Brian set down his bag in his bedroom, flopped onto the bed, and fell asleep to the sound of rain. He woke up in the same room and went to wash his face and brush his teeth, staring into the mirror where a motorcycle sticker adorned the glass. His face looked four years older, around 15.
"Hope no pimples appear," he said confidently. He dressed in a polo shirt, slightly torn jeans, and worn sneakers.
On the table, a note from his mother lay beneath a bowl of hot soup:
"Mom will be home late today. Lock up the apartment before leaving. Love and care, Helena."
"Busy again, hmm," Brian muttered. He ate some soup, turned off the lights, grabbed his unusual skateboard and backpack, and ran down the street, jumping onto the board.
"Good morning, Hollywood~" he shouted, soaring above the city.
Flying buses and holographic ads filled the streets. Brian raced alongside a yellow school bus, gripping its rail to match its speed.
"Let's go McFly! Woohh!" He enjoyed the morning breeze, spotted a red-haired girl from the bus, and waved. She waved back. Distracted, he hit a trash can and fell off the board.
A passerby laughed, "Haha, better check out slowly next time, boy!"
"Aw! nah~, a freaking scrape?" Brian checked his left arm for a small scrape. He cleaned himself and continued to school on the hoverboard, storing it in his bag once he arrived.
Along the hallway, Brian saw his gang friends teasing a bespectacled boy. The boy pushed one friend, and chaos ensued. Brian intervened, throwing the frightened boy against a locker.
"Whoa!" Everyone turned to the commotion. The fat gang leader encouraged Brian to hit him.
"What did he do to you?" Brian asked, confused.
"He got chocolate on my shirt! So a little blood won't hurt!" the leader shouted, pinning the boy.
Brian hesitated, then lightly punched the bespectacled boy. Tears welled up as the glasses cracked.
"Teacher! Fight!" a student yelled.
"Damn it! Run!" the gang leader shouted. Brian and the others fled.
Hiding near the girls' restroom, he encountered the red-haired girl from the bus. "I'm not a pervert," he whispered, hands raised.
The teacher's footsteps receded. Brian relaxed.
"You're the skateboarder, right?" the girl asked.
"Yes, me. Let's forget about the fall earlier," Brian smiled.
"Katie, right?" he guessed.
She nodded.
Brian continued to class, leaving the hallway empty. He had forgotten his emotions to focus on the physical task of surviving.
"Ouch! That hurts~" He had glass stuck on his wrist. He removed it and licked the small wound.
He stored his books and hoverboard in his locker, then entered English class, leaving the hallway quiet and bathed in sunlight from the school windows.
Brian found himself back at the apartment dining table, chatting with his mother about school under the quiet night.
"Seeing Kaitlyn again in high school… she was so sweet, haha," he laughed.
"You're growing, sweetie. If anything happens to me, you must take care of yourself. I've taught you everything you'll need. You must find someone worthy one day. You might not understand now, but you will," his mother said, coughing lightly.
"Mom, if it's hard, I can quit and help you," Brian said sincerely.
"Focus on your studies, Brian. Life is full of decisions. Make yourself comfortable; that's enough for me. Time is precious; once lost, it cannot be regained," she advised.
Brian nodded twice. "Understood."
He looked out the window at the flying vehicles, then smiled at his mother.
"Maybe I'll become a mechanic."
"If that makes you happy," she said, patting his head before going to the bathroom, leaving him alone.
"Yeah, that'd be good… maybe even better," Brian murmured.
After dinner, he did his homework on the dining table. "Boring," he muttered, picking up the phone to call Katie's old number.
"Hello," her sweet voice answered.
"Hello, Katie," he said.
"Huh?! Brian? Is that you?" Kate replied.
"Yes… um… I wanted to…uh... wanna hang out after class?"
Kate put on a little smile "Sure~ i would like to. That'd be fun."