The Exchange Student

I'm late. Again.

The blaring sound of your alarm clock rang in your ears, making your eyes snap open with a little gasp of shock. Your sight was slightly blurry, and your mouth was dry with the taste of sleep. You ran a hand through your hair with a sigh, raising yourself up on your elbows and eyeing the alarm clock with a murderous glare. You raised your hand, bringing it down on the clock with a loud crunch; watching it tumble onto the floor, falling silent at last. You snuggled back into the duvet with a contented sigh, closing your eyes and slipping back into the realms of sleep. A final thought flashed across your mind before everything evaporated, and you felt a mumble pour out of your lips in a half-hearted voice.

"Was that my... School alarm?"

You felt your mind awaken with a sudden jolt, and someone's voice echoed inside your head; their urgent tones urging you to open your eyes and work out who was calling you. You groaned grumpily in reply, but didn't bother opening your eyes. What was the point? Too much effort.

"(name)! Get up, Aoba's waiting outside!" Your eyes flew open with surprise. Crap. Rolling out of bed you stumbled across to your wardrobe, yanking it open and retrieving your freshly washed school uniform. It consisted of the stereotypical sailor-type collar, with a short sleeved shirt underneath. A green skirt and long black socks reached your knees, alongside a red ribbon that went around your neck to complete the uniform. And some really uncomfortable brown shoes that made your feet hurt, but hey, nothings perfect. As for Aoba, you walked to school with him every morning, Koujaku joining you when you passed his house. The other friend in your group, Clear, got a lift from his elderly grandfather every morning. Koujaku was two years older than you, Clear one year older and Aoba a few months older. It wasn't uncommon for them to tease you about being younger, but it was just a joke; and they didn't mean any harm. You had been friends for years after all. When you moved to the island, Aoba was the first to greet you; Koujaku taking a shine to you and Clear instantly being at ease in your company.

"(name)? C'mon, we're gonna be late!" This time it was Aoba, shouting from the bottom of your stairs. You imagined his unimpressed face as he gathered all your schoolbooks, as he so often did. It wasn't that you were lazy, just that school didn't interest you as much as sleep.

"I'm coming!" You shouted, running a brush quickly through your hair. You rushed into the bathroom, splashing cold water onto your face and spraying yourself with various odours. It didn't hurt to look good, even if you were late for school. You brushed your teeth, checked everything was in order and practically fell down the stairs; spinning around the corner to see Aoba buttering a piece of toast at the table. He looked up at you and sighed, handing you the warm plate of golden toast with the butter melting tantalizingly. It smelled delicious and your mouth watered, so you wasted no time in wolfing it down, alongside a glass of fruit juice.

"Better? C'mon then." Aoba shouldered you bag as you finished off the toast, following him out the door and into the crisp, sunny Monday morning. You began the brisk walk to school, trailing behind Aoba as you pulled your socks up and ran through the list of things you needed for today.

"Science revision guide, maths book, planning binder, signed permission slip for next week's trip... and lunch."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes and y- oh crap." Aoba stopped dead in his tracks, turning to you with an apologetic smile. Instantly your stomach flipped, he forgot your lunch?!

"Aoba! Out of all the things you forgot MY LUNCH?!" You exploded, since your lunch was the only thing that got you through the drab day of school, well, it helped a lot.

"If you'd have got up then YOU could have brought it! And besides," He paused, his angry expression fading to one of a gentle reassurance. "You know we wouldn't let you go hungry. I bet if we didn't stop him, Clear would donate all of his lunch to you."

"I suppose so, thanks. But you owe me."

"I owe you?" Aoba replied incredulously, a cheeky grin gracing his features. "What about all those times I've made you breakfast, done your homework, and-"

"Yeah yeah I get it. Fine, I'll let you off... this time." Aoba responded with a small laugh, and carried on walking down the street. You followed and the minutes passed quickly, filled with ridiculous discussions and stupid wonderings; as such was your normal day conversation. Soon you were close to Koujaku's house, and found him outside; leant against his gate and eyeing you with a humorous gaze.

"I thought you'd died on the way! Then I remembered being late is a specialty of yours (name)."

"I'm almost a professional." You responded light heartedly, used to his little jibes. But the raven haired boy was only joking, a warm smile on his face. His uniform was the same as Aoba's; a white shirt and grey blazer, along with matching grey trousers and black shoes. They wore a red tie as well, their shirts and blazers adorned with the school logo.

"Let's go then, what have you got first Aoba?"

"Maths, then science." Came the bored reply.

"(name)?"

"Maths and IT." You groaned, since IT wasn't a fun subject anymore, especially when the teacher was an utter dickhead. Koujaku saw the irritation on your face and guessed accurately, which was an unfortunate quirk of his. He could almost always guess what you were thinking, unluckily for you.

"ICT hmm? With Mr. Casper?"

"Yep."

"Good luck. I'll be at your funeral."

"Thanks for the support." You replied with a pout; only to yelp in surprise when Koujaku rustled your hair with a cheeky grin. And so began possibly the most heart-warming, confusing and plain backwards day of your life, but you didn't know that yet.