The Art of Unopulence

06 | foreboding

"Aren't you going to get breakfast?" I ask, drinking half the milk in my glass before taking a spoonful of my cereal.

Nathaniel eyes my cereal passively, raising his brow, "That?"

"Oh no. I have a habit of eating my cereal and drinking milk separately. I hate it when it gets soggy you know. Wait..." I wave my hand before realization hits me, "You've never eaten, cereal have you?"

He shakes his head, picking up the box of cereal and reading the nutritional content printed on its back. He pushes it away, "And I'd rather not eat it. It's loaded with artificial sugar."

I pause between spoons of cereal, staring at it for a few seconds before resuming. I needed the sugar to get through the day. Besides, I'd been eating cereal most mornings for years so it didn't matter. The damage was, if any, was already done.

"Well, you better eat something though." I shrug.

"Make an egg or something." I say pointing towards the fridge.

Nathaniel walk over to the fridge and takes out an apple and the milk bottle.

"Where can I find the glasses?" he asks.

"Second cabinet on the top," I reply, glancing at my watch, "Be fast. It's eight ten and the first class starts at eight thirty. We'll take ten to fifteen minutes to walk and we have to collect our schedules from the admissions office, and you need to change your fucking clothes."

Nathaniel looks annoyed as he bites into the bright crimson apple in his hand.

"I do not wish to wear frivolous attire and the school rules do not state anything in the dress code except decently appropriate attire." He argues stubbornly.

Pulling my mouth in a thin line, I state wryly, "No one cares what you wish for or you don't. Italian suits and leather shoes might be in at Volatis High but definitely not at Wolfrock Secondary. So get your stuck up ass upstairs and find something more normal to suit your current circumstances."

Nathaniel goes still for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing conspicuously as he gulps slowly and opens his mouth to say something. But he stops himself and walks out wordlessly as I watch.

A deep frown pushes down the corners of my mouth. I'll probably start developing age lines soon at this rate.

He seems to be acting rather odd. Given, that I'd known Nathaniel for barely a day but he didn't come like the ill tempered type. I wonder what's bothering him.

I find him leaning against the porch railing outside my front door, skimming through the newspaper, when I step out. He seems to be ignoring me deliberately, but I notice that he's untucked his shirt and rolled up the sleeves to make his outfit look more informal.

The faint wrinkles in the fabric of his shirt, where it was tucked before, look out of place and I can make out that it bothers him by the way his hand instinctively wipes over them. But at least it looks more befitting for a high schooler now.

The brisk walk to school is accompanied with absolute silence. I'm so occupied with my own train of thoughts that I don't even notice the car tailing us a few hundred yards behind or the exact moment when we walk into the school.

Not many students are outside the school building since it's almost time for the first bell to ring. They don't pay much attention to us, they're either making out shamelessly against their cars or jogging frantically towards their classrooms with the hope of making it in time.

The familiar smell of cheap floor cleaner with its strong flowery fragrance tickles my nose a we make our way towards the admissions office.

I can't believe that it's just been six days since I left my previous school. It feels like at least a month and I feel like I'm going to voluntarily hand over my freedom in exchange for my class schedule.