Mind Or Matter

Chapter One

William

 "Wake up, bitch."

I rolled over, facing the table by my bed. My phone, face up, echoed with Jake's voice, "come on, I know you're sleeping. Anyway, I need you to call me later. Your phone told me to leave a message, and so I just did. Mic drop."

Click

I opened my eyes, the light blue roof of my apartment clearing into focus. Reaching for my phone, I accidently knocked it off my nightstand.

After swearing in my head, I swung both of my legs over the bed, reaching down for my iPhone 4. And yes, I know that my phone is 6 years old. No, I don't care.

Monday, I thought, standing up on my bare feet. Wearing only my underwear, I was glad I hadn't bought the apartment room with the 4×4 window by the bed.

Walking into the kitchen, I bent down to get the pan out of the cupboard. After hitting my head on the counter while I was getting back up, I swore out loud, slamming the pan on the stove. Walking lazily to the fridge, I opened it, grabbing an egg carton. Checking the expiration date, I thought to myself, meh, still good.

After waiting for the pan to heat up, I cracked an egg on the counter, opening it above the pan. The yolk found its way to the center of the clear part, making small circles round itself.

After cracking two more eggs, I stood back, admiring my work. First time without splitting the yolks, I thought, nodding.

Glancing at my watch, I was surprised to see it was only 7:05. Normally, Jake would get up sometime around ten or eleven.

I began to notice that the clear part around the yolk was getting whiter, cooking more and more. I set a timer on my watch for two minutes, estimating when my breakfast would be done.

Walking into the third part of my apartment, which I had turned into a mix of a dining room and a living room, I stood by the large window, which looked out onto the beach. Sometimes I'd open it to smell the salty air. But, after the seagull flew into my apartment that one time, I started keeping it shut.

Plopping down on the sofa, I got on my phone, opening my missed calls. Jake had rung me six times this morning.

Suddenly, my iPhone vibrated, surprising me. Even though I've had it for a long time, I still never got used to the shock of getting a call.

It was Jake.

Of course, I thought sarcastically, answering. "Hello?" I started, surprised my tone was so careless sounding. It was Monday, but it wasn't a bad Monday.

Yet.

"What's up, bitch?"

I sighed. "It's William."

Jake laughed over the phone. "Sure, sure. Anyway, I need you to get here in NYC by Thanksgiving. Fred and Carl are coming, and they wanna see my little bro there with me. Oh, and make sure you bring cash 'cause I'm pretty much broke."

I sighed. "Sure, yeah. Bye."

Click

I put my phone back in my pocket and was about to get up to go to the bathroom when my watch alarm went off. I walked over to the stove, staring at my cooked eggs.

Overcooked, I thought, not even having the energy to care. I ate my three eggs, barely tasting the difference between them and perfectly cooked eggs. But, really, I don't think I've ever had perfect eggs since Lilly died.

Shaking my head to get rid of Lilly, I stood up from my chair in front of the small dining room table. After putting my plate in the dishwasher, I walked over to the door, grabbing my things from the hooks.

Just another day. Just another normal day...

I slung my black backpack over my left shoulder, picked up my violin case, grabbed my keys, and headed out the door.

Just as usual, the old woman was standing in front of her door, waving to everyone who passed her by. Ms. Barter was older than anyone in the apartment, and she was pretty strange.

When she saw me, her wrinkled face lit up. "Oh, hello, Will!"

I smiled back, my lips curving up just a little. It's William, I thought, annoyed. I looked down, trying to look invisible.

When I got to the staircase, I ran down, my backpack bouncing on my shoulder as I did. The only things inside were my laptop, a copy of The Shining, earbuds, and my favorite pair of sunglasses snug in their black case in the left pocket.

Coming into the small lobby, I ignored everyone inside and made my way across the room. People sometimes looked at me with curious looks on their faces, but I never cared. People were just obstacles in life. I learned that in first grade, when all my "friends" betrayed me.

Opening the glass door, I didn't bother to hold it open for the woman jogging in. She stared at me, probably thinking, "how rude!"

But I know that the woman I just passed won't ever succeed. Because, I am a psychiatrist.

And psychiatrists are never wrong.