself," Umu replied with a smile.

"Hell yea—"

Before Angel could finish, the door swung open. Mr. WhiteEye and Miss Nana stood in the doorway, blocking the exits. They must have been onto Angel and waited for the perfect moment to catch him.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU, YOU CAN'T SMOKE IN SCHOOL!" Miss Nana shouted, clearly annoyed.

"You won't escape this time, kiddo," Mr. WhiteEye added with a smirk.

Angel was cornered, with no way out. Umu and I stepped back as the teachers approached him.

Despite being high, Angel assessed the situation quickly and handed the blunt to Umu.

"It was him," Angel said with a grin.

"Do you think we're idiots? Come here!" Miss Nana snapped, charging toward him.

But Angel had anticipated this. With a quick move, he jumped out the window. I did mention that this school had... interesting people, right?

"See you later, miss," Angel called as he leaped from the second floor to the first.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" Miss Nana shouted, even more irritated.

Mr. WhiteEye had already figured out Angel's plan and was sprinting to the first floor. Miss Nana followed, leaving Umu and me alone in the classroom.

"I'm taking this," Miss Nana said, snatching the blunt from us before storming off.

Unbeknownst to her, Umu and I had taken a hit just before she came back. Now, with the classroom to ourselves, we watched as Mr. WhiteEye chased Angel around the school grounds. We laughed about it for a good five minutes.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Show me the puzzle," I said, still chuckling.

"Ah yes, almost forgot. Here's the big puzzle I wanted you to solve," Umu said with an amused smile.

It was a LeBron James puzzle with over 200 pieces. I looked at him, then back at the puzzle.

"What's this?" I asked, confused.

"A LeBron James puzzle," he replied, still grinning.

"And solving this will make your dream come true?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.

"Yes," Umu said simply.

Alright then. It would take hours, but I had nothing better to do. After this, I'd just go home and eat—preferably something not made by Amari.