My eyes fluttered open, awakening to a dimly-lit room.
"Ah...damn I fell asleep..."
Indeed.
I had somehow fallen asleep right on my black seamed sofa. The book I had previously been reading was dangling from my right hand.
I threw a furtive glance at the book before closing it abruptly. Its front cover reflected the shimmer of a nearby desk lamp, on it was the title, '48 Laws'. I dropped it carelessly on a desk next to my sofa, sparing the desk a glance, I sighed at its state.
An active laptop, a flickering desk lamp, a bunch of scattered calligraphy pens and pencils, several crumpled papers, a messy drawing and lastly, the book I had previously tossed.
In short, the desk was a proper mess.
I ruffled my hair with a hand and then looked away,
"Whatever...I'll do it later."
Turning to my curtain which was being penetrated by soft rays of sunlight, I let out a soft exhale and approached it.
This is going to hurt...
I thought as I grabbed hold of the sheets and then pulled them away with considerable force.
"Ah...!"
I let out a low yelp as the rays of sunlight forced their way through and penetrated my sleepy eyes.
"Shit...", I inadvertently let out a curse and then rubbed my eyes. After a few more rubs, I finally turned to look out of my window.
"...", I had no words as I simply observed the hustle and bustle of the streets below my apartment. Cars and Tricycles along with several pedestrians transversed along the tarred roads of Aladdin Street.
Basking in soft radiance, I watched the various netizens go about their mundane lives which was most likely, no different from mine.
"This...is my ordinary life...after all...", I said wistfully before turning away.
...
A couple of minutes later I was off to school, leaving behind the blissful solace of my 'humble' abode.
As I walked across the street, I looked up at the sun. It was clear, devoid of haze. The sight brought a strange unsettling feeling, I frowned as I thought about it.
Why...does looking at the sun gi-
Before I could finish that thought, I heard a voice from behind.
"DAVE~!"
I quickly discarded the thought and turned around, a small smile forming on my face. When I turned around, I was greeted by a wonderful sight.
Clad in the vibrant pink of our school uniform, spotting a red bow that hung her hair in a bun and glistening in the sunlight was Kansola, my girlfriend.
She had a bright smile on her beautiful face as she waved at me.
Her smile brought an ease to my heart.
So pretty...
I thought as I stared at her but as she got closer, I quickly regained my composure and smelt my breath; it was good yet, a whimsical thought wandered into my mind.
Did I take a bath today?
I frowned and shook my head; am sure I did.
I definitely did...
She got up to me and locked her arm with mine, flashing me a smile.
"You seem awfully happy today, are you that glad to see me?", I asked as I looked at her.
She looked at me and smiled, "Of course I am!"
I smiled softly at her and then turned to look forward, we began to walk towards our school.
I noticed out of the corner of my vision, the smile on her face lessening.
I raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"
"Oh...it's just about what's going to happen today...", she trailed off.
I raised an eyebrow, "What's going to happen today?"
She looked at me in confusion and then said, "Don't you know?"
"Know what?", I urged her.
She blinked a couple of times at me before saying,
"Dave...don't you know that today's the last day of school."
I froze.
We both remained in that position staring at each other, the wind blew by us and time seemed to slow down. The fleeting moment between us seemed to turn into an eternity.
I stared at Kansola in bewilderment while her face slowly grew redder which each passing moment. Soon, her face had become as red as a tomato.
"D-dave!"
"O-oh sorry...", I apologized as I scratched my head, an awkward chuckle escaping my lips.
"I must have forgotten...haha..."
"Was it really that surprising?", she muttered.
I looked away while she rolled her eyes and then look towards our school. The school building was built like a mansion housing a numerous number of rooms. Its weary walls and squeaky window panes spoke a testament to its age.
I gazed at the edifice with a solemn expression.
To think that this would be the last day, I step into this building...
Soon, Kansola and I arrived at the gate, side by side. We each took deep breaths and stepped beyond its metal frame, disappearing behind it and into the building.
We walked across the hallway, greeting many other students as we moved.
I felt alive and yet, strangely uneasy...
Entering our classroom, we sighted several of our classmates present. Some girls were chatting amongst themselves as well as some boys while some others were engaging in questionable activities.
Here we go...
The moment I stepped into the room, I felt the atmosphere change slightly. Everyone's eyes snapped towards me, a strange expression present on their faces. Suddenly, I felt something digging in my heart, something that I had forgotten...
Am I anxious...?
I thought, trying to allay my fears.
The silence went on for a moment before, they finally broke into a laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The laughter my classmates broke into was both euphoric and contagious, giving me a sense of ease and forcing me to break into laughter as well.
"HAHAHAHA!"
...
RING! RING!
The bell signaled the end of our Mathematics lecture, prompting many to close their books and heave sighs of relief.
Our teacher walked out briskly, his stern expression never leaving his face.
He never changes, huh...
I sighed as I shook my head.
"So, Dave...have you given it a thought yet?"
Fawn who was sitting next to me, asked me a question.
"You mean of the university am going to?", I answered with a question of mine.
"What? No not that.", he responded with a bewildered look.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Then...what?"
When I asked that, a sly grin made its way to his face.
Instantly, I grimaced.
I know that smile all too well...
I braced myself for what he was going to ask, but was instantly bamboozled by what he said next.
"So, you're getting married to Kansola, right?"
"Ayo?!", Ola who was sitting next to me, snapped his head in our direction.
His exclamation drew the attention of all my classmates.
"Dave is getting married to Kansola?", Remi asked with a squeal.
"Did I just hear 'married'?", Marilyn seemed bewildered.
"Damn, when's the wedding?", Seba asked with a cheeky grin.
I creaked back in my seat, shocked at their wild comments.
Dola who was nearby, stared at me agape.
Dex glanced at me before looking away; shaking his head in disappointment. His looked seemed to say,
'And I thought you were sigma.'
Preposterous!
I looked around before finally locking eyes with Kansola, her ears were beet-red and she seemed fidgety.
I was appalled.
"You all need to chill!"
I yelled, causing my classmates to burst into laughter.
I glanced at Kansola who had a smile on her face. Seeing this, my heart warmed.
I wish everyday can be like this...
...
After several hours, school came to a close.
"I guess our graduation ceremony is next week then.", Seba said with a sigh. He had his hands in his pockets and a strap pack around his torso.
Ola who was walking next to him answered, "Yeah...", he wore a black backpack.
"This school will now become a thing of the past...", Dola said with a wistful expression.
"So will all the times we spent together...", I said.
Suddenly, the mood grew dim.
"Ugh...forget the sad stuff! It's not like we wouldn't see each other again!", Base, a short skinny boy with a brown buzzcut, exclaimed in annoyance.
"Yeah, that's right! We'll still hang out!", Quy, another of my classmates said.
"HAHA! In fact, how about we all plop by my dad's resort after the graduation ceremony?", Dola said with a grin, "Don't worry I'll have it all reserved, and yes... we can bring our girls.", he added with a mischievous smile.
"WOOHOO!"
"That's our Dola!"
"Dolipopi!"
"Rich kid!"
"Rich Kid!"
We exclaimed as we hailed him.
I laughed along with them.
It's these moments...these happy fleeting moments that fill our hearts...it's these moments that makes us humans...
Ah...
I wish these bliss...
I wish it will last forever...