That night I couldn't sleep. It was a long, exhausting day at school and I felt so tired but my body refused to let me drift off. I tried going back to sleep, but after an hour of tossing and turning I gave in. On the left side of my bed was a small wooden table with two drawers built in. The table itself displayed a neon green lamp, a vase filled with artificial Lillie flowers, and my alarm clock. Rubbing the dark circles under my eyes, I turned my head and read the time: 3:00 AM.
It's already morning? Why can't I fall asleep? Maybe it's because of what Jack had told me yesterday. How he had already developed feelings for a girl. The new girl. Annabelle. I've always felt that there was something strange about her. The way she looked at me when we first met, her stare piercing me with every ounce of joy she could possibly muster up, how my heart jumped when I met her at the playground. I remembered the warmth I felt as the sun radiated it's light on top of my skin. Only, it wasn't the sun that was making me feel warm.
I shook my head for thinking about these silly ideas. There's no way I could like this girl. I'm just getting it over my head and I've only just met her. It's all just an illusion. I sank back into the white covers of my bed. The silk sheets and the pulpous material of my mattress was enough to force a long, relaxed moan. It was like laying on a cloud. I tried looking up to the ceiling but only saw darkness. Turning to one side, I forced myself to settle my thoughts. Today will be a long day, I say to myself as I close my eyes, finally able to fall asleep.
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The next morning was all but a haze to me. After hearing my alarm screeching at me for the past five minutes or so, I finally had the energy to get out of bed and get ready for school. Turning to my alarm clock, I made sure to press the off button instead of hitting "snooze" again so I wouldn't be sucked back into sleep. How I hated that thing. Sometimes I just wish that I could sleep as long as I wanted to and not have to worry about going to school the next day.
Just across from me, hung on top of my chair, was my school uniform: a pair of navy blue shorts, a white polo shirt with Creekwood's logo embedded into the cloth, a black leather belt, and a dark blue zip up hoodie. If there was anything else I hated other than my alarm clock, it would have to be my uniform. The school requires every male student to tuck in their shirts and to wear a belt around your waist. Tugging my belt around made me feel tight, but secure. It was like having a snake trying to choke me.
The shorts I had were worn out and was already tight enough. Ugh I hate wearing this thing. If only my parents allowed me to get a new set of uniform! But last time I asked them they said I didn't need one and to just keep using the one I already have. Clearly, they don't understand that I feel like I'm wearing a corset everyday. Only, the "corset" is around my waist and is my pair or shorts.
Suddenly, I hear a knock on my door. "Hurry up, Zach! You're gonna be late for school!" I hear my mother yelp. Does this woman ever sleep? How is she awake this early in the morning? Trudging down the stairs, I pulled myself closer to the kitchen. The sweet scent of butter, eggs, bacon, and syrup filled the air as I made my way to a seat at the table. I looked down at my plate and already see the largest portion of a pancake in my entire life.
Lifting my fork, I added small pieces of fried egg to my plate. Now for the best part of my breakfast. I rotated the lazy Susan until the the plate of bacon faced me. Just two or three pieces, I say to myself. But before I could grab myself a sliver or two, my mother shot me a cold glare. "Not too much! Do you wanna get fat?" She criticized.My mother was always worried about my weight. Mostly because of my issue of overeating. But hey, what can I say? I love food.
After finishing breakfast I slipped on my old black sneakers and backpack and left for school. I was the last one to get into my mother's old BMW. "Why are you always so late? Next time wake up early!" My mother shrieked, worried that my siblings and I wouldn't make it to school on time. She's always like this. And despite the fact that I'm the slowest in my family to get ready, we never arrive to school late.
As the car's tires squealed against the asphalt, my mother began lecturing me and my siblings about being independent for at least 20 minutes. My siblings looked at me annoyed, reminding me that this was all my fault for triggering her. I didn't care though, and just looked out the window, ignoring the harsh tone spoken at all of us. I was always seen as irresponsible so I was used to getting yelled at. This lecture was nothing new.
As we passed the metallic gates of creek wood, I noticed that the sky was covered in a blanket of blue. All of the clouds that had formed together from yesterday had vanished. As always, the sun was nowhere to be seen and would only appear midday. Slamming the car door, the air enveloped me and the rest of the school with a cool breeze. Why does it always feel like I'm in Alaska in the morning? Crossing my arms, I pressed forward, trying to gather up as much heat as possible from my thin jacket. Today's gonna be a long day, I repeated in my head. I headed into the gym and with that, school was in session.
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"Watch out! The phantom is coming!" Austin exclaimed, warning Andrew and Jack. "Quick, everyone get behind my shield!" Jack responded. The game we were playing was a knockoff role play version of our favorite fantasy video game, The Legend of Zelda. All three of my friends wanted to play as the main character, Link, who was a skilled swordsman who fought off goblins and all sorts of creatures to save his beloved princess, Zelda. There were other characters like Midna, a female shadow imp who was Link's companion in one of the games, but Jack, Andrew, and Austin thought playing the part of a girl was too weird. So instead, they all settled on playing their own versions of Link. I was of course the so called phantom they mentioned earlier, a fierce looking knight that wailed an oversized blade with large black armor.
"Die mortal!" I say, as I wave my invisible sword at them. Phantoms were known to have incredible strength. Just one blow to the head and your a goner. In addition, the armor they wear is nearly impenetrable, so anyone who would find themselves fighting them would have to be extremely careful. "You are no match for me fools! I will kill you where you stand!" I croaked, making another sweep with my blade and missing the links by half an inch. Despite, the immense strength phantoms possessed, they were also very slow. Because of this, the three Links were able to doge my attack just in time.
"Aim for his eye on the back!" Andrew yelled, indicating a weak spot on my armor. Nodding to one another, Austin and Jack lunged at me, their swords raining down at me as they plummeted to the floor. I raise up my metal shield just in time to parry their attack. The sudden knockback of my shield against their bodies sent them flying.
"Now you will suffer my wrath!" I say, planting my sword toward the two links struggling to get off the ground. Desperately, they try to roll out of the way to avoid getting stabbed, but the length of my sword was big enough to strike both of them at once, killing the two. Just one more left. Andrew was the most clever out of the three links. While Jack and Austin were busy distracting me, Andrew somehow managed to slip out of the fight, looking for the perfect opportunity to sneak up on me and win the fight. All around me I could hear other children from the lower grade levels screaming in joy. The branches of the large oak tree we were playing under shook it's leaves as a steady breeze flew by.
Come on stay focused. Where could he be? I say, trying to get my thoughts together. Looking around, I can only see the school buildings and lunch tables. This is useless. I'm wasting too much time. He has to be close by. He couldn't have gone too far. Suddenly, the tapping sounds of somebody's feet against the brick sidewalk can be heard from behind. Aha there you are. If I turn around now, he could easily dodge my attack and win the fight. Instead, gripping my sword tightly, I prepare to make a swift 360 turn, a move called the spin attack, which will be my grand finale to finish off the last link. But before I can initiate the move, I stay frozen in my tracks. Right across from me, sitting under a tall palm tree, was Annabelle. She was talking to Ashley and another girl in my class with short brunette hair, Brooke. My heart begins to jump in my chest like a wild animal in a cage, and the warmth in my face returns. What is this? Why do I keep feeling this way?
Suddenly, I remember that I was supposed to be hunting for a swordsman in the game. I snap back into reality and try to engage my final attack. But it was already too late. Andrew had defeated me.
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"People Cry,
Not
Because
They're
Weak.
It's because
They've been
Strong for
Too long."
~Johnny Depp
YOU ARE READING
Imagine Us In Heaven
Romansa*Based on a True Story of my love life "Imagine Us In Heaven" is a story about a young eleven-year-old boy named Zachary Wilkins who seems to find life drastically boring and dreadful. To his surprise, that all begins to change when he falls deeply...
