Innocence

Thirty Below

December 14th, 2017.
7:30am, Thursday.

*BUZZ...BUZZ*
My alarm clock. That meant it was time to get ready for school. I wasn't really feeling it that morning, I was really tired from staying up last night.

While I get out of bed, I grab my phone and switch on a song to my speakers, The A Team by Ed Sheeran, then immediately take off my night wear to put on some clothes.

My wardrobe wasn't much. With only hoodies and sweaters, and only two plaid shirts I really like. I have all these visions and ideas for perfect outfits and everything like that. But I usually just rock my worn down Metallica Ride The Lightning sweater.
I'd really like to wear whatever I wanted, to be incredibly handsome and fashionable...and just everything, so someone would notice me.

But enough of that.

I put on a red plaid shirt, and a black hoodie on top, add my beige jeans, and then my shoes. Looking in the mirror to fix my hair, brush my teeth, and wash my face.

My hair is pure black, nothing special. So I don't really add much, except for using gel or hairspray to give it that look of spikes after swishing it upwards with my hands.

After brushing my teeth, I grab all the things I need or normally bring to school, then disconnect from the speakers and switch to my earbuds. My pretty much usual style. I put on Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier, then open the curtain at the steps leading to upstairs, and head up.

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9:00am.

The bell just rang five minutes ago for class.
And I'm still at the bus stop.

So I'm guessing the bus is either late or just not running at all. If I knew it wasn't running, I'd still be at home, warm in my bed instead of being outside in -37 degree weather, at a bus stop, two blocks away from my house.

It was either stay and potentially lose my ears to frostbite, or return to home but still potentially lose my ears on the walk home. I chose to wait.

Fifteen minutes pass, and two buses so far has stopped and passed by the bus stop across the street further down the road. I was pissed the fuck off at this point. I stepped out of the bus stop shelter and begin walking to home.

Problem with that, is that I was walking right where the wind was blowing, meaning my eyelashes were crystallized like an Angels wings. The only other clothing I had on were my gloves and Canada toque.
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9:29am

I pass by the old church, meaning I had to turn at the next left and walk straight for another block, then home.
Just my basic knowledge of my neighbourhood.
At this point my body is already beginning to not function normally.
My lips were insanely dry and my fingertips LITERALLY felt as if they were going to fall right off.

As I reach the corner to turn left, I slipped on some really flattened smooth snow, falling onto my left arm.
Instead of getting up, I lay there trying to warm up in the pile of snow I fell onto. Breathing heavily into the snow my face is stuffed in.

I do this long enough for a car to come by and honk their horn at me and get out to see if I was okay.

A young man stepped out of the van he was in, "Hey buddy are you awake? Are you alright?" He says. I nudge my head so he notices. "Oh god. Here man let me help you up."

He grabs my right arm and I struggle to lift myself up with my left. "You got a home? Would you like me to take you there? You really need to get back to there, especially in this weather brother."

He opens up the side of the van while I'm standing with my arm around him as my support. I slowly sit myself into the van, to which I feel a large blast of heat and warmth, he closes the door then gets into the driver seat.

As he buckles himself he asks, "where do you live man? Is it close?"

"I live...I live just down there" I stutter, pointing directly ahead. "Oooh you're in luck pal that you didn't pass out like that somewhere way farther, really lucky." He drives towards my house, and pulls in and parks in the front, before getting out and helping me get out myself.

I step both feet onto the ground and say, "I think I got it from here. Thank you, really."
"Don't worry about it brother, you looked like you were in real trouble, I couldn't just drive past you." He reaches out to shake my hand, and I grip his hand with the frozen hands I have.

He gets back in, just before he says "take it easy man, Happy Holidays!"
"Happy Holidays" I replied.
I step back just as he drives off straight, and I walk towards the house.

I step onto the wooden porch with the crunch of the snow from my shoes. Then I open the door.

Usually nobody is home at this time, parents are at work, I'm at school. So I head to the bathroom to clean myself up, and change into some less snow covered clothes.

I then immediately head to my workshop with my backpack and wet clothes and put them in the drier. Washer and drier are both in my room, which means not all the privacy as I'd like.

I switch on my phone to play a song.

Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie.

I decided that it was best I take a nap to warm up, and hopefully see if I end up with a cold or not. Leaving my playlist on, I switch to some warm pajamas, then climb into bed and cover up as much as I can, stuffing my face into the pillows.

It felt really relieving.

So relieving that I passed out just the next minute.

Ziggy Stardust plays in the background.
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