Is anyone normal?

The question had always lingered in the quiet spaces between thoughts: Is anyone normal?

Everyone thinks another is weird for not having the same interests of opinions, but they don't realise, in the other person's perspective, you're the one that's weird.

That begs the question: Is anyone even normal? Am I normal? Or am I an abnormal being that's one in a million? The truth is, no one knows.

Joe's day began with the familiar clang of routine. The high school corridors buzzed with chatter and cliques as he navigated them with the confident air of someone who fit every stereotype—a popular guy in one moment, and, in quieter reflections, just another face in the crowd.

His life was as predictable as the pages of a well-worn manga: a morning shower, a quick fix of his favorite hairstyle, and a breakfast hurriedly swallowed before he joined the throng of students boarding the bus. In class, Joe traded playful banter with friends and carried the burden of labels—"the popular one," "the loser on his off days"—without much thought.

Miles away, JL usually sets an alarm well before school starts, but if it goes off an hour or two early, he tends to hit snooze and fall back asleep.

When the alarm rings again about 30 minutes before school, he finally gets up, pausing to decide whether to shower and obsess over whether he is brushing his teeth correctly.

Once he is done with these thoughts, he gets dressed and either eats the food his mom prepared or grab some packets of biscuits. Before heading out, he also takes a moment to wash his water bottle—something he ends up doing at that time because he is too lazy to wash it the day before.