Man, I think it's time for school. I f**king hate this alarm. Like, when it's an important day, the thing doesn't work, but when you feel like it's a free day, like a Saturday, it just keeps beeping. How many times will I correct it? Five? Ten? Doesn't matter, it's like the universe is trying to ruin my morning for no goddamn reason.
I roll over, smacking the snooze button like a man possessed, and there it is again—beep beep beep.
"Oh, f**k off," I groan, dragging myself out of bed like some half-dead zombie. My dice sits on my desk, just staring at me like the useless piece of shit it is. People out there get to roll their dice every damn day to see what's gonna happen, whether they're gonna get lucky or not. Me? I got a 1 and a 2. Yeah, that's it. Nothing else. Hell, I've never even bothered rolling the damn thing. What's the point when you already know fate doesn't give a sh*t about you?
I glance over at the clock. 7:25 AM. Damn it. I'm late for school, again. Whatever. It's not like anyone cares. Just another day of pretending to give a damn.
So I drag myself to the bathroom, splash some cold water on my face, and swear at my reflection. I stare at the guy in the mirror. He looks like he's about to pass out, pale as hell, with bags under his eyes. Who even is this guy? I wipe my face with the cold water, trying to wake up, but nothing really changes. Same old shit. Same old me. Same damn life.
I grab my bag and head out, shutting the door behind me with a thud. The streets are quieter than usual this morning, but I don't care. It's the same routine every day, whether the sun's out or it's pissing rain. I just move. Walk, head down, trying to avoid the usual bullsh*t.
I catch a glimpse of my phone buzzing in my pocket. Selena, of course. I don't answer. What's the point? I've never been good at this whole "relationship" thing. She thinks I'm some kind of puzzle to solve. Maybe I am, but honestly, I'm not interested in finding out. It's a f**king mess anyway.
The walk to school is uneventful. The usual noise in the background—the murmur of people walking, talking about whatever, rolling their dice, seeing what fate's decided for them today. The lucky ones act like they're walking on clouds, heads held high, thinking they've got life figured out. Then there's the unlucky ones, dragging their feet, clutching their dice like it's a goddamn lifeline. But me? I don't care. I never roll. I don't need to.
When I reach the school gates, I feel that familiar weight on my shoulders—the same pressure I've been carrying since the first day I stepped onto this damn campus. Everybody's already here, lost in their own little worlds, and I'm just another face in the crowd.
I push through the entrance, passing by groups of students chatting about whatever they think matters today. I keep walking, heading straight for the school building.
I finally made it to class, and of course, the teacher shouts at me like I'm the only one running late. "Why are you late again?" she demands, hands on her hips. I glance up, bored out of my mind.
"Don't you have anything better to do than disturb me?" I mutter under my breath, not even bothering to hide my irritation.
She glares at me, but I couldn't care less. The whole world could be on fire, and it'd still be the same thing with her. One more person trying to make my life a little more miserable.
I took my seat, and Jason, who sat next to me, leaned in, whispering, "Bro, did you watch the news? They said a building caught on fire, and the cause is a total mystery. And those black-suit guys were the ones who handled it."
I glanced at him with a bored expression. "You know I hardly watch the news. So why the hell are you asking me if I've seen it?"
Bored out of my mind, I stared at the clock on the wall, counting down the minutes until lunch. Jason tapped me on the shoulder, pulling me out of my daydream.
"Hey, today's the lunch special," he said with a grin. "Why don't you roll your dice, man? You never know, maybe today's the day we actually get something good."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Roll my dice? You know I don't do that."
Jason just shrugged, then materialized his own dice out of thin air, the familiar six-sided cube appearing in his hand. "Well, I'm gonna roll mine. We'll see if you get some good luck today. Here goes."
He flicked his wrist, letting the die tumble across the desk. It landed on a 1.
"No luck for us today," he said with a smirk, already knowing I wasn't gonna care about the results. "Looks like we're stuck with the usual."
I stared at the 1. The thought that had always been on the back of my mind since I was a kid suddenly resurfaced—what if the way you ask changes the outcome?
"Hey," I said, leaning forward a little. "Try asking a different question. Rephrase it."
Jason glanced at me, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Just ask, 'Will we make it to the cafeteria on time for the lunch special?'"
Jason looked at me like I was crazy but shrugged. "Alright, fine, whatever."
He materialized the dice again, this time holding it more carefully as he repeated, "Will we make it to the cafeteria on time for the lunch special?"
Jason threw the dice, and it rolled across the desk, finally stopping on a 5.
He blinked at it. "Five? So, we should've made it... but something's off. There's interference, maybe."
I leaned back, more interested now. "Yeah, it looks like something's blocking it. If we can figure out how to block the interference, we might still get the lunch special."
Jason was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking. Then a grin spread across his face. "Man, I never thought about it like that."