I got lost in the words that appeared on the screen, a scene unfolding before me with the much needed determination I had needed earlier. The words spilled out from my fingers, the sounds of my keyboard filled my ears drowning out the commotion from the students at my table. There were six of us at the table, the others waiting for ms. Wilder to start class with our assignment for the day, my sudden inspiration allowing me to type while we waited. In the midst of my typing, I heard chatting from the other side of my table, a conversation that was able to break through my train of thought.

“So what do you think of Brindlewood so far?” I heard Melissa ask from the seat opposite of mine, “It must be quite the culture shock.”

“Yeah, apart from Dallas, this school must feel really small” Jacob Tyler stated from the far side of our table.

“I mean, it’s not that different” Asher’s voice—a voice that had already been carved into my brain just mere minutes ago— replied from the same side as Jacob and Melissa, “This school is seems like its slightly smaller than my old one, and I’ve traveled quite a bit so I’m pretty familiar with small towns.”

“Like in Texas? Or out of state?” Jacob asked. 

“In Texas, but I have been to other states. My parents used to be really into traveling the U.S when I was younger, so my summers were full of seeing a lot of places big and small” Asher answered. 

“Awe, that's so cool!” Melissa pouted, “My parents aren’t really fond of traveling, they only take us to specific places around the state to visit family. I wish I could have experienced all those places like you did.”

“Yeah dude, I’m jealous too since I’ve never been anywhere but here and in town. You’re so lucky bro” Jacob added. 

“Y’all don’t have to be jealous, maybe one day the both of you will get to travel and see different places. I even consider myself lucky, honestly. It was thanks to all that traveling and sightseeing that I got into writing as a hobby, taking inspiration from all those places really helped” Asher explained, the nostalgia in his voice evident. 

I looked at my computer screen then my keyboard, realizing that I had become silently engrossed in their conversation, the words still appearing slowly on my screen. The baritone of Asher’s voice had surprisingly distracted me like he had done when he entered the classroom, my confusion bubbling up once more as I thought about three still in their conversation across from me. 

“I really do hope that I can travel the world, or at least travel state side” Melissa signed, “Maybe I’ll be able to break out of this town, and let college be my experience away from home.”

“Me too” the guys said in unison before chuckling with each other.

“So what can y’all tell me about the football team here?” Asher asked. 

“I just go to school here” Melissa laughed, her computer coming to life from behind mine, “Jacob would probably know more than I do.” 

“What do you want to know?” Jacob asked. 

“Are they even any good?” Asher replied. 

“Oh, our football team is pretty decent. Most of our teams do pretty well when it comes to competition with other schools, even against schools from in town.”

“Do people normally just walk onto the football team?”

“Oh yeah, a lot of people tryout to see if they can make it. Usually walk-ons don’t make the team though.”

“Really?.... Wait, are you on the football team?”

“Oh no, I’m not. I tried out back in sophomore year to see if I could make it, and it was a bummer when the head coach told me no. But you should try out, you did say that you like football.”

“Oh most definitely.”

“I’ve heard that the football team is full of great players, they are all well liked around here. So I agree with Jacob, you should give it a try and tryout!” Melissa interjected, trying not to get lost in the conversation between the two boys. 

I blinked at her words, realizing that I had stopped typing to listen in on their conversation. The realization washed over me coldly, seeing that I had almost written a page full of word vomit, secretly hoping that what I had written was credible. 

“I’ll let you guys know how it goes with the football team. I don’t think I should have much trouble with it” Asher’s voice broke out once more from the other side. 

The idea of Asher trying out for the football team seemed to intrigue me, his charismatic attitude seemed like a breath of fresh air, something I wasn’t used to. His personality could have been deemed worthy of the other ‘popular kids’, they would welcome him with open arms which would have come to no surprise. Asher’s attitude, unlike Gage’s cool and soothing one, radiated like a benevolent sun, basking all of us in a warmth that we had yet to fathom. 

My eyes wandered over to my screen, thoughts about the shining blaze that was Asher still fresh on my mind, looking at the words I had typed in that span of time. The words surprisingly flowed well together as I read, a scene unfolding before my very eyes, a silent reminder of the headspace I had been in prior to that moment. It was a scene where a young man was drowning in the inner turmoil of the confusion his lover had put him through, contemplating what his future decisions should be about said lover. I gulped, knowing that it was a reflection of how I felt in that moment, the unknown feelings Gage seemingly implanted in me without my approval. 

I pushed the thoughts of Asher and Gage to the back of my mind as I watched Ms. Wilder go to get up from her desk to start class. The little man, that resided inside the deep recesses of my mind, knew that those thoughts would sit just below the surface of my psyche. The threat of those thoughts scratching at the watery surface of my psyche, waiting to be released whether I wanted or didn’t want them to be. My eyes locked on Ms. Wilder at the front of the classroom, taking in her appearance as I felt a form of comfort in the way that she looked. Her attire emitted a type of warmth I knew I could get lost in—even if it was just for a little bit—so that I could feel normal for just a small amount of time. 

“Alright you heathens, what can y’all tell me about Deep Point of View?”