Everything was mouldy. The carpets were ripped, and the stains that covered the walls looked a lot like blood. Or mould that decided to get creative. Even the plants in the corners of the lobby were as drab as the rest of the room. Mainly, because they were dying.
Trying to focus on the window that sat in the middle of the building’s door, giving me a view of the less shitty outside, I powered across the lobby and quickly made my way into the fresh morning breeze.
When I said the outside was less-shitty, I didn’t mean it was good. Buildings were covered with graffiti, and windows were boarded up. Burnt-out cars littered the streets and there was always the faint smell of someone cooking drugs.
Luckily for me, as you walked in the direction of the university, things became a little bit gentrified. A little cleaner. The closer you got to the university’s campus, the more upstanding the neighbourhood became.
I may have practised the walk to the campus a few times. To make sure I knew where I was going. A few times may also mean that it was close to twenty times, but I wasn’t counting.
Kicking at the ground, I turned right from my apartment building and began walking along the narrow path, occasionally, jumping over the holes that were scattered about. The morning sun beamed down on me and I bathed in its warmth, glad I had decided to wear shorts. Though, the maroon did not compliment my blue sneakers.
Pair that with my yellow beanie and you could say my fashion sense was non-existent.
“Matty, Matt, Matthew!” A voice suddenly floated to my ears from behind me.
“Stranger danger!” I said jokingly, knowing immediately who the voice belonged to.
Amber skated up beside me and kicked her skateboard up into her hands to walk along with me. We had met at orientation and had hit it off instantly. After exchanging numbers, we continued to bond and grow closer over our love of sending each other random pictures of pasta.
“So rad,” I whispered in fake awe as Amber slung her skateboard over her shoulder.
His short, black hair was shaved at one side, showcasing a dragon tattoo that wrapped around the side of her head. She made a point to try and show if off to me every time she got the chance.
At my words, she gave me a quick wink and I took in the sight of her new piercings. At least, I thought they were new. It was a little hard to know as she had so many of them. Some scaling her ear, some in her nose, and even a couple sitting above her eye.
I was getting better at noticing the slight swelling, though. With the number of pictures Amber had sent me, I had done my research.
“I like the new one.” I gestured to Amber’s ear, and she pushed it out towards me and smiled.
“Thanks! It isn’t the only new one.”
Those few words brought up another thought. I always had the feeling there were other piercings in some lower places, but I hadn’t asked. Although, Amber, as well as her girlfriend, did give me the impression that there were. However, I didn’t want to know.
“Where’s the Jim Jam?” Amber asked, thankfully not delving into the topic of her other piercings as she looked around me trying to find my excitable best friend.
“He left. He’s not fond of my morning self.”
“You don’t seem that bad,” Amber said with a laugh.
“You’ve caught me when I’m getting better,” I said with a small laugh. “But it’s alright. After he left, I had a wonderful conversation with a neighbour.”
“So, you finally met one?” Amber asked, seemingly impressed with my accomplishment.
“I sure did. A wonderful old lady who lives on our floor.”
“I’m sure she had a lot to say.”
“Actually, we both kept speaking about James as if he were a dog,” I admitted with a smile. “I hope we can do it again sometime.”
“You’re so weird,” Amber scoffed, and I mimicked her.
“Says the chick that only cuts two nails and lets the rest grow.”
Amber raised her eyebrows at me and put her index finger and middle finger up together as if she was going to—
“Oh, my God. They go inside,” I gasped, and Amber laughed.
“It’s a trade secret. Don’t tell anyone.”
“What if two isn’t enough?” I asked without thinking. Which was something I did a lot.
It was one of the reasons my parents said I had dumbass energy. Many stupid questions come out of my mouth. Scratch that—many stupid things come out of my mouth. An endless flow of stupidity. A waterfall of foolishness.
“Honey, if you need more than two fingers, you’re not doing it right,” Amber said with a knowing look as I took mental notes, knowing that I would never refer back to them—for countless reasons.
“Where is the main squeeze?” I asked, looking at the sun to make sure I wasn’t going to be late.
It took me a hot-second to realise that is not how the sun works.
“Her first class isn’t until Wednesday.”
“So, you’re going to have to power through two whole days without her,” I mocked, and Amber let out a bark-like laugh.
“Yeah, right. I only have one class today, and my next one isn’t until Wednesday afternoon.”
“Well, that seems like you’re doing the bare minimum.”
“I am,” Amber admitted with a shrug. “I’m trying to become a mother—I don’t want to do too much at university. Besides, I’ve already got all my qualifications to be a teacher. So, this is just to kill time, really.”
“I always forget you’re old.” I chuckled, and Amber slapped me.
“I’m twenty-five, you bitch.”
“And I only turned eighteen in January, so, to me, you’re old.”
“Call me old again, and this skateboard will be wrapped around your head.”
“I don’t doubt that but catching me will be the hard part.”
Without another word, I began running down the narrow path towards the university, rushing past the buildings that were slowly becoming more gentrified. The path started to widen the closer I got to the university, and I dodged a few others that seemed to be heading there, too.
Part of me was hoping to hear the sound of Amber’s skateboard behind me, mainly because I had wanted to race her to the campus.
I hadn’t told her what I wanted to do, so, when I stole a glance behind me and didn’t see her, I wasn’t surprised. I was, however, a little disappointed, and as the university came into sight, I slowed back down to a walk and let out a sigh.
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