Touching Loneliness

Chapter 1: Spring Break

Cole POV

        Cole scowled at the seemingly unmoving clock, watching as the minute hand crawled through the void between the 10 and the 11. Ten minutes... he scratched his head irritably. If time could move any slower... he pondered. His eyes still cemented to the life savior of his day, a mechanism with an artless job. Each move of the hand, a glide across the lonesome plane of white, gradually, but progressively reaching its next chasm. With a sigh Cole forced his eyes away from the ticking clock to spare a glimpse at the clearing outside. Lincoln School District busses just now beginning to pull in at the entrance of the school. The emerald shades of the trees peeking through the final shreds of winter, contrasting the bright yellow of the busses, lining up one by one. This is pure torture. He chuckled to himself, shooting a hasty look back at the clock. 2:53 PM.

        Concluding that perhaps now would be a good time to start preparing for the bell Cole reached for his books that lay dispersed across his desk, snatching the closest one, a novel that his English teacher had assigned at the beginning of the week as a reading. "Of Mice and Men." Placing it in the second pocket of his backpack, then placing the rest of his standardized textbooks in the first pocket simply to avoid crushing the paperback. At least the teacher decided not to assign us any...

        The singular clap of hands and a rather stern voice interrupted his thoughts. "Class," Cole deterred his view to the teacher standing by the chalkboard. The essays she assigned during class still clutched tightly in her palms. She surveyed the room briefly before continuing "No need to fret, I have no interest in assigning you homework" She laughed, noticing the visible break of tension in her classroom. "However," Her face shifted from a perky smile to a rigid expression as it habitually did when she had something of dire importance to inform her children of. "Take this as you will" she hesitated, skimming the room before beginning again "The world is full of many surprises and it does not take a genius to know that one day can change the entirety of your life." Cole glowered at her, his curiosity peaked. The way Miss Young had always been capable of doing whenever she began on her tirades. "Not always are these things good, nor are they always bad. This could branch from a humble to an intricate idea. A person you have known for years, or one whom you've never spoken to before. The way the stars shine brightly in the sky and how you've never given yourself the chance to notice before, or how the lines on paper are so well aligned yet you still continue to write outside of the margin." She swiftly pointed her gaze to some of her students initiating a laugh from the class as a whole. "That being said, I want you to take a long hard look at your surroundings this week, embrace new friends, open your minds to new and exciting ideas." a kid stifled a snicker in the back. Miss Young shot her gaze to the student in question. "Not that kind of fun, Julian." She turned back to the class, a grin spreading across her features once again. "As I was saying. This could be the week where something fantastic comes into your life, so don't gamble away your chance. The world is a big place, so find your niche and start discovering what it has to offer." Miss Young promptly ended her speech, straightened the papers in her hands by tapping them on her desk, and then placed them in her bag.

        Cole took this moment to check to see if hopefully class would be out soon. 2:57 PM. Three more minutes... groaning, he zipped up his backpack and plopped it on his right shoulder. Then continued watching the clock until Miss Young began to speak again.

        "Students." a groan erupted into the air, followed by the teachers obvious over exaggerated "Oh no. You have to listen to me again." expression. "Seeing as we now have... two minutes left of class!" She clapped her hands together her eyes bright with wonder, "I feel like I must at least leave you with this." The expression she held changed from joy to one of distress, creasing her eyebrows as she continued "I'm sure you all remember exactly what happened last year during spring break. It's never easy to remember the unforgettable loss of a great student, a friend, and of course, a loved family member... I hope that this break you will be more careful, please don't go out and drink or get high, or whatever it is you kids call it these days. I love you all dearly, and I would truly be devastated if we began the spring semester with one less of you. Have an amazing spring break children!"