Rockstar Romance

SEVEN

Monday and Tuesday go by excrutiatingly slow. I sit through my classes, but I'm really just physically there. My mind is stuck in a vicious circle. My thoughts rotate between „oh my gosh he spoke to me“ and „he must hate me or he would have shown“. With variations of „he probably lost a bet and had to talk to me as a prank“.

I really am the master of torturing myself with my own twisted thoughts.

For a few hours in the evenings, I manage to ban Lucas from my mind, so at least I get a bit of studying in. Not nearly the time I would have needed. Not the time I had set aside for learning on Sunday, and sacrificed for an extra shift at work, for a chance to see him again. But it will have to do. Wednesday arrives and with it comes the much dreaded exam.

When I was about to graduate from high school and it was time to decide on what to do next, I was fairly clueless. I didn't have very many friends through high school, and the few I did have were planning on moving all over the country, some even abroad, to attend fancy Universities or just to get away from home. My parents weren't set on a certain career for me, they let me choose my own way. So I decided to stay here. This city has always been home to me. Not even because of the people. It's the city itself. The slow steady hum of noise that never really stops. The diversity in the various districts. All the parks and green areas where life is buzzing all year round. The city's own heartbeat that's in sync with mine.

So my first decision was for the city itself. I looked into some of the local community colleges and decided to go for a major in social studies. I like the idea of studying and acquiring knowledge in a field that is so interesting to me, and not just for the purpose of graduating with a piece of paper that tells me I will work this or that position for the rest of my life. I know that I'm taking a risk as well, and that I am probably going to be in for a bunch of unpaid internships before I can expect to land a job where I can actually use my education. But I'm good with that for now. I've never been big on partying and such, so I am fine with dividing my life between College and working at the Parlor.

I make it through the exam fine. The main question we tackled in this class was „How can humanity increase its collective wisdom?“

As expected, the exam turns out to be a freely written essay in which we are supposed to connect the theories we learned about in class with our own thoughts and ideas. It's nothing out of he ordinary and I choose three of the ideas I came up with during my study time and whip up some scenarios ranging from possible to highly unlikely. I use up every last minute of the four hour given for the exam and I'm pretty pleased with myself when I number and sign each page at the bottom. I paperclip the loose pages together and put them on my teacher's desk.

When I exit the building, warm, sweet smelling air hits my face. It's a beautiful spring day and my heart feels so light with the weight of the exam off my chest. There's this sense of freedom that usually comes with finishing a dreaded task. I wave bye to some of my fellow students and spontaneously decide to walk home, instead of taking the train. My apartment is in the same district as the College and the mall. I take the train often, but whenever I have time, I like to walk. I love to dive into my city, walk the streets, watch the people, listen to the city sounds. Sometimes I get some unhealthy street food or a cup of bubble tea and just walk aimlessly. I decide to do that now.

There is a tiny asian place on my way home that makes my favorite bubble tea. Lychee grean tea and tapioca, yum! I decide to stop there and find out they are out of tapioca again. Change of plans. Elton makes some decent bubble tea at Mrs Lees place at the mall. They got the machine last year and added variations of bubble tea to their vietnamese street foot menu. I redirect my steps slightly and walk in the rough direction of the mall. It should take me about twenty minutes to get there. I decide to pick up my tea there, then extend my spring walk into the little park area right next to the mall. It's not my favorite park because there usually are a lot of shoppers there. But it's still early in the day, just past lunchtime, and it shouldn't be too crowded yet.

I get my tea and chat with Mrs Lee for a minute. Elton is still at school. I catch myself glancing over to the Pastry Parlor, half expecting to see Lucas over there waiting for me. I don't, obviously, but nothing can wreck my mood today.

I thank Mrs Lee for the tea (she didn't let me pay) and head over to the park. I find a free bench by the small, artificially created pond. It may not be natural, but the landscapers did a good job. There's tall grass and reeds all around. They grow so high that I feel like I'm in a green cave that protects me from the outside world. I even spot some water lilies on the surface. Just the leaves, it's too early for the flowers. Still pretty though. I make out an orange shape moving just below the surface. Koi fish! I get up from my bench and walk up to the water and on the tiny wooden platform that extends just a few feed over the pont, like a mini version of an actual landing stage. Here I can get a closer look at those beautiful creatures. There are several huge Koi swimming in the pond. None of them look the same, each one has their own distinct pattern of white, silver and shiny shades of orange. Beautiful.

„Careful there, I can't have you fall in!“ a voice says very close to me. It startles me so I almost do! I'm about to lose my balance when two strong arms wrap around my waist and hold me.

„That was close“, the same voice whispers in my ear. The arms let go and I turn around to face - „Lucas!?“ my eyes widen in disbelief.