"Hey! Wake up! Wake up!"
"What happened to me? I, Where am I? And also why do I feel so weird?"
I had no idea what had happened to me.
I was probably having a minor panic attack.
Everything developed quickly. It was like a film strip that went in front of my eyes.
I put my hand to my nose and realized my nose stopped bleeding.
And my pants were filled with little drops of blood.
Aki turned to me and said,
"Hey, you scared me so much! I was going to lost my mind!"
Then she looked at me and said,
"Are you sure you're okay? I can call Mr. Eichi if you want."
At that moment, I suddenly started to squeeze my fist. I couldn't control my anger.
And all of a sudden, I was grinding my teeth. Aki looked at me with a surprised expression.
Then I started shouting at her in a harsh tone,
"No! You know nothing! I don't have time to waste on these issues! I'll tell you what! I have three brothers to look after at home! As if those were enough, you're telling me this like nothing is happening! The next time I hear you talk about it, our friendship is over! You hear me! Over!"
Aki began to swallow and said in a calm tone,
"Ren, are you sure you're okay?"
What was the meaning of this? I was good enough already.
And again, unexpectedly, Aki started talking to someone else.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Waterson, my friend is going through a difficult time. Excuse him, please."
"It's alright. Now get to your classes before the exam starts."
What? No! This can't be! When did I get to school?
I don't remember anything. The only thing I remember... "SEPTEMBER"
Before saying anything, Mr. Waterson started talking,
"Ren, are you okay?."
The exam was about to start, and I didn't want to take the exam like this.
My stomach was getting sick.
However, I stood up slowly and said,
"No problem, sir. I'm fine."
Even the corridors seemed so huge to me. It was as if they were walking away from me as I walked.
I got to the bathroom and immediately washed my face. When I looked in the mirror, my skin was completely white. I almost fainted from the disease.
Every time the water hit me in the face, it was like I was drowning.
I felt better when I came out of the bathroom, and my morale was a little better.
But it was the sound of rain outside that made me feel better. It was so relaxing, it was like a symphony of music that I could listen to for the rest of my life.
And that smell. The smell of those trees. Especially the pine species.
It was just like when I went to stay at Uncle Haruo's. In his little house in the woods, we sat across the fireplace and told each other stories. That was really great.
And always the snow wouldn't melt even a little. I used to play there with my brothers all the time. We used to make snowmen. We used to skate in the snow. I miss those days.
*DING DONG DING DONG*
Ahh damn! The Bell ringed!
The exam was about to start, and I had to get to my class as soon as possible.
Just then, Aki appeared in front of the door and said,
"Dude! Come on! The test will begin! Come on, hurry up or you'll be late for the exam!"
I still had a headache, and I didn't know what to say.
I Quietly said,
"Okay, I'm coming."
At the door of the classroom, Mr. Waterson met me gently and started asking me if everything was okay. I said in my usual tone of voice,
"Yes, sir. I'm fine. I don't have anything serious."
The exam had begun. As soon as Mr. Waterson took the roll call, he meticulously left the papers on the tables. Everyone was so excited. Some were terrified. The same as me. Although the expressions on their faces are usually an image of a smile, even among them, they were really all different people inside. They were all different from each other.
But I didn't think about that much.
I just wanted to finish the damn exam and go home as soon as possible.
And then It came to my turn. As soon as I got the exam paper, I started carefully answering the questions.
I wasn't a cheating student. And usually, my teachers described me as a calm, decent and orderly child. It's stupid to praise myself of course, but I thought I was like that too.
I didn't hurt anyone but myself. I couldn't hurt anyone anyway.
And while taking the test, every place of my body hurt separately. I was having a hard time coming to my senses. I couldn't even keep my eyes open.
I was tired of fighting myself.
All I could do now was wait and try to calm down. And hope that everything will return to normal.