Perfect II: The Art Of Living

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As a college student, you must be aware of sleepless nights, mass of paperwork, prejudicing thesis practices, sex, drugs and a lot more… but as Ethan Colchester in college, I only had to be informed of low self-esteem. Ethan sighed as he stacked the final copies of this week’s issue of The Yorkish Pen. Self-esteem is the providence of extroversion and the foe of introversion. Inversely proportional with introversion and directly proportional with extroversion except if stupidity is applied. He reiterated to himself. Ethan smiled and stood from his seat, pushing the table lamp away from the desk.

              He offered his time to help in editing the articles but Skylar gave him the task of binding all the copies of the magazines. Nonetheless, he was a bozo to accept the command.

There were five hundred copies in total (might increase depending on the demand). The first two hundred fifty, according to Sir Reakes, would be free and the others should be a couple of dollars each. No one would buy it, except for Creative Writing and Journalism students who had been critiquing the articles for their classes. Otherwise, the magazines were being used as recyclable materials for Earth Day every month.

              Ethan shrugged as he took note of the time which was five in the evening. He had only done four hundred fifty five copies. He still had forty five to go. Unluckily, ammunition got itself bitten by Lucifer. He bought staple wires but it sat in his bag that he laid on the first seat before the door. He grunted as his path was blocked by wires that intertwined like noodles. In annoyance, he tripped over the mesh, causing the Xerox machine to clank upon contact. Nothing could go wrong if nothing itself was wrong. Ethan lay on the floor, too tired to get up.

              “Hey,” someone already got inside the room.

              He struggled to get up but he did successfully present the formal side of him even in distress. Ethan cleared his face from dirt and flipped his hair.

              “Hello there, William,” he mused and pulled out another box of staple wires from his sling bag.

              “What are you doing here at this time?” William asked as he assisted Ethan crossing the crumpled wires on the floor.

              Ethan smiled and motioned to the mess he created. He aimed the lamp to the next set of magazines he would staple. It was a complete mess. Everything was totally an avalanche. The wire he got tripped over knocked down several stockpiles and other unstapled pages flew from the desk. The wind mocked it even more by blowing very hard from the windows. A verging storm, Ethan murmured and took it literally and figuratively.

              William gasped.

              The door vomited Grace inside. She blurted laughter but came to an abrupt stop after seeing Ethan and William arranging the dumpsite/room.

“I’m sorry,” Grace said as she skipped the wires, going deeper into the dimly lit room. Tip toeing, she reached Ethan and William who busily picked up every single paper on the floor. She helped them and once in a while she’d tuck her red hair behind her ear. “I’m so sorry for the mess, Ethan. Cleaning mess…” she laughed. “Clean… Mess…” and laugh again. “Cle—” she huskily laughed. Ethan let her. It was not a good time to laugh with other people. “Clean…” Her laugh did not fade. “Clean Me—”

              “Ummm, can you hand me the ammunition in my bag,” Ethan requested.

              Grace fetched it while chuckling but found none. “No ammunition here!” she announced.