Pervade and Faint

Chapter 1

There were only seven minutes left for the bell to ring. Usually, seven minutes felt like seven hours, but today, they felt much more like seven seconds. Probably the time of anxiety is faster than ordinary time. Taking a farewell look at the classroom, I wondered whether I would ever acclimatize myself in another place. Not just another place, but a conspicuously incompatible place, in nearly all aspects. Everything in the class seemed normal but sentimental, only for a single pair of eyes. Mines, obviously. I've been in the school for quite a long time and the thought of leaving it rolled a quiver down my spine.

______________

The bell finally rang. A riot took place like usual. There was always a complete anarchy in the school whenever the bell rang. And eleventh grade was a bit too exuberant. My tranquility, although, remained untainted for the whole time. This is it, I thought, my last day at St. Mary's High School. This is my last time sitting with Ben and Joseph in school, I thought. Bust most importantly, my last day of school in New York. I wondered again how I was ever going to acclimatize myself to a place I've never been before. I walked out of the classroom and went straight to the parking lot. Joseph was unlocking his car.
"So, how does it feel? Last day with us?" asked Joseph, still trying to unlock his car. His car had some technical difficulties, which were solely fathomable to him.
"Last days of old lives are the initiative days of new lives", said Ben, who was unexpectedly standing right behind me, chuckling at Joseph. After an arduous jerk, Joseph finally unlocked the car and I jostled myself into the passenger seat, leaving Ben alone in the back.
"Can we talk about something else? I mean I've only got two days left. Including today", I added and rolled down the window because Joseph's air condition had been utterly buggered. Nevertheless he always used to keep it on.
"Why doesn't your dad just go to Pakistan alone? I mean, why take your mom and you along?" asked Ben, unwilling to alter the topic.
"Dude, he can't just leave without the family alone", replied Joseph, who was relatively more intellectual than Ben. Ben was smart too, but only if he would apply his brain in studies, which he never did.
"Well", said Ben and sighed. He fixed his hair in the rear view mirror and stuck his tongue at me as soon as our eyes met, and I rolled my eyes at him, fulfilling Newton's third law to a possible extent.
"Let's play Zone Shoot at my place. It will be our last time being together and automatically, Amir's last time getting busted by the hands of Ben", he said, giving much significance to a futile game. I had never really been interested in the stubborn game at all. It was on mere insists, I played.
"Nah I'm sorry. I got some shopping to do with my mom", I informed and got myself of the hook. After all, I was really knackered.
"Well, are we still invited for dinner?" inquired Joseph, as if he was unaware of the answer.
"Of course" I said, tipping a bit too much on my enthusiasm. Cataracts of teenagers were promenading near the curb (Mostly girls). Ben promptly rolled down his window and whistled with his fingers in his mouth. If there was anything I would have wanted to learn from Ben, it was probably that whistle. His gaze was fixed at the girls, while Joseph and I were looking forward at the macadam.
"So you're going to go straight to college?" asked Ben, still looking at the girls.
"Yeah I'm going to go STRAIGHT to college", I said, emphasizing. I received a hard punch on the shoulder from Ben. I always hated it when he punched me, because he always punched hard, devoid of humanity.
"Man! You're intelligent! You'll get pass through", encouraged Joseph.
"Yeah, really intelligent", mocked Ben. I sensed his counterfeit appreciation.

They dropped me off and I reminded them to come at seven, sharp. I took a quick shower and changed into my black jeans and Star Wars shirt, which Ben gifted me on my sixteenth birthday. It was a little tight on me, but I loved the way the fabric felt on my skin. My body loved the taste of it so much, that I literally kept it for a whole year. But that's the thing about clothes. You wear them good until they go bad.