Last Thirty Days

First Day

   First day...

  I was walking on the corridor. The medicine class had just ended and I got so hungry that's why I was heading to the cafeteria. On the way, someone bumped on me.

  She was very familiar to me.

        "Oh! I am so sorry!" She apologized before she knelt down to pick up her stuff which had fallen when she bumped onto me.

  I knelt down beside her and helped her with picking up her things. As I peeked at her face, I finally remembered where I had seen her.

        "Alicia, is it?" I asked.

She looked surprised. She glanced on my face, and she smiled.

        "Yes! And you are Claude, right? The one in the art club?"

        "Yes, that's me. What a small world. Anyway, are you in a hurry?" I said.

        "Oh, right! Yes I am. See you around!"

She waved goodbye and started dashing off. I followed her with my eyes and chuckled. "She's so cute," I thought. Then when I turned about to go to the cafeteria, I got surprised to see another very familiar face right in front of me. He was looking in the same direction as I was looking at a while ago.

        "You! You almost scared me!" I exclaimed.

        "Who are you looking at, LEO?" Alex asked. That's my one and only friend in the whole wide galaxy.

        "Oh, it's just some schoolmate. And don't call me Leo, JEREMY."

Alexis laughed. Actually, I hated being called Leo, 'cause it sounded like "lion". I'd rather be called just Claude. And he hated being called Jeremy, 'cause although it's far from his real name, that's how his mentor called him.

        "Alright, CLAUDE, I won't call you Leo again, just don't remind me of that 'nickname', okay?"

        "Deal," I replied with a smile.

  And then we walked to the cafeteria together.

  Alex was just a guy who grew up in an orphanage. He couldn't remember how he got there nor how his parents looked like. But according to the nuns, he had been there since the age of 2. He was brought there by someone who saw him crying alone and searching for his parents. And of course, the stranger didn't have the chance to help him find his parents.

    It was only when Alex was ten that he finally got adopted, because he usually ran away from anyone who adopted him and returned to the orphanage. The one who adopted him was a single middle-aged man, who was financially able to help Alex in his studies. Apparently though, his mentor took notice of him and gave him enough freedom and supplication because he had a talent in playing soccer. As long as Alex played soccer and brought honor to the school and his mentor, then all would be well.

        "Hey! Don't eat that! Eat this vegetable salad. This is good for your health. And no soft drinks! You must drink yoghurt instead," Alex said.

        "Ugh. But I'm already worn out with 'that' thing. Just once, I want to feel normal!"

        "You are 'normal', but not your health condition. I promised your mother that I'd watch your meals so I won't allow you to eat chips and soft drinks!"

        "Oh dear," I whispered in surrender.

  Having a weak body was really difficult. It was something I wanted to keep from everybody. I even tried to keep it from Alex before, but I failed. He discovered how weak I was when I tried to learn how to play soccer.

  After lunch break, we were scheduled to go to our clubs. I went to my only club which was the art club, and there I saw Alicia. 

        "Hi!" She greeted.

 I smiled. She sat beside me and brought out her novel. That's the one she always brought with her.

        "You know Sheldon?" She asked. "I love his books!"

        "That's as obvious as how he's your inspiration in most of your artworks."

She was startled.

        "How did you know?"

        "I've read a few of his works, and I've seen your artworks too. I just thought that they're somehow connected." I replied.

        "Wow. You're pretty observant! How about you, though? What's your inspiration?"

        "My family, I guess. And my friend, of course."

        "Oh, that's deep. I thought some familiar author's novel too," she said, smiling.

A long silence followed, and then she started another conversation.

        "I haven't seen you hang out with anyone. Do you have friends here?" She asked.

        "I have one. Just one." I replied.

        "Oh, I see. I thought you don't have any, 'cause I'd probably be your first friend," she said with a smile.

        "You can still be, if you want. My first female friend," I said.

  I thought her eyes twinkled when I had said that.       

        "I'd really love to! I really think that we have so much in common."

I smiled. I really was happy that someone, aside from Alex, wanted to befriend me. I always thought that I was too boring to have new friends.

        "But Claude, it's a great mystery how someone like you won't have a lot of friends, you know?" She commented.

        "Not that surprising, I say. I'm not that talkative nor outgoing. And I didn't get that much chance to mingle with people my age back then."

        "Huh? Why?" She asked.

        "Well, I spent the first 13 years of my life studying at home. So I was totally used to seeing only my tutor and my parents."

        "Wow! This is the first time I've met someone who's been home-studied. Ain't that cool!"

I chuckled at her nonchalant behavior. But if I told her that it's all because I was sick, would she have the same opinion?