Chapter Text
The night bloomed onto the sky, darkening it to a deep, close-to-black shade. Countless specks of light show themselves keenly from somewhere above the clouds. The moon peeks from behind her dark paravan, her light descending in milky white rays. Wind blows wildly, unbound by any laws or judgement, ruffling roughly through my hair.
I look at the city below me, the countless buildings, some taller than others, some degrading and falling apart, others nicely taken care of, some covered in ivy, some blackened by mould and ash. I look at the lights behind each window, thinking about whatever could be going on inside. Families and friends having dinner together, laughing their worries away, a single mom working overtime, a child watching TV, someone playing on their PC, someone stressing about school, a couple fighting. My feet dangle off the building I am sitting atop, somewhere above everything and everybody, an old security hut at the very back of someone’s business. It’s been untouched for years. S should start in about an hour or so, yet I am not sure if I’ll participate tonight.
Somebody sits down next to me, smiling softly. I look at him and smile. “Hey.” He nods, looking over me and then turning his gaze towards the city down below. We talked about little nothings for a while. We haven’t seen each other in quite some time.
I laid down onto the cold roof, looking up at the sky, searching its depths and heights, flatly ironed into a black sheet dotted with white. Some stars burned brighter, others were dull and almost lifeless. The blue-haired boy laid down next to me, also looking at the night’s sky
“I’ve heard one of these days a star will explode,” he said. “I mean, it did already. Long ago. But we’ll be seeing it just about now.”
“Really?” I ask absent-mindedly.
“It’s supposed to be very beautiful. I’ve heard it will shine brighter than any other.”
I turn my head towards him, searching his face. He wasn’t looking at me. “When?” I asked.
“The day after tomorrow. I think. Do you want to watch it with me?”
“Sure.”
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The sun rolls down the sky lazily, looming over us curiously, inspecting us all. We cannot escape his sight. There is no cloud onto the sky and the wind is still. It’s a day that is supposed to be beautiful, by its nature, and it’s not as if something is making it not be exactly, other than the fact that it is so boring.
I’ve been bedrotting all day, doing absolutely nothing. Langa’s not shown a single speck of life either. This is so frustrating! High school starts on Monday. Since it will be our last year here I want to have fun. I am sure it will not be an easy one and I have been especially stressed because of my exams and because of college but I will have to manage it. But also because of college it will be a year I’ll have to enjoy, since I will be leaving town.
It’s sad, you know? I’ll leave behind all that I know, my friends, my family, my hometown, S… my free time… And Langa. I don't even know where he'll end up. He'll probably get into whatever university he wants without even trying. He’s that kind of guy.
I wonder if he’ll miss me as much as I’ll miss him. I try to think that he would never forget about me but I wouldn’t know. There has always been this little, nagging part of my brain that bitterly whispers into my ears, day and night, that “Langa? He’s sure to forget about you. He’s too good for a loser like you.”
There are many things I have yet to decide upon. I know that I will try to enter a college that has something to do with the domain of IT because my mother wants me to. Personally, I’d rather not. I don’t feel like any college in particular calls out to me. No career path does. I somehow dream about being rich and having a job that allows me to do whatever but realistically I know it is not possible. I would enjoy staying my whole life at the skate shop but I know I won’t really hit it big. The shop gets enough customers to stay open, but nobody buys a new board every month. Grip tape, bearings, wheels every now and then, sure. A complete setup? That's once in a while. It isn't exactly the kind of business that makes you rich. Do you get me?
I hear a voice calling out to me. I peek my head from my room, frowning. I get out and search for its owner. When I get into the living room I find my mom sitting down onto the couch, her red, thinly-framed glasses on the tip of her nose, reading something on her phone. When I entered the room she looked up at me and smiled. “Reki! I haven’t seen you all day. I wasn’t sure if you were awake.” I looked at her from beneath my bangs. They’ve been getting longer. I should get my hair cut soon. I tried to show her a weak smile.
“Yeah, I was. Do you need anything from me?”
“Yes, actually. I need you to go buy us some groceries. You know where I get them from. Let me grab a pen and paper and I’ll write the list down for you, okay? You just go get dressed meanwhile.”
I nodded. I went back to my room and chose a pair of baggy jeans three sizes too big and a well-worn t-shirt that had a slight smell to it. Maybe it’s time to let it go and put it in the washing machine. But now’s not the time, I’ll do it when I return home.
I put on a good amount of deodorant and spray some perfume on, hoping it would cover up the unpleasant smell and then go grab the list from my mom, alongside some money.
Outside it was very hot, as expected. I lazily pushed my skateboard, hoping to just get to the shop faster. It’s not really far away from my house but it is not exactly close either.
I pass many houses and buildings, many blending in with each other. I do not pass anybody. The streets just seem strangely empty. Inside shops I can see ventilators running, the doors closed to try and keep the heat out. The sound of windchimes reaches my ears. I look around to try and spot them but I could not. They are probably inside somebody’s yard.
When I reached the shop I got off my skateboard. I entered and picked up everything I needed. At the store checkup I met with a classmate who was just paying up. He saluted me politely and waited for me.
“Reki! How have you been?”
“Not bad, not bad. Umm… I managed to go out quite a lot, which is good, but not much other than that.
“I get it. I didn’t do much either.”
I knew I had a common way with this guy, so I couldn’t really just get on my skateboard and leave him behind. He asked me about homework and such. We shared opinions on college and I was happy to see that I am not the only fool without a hint about what to do with his life.
“Oh, by the way, I spoke with our homeroom teacher. She says that the school will probably force students into some sort of after-school activities. Like… making clubs mandatory.”
“That sucks. I would rather lay in bed for an extra hour.”
“Yeah, same.”