"And remember, kid, try to find people who'll have your back. That's the least you deserve." A familiar, raspy, comforting chuckle echoes through the air before dissolving into a coughing fit. A small sigh escapes my lips. "Pop-Pop, the doctors told you to take it easy." I lean over the handrails and slowly rub his frail back, a small smile appearing on my face even as I chastise him.
"So, when we get out of here, whaddya say we hike up the mountain? Your legs haven't given out just yet, have they?" Pop-Pop's laugh trails off, a slightly somber look appearing on his face. I notice his lip quiver softly as he bites it. He takes a moment before sighing, his signature big grin appearing back on his face. "Shut it, you little brat. You know damn well my body's not giving out anytime soon. I can still walk circles around your ass if you let you guard down." We both laugh softly before a comfortable silence floats across the room.
My eyes land on his forearm, the skin wrinkly and spotted. I flash him an appreciative smile.
"Thanks, Pop-Pop. I'm not sure if I say this often enough, but… I appreciate everything you've done for me. Without you… god knows where I'd be right now." His warm smile cools slightly to match mine. "You only say it every other day," he chuckles before sighing. "Still, that mom of yours… a real piece of work, she was."
The room once again descends into silence. I look him in his eyes, the once vibrant, bright teal having faded to a dull blue. His mouth curves into a smile again. "Hey, kid. I love you." I nod. "I love you too, Pop-Pop. You know I do." He sighs softly, his eyes wandering towards the window as he lays back. Outside, the sky was a bright blue without a single cloud in sight. He opens his mouth again, his words coated with a tinge of finality.
"One hell of a duo we made, you and I. Some of the shit we've been through… if you told me I'd get stranded on Mount Fuji with a sprained ankle only to be carried home by my punk-ass grandson, I'd send you to a psych ward." I chuckle softly while rearranging my chair. "Yeah, yeah. And we'll keep kicking ass once you get out of here. Speaking of, I heard Carol down at bingo has been giving you the side eye. I'm sure she'd love to show you how it's done with her dentures out." A small smirk appears on my face as Pop-Pop lets out a loud, booming laugh along with a few coughs. "Jeez, kid, you're gonna make my lungs collapse!"
As he calms down, he continues looking out the window. I hear him sigh softly. It sounded almost… final. "Hey. Kid. Seriously, though. Go find you some folks who'll have your back. That's the least you deserve." His words echo through my ears as he turns to face me one last time with his signature, carefree smile. "See ya, Hether."
My eyes slowly pry themselves open, Pop-Pop's smirk practically burned into my retina. I blink a few times, a sigh escaping my lips. "Fuck, again?" I wipe a few tears from my eyes as I sit up, my blanket shifting down my chest into my lap. With a yawn, I stand up and reach my arms towards the sky, a few of my joints clicking back into place. After making my bed, I check the time: 7:29. "Just in fucking time," I mutter just as my alarm starts blaring.
After turning it off, I shift over to my closet, kicking aside several dirty clothes that had begun to pile up on the floor. The door opens with a soft creak, revealing the few clean shirts I had as well as a few clean business-casual esque clothes. With a click, I turn the light in my room on, revealing a sight I hardly wanted to look at. Not wanting to stare at the mess, I grab one of the suit-looking things and walk into the bathroom.
The bathroom was slightly better with the floor being bare spare from a rug. The counter, on the other hand, was anything but. I dig through a bin to my left, shifting past some nail clippers and towels, just to pick up my toothbrush. "Another beautiful day."
After getting myself situated, I refocus on the clothes, a complex expression appearing on my face. "Didn't think school uniforms were a real thing," I mutter as I slide the white, button-up shirt on, followed by the jacket, pants, and tie. Looking in the mirror, my ruffled, brown hair seemed to stand out just as much as my tired, blue eyes."Ugh, I look like shit," I mutter as I turn on the faucet.
At about 7:40, the door to my house creaks open as I step out into the world, a single duffle bag hung over my shoulder. My nice, brown shoes click against the concrete as I pull up the map on my phone. With a sigh, I hop into my old, beat up pick-up truck and plug my phone into the aux cord. The engine roars to life as I hum along with the music.
The neighborhood zooms past me, a plethora of dull, one-story houses occupied mostly by old folks. It was okay— a bit of chipped paint here, a crack in the sidewalk there, a few feet of uncut grass outside the one house who absolutely refuses to comply with the HOA over there: all fairly normal occurrences. I sigh softly as I turn the corner and keep going.
Singular, spaced out houses slowly turned into densely packed, segmented buildings as I crossed into the city. Quiet, suburban streets evolved into bustling city sidewalks, an aura of hope and excitement charging the air. As I drive further in, a large, red and white building with the words VISGO Dorms plastered on the side.
Pulling into the parking lot, the entire world seems to shift into a shinier, fancier one. The uneven, discolored roads turned into perfectly paved pathways with gates dispersed intermittently at different crossroads. Looking around, some buildings were definitely nicer than others. I sigh just imagining the scope of the place. 'Well, I should probably find my dorm.'
Pulling out a wrinkled up map from my duffel bag, I try to match the paper world with reality. "From the looks of it, I'm on the west side…" My head pans across the area from east to west, the tall, grand, sparkling buildings gradually turning more humble and muted. "Guess these are the poor people dorms."
With a small grunt, I step out of my car and toss my duffel bag over my shoulder, almost falling over in the process. The bright, spring sunlight hits my face, causing me to take a deep breath of fresh air. Compared to outside, it smelt nicer, like hope and excitement tinged with some anxiety. "Not bad. Maybe I won't have to wear nose plugs." Stretching my legs, I start walking.
The sidewalk was fairly empty: an odd sight, considering it was only a day before school started. A small yawn escapes my lips as I check the map again. "Seems I'm tucked into the northwest corner… Alker hall, huh?" Just as I was about to put the map away, a faint, pungent odor tickles my nostrils, causing me to instinctively rub my nose. "Hm… it's like a blend of sadness, fear, and envy… insecurity?" I pocket the map and swivel my head looking for the source of the smell when the muffled sounds of shouts from around the corner enter my ears.
Cautiously, I turn around the bend, noticing two people in a shouting match. Well, it was closer to a one sided, verbal beat down. Upon closer inspection, a fairly tall individual, around 5'10, was angrily shouting at a much shorter man who seemed at a loss for words. "Miss, I didn't mean to come across as accusing, but the cigarettes did fall out of your pocket." The person, who I could now recognize as a girl, scowled in response, her voice almost deep enough to confuse for a young boy's. "And I told you they aren't mine! How many times do I have to say it?!" She snarled as she took a step closer.
With a frown, I take a step further only for the earlier stench of insecurity to blast me in the face at full force. My body intuitively gasps at the smell, my hand jumping to cover my nostrils. My actions seemed to draw both of their attention. The girl's scowl deepened, head turning to reveal her monochrome red SnapBack and sunglasses that looked like they were ripped straight out of the 70s. The hat hardly does a thing to conceal her rich, short, brown hair, which stuck out in every direction from the back.
"Hey, asshole," she yells, "what're you standing around and gawking for?!" Her sneakers snap against the pavement as she draws nearer, the pure stench growing more foul by the second. By this point, it's so bad that my eyes are watering. "Uh… s-sorry," I cough, trying to avert my gaze while breathing through my mouth. My odd behavior causes her to raise an unamused eyebrow. "The hell's wrong with you?" Her eyes flicker to my hand that was covering my nose. The whites of her eyes glow behind her sunglasses with recognition.
"What're you trying to say here, buddy? That I smell bad?!" The stench of insecurity surges, causing me to gag. Her scowl deepens in response, continuing the cycle. "N-No, it's not what you think," I stutter. Technically, I wasn't lying. What stinked wasn't her body: it was her mind. "You don't smell. Not at all." My words only cause her face to contort further in offense. 'Ugh, damn it! She just thinks I'm trying to be nice, which only makes it worse!'
Her cheeks tint red at my words, her insecurity thickening with a slightly less repulsive smell of shame. She backs up slightly, the humiliation leaking out of her trembling form. She scoffs. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was just angry from the way she was looking at me. "You dick! I know I don't smell that bad," she screams, though I can see her subtly sniff her armpits just to make sure. "Fuck you, and fuck this! I have better things to do than to deal with this bullshit!" Without another word, I watch her scramble off. Through the shame, I smell an ounce of relief as I look back over at the hapless man, whose face was coated in confusion.
'Hmm… maybe that man was telling the truth. That would explain the relief when she got an excuse to leave,' I think to myself as I approach the man. As his eyes locked onto mine, the peculiar scent of confusion parted, allowing me to take solace in the sweet smell of relief. "Hey, are you okay," I mutter towards the man, who was running his fingers through his black hair while dusting off his suit. "Yeah. Thanks for the help," he sighs while nodding.
"So what was that about? You said something about cigarettes," I ask, causing the man to groan once more. "Yeah. They fell out of her pocket when she was about to walk in. I just wanted to make sure she was old enough to have them since she looked so young, and then… well… yeah." My eyes lock onto the box of cancer sticks, causing me to nod in understanding. "Ah. Gotcha. And, by gauging her reaction, I'd say she's probably under 21."
The man nods in agreement, his voice exasperated and tired. "Probably. Not much I can do about it, though." He looks towards the direction she ran off in, confusion reentering his appearance. "Hey, thanks for saving me from that, but what was all that about? She was all up in my face, but she really didn't seem to stink. Were you just trying to scare her off?" Now, it was my turn to sigh. "Yeah, something like that," I confirm to save myself the explanation while glancing towards the alley myself. My eyes relax as guilt churns within me for the first time in months. The human interaction combined with the sunlight seemed to dust a few layers of grime off of my personality. 'That was careless of me. She already seemed so insecure. Combined with the smoking, she probably has enough problems as is. I should probably apologize the next time I see her.'
A sigh escapes my lips. Oddly enough, I felt better than before, like the weight of isolation had eased off of my shoulders. A small smile creeps onto my face as I pull my map back out. "Hey," I say while showing the man my map. "Since you're here, could you point me towards Alker?" The man nods. "Sure thing. Just keep walking down that way and take a left when you reach the end of the sidewalk," he says while pointing to my right. I nod one last time in appreciation before turning and continuing my journey towards the dorms.