Act 2: Body
Scene 1:Daily Routine
*beep* *beep* *beep*
I wake to the sound of my alarm clock. I welcome the sound with the bang of my fist. Lifting my head from under the pillow, I am greeting by the light invading my eyes and I rub them to get adjusted. I look at the clock to check the time, 6 o’clock. It’s too early for any student to be awake. No, scratch that, it’s too early for most students besides one twintail track member and her running partner.
“Why did I ever agree to this?” I think to myself, as I sit up on my bed. The answer becomes clear when I look over to my desk. 17 pill bottles stare directly at me, as if to tell me, “We are the reason.” Not wanting to keep my partner waiting and fear any punishment, I get up from my bed and put on my old soccer clothes, before swallowing my pills. I take one more look at my bed before I head out of the room.
~~~~~~~~~~
The sun is beginning to wake up as well when I leave the boys’ dorm. There is a gentle wind blowing on the right side of my face and a chill soon follows it. The birds are chirping and there are some students wandering about. It seems like there is more life at this hour than I thought. I begin to make my way to the track field.
While walking there, I think back to yesterday. The school’s festival was yesterday and I made some new friends. Molly’s group of friends seems like a nice bunch to hang out with. Asuka is very loud and energetic person. If she had the chance, she might have ran around like a little kid at the festival. Ikuno seems like a decent person. She really didn’t say much, but she looked like she enjoyed herself at the festival. Takashi on the other hand, I think he doesn’t like me for one reason or another. I don’t know what his deal is but I hope we can become friends. It’ll be nice to have a guy friend that doesn’t ramble on about crazy theories about girls at this school.
Still thinking about yesterday’s events, I make it to the track field. Emi spots me while she does some of her stretches. She walks up towards me with a smile on her face. “I thought you wouldn’t show ‘cause of how busy you were yesterday,” she laughs.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you with three other girls at the game booths. You looked like some sort of master of romance when they crowded around you when you won.”
Master of what? What does she mean by that? Well I did hang out with a few girls yesterday, but I was trying to make some new friends yesterday. The thought hanging out with a group of girls doesn’t sound all that bad.
Emi waves her hand in front of my face to get my attention, “You boys are all the same. Bet you think you’re hot stuff now.”
I shake my head to brush away those thoughts, “No… I was thinking about…how fun running in the morning can be. It’ll be nice to get in better shape, knowing I have someone to run with.”
“Stop lying and start stretching,” she commands while giving a stern look, but she breaks into a smile. “You’re wasting time and I want you show to me how excited you are about running.”
Taking a seat on the grass, Emi sits across me and begins to stretch. I follow her lead and instructions. The tension of my leg muscles begins to hurt as I try to touch my toes. It feels like my hamstring is going to rip.
“Okay, now hold my hands,” my running partner instructs.
Hold her hands. Is this some kind of trick? Is she trying to lead me on? “What for?” my voice cracks a little.
“It’s for a stretch and it requires another person for it,” Emi answers. “Plus, like I said yesterday, you have to at least try to have a chance to get with me,” she winks. “I’m not that easy. Now hold my hands.”
I follow her orders and hold her hands. Emi’s hands are small and soft to the touch. I could get used to holding her hands. Suddenly, I feel her pull me closer to her and feel my back pulling. Afterwards, she tells me to pull and I do.
“Now lie on your back and lift your leg up,” she stands up and walks closer to me as I lie down. She grabs my right leg and pushes it towards me with her body against my leg. I think I can get used to these morning stretches if it means this.
After a few more stretches, we make our way to the track. Emi looks back towards me. “Take it easy if you are having trouble. I don’t want a repeat of the other day,” she looks down with her eyes drooping for a bit.
“Hey don’t beat yourself about it. It was my fault for trying to show off to a track star. I guess I thought I was hot stuff,” trying my best to cheer her up.
She looks up to meet my eyes and returns a smile. “Good, ‘cause I don’t want you to use that against me when I want something from you,” she winks before she leaves me in a trail of dust. I soon follow her.
Finishing my last lap, I feel my veins begin to pump battery acid throughout my body. The pain starts to become unbearable. I start to slow my speed down to a gentle stroll, before Emi spots me and slows down as well.
“You doing okay there Hisao?” she asks wiping sweat off her forehead, but I don’t think she’s broken a sweat yet.
“I’m…good. Just…reached my…limit already,” I reply, huffing out those words.
“Put your arms over your head. That way you can breathe easier.”
I do as I’m told and put my arms up. Breathing has become significantly easier now. My lungs are able to fully expand, as I feel my heartbeat slow down to a steadier pace---, well steady enough for a person that has an irregular heartbeat. I continue to focus on my breathing, inhaling and exhaling. Everything around me begins to turn silent and it feels like the world around me is becoming non-existent.
“Earth to Hisao,” I hear Emi call out to me. I open my eyes and see Emi waving her hand in front of my face.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. You look out of it and thought maybe I should check on you.”
“Oh, I guess I kind of spaced out for a sec,” I smile, laughing over the situation.
Emi joins in on my laughter. Her laugh is pretty cute. It suits her well for some reason and I would like to hear it more often. After our laughing dies down, she looks at me with a curious stare.
“You look so peaceful .”
“I guess running tired me out so much that I felt like sleeping!” I laugh as I rub the back of my head.
“Well anyway, I’m going to run some more laps. You should stop for today, you did really great and I’m impressed that you came today at all,” she smiles at me. “See you tomorrow morning?”
I nod my head as I smile back, “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Emi turns around and continues with her morning run. I stand there for a while before she laps me again; I head back to the boys’ dorm.
~~~~~~~~~~
I can’t explain it, but taking a nice long shower after running seems so relaxing. Spending a lot more time in the shower than I usually do, I had to dress quickly because I thought I was going to be late for class. A quick glance at the clock in my room tells me that I have about 20 minutes before class starts. I contemplate on whether to head out to class or continue sitting in my desk chair. Staying in this chair feels right, but I can’t stay here for too long.
Looking over at my desk, I see a 100 yen coin shine. Maybe I should leave this up to the coin to dictate my action. I grab the coin and flip it in the air. Heads, I head out to class, tails, I continue to sit and relax. The coin flips almost to the ceiling and I grab it before it lands on the desk. I slap the coin onto my left wrist to reveal the results. “Okay, maybe two out of three,” I tell myself, disappointed by the outcome of the flip.
~~~~~~~~~~
That is the last time I decide to flip a coin I think to myself as I walk into class. Most of the students look dead tired and I see a couple of empty seats. Takashi spots me and we lock eyes, but he looks down again at the book on his desk. “Well, good morning to you too,” I whisper under my breath.
The rest of the students walk in gradually and I see Misha drag her feet, followed by Shizune, who looks annoyed by Misha‘s tiredness. They take their seats and Misha turns to me, “Morning Hicchan~!”
“Good morning Misha. Morning Shizune,” I wave at the Student Council President with a small smile. “You look beat.”
“Wahaha~!” she laughs; it seems as though she is trying to not lose her usual loud tone. “Shizune and I were busy looking over the school’s festival. It was hard work, but we managed to make things work out.”
Shizune peeks over at us before getting Misha’s attention to sign something. Her hands look a little sluggish moving, but she tries her best to hide any exhaustion she has. They continue to sign back and forth, before I spot Molly and Ikuno walk through the door. They spot me, and I wave at them. They do the same before turning to each other.
A hand taps my desk to get my attention, “Well I guess we don’t have to ask if you enjoyed the festival~~! Wahaha~!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing~! Wahaha~!!” Misha laughs once more, her voice making the other students regret coming to class. “We were looking for you yesterday to join us for the festival, but you weren’t in your room. Shicchan got upset because she wanted to spend the festival with you~!”
“Why would she want to do that?” furrowing my brow. I bet she was trying to use a festival as a distraction to make me join the Student Council. Or maybe…no, that can’t be it.
The bell rings and Molly and Ikuno take their seats. Molly smiles at me before she sits and I return the gesture.
Mutou walks in after the bell and he looks worse than the students in the class. He looks to have a hangover or something because his eyes are bloodshot and he’s holding the right side of his head.
Looks like Mutou doesn’t want to teach, nor do the students feel like learning. So he decides to make us do book work again for the rest of the period. The rest of the class breathes a collective sigh of relief. Misha scoots her desk next to mine and Shizune joins us as well.
The work is nothing but reading, with barely any questions. We finish the work pretty quickly, which is good. The bad news is Misha and Shizune keep bugging me about yesterday. They turn to each other and sign back and forth, their hands becoming a blur to rapid for any person to keep up. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were just waving their hands in circles. After a couple of minutes pass, they both turn to me, Misha with a big grin and Shizune looking on, as if studying me.
“So you were with Kapur and Komaki yesterday right Hicchan~?” she whispers to me---, well to her, she thinks she whispers. Mutou looks up from his book towards us and I look down before we make eye contact. I spot Molly flinch a little hearing Misha’s question at the corner of my eye.
“How did you know?”
Misha turns to Shizune and they are at it again, “I didn’t. I saw you wave at them. So I put two and two together.”
“So what if I did? Is there anything wrong with that?” I say defensively, scratching my left arm.
“No, not at all. Just that Shicchan and I thought it would have been fun if Hicchan were to join us at the festival. But…,” she pauses and looks ahead before turning to face me, “…it looks like you enjoyed the festival regardless.”
“Um, thanks,” is all I can say before the bell rings. The class and I let out a collecteve sigh as the first period is over. Just a couple more hours until lunch.
~~~~~~~~~~
“And then, the alien started laughing like a maniac before its atomic bomb went off,” Asuka continues her story.
“I think you should stop watching movies before sleeping. They’ll make you stupid,” Takashi replies, his face making the same annoyed face from earlier. I’m starting to think that is how his face just looks.
“You’re just mad because the alien ripped out your spine.”
Ikuno looks up from her notebook, “Could you keep it down a bit? I’m trying to catch up on my studying and you two are too loud.”
“Sorry Iku, but Takashi is being a jerk,” Asuka takes a bite into her rice ball. “What brought you here, Hisao?” turning her attention to me.
“Yeah, why are you here, New Guy?”
I look up from my pork bread, “I had fun hanging out with you guys yesterday at the festival, so I thought spending lunch with you guys today would be fun too.” Honestly though, Misha and Shizune wanted me to join them for lunch, but the way Shizune was looking at me when Misha invited me, felt like they wanted me to do more paperwork. Luckily, Ikuno and Molly came just in time to invite me for lunch.
“I had a blast too! Even though we didn’t win the purple cat yesterday,” Asuka’s voice lowers as her head hangs low; her teal bangs cover her eyes.
“Asuka couldn’t stop complaining about the cat once we left,” Ikuno closes her notebook and grabs her bottle of water.
“Well I really wanted that cat. It was so cute.”
“I enjoyed the food,” Molly joins in. “It was a lot better than last year, especially the fried tofu.” I see her eyes widen from the thought. It makes me wish that I had been able to try them.
“The ramen tasted plain. How the hell do you forget to add seasoning?” Takashi complains. “I could have gotten better ramen from the convenience store.”
“I didn’t mind the ramen, at least it was hot, unlike last time,” Ikuno puts opens up her notebook again and puts her earphones in.
“The fireworks were amazing too!” Asuka shouts out. I didn’t know this school goes all out like that. “I wonder if they are going to top it for next year’s festival.”
I have to agree with Asuka about the fireworks. They were truly a sight to see from the garden last night. The darkness of the night being invaded by those colorful explosions. The reflection of the pond serving as a mirror to cast the fireworks. I think the best part about watching the fireworks, was seeing them in Molly’s eyes. Her reaction was something that can’t escape my mind. Her child-like awe in seeing the fireworks explodes into different colored patterns. The way she hugged onto the stuff gray dog plushy, it made me feel happy that I was there to witness it.
“Earth to Hisao,” I hear a voice call to my left. It’s Molly. “The bell rang. It’s time to go back to class.”
I nod and finish up the last of my canned coffee before standing up.
~~~~~~~~~~
“…so what is your answer?...”
“…what was the question again?...”
she lets out a giggle,”…do you like the day or night?...”
“…i don’t know. i need more time to think it over…”
“…take you time. it’s not like i am going anywhere….”
I open my eyes, the pond comes into view. The stillness of the pond makes it seems as if time has stopped. Birds chirping in the distance are the only indication that time is still in motion.
“’I think I’m getting used to this meditation thing,” turning to Molly, who is still meditating.
“Meditation is a great way to relax after a long day,” her peaceful voice answers. “It also helps when you’re under stress.”
“Does it?”
“Well anything that can take your mind off problems. Everyone has that one thing they do to get away from their problems,” she opens her eyes; there is a brief sadness to them. Molly stretches her arms before standing up.
I think I understand what she means. When I was at the hospital, I would read books non-stop every day to take away that thought of being a prisoner there. Days became a blur and reading books helped a lot coping with my new life. I wonder what other students do to take their mind off their problems.
“I’m sorry Hisao, but I have to go now. My brother wants to go out for dinner tonight, and I have to go and change,” she smiles.
“Okay, same time tomorrow then?”
“Sorry, but I have some errands to run tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I’m available.”
I nod my head, “Okay, sounds good to me.” I stand up and dust myself off. “Bye Molly.”
“See you tomorrow in class,” Molly waves with a smile, before leaving the garden.
I stare at the pond for a few moments before doing the same.
~~~~~~~~~~
I close my science book as I finish my homework for today. The sun has begun to set, as my room takes on an orange tint. The cicadas cry out their song from the outside world. I close my eyes to relax; it has been an interesting day. Started committing to exercising, Misha and Shizune interrogating me about yesterday, and still trying to catch up with my classes. My mind begins to wander off and I feel my eyelids become heavy.
The sound of my watch going off brings me out of my relaxed state. I open my eyes and the orange tint of the room has now become a dark violet. I must have taken a nap; I turn on the light, and the color of the room changes color once more. I stretch my arms and back, before I change out of my uniform. The cool breeze from the window creeps in and it feels nice against my skin. I swallow down my pills and head to my bed. The bed is still uncomfortable for my liking, but it sure beats the one at the hospital. Just thinking about the hospital feels like it was ages ago, even though it’s been about a week since I left.
I grab a book I borrowed from the library from the nightstand. Thumbing through to where I last left off, I let out a yawn. I must be more tired than I thought because the words on the pages become a blur after a few minutes of reading. Well there’s always tomorrow, is the last thought before I drift off to sleep.
*beep* *beep* *beep*
I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock.
Last Scene: Strange Terrain
Next Scene: Inner Shade
