I left my bed at 6 am as usual. But in truth I was up way before then. Maybe it was due to the fact that today was the last day before Spring Break. Or maybe because of the email I had received yesterday from my father. Either way I couldn't get any sleep. And whenever that happened, I'd find my mind wandering off and thinking about Zoe. I'll tell you about her in a second.
I headed down stairs to whip up some breakfast not out of hunger but out of habit. I always took the same thing every morning; a glass of orange juice and an omelet. Nothing like vitamin C and a good boost of protein to kick start your day. After eating, as usual I cleaned up and went to prepare. Oh, I live alone. Well, not technically alone, since I have a pet canary named George. And yes, I do know that George is a weird name to give to a canary.
Anyway, my name is Aaron Sylvester. I live downtown in a block of apartments in a not too shabby part of town. I own a moped that gets me from A to B and apart from that, I don't have much to my name, maybe except for the fact that my father owns the largest shipping company in Europe. But more on that later. My apartment is sparsely furnished. I'm more of a utility kind of guy. A few chairs, a recliner, a coffee table and a reasonably sized television that I rarely use makes the bulk of my living room. Oh and also a large framed picture of me and my two best friends. One is Zoe. The love of my life. And whom I'd never told about my feelings. My other best friend is Maya. And relax; I'm not in love with her. We all met on the first day of kindergarten and we've stuck together ever since.
After a quick shower and a lightning sweep around the house tidying up, I was ready to leave, but not before I fed George and released him from his cage to roam around the house while I was gone. George in fact is a very docile bird. The only reason I close the windows is to prevent the neighbor's cat and his alley friends from getting in and feasting on poor George. I locked the door behind me and tackled the stairs two at a time till the ground floor.
My moped is turquoise; I guess they all are. I got it as a prize in a drawing competition a few months ago. And if you're wondering, it was the prize for second place. First place was an all-expense paid trip to Vegas for two weeks. I deliberately came in second place because I wanted the moped. I bet that trip can't give you a ride to school.
I sped off onto the highway with my backpack strapped on and my earphones blasting off to Elton John. What can I say; I'm a 70's junkie. I had travelled this route many times before so I could ride without really paying attention and before I knew it, I was pulling up into the school parking lot. It was a bit early so it was all quite deserted but in a few minutes it would be so full you'd think you've just walked into a Katy Perry concert. Okay, not nearly as many people but you get the point. I was in the middle of Bennie and The Jets which I happened to like very much so I decided to chill on my bike as it finished.
I go to Mountain Grove Academy. It is not as posh as the name suggests but it is by no means poor. Some extremely rich kids went here. There were also some moderately rich, then some middle class kids and then finally some kids on scholarship. I fall in that last category. The school is renowned for many things; Our Football team are 4 time Eastern Conference champions, the Basketball team are the reigning State champions and we have the meanest dance crew around. I can go on and on. The alumni list has more than its fair share of respectable names, chief of them being our Governor, Phillip Johnson. So you can imagine that the school has some pretty influential backers.
I'm actually quite lucky that I got into this school. Both Zoe and Maya are students here so it's good that our little group wasn't disbanded. Speaking of, I saw both of them exiting Maya's car at her other end of the parking space. They normally alternate whose car they use since they are practically next door neighbors. I saw Maya first. She's a brunette with a very voluptuous body and a plunging neckline. She's really beautiful with her dark eyes, plush lips and high cheekbones. She always has makeup on to give her that extra glamour that makes guys drool over her every move.
Then came Zoe. Zoe Zoe Zoe. I instantly smiled as those butterflies you feel when you're suddenly happy started fluttering in my stomach. Zoe is Maya's polar opposite. She has natural blonde hair with bangs with clear blue eyes that always carry a glint behind them. She has a petite body with more curves than a circle. Her facial features are soft and man doesn't that girl have a killer smile. Like literally I've had a few close calls over the years.
They are talking about something and they laugh as they walk away from the car. I have to admit those two are extremely close especially recently. And while I don't feel like a third wheel, I do feel excluded in some way. Our group dynamic is really simple, we are all best friends to each other. Maya is the only person in the world who knows about my feelings for Zoe. She's known ever since freshman year and she has been great at keeping the secret, though we never talk about it. Except when she wants to jive me and even then it's always in passing.
I guess I'm lucky since for the past year neither Zoe nor Maya have dated any guys. They are on this self-discovery journey that they signed up for this past summer before we started our senior year. Before that I used to endure seeing Zoe with all manner of guys from the star quarterback who was one year ahead of us to the current school president. I never really know why I never said anything to her; I guess I believe that if we were meant to be, she would also feel something and I'd be able to pick up on it. But I have never seen any interest so I have kept silent. But all things considered I've been happier since senior year started.
I hadn't realized that they had already seen me and they were now waving at me from a distance. I waved back as I came off my moped and put it on its stand. Helmet under my elbow, I hurried off to begin the day with my best friends.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Drumroll for my first book! Thankyou for reading. Any comments will be highly appreciated and regarded. Hope to be seeing you real soon. Çiao.
