Roy woke with a start, sweat slicking his skin as a sharp sliver of sunlight stabbed through the crack in the curtain and nailed him right in the eye. He groaned, twisting away from the harsh beam like it was a personal enemy.
He doesn't remember anything, just waking up with sweat running down his entire body.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The door rattled, nearly shaking the frame out of the wall.
"Get your bitch-ass up before I drag you to college in your pyjamas, you sleep-deprived buffoon!" Kieran's voice shouted from outside the door.
Roy blinked at the door. Took a long, dramatic breath.
"Yeah, sure," he shouted back, and, under his breath, he muttered, "Prick."
Slowly, he pushed himself upright. The sunlight stabbed him again; this sun is relentless.
Roy rubbed his eyes while beginning his morning routine half-heartedly.
He opened the door to let Kieran in and went to the toilet while Kieran was moaning on about him always making the both of them late.
He brushed his teeth, buttoned his black shirt crookedly that had not been ironed, fixed it halfway down the hall, tied his shoelaces once, and hoped for the best. Looking in the mirror, he took one long, tired look at himself while pointing his thumbs at him and said, "You're good-looking as usual."
Outside, Kieran waited by the bike rack, casually leaning on his, already halfway through a sandwich that he bought on the way to Roy's place.
"About time," Kieran said. "I was gonna start throwing rocks at your window."
"Would've mistaken you for a very aggressive pigeon," Roy shot back.
Kieran got onto his bike, and Roy sat pillion while Kieran cycled towards their destination.
"Do you ever think about dropping out?" Kieran asked, crunching on his sandwich while riding the bike. Do not do this, as it is not safe. At all. Kieran carried on, "Like, just… leaving all this behind and selling prana-charged bathwater to freaks on the road?"
"Every morning," Roy admitted. Both of them hated school. "But I already paid for my textbooks, so I can't do that for a while."
"Ugh, yeah, I forgot about that. That's how they get you, man."
Education here was mandatory until eighteen; then college was an option for those who wanted more. You have to pick three academic subjects plus a physical and magical discipline.
What Roy chose was:
Astrology
Mathematics
Business
Swordplay
What Kieran chose was:
Mathematics
History
Economics
Prana Mastery
After a dull first period of mathematics for both Kieran and Roy, they headed to the canteen and saw Tanaka and Brock sitting at a table already with 2 empty chairs.
Kieran and Roy became friends with them two when they joined this college. This college was a selective school, so it also can be called a grammar school in some instances. Roy went over to the canteen, pressed his thumb into the scanner and paid for a cup of coffee, and came back to the table.
Roy sipped the lukewarm coffee; it was terrible, but he didn't waste his money by throwing it away.
Kieran was halfway into his second meal of the day; he usually has, like, 4-5 normally.
Brock Branagan sat perfectly upright, fingers flying across his laptop. While Tanaka Ewu, with his arms loose, slowly reached for his bag.
They all heard a crinkle.
Silence.
The three others turned to him, eyes sharp and serious like an eagle.
Lights flickered; a cold breeze (imagined or not) brushed the back of their necks.
Then, all at once, Roy, Kieran, and Brock lowered their faces into their shadow. Their eyes gleamed.
Tanaka realised he was cooked.
Slowly, perfectly in sync, each raised a hand, open-palmed, reaching towards Tanaka.
"What the hell?" Tanaka recoiled, the crinkling of his bag getting louder. "What—what do you want from me?!"
"Give us the tribute." Roy said flatly.
"It's the canteen code," Brock said without missing a beat. "Possessions means redistribution, communism at its finest."
Kieran stayed silent.
"Ay, ay, ay. I bought this with my own money," Tanaka exclaimed, "mi dinero."
"This feels like a robbery; I will not be doing that," Tanaka muttered, thinking he had the power in this situation.
Kieran lunged at him. "Now give me my sweets, monkey boy!"
A beat.
Then chaos emerged. The bag that was originally in Tanaka's hand under the table was ripped wide open and laid on the centre of the small table that everyone was gathered around; wrappers flew, and hands lunged.
Roy snagged a few cola gummies with sniper precision. Kieran pocketed three chocolates and unwrapped one on the spot. Brock took exactly two, since he is so kind and all, then resealed the bag and put it back in front of Tanaka on the table.
Tanaka stared at the half-empty bag in front of him.
"I hate all of you."
With an annoyed and angry face.
"That's fair," Roy said, happily chewing away at the gummy.
"Love is war, man; it's just shown differently by different people," Kieran said through a mouthful. "Deal with it and carry on, you know."
Kieran doesn't even know what he was saying.
Brock looked down, fingers already typing again.
They all went to their period 4 lesson. The lunch bell rang, releasing a flood of students like a dam breaking.
Roy slung his bag over one shoulder, following Kieran, Brock, and Tanaka out into the cool afternoon air.
Since all 4 of them went to college, they can leave and come back to school for their lessons, but four of them prefer to just stay in school.
"No more classes for today," Kieran said with a grin. "Freedom."
Roy felt no tension in his shoulders, the dull ache of the day fading into the background.
The four headed into town, the street buzzing with life, vendors calling out, music drifting from open windows, and the distant hum of the city's heartbeat.
Tanaka led the group toward a small arcade, Brock followed with an amused smirk, and Kieran pulled Roy toward a street food stall.
"Try this," Kieran said, handing over a skewered treat dripping with sauce. "The best way to recover from the last lesson, you know."
Roy took a tentative bite, surprise blooming on his face.
Brock nods in answer.
"Okay, that's actually not bad," he admitted.
They wandered through the town, splitting between arcade games, grabbing drinks, and occasionally bickering over the smallest things – like who really won the last round of the shooting game they were playing earlier.
The afternoon sun lowered slowly, painting the sky with warm oranges and pinks. Soon it was time to head to the train station.
They walked together, their laughter softer now, the day winding down.
"Alright, this is where we split," Brock said, adjusting his bag.
Tanaka nodded. "Catch you two tomorrow."
The trains roared in one by one.
Brock and Tanaka's train was on another platform; they nodded goodbye and disappeared into the doors.
Kieran glanced at Roy. "You coming to mine for a bit?"
Roy shrugged. "Why not? Beats staying in that dumb place alone."
When their train pulled up, they stepped inside, finding seats near the window. The city blurred by as the train sped along the tracks. Once they arrived, they went to the bike stand, got Kieran's bike and headed to Kieran's modest home nearby.
Kieran tossed his bag on the floor and flopped onto the couch.
"Home sweet home," he said with a grin.
Roy collapsed beside him, exhausted but strangely content.
Then Kieran broke the silence.
"Is it today we start?"
Roy looked out the window.
"Today is the day."
Kieran nodded.