Skater Boy 《scomark》

CHAPTER TWO

Who's ready for the second chapter of Skater Boy?
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Most days I sleep until my mom hollers for me to get out of bed and eat breakfast, on Monday I'm awake before even my mom herself. It's five in the morning and the sun hasn't started to rise yet. I get out of bed slowly, my mind having a hard time catching up to the rest of my body. I grab a change of clothes before making my way down the ladder.

I manage to climb down in the dark without breaking my neck. Waking up this early might have its advantages. Now I can take my sweet time with my shower and morning routine without Lauren banging on the door for me to hurry up.

She's a year older than me, meaning she's a senior in high school. I know that being a junior means I still have some time to figure my life out, but it's a terrifying thought. Lauren knows what she'll be doing and where she'll go to take her classes. And, while I wish I was the same way, I'm not.

I try to clear my mind as I get ready for the day. My shower takes twice as long as it typically does since I keep catching myself staring absentmindedly at the floor as water beats down on my back. Then I get dressed in a simple outfit of blue skinny jeans and a white hoodie with a logo pasted on the front. Making my hair suitable for the outside world is the hard part.

Groaning, I give up and exit the bathroom. My hair hangs in an undignified manner over my bright eyes as I climb back up the ladder to my room. Once there I grab my phone and a black beanie. I feel water soak through the material as I pull the beanie over my head. If today's going to be a bad hair day then I'll just hide it from everyone else.

I send a quick text to my sleeping parents to let them know I'm heading to the skatepark before climbing down the ladder and grabbing my skateboard. I know that they trust me now that I'm seventeen, so I don't worry about them getting upset about me leaving before they're awake. It's only minutes after I send the text that my board is on the pavement outside and I'm on the five-minute journey to the park.

It's just barely six in the morning, not even the sun has risen. Without the sun I feel more alone than I have in a very long time. I'm not sure if it's a feeling I dislike or just one that happens to settle over me. When I really think about it, I know that I'm not alone. I've never been alone. I have my loving parents, my horribly annoying but still caring sister, and supportive friends. There's something that seems to be missing.

What it is I'm not sure. Apparently, waking up this early gives my mind too much time to wander. I can't decide if I like it or not. My mind seems to travel to weird places on Monday mornings. After all, my friends go to a school where they're completely surrounded by people while all I get is Lauren looking over my shoulder and groaning whenever I mistype something.

There are a lot of reasons why I love being homeschooled, but at the same time, I wish I could be like everyone else sometimes. Growing up with my mom always around the corner was extremely nice and I was able to take more time on the subjects that didn't make sense to me. Sometimes it does feel like I'm missing out on things like dating and going to school dances.

Getting to the park takes longer than usual because, once again, I can't stop from zoning out every few seconds. This might not be the safest time for me to be skating since I can't seem to focus on what I'm doing. Even if it isn't the moment I reach the skate park I pull a pair of earbuds from a pocket and plug them into my phone. Before I know it the music seems to consume me and it's all I focus on other than skating up and down different ramps and obstacles.

It's been nearly an hour when the album I have been blasting into my ears ends. Out of breath but feeling absolutely pumped, I jump off of my board and throw my head back. My head finally feels clear. Like I can breathe freely again. When I lower my head back down and open my eyes I notice I'm not quite as alone as I thought I was.