As Arlo drifted deeper into the vivid world of his fantasy, the edges of reality blurred, the sounds around him fading into a distant hum.
But just as he was about to take a leap into this perfect illusion, a firm hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.
The unexpected touch sent a shockwave through his body, pulling him violently back to the present.
His heart skipped a beat, his muscles tensing as he snapped out of his daydream.
He practically jumped off the chair.
"Hey man". Daniel, his best friend since kindergarten said, frowning as he peered into his face. "Are you okay?"
Daniel towered over Arlo, his height nearly a foot greater, making his presence all the more imposing.
Despite his tall stature, his frame was lean and wiry, a testament to his slender build.
His ginger hair, which was perpetually tousled and unruly, fell in disarray across his forehead and tumbled over the large, round glasses perched precariously on his nose.
The glasses magnified his eyes, adding to his already endearing, bookish appearance.
It was immediately clear that Daniel shared Arlo's nerdy inclinations—both in demeanor and appearance.
Arlo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the old chair groaning in protest as he moved.
He straightened his posture and attempted a reassuring smile, though his eyes still betrayed a hint of lingering surprise. "I'm good," he said, his voice steadying as he spoke. "Yeah, I was just a little startled, that's all."
He looked up at Daniel, trying to convey a sense of calm and dismiss the concern that had briefly clouded his mind.
Daniel's frown deepened in suspicion and confusion but he decided not to push any further.
"The class ended a few minutes ago". He said, pointing to the empty classroom.
Arlo looked at it and realized while he was lost in his reverie, mrs Smith had ended the class and everyone was leaving.
In fact almost everyone had left at this point, save for him, Daniel and a few other people.
He sighed and dumped his books into his bag.
Then he stood up, the chair groaned once again.
It was only when he stood up that he remebered his tent.
Alarmed, he looked back down quickly, but to his relief his erection had gone down and the tent had dissapeared.
Arlo sighed heavily, that was a close one.
Daniel was wacthing him with that frown still on his face. "Seriously, what has gotten into you man".
"Nothing, I'm just a little off". Arlo snapped. "Let's just go".
As they walked past, the teacher's desk, Arlo couldn't help but stare at mrs Smith.
Right now, she was hunched over, grading some assignments and her low cut top made it easy to look into her cleavage.
He watched the milky white top of her melons bounce slightly with every movement of her hands and sighed.
"Why am I attracted to older women?"
It was already closing time so students were leaving the school.
Arlo and Daniel paused in the hallway, looking around intently.
"I wonder why they're not here". Daniel muttered angrily. "Those boys never keep to time".
Arlo smiled, Daniel was very impatient. "Maybe they were delayed in class or something".
"Right". Daniel replied in a disbelieving tone.
After two more minutes and they still hadn't showed up, Daniel began to pace.
"We have to go the game shop before going home and my house is all the way in the third street. At this rate, I'll get home too late today". He complained.
Just then, two gangly boys appeared from the corridor, their long, thin frames moving with a clumsy grace.
They were about the same height, taller than Arlo but noticeably shorter than Daniel.
Both were equally skinny, their clothes hanging off their slender bodies like ill-fitting sacks.
Their ginger hair, wild and unkempt, tumbled messily over their foreheads and partially covered their large, round glasses.
The boys shared an unmistakable, wiry appearance, their disheveled look and awkward demeanor making them stand out as a pair.
"There they are". Daniel muttered in relief and exasperation, pointing at them.
The first boy was Richard, and unlike his friend, he didn't wear glasses.
His face was bare, save for the clusters of acne that dotted his skin, leaving faint scars in their wake.
The pimples gave his already awkward expression a rougher edge, as if life had thrown just one more challenge his way.
Despite his lanky build and unremarkable clothes, the acne seemed to stand out as the most prominent feature of his appearance.
It made him seem a little more vulnerable, his skin betraying the battle against adolescence etched across his face.
The other boy was Gus, and unlike Richard, he wore glasses.
However, they weren't oversized like the ones Arlo and Daniel sported.
Instead, Gus' glasses appeared too small for his face, the frames digging slightly into his skin as if they had been outgrown long ago.
The lenses, though clear, seemed to pinch his expression, making his sharp features appear even more cramped.
The glasses gave him a peculiar look, as if they were a mismatch for his rapidly growing body.
Yet, he wore them with an air of indifference, unfazed by their awkward fit.
The boys skipped towards Arlo and Daniel, their sneakers squeaking on the floor of the relatively empty hallway.
"Hey guys". Richard greeted.
"What took you so long?" Daniel asked crossly. "We had a plan".
Gus shrugged. "Richard here had a question about the assignment, so he was talking with the teacher".
Daniel scoffed and began to walk out, the rest of the them followed suit.
"Way to be such a nerd, Richar. He said as they walked.
"We're all nerds". Richard replied.
Arlo chuckled loudly, earning a glare from Daniel.
"What?" He asked, still chuckling. "He has a point".
Daniel rolled his eyes. "We have to move fast so we can get to the store and back to our houses in time".
"We can just go home right now, you know. And go to the store some other day". Gus offered.
"No, it has to be today". Daniel said. "I won't be free to play it another night till weekend and by then who knows if the games will still be in stock?"
"Yeah it has to be today". Arlo replied. "I can't wait any longer".