The next morning, I woke up early and went for a morning jog. The sun was rising, so it was about 6 AM. After my jog, I came back and showered.

By then, Annika had woken up and was bugging me about breakfast.

Since I didn’t have much money, I couldn’t buy groceries, so we went out to eat.

“Good morning, G.”

“Morning, A.”

“Why don’t you add ‘good’ to morning?”

“Because mornings are never good.”

“...”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“A diner.”

“Diner? You mean they still exist?”

“Wow. I’m sure the owner would love to hear you say that.”

“Don’t you dare! Also they were really popular back in the 50’s.”

“Yep. They still are so good though.”

“Can’t argue with that one.” She raised her hands like she was being arrested.

We got to the diner and sat in a booth. A waitress soon walked to our booth and stated her spiel.

“Hello, my name is Aaliyah and I’ll be serving you today. What can I start you off with to drink?”

“Orange juice please!” Annika said proudly.

I inwardly rolled my eyes. ‘What a kid.’

“And you, sir?”

“Water.”

“Okay. Here are the menus. I’ll give you some time to think about what you’d like to order.” She placed the menus down in front of us and the silverware.

“Thank you.” Annika said.

The waitress soon left and we were by ourselves.

“So, do you want to see how the video is doing?” She initiated the conversation.

“No, I’d like to wait a week. The first day of school, we’ll see how it’s going then?”

“Okay, G.”

“What are you ordering?” I asked.

“The 1, 2, 3 combo.”

“What’s in it?”

“3 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and one pancake.”

“Where would you put it all?”

“In my stomach, of course!”

“You mean bottomless pit.”

“Oh hush, you!” She swiped at me from across the table and we both cracked up.

“What are you having?”

“A bagel.”

“Just a bagel?”

“Yes. Anything wrong with that?”

“Yeah, you’ll starve.”

“I won’t.”

“Yes you will.”

The truth is, I wanted more, but I didn’t have much money to begin with and Annika’s meal was about half of my funds that I can spend. But I couldn’t tell her that.

At the time, I thought it was time for me to get a job. The monthly bills were coming up and I barely had enough to cover it.

I know, I know. It’s too much for a kid to worry about, but there’s no one else but me. My mother is hospitalized, her family disowned her when she was 18, and my so-called ‘father’ has a new family of which I’m not welcome.

In life, you’re forced to make decisions that you don’t want to make. In my case, I was forced to make sacrifices in order to survive.

The waitress came back and took our orders and then left again.

“G, can you braid my hair?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, no one’s watching.”

“I mean, sure. What would you like?”

“Fishtail please.”

“As you wish.”

I got up from my side of the booth and Annika turned her head away from me so I could braid her hair.

I started braiding it as I usually do. I’d done this enough times on her, so I was quick with doing it.

When I finished, I went back to my side of the table. With impeccable timing, the waitress brought over our breakfast and we dug in.

“I love your hair! Did you do it yourself?” Aaliyah asked.

“No……... my bestie... did.” Annika was talking between bites while I quietly was eating my bagel.

Aaliyah looked at me with a shocked expression.

“Can you do mine too?”

“Sure.”

“Can you meet me here in 3 hours? It’ll be my break time.”

I nodded.

Once Annika was done wolfing down her food, we left a small tip and left the diner.

I couldn’t drive, so we walked to Annika’s house. I had to drop her off because her mother would murder me if she came home by herself.

Annika bid me farewell and I walked back to the diner. It was a good 5 mile walk between houses, so it took us about an hour and a half to get there.

When I reached the diner an hour and a half later, Aaliyah came walking up to me in normal clothes.

“Break?” I asked.

“More like my shift is over. Want to walk around the mall?”

“Sure.”

“Okay but can you do my hair first?”

I nodded and asked, “What would you like?”

“A braid crown!” Her eyes were sparkling.

“I’ve never done one before, do you have a picture?”

“Yeah, let me find one.”

She handed me her phone and showed me the picture of a braid crown.

“Ok, got it. Is your scalp sensitive and how tight do you want it?”

“No, and enough to stay on.”

“As you wish.”

We walked to a bench and I had her sit down. I then stood behind her and started braiding her hair. 

She was about 5’7 cm, had a gorgeous chestnut skin tone with jet black hair and blonde fade. When I finished, I took a picture with her phone and showed her.

“AMAZING!!! Are you a professional?? You definitely did this hairstyle more than once.”

“You are the first person I did this hairstyle on, and I’m unemployed.”

“Oh? That’s too bad. I bet you’d make a killing on styling people’s hair.”

“Maybe.”

Since she was a natural beauty, she drew many eyes at the mall. I got some death glares shot at me by some guys as we were walking.

Starbucks was one of the places we visited more than once. She got a latte and I got water. Surprising, right? (That’s sarcasm.)

Anyways, I saw a ‘now hiring’ sign in the window so I asked for the manager.

The manager came out of the back room and talked with me about becoming an employee. They handed me an application and told me when the interviews were.

When we were done with that, I walked Aaliyah back to the diner.

“Thank you for today.” she said.

“No, thank you. I don’t usually hang out with people, so it was a nice change.”

“Well, feel free to hang out with me any time.”

“Thanks. But can I ask? Are you a university student?”

“Yep! I’m a sophomore in college. What about you?”

“I’m going to be a sophomore in high school.”

“... wait really?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re this tall and mature?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m either, but if you think so, then sure.”

“Haha you’re funny. We’ll see each other next time.”

“Until next time.”

I soon went home and filled out the application.

 

The next morning, I walked to the mall and gave the manager my application. The interview was later today and I had nothing to do with my life anyways. I decided to look around the mall some more.

I passed lots of stores for clothing. There was a Bed Bath and Bodyworks, and an eyeglass store. I entered and looked at the contact lenses. I will definitely get some more reusable ones because I only have one pair.

I also passed by a hair salon place. As I walked by, I noticed one of the barbers’ hands shaking while cutting someone’s hair.

I watched for a little bit. He was probably new. The barber cut too fast and screwed up the line. When he was finished, he didn’t bother telling the woman her hair was messed up.

She paid and left happily without knowing a thing.

I went into the barber shop and looked at some of the products. I also saw a ‘for hire’ thing in the window.

I picked up an application, filled it out, and left for the Starbucks Interview.

When I got back to Starbucks, the manager took me into the back room.

“Hello, Grey. I’ve reviewed your application and I was excited to interview you.”

“Thank you sir. It’s an honor to be here.”

“Of course, of course. Just some things I was concerned about. Your past jobs, you never had one before?”

“No sir.”

“Then what about the other things you want us to know about? It’s blank. Don’t you have any accomplishments?”

“No sir.”

He sighed in disappointment. “Then why are your emergency contact’s number and your number the same?”

“I can put 9-11”

“That’s not what I mean, kid. Don’t you have parents?”

“One.”

“Then put their number in.”

“I cannot do that.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s…… unable to answer the phone right now.”

“Okay, then put in a friend’s number.”

“Okay. Done.”

I put in Annika’s mother’s number.

“Okay, now onto the real interview.”

“Yes sir.”

“Why did you apply to Starbucks?”

“Because I need the money, I thought it’d be fun to try making coffee, and this is close to home.”

“Okay, have you made coffee for people before?”

“No sir.”

“What is your comprehension speed?”

“Above average.”

“Good, then you’re hired. Follow me.”

“Yes manager.”

He showed me around the area and showed me to the staff lockers. Then he introduced me to the workers there. I was shown the ropes of how to make coffee and the different drinks.

So, I started work that day.

It was a Monday when I started, so I worked the whole week and got paid for it. Eventually, my skills grew with each passing day and more people came to the store. I also heard back from the barber shop that I got hired with no interview because the other person got fired and they needed someone to work.

Apparently the woman was furious and sued the newcomer. He also got fired, of course, because he tarnished the reputation of the store.

It was Saturday and Annika slept over at my house again. We basically talked about her future boyfriend. She asked me to style her hair for tomorrow.

 

Before I knew it, the next day came. I woke up early because I couldn’t settle my nerves, so I went out for a jog at dawn.

It took me a few hours, but I jogged 5 miles there and 5 miles back.

When I got home, I took a shower and got dressed.

I looked in the mirror at my reflection. I put on a black loose knit sweater and black jeans. I also wore my black converse. When I finished changing, I went into my bathroom and did my skincare routine.

After I finished, I went into my mother’s bathroom, grabbed the contacts holder, and put the lenses on.

I put one on and looked in the mirror. 

“Woah..”

‘That looks sorta creepy, but cool at the same time.’

‘Wasn’t there a name for this..? Heterochromia? Ahh, that’s just so cool.’

My left eye was icy blue and my right eye was black.

I put in the other one and looked like a normal person with normal eyes. 

‘With my clothes and eye color, I don’t think I’ll stand out much. I just need to not talk to anyone.’

When I finished checking myself out, making sure everything was okay, I went into the kitchen and looked through my fridge. There was nothing.

It dawned on me that I had nothing to eat in my house because I always went out to eat. And so, I walked to the convenience store near me and bought two breakfast burritos that Annika and I could have for breakfast.

When she woke up, she got dressed and started eating her burrito. While she munched on her food, I styled her hair by doing two rope braids with a small part of her hair in the front and tying them together in the back.

It was around 7 AM, so we had to head to school now.

“So, Grey, how did you sleep?”

“I slept okay for the most part, what about you? Oh, right, you barely woke up on time. Heh.”

“Shut up!” She playfully hit me and we laughed for a while.

Soon enough, the school was in sight.

“Are you nervous?” I asked.

“About what?”

“School.”

“Yeah. What if I don’t make friends?”

“No, I think you’ll be fine.”

“OH! By the way, Grey!” Her sudden burst of energy almost made me jump out of my skin. “You look good today. I don’t think you’ll attract much attention.”

“Thanks.. Although that isn’t something a normal person would take as a compliment.”

“Of course! What are besties for?” She said, completely ignoring my snide comment.

“That’s a good question.”

“Never mind! You’ll end up thinking about it all day. Are we going to be in the same classes?”

“I don’t know. We’ll know once we see our schedules.”

“Oh, right! We agreed to check how the channel was doing once school started. Let’s see now!”

Annika was more excited than I was. But in all honesty, I was kind of worried about failing, but it’s not the end of the world.

We pulled up YouTube on our phones and checked the video status.

“WOAH!!!! GREY! THAT'S A TON OF PEOPLE!!!”

“Hm?”

“We got so many people who watched your video and subscribed!”

“...”

“What’s with the lukewarm attitude?”

“So.. 100 views and…. 3 subscribers is a lot….”

“It’s a lot compared to at least half of the YouTube community who started out!”

“You’re right.”

I showed no emotion, because Annika acted out my emotions that I kept in my heart. I was indeed so happy that people watched my video, but I was also so grateful for Annika for being my model and helping me with this process.

“However, A, I still can improve so much. I--”

[DING!]

My phone buzzed and I looked at the notification.

[YouTube Notification]

{Someone commented on your video. Click to see.}

“Annika, someone commented on my video.”

“Really? Let’s see it.”

I clicked the notification and it opened up YouTube’s notifications page. I clicked on the comment and looked at what it said.

• HairStY13 commented: “Good job and everything, but this is nothing new. There are tutorials out there on how to do this hairstyle. Needs new content. Boring seeing the same things over and over from people who hope to and never will get famous.”

“...”

“...”

“WHAT THE FUCK YOU PIECE OF TRASH! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!” Annika was furious.

“...”

She was about to throw her phone when she felt the hairs on her neck stand up.

She slowly turned around with a petrified face.

“Grey..? You okay?”

“...”

“Grey? Can you hear me?”

“...”

“Grey! Don’t lose your humanity!”

“I’m fine.” I said.

“Ahh, I thought I was going to die.” she mumbled softly in relief.

“Annika.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll walk you home. We can discuss it after school when we’ve had time to calm down, okay?”

“You’re right. I’ll see you after school, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

When she bid me goodbye, we were already inside the school gates.

The ‘get to class’ bell still hadn’t rung yet, so I walked around the school and familiarized myself with the surroundings and layout.

I learned that the second floor of the school is in the 200s and the first floor was in the 100s. The room numbers were sort of like this: 3-101, 4-206, 13-102. The numbers like 3, 4, and 13 at the beginning, are the building numbers.

I reached my first class. Since it was the beginning of the year, there were no seat arrangements, so I sat in the back. People flooded in as the ‘get to class’ (first) bell rang.

About 5 minutes later, the class was full and the teacher was in the classroom.

Then the second bell rang, which means that it’s time to start your lessons and whoever comes to class after this bell rings is late.

Class started and we all did the things you do on the first day of school. Introduction, hobbies, etc. One by one, we went after each other in rows. Since I was in the last row and in the corner, I was last. I heard what everyone liked and their hobbies, etc. This gave me a good idea of what to say.

I mean, I couldn’t exactly say that I’m into designing clothes and styling hair.

“Grey…. Sorry if I butcher your last name… Lennox” the teacher said.

I stood up and introduced myself.

“I’m Grey, a sophomore. I like sleeping.”

BOOM! This was the best way to go. I sat down again.

“Do you have any hobbies, Grey?” The teacher asked.

“Does work count?”

“What work do you do?”

“I sweep the floors.”

The class laughed.

 

The day pretty much continued like that until the dismissal bell rang for school. I found myself waiting for Annika by the front gate. She came walking out with two other girls and a guy.

‘She looks like she found some friends.’

When she saw me, she waved and her new friends looked over at me. The boy in the group scowled at me before chatting with the other girls. They also looked, but didn’t pay much attention.

‘Oh, I see.’ The scowl the boy sent my way gave me a strong hint that he liked her. Jealousy gives away everything, doesn’t it?

“Hey, G!”

“Hi.”

“How was your day? Make any new friends?”

“Pfft. You know that won’t happen.”

She laughed as well.

“But I see you met some friends.” I spoke again.

“Yeah. Are you jealous?”

“Of course not! I’d feel rather guilty hogging up all your time. I’m happy for you.”

“Aw, don’t worry G, you’ll always be my best friend.”

“Mhm.”

“Anyways, want to discuss it now, or no?”

I saw her friends walking over to us, so I let her know.

“I think your friends want to tell you something.”

When they arrived, the boy in the group shot me a glare.

‘If looks could kill!’

“Hey, Annika, we were going to go out to a karaoke place and wondered if you wanted to go with us.” The blonde one said.

Annika looked at me. Her eyes were saying something like, “Will you be okay if I went?”

I nodded and shot her a look that said, “We can talk about it later.”

It’s the friends’ telepathy where you can look at your best friend’s face and know exactly what they are thinking.

Humans are habitual creatures, so if you remember their expressions and how they feel at the time, you’ll understand soon enough. If it’s one person knowing what you’re thinking, it’s called mind reading, but if it’s two people knowing each other's expressions, it’s called telepathy.

That’s what I categorize it as. This isn’t a fantasy genre.

She turned back around to her friends.

“Sure! Are we going to meet there or walk together?”

“We’ll walk together, of course! You’re so silly!” A brunette one replied.

“But I don’t have money…” Annika looked down like she was sad.

Surely enough, a ‘hero’ showed up in time. The boy spoke up.

“I can pay for you if you want.”

“Really?!” Annika’s eyes sparkled.

“Yeah.”

“Thank you! G, we’ll get going now. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Mm.” I replied before nodding my head and walking away.

“So, Annika, who’s that?” the blonde girl asked.

“He’s my best friend. Why?”

“He seems kind of weird.”

“Hm? How so?”

“What do you mean how? He’s ugly, short, and doesn’t look smart at all!”

“That’s rude, Beatrice!” Annika reprimanded.

“But it’s true! He also doesn’t have enough decency to brush his hair or even style it. Does he think school is his home where he doesn’t need to look nice?” the brunette stated.

“I guess you’d see it that way, Marley..” Annika submitted.

“Hmph. I don’t like him at all. He’s got no presence, yet you see only him.” the boy pouted.

“I just met you guys though and I’ve known him all my life.”

“Which is why you should get to know us better because you already know him!” Beatrice smiled.

“You’re right. Thanks Beatrice, Marley, and Max.” Annika agreed.

Then, they left for the karaoke place.