OPEN [boyxboy] ✓

fifty-one:: when one end is a new beginning.

[UGOTME BY OMAR APOLLO]

FIFTY- ONE: when one end is a new beginning.

I never really used alarms. When we were younger, my mother had always found a way to lecture us about being late to things, maybe thats why my dad often woke himself up early in the morning to get me and Jade up before mom opened her eyes. That carried on until I was around thirteen, then he'd turn to only waking Jade. Me, I had to set an alarm in my head and I'd gotten it down to a science by the time senior year rolled around.

This alarm went off every Monday through Friday at around twenty minutes before I had to leave the house to be on time for school and never did it go off on weekends. Even with my weird sleep schedule, on good days, I would follow my mental clocks. Maybe thats why I didn't expect to wake up before ten on a Saturday but for some reason at around half past six, a weight had landed right on top of me. "Wake up."

My little sister's bright green eyes were the first thing I saw when I woke up, startled. They were wide and she looked like she herself had just woken up, still wearing a big t shirt and leggings with her hair tied up and absolutely no makeup on her face. My sister was so anxious, the excitement on her face calmed my terror. "Jade!" Once realizing who exactly she was, I pushed her off of me, rolling back over and shoving my head underneath my pillow.

"It's Saturday." She spoke up, my bed dipping as she stood up on it and kicked at my side. This was followed by her jumping off and shaking me vigorously before ripping the pillow out of my grip. Once she'd successfully annoyed me awake, she continued to shake me, not stopping until I flipped back around and sat up on my elbows.

"Okay?" Rubbing my eyes irritated, I looked at my sister before reaching around for my phone to check the time, it was way too early for this shit. Paul was a morning person and he didn't even wake up before eight on a normal day, I hadn't gotten up at this time since I'd stayed with my boyfriend and that was only because his apartment was a fairly long commute to my school in the mornings.

She didn't seem impressed at my lack of excitement, hands thrown in the air in exasperation and I struggled to find out why she was freaking out so much, "Uh... it's your graduation, dumbass." Rolling my eyes, I reached to my bedside table, flicking my lamp back off and turning around to get more sleep. The ceremony didn't even start until ten.

Jade, however, didn't find that acceptable and her annoying chirp of "Get up before Dad comes in with the balloons," followed by more shaking and a drawn out whine was enough to get on my nerves. "Geeeeeettttt uuuuuup-"

Groaning at the fact that she'd dragged that out so long, I started to think of ways to get out of this and the only one I could comprehend at six thirty in the morning was complying with what she was asking. Raising from my comforter, I sighed as she flicked the light back on. "Okay, okay, I'm up." My dad being the loser he was definitely would've came in here with balloons in another five minutes.

When I'd woken up from my grogginess, I found my sister digging through my empty closet. All that I ever hung in there was coats and the odd ill-fitting suit jacket from a wedding I'd been to in the seventh grade. "Alright, now what do you wanna wear under your gown?" She wasn't looking at much and I could tell that she new it from her grimace, backing away she went to dig through my drawers and I was just happy she didn't look in the bottom one, thats where I'd ended up stashing any sexual gifts from my boyfriend after the last encounter.

"Jeans?" I'd suggested, I mean I hadn't put thought into it, just assumed I'd wear whatever but apparently that wasn't socially acceptable.

"Julian, you can't wear jeans to your graduation."