The droning sound of my alarm clock roused me from my sleep.
5:30 AM.
I really do regret taking the early classes at my university. I’ll admit, it takes me longer than most guys to get ready in the morning. But hey, I pride myself in not looking like I had just rolled out of bed wherever I go. I groggily retrieved my bag from my desk and shoved my textbooks into it after I finished my morning ritual.
First thing in the morning I have Chemistry. I strolled into class a minute or two before the lecture began. Most of the seats were filled, so I resorted to sitting in the back row. I don’t particularly like the back, considering it’s normal populated by hungover, napping f**k-offs; the kid I sat next to looked especially shady. He had greasy brown hair and a blank 1000 yard stare, accompanied by dark bags under his eyes. He wore a scent I would call “three days of missed showers”.
The lecture was a relatively easy one, we were exploring the applications of transition metals in everyday life.
“What is something we all use that would not be possible without transition metals?”
A few moments of silence.
“Mirrors,” the greasy gentleman to my left stated in a sleepy, monotone voice.
“Yes! You see, the reflective effect can be achieved by using liquid silver, copper, or tin…”
He continued on.
I translated the professor’s tangent into my own shortened version (it’s not like I need everything he says). While I scribbled into my notebook, I caught my strange neighbor looking at me a few times. I could just barely see him out the corner of my eye. I turned to face him.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
Just more staring.
“Like what you see, huh?”
More silence.
“Alrighty then.”
I ignored him (I just wish I could say the same for his odor). Class was just about over anyways; I began packing my things. I reached for my textbook at the corner of my desk, and I nearly pissed myself when my wrist was grabbed by the freak seated next to me.
“What the f**k?! Get off me!”
I quickly tore my wrist from his grip. I could feel the impressions of where his fingers were on my skin as if they were burned in. He had a mean grip.
“What’s the matter with you?!”
He just looked at me. I back away and briskly made my way the hell out of the room. I could only imagine how many drugs that kid was on. College was an interesting place.
While walking down the hall, the strangest sensations overcame my body. I began to feel deathly fatigued. I nearly collapsed against the wall, but I was able to keep an upright position. You know that feeling you have when you stand up too fast? It was a little like that. I felt lightheaded, weary, and vaguely numb. Not like physically numb but… emotionally.
Oddly enough, I had regained the feeling in my body almost as quickly as I had lost it. I had no explanation for it. F**k, maybe I just needed a cup of coffee.
