Time for School

Chapter 5 - Hunger

Note: All characters in this story involved in sexual situations are 18 years of age or older

*

The next morning, I awoke at the same time I had the previous day. I breathed deeply and stretched out as far as I could. The muscles in my body felt... stronger for some reason.

I sat up on the edge of my bed and got up with a quiet groan. I was feeling way more refreshed with my slumber than usual. I decided to get up and head into the bathroom, flicking the light on. I looked at my shirtless body in the mirror, front and back. I still looked the same as I always did, yet I felt like I could somehow bench press a car.

I couldn't help but snicker and shake my head at the thought. Obviously I was just being as imaginative as usual.

Out on the city sidewalk, I strolled toward my bus stop with my hands casually in my pocket and a song in my heart. I felt

really

good, getting a sense of euphoria just from inhaling the cool, sea breeze through my nose. I was unusually peppy and alert. All the sights around me seemed so much more vibrant and colorful. ...Was I on drugs?

I couldn't help but enjoy myself, even during something as simple as my morning walk to the bus stop. Although I was a bit uneasy about my striking change in attitude, I knew it had to be a pleasant side-effect of my newfound confidence. I was starting to open up and really enjoy my life, one step at a time.

I waited at the bus stop and once again kept to myself. However, I couldn't get the calm, worldly smile off my face as I continued to slowly look around and soak up my surroundings. It eventually caught the attention of one of the guys waiting with me.

"Hey, man," he said. I had

no

idea who he was, only that he was some guy with dark hair.

"Hey," I replied back, continuing to idly look about. He shrugged and went back to waiting for the bus to show. I think he was more surprised that anyone could be so happy halfway into the school year.

The bus showed up a bit earlier than usual. Everyone was quite thankful as it meant we didn't have to stand around in the quiet early morning anymore. We all climbed aboard and took our seats before the bus soon rolled away. I took in a deep breath and sighed, folding my hands behind my head as I watched the picturesque sights of the city I'd lived in for over a decade sweep by. I had made the guy sitting next to me a little uncomfortable with how my elbow was practically right in his face, but I didn't care. He'll live.

The bus made its way onto school grounds and I got off just like a

normal

person, who perhaps

doesn't

have the power to stop time, would. School seemed a lot fresher to me, like it was actually enjoyable to be there. For once in my life I actually appreciated the sounds of countless teenagers gossiping and conversing as I approached the main gate.

Just before I did, however, I spotted a familiar female face walking up from beside me. It was Eve, another one of my ravishing and tantalizing Biology classmates.

"Morning, Eve," I greeted her with a warm smile. She looked over at me and cocked her head, taken aback that I was striking up a conversation with her.

"Hey there, Anthony," she replied with a hint of surprise in her voice.

"How's it going?" I asked as the two of us headed past the main gates and into the front courtyard.

"Pretty good, I guess," she replied. We slowed our pace a bit as we wandered over to the stone benches. She slid her backpack off her arms and let it drop onto the bench and then took a seat. I sat down on the bench across from hers. For just a moment, I smiled and admired her long and soft sable hair draped over her dark, olive-colored skin.

"So..., is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?" she curiously asked.

"Just wanted to make friendly conversation," I stated as I leaned back casually. In my effort to be relaxed, I forgot there was no back to the bench and so I immediately grabbed onto the front of the seat to keep myself from falling over. She laughed quietly.

"'Conversation,' huh?" she asked with a slight grin. "That's not like you. You like to keep to yourself."

"Well, I'm trying to make a positive change for myself and be more open with people."

"That sounds good," she remarked, smiling. "Good for you."

She then started to look around as though searching for someone. It piqued my curiosity.

"Looking for someone?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied with a sigh. "My boyfriend's supposed to be meeting me here."

I raised my eyebrows in interest. "Boyfriend, huh? Lucky guy." She then turned to me with an amused grin on her face, causing me to laugh in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied with a small chuckle.

I found it quite easy to talk to her. She was open-minded and inviting to carry a conversation with. The two of us just sat there and grinned for a brief moment before she spoke again.

"So, are you usually this pleasant to be around in the mornings? 'Cause you're not like this at all by the time you get to third period."

"Like I said, I'm just trying to be more positive. Maybe... bring out a new side of myself."

"Ooh, a side of you we've never seen before? How

mysterious,

" she remarked, grinning. "You know..., you seem like a pretty cool guy to talk to. Maybe we can hang out during lunch? You can show me this 'new side of yourself' then."

"Sounds good," I replied with a confident smirk.

She then looked to the side, doing a double-take in disbelief.

"There he is," she muttered as she quickly picked up her backpack and both of us got to our feet. She then sucked her teeth in annoyance as she kept her eyes focused on him. "I don't know where the hell he's going..." She then turned back to me with a polite wave as she walked off. "See you later!"

"See ya," I replied, watching her walk away with a dreamy sigh. Eve was so pretty and carried herself with such confidence. She certainly wasn't an easy catch, so her boyfriend was obviously doing

something

right.

I then took my leave as well, deciding to go get some breakfast. I was pretty damn hungry. I headed for the cafeteria, only to be stopped by a familiar voice calling out to me.

"Hey, Anthony!" I heard Frank say. I turned and saw my group of friends all looking over at me from their usual sitting place. Frank eagerly waved for me to come over. My stomach was growling but I didn't want to blow off my good friends like an asshole. I sighed in defeat and quickly made my way over to them. Hopefully whatever Frank wanted wasn't too important.

"Hey, guys," I said as I approached them. I then looked at Nora and added, "And lady." Nora smiled and nodded.

"So," Frank spoke, "who was the pretty girl you were talking to?"

"Who? Eve?"

"Called it," Josh chimed in. "I knew he had a girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," I replied with a smirk. "This is the first time we've really talked with each other."

"You seemed pretty cozy with her," Frank remarked.

"She's nice to talk to," I said with a shrug. "It's just easy to have a casual conversation with her."

"'Casual' is a pretty good way to put it," Brandon said, laughing along with Josh as they shared a fist-bump. I couldn't help but laugh myself. Brandon was an enjoyably humorous guy, always finding a joke in everything.

"Good one," I replied as I rolled my eyes. "Now I'm gonna go—" I was cut off suddenly by the sound of the school bell going off. School had started. "... Get to class."

"Oh...," Frank spoke up in a guilty tone. "Sorry man, I didn't realize you hadn't eaten yet."

"It's cool," I said with a reassuring smile. "Well, see you guys later."

"See ya, man," Frank said as I took my leave. "Sorry again!" he called out.

Trying to make it through school on an empty stomach was

really

unpleasant. I knew from experience after the multiple times the school bus got to school too late for me to catch breakfast. As I headed toward my first period, I stopped at a nearby water fountain and decided to drink up a lot of water—and I mean a

lot

of water. It was desperate attempt by a hungry teen to fill an empty belly.

As I walked away from the fountain, I gave some thought to stopping time and just dashing into the cafeteria to stuff my face. But for some reason, I just didn't feel like even bothering—as though it weren't that important. In the meantime, I was pretty set thanks to the water.

Today was a normal scheduled day and so, I had all six classes to go to. Most of the time I appreciated normal days more since it gave me diversity in my classes throughout the day. I was still feeling good—great, actually. I looked forward to Biology in third period where I could see Jennifer and Talia again. The very thought of them put a big grin on my face as I sat down for World History and prepared to let my good mood carry me through the boredom.

Our teacher, of course, was ready to greet us into class for the day with a pop quiz. That was pretty harsh of him. It made me glad I messed with his desk the other day.

Regardless, the decline of the Roman Empire wasn't going to keep me down. I just went with what I remembered from our lessons—what I had learned between my daydreaming and dozing off—and put it to paper.

I was surprised to realize that I was actually one of the first ones done. I raised my paper to be collected by the teacher. He walked over to me with a suspicious look on his face, taking the paper from me and looked it at while walking back to his desk.

I think he was just as surprised as I was.

The rest of class consisted of us opening up our textbooks and taking turns reading aloud from several pages of text. When it was my turn, I was considerably more enthusiastic in my delivery. I really doubt any of the other students gave a shit since, well, it was overall pretty damn boring. I really didn't care, however, my spirits were still high. Once we were done with reading we were given a few minutes to rest before our next class. I leaned back in my chair and sighed comfortably with my hands folded behind my head.

The bell to end class rang. The rest of the students picked up their backpacks and headed for the door. I joined them, walking from one room to literally the next classroom over—my Algebra class. As convenient as it was to not have to walk more than a few feet, my empty stomach started to make itself heard again. I sighed and tried to ignore it as best I could.

I walked into the nearly empty class and took my seat near the back. There, I took out my class textbook and my notebook and a pen. I still kept my spirits up, especially with the beautiful young lady that made her way toward me.

"Hey, Anthony," Tamara greeted me with a sweet smile as she passed by me.

"Hey," I replied, gazing at her as she walked past.

"How are you?" she asked before taking a seat.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Great," she replied with a big grin. I absolutely loved her smile.

"You seem really perky today," I remarked.

"Yeah," she said as she placed her notebook and a pen on her desk before looking up at me. "Dunno, I'm just in a good mood today."

"Same here," I said. "Seems pretty crazy to feel so happy

so

early in the morning, especially in school."

"Right?" she remarked with an adorable laugh. Class was then starting, and the two of us sat forward at our desks.

The teacher stood before the class and began to lecture us on what our next assignment would be. Unfortunately, I was finding it hard to concentrate—all that water I drank was finally starting to catch up with me. I quickly raised my hand to get the teacher's attention.

"Yes?" she asked as she noticed me.

"Can I use the bathroom real quick?"

"Yes, you may," she replied. I quickly and quietly got up, making a beeline for the door. I then made a reserved, mad dash down the hallway and headed straight for the restroom.

Once I'd finished and exited, I found myself being tortured once again by hunger. I walked calmly back to class, trying to conserve some energy so I hopefully wouldn't feel even hungrier. I sighed as I closed my eyes, unconsciously holding a hand up at my side. What I wouldn't have given at that moment to have a big, old hot dog with everything on it—ketchup, relish, mustard and just pile it on high.

While dreaming about food probably wasn't the brightest thing to do, being as hungry as I was, something extraordinarily odd happened. I was so deeply focused on imagining that wonderful hot dog that I could've sworn I felt something warm and soft in my upraised hand, like a hot dog bun.

I curiously opened my eyes which soon bulged from shock as I indeed saw a real hot dog in my hand, exactly the way I had imagined it.

I shouted in panic, my first reaction being to pull my hand away. The hot dog splattered on floor, condiments spread out like a small explosion all over the tile. I stood there, staring at it in shock and disbelief. I then quickly darted my eyes around, wondering where the hell it could've come from. There was nothing and nobody around, certainly not any hot dog dispensers that were just dangling from the ceiling.

I couldn't believe it. ...Did I really just make food out of thin air? It could have been the reason why I had unconsciously felt like going to the cafeteria was pointless.

I felt kind of guilty as I then walked away, glancing back several times to make sure it was still there. I hated to give the janitors some unnecessary work but how the hell was I going to explain that I just happened to have a hot dog and dropped it on the ground?

Luckily, nobody saw me in the halls and I was able to slip back into class before anyone did. Everyone inside was busy reading from their textbooks and taking notes in their notebooks.

"Pages one-ninety-nine to two-oh-one," the teacher quickly caught me up on what we were doing. I nodded to her and sat back down at my desk. I opened my books and began to focus as best I could on the assignment. It was expectedly pretty hard after what had just occurred.

But once the initial shock had wore off, I was actually pretty ecstatic about it. What else could I make appear like that?

My stomach then growled loudly enough for the class to hear it, making a few of them quietly laugh. I was still so damn hungry. Having a perfect-looking hot dog go to waste before my eyes certainly didn't help that any.

After each student was done with the work, they were afforded a short break to wait for the rest of the class to finish. I took a deep breath and let it out in a content sigh as I closed my textbook. I then closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair, still recalling the moment when I created a solid object out of thin air.

I'd probably be pretty awesome at parties with a trick like that.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I smiled as I knew exactly who it was. I turned around and looked at Tamara.

"Hey," she said with an adorable grin.

"Hey, yourself," I replied, causing her to chuckle.

"So~," she spoke as she rested her head in her hand, "what do you do for fun?"

"I just screw around mostly," I replied.

"Oh yeah? With who?" I smirked and rolled my eyes as she laughed. "I'm only playing. You know, I've always wanted to talk to you and... maybe even get to know you better."

I was pleasantly surprised as I asked, "Really?"

"Mhm. It's just that... you always seem really bored or just uninterested to want to talk."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Actually, I've been trying to open up more lately."

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "That's awesome! ...'Cause, really, I've always thought you were... kinda cool."

"Wow," I remarked in genuine surprise. "You think boring me is pretty cool, huh?"

"Mhm," she replied with a giggle.

"Well, I think you're pretty cool, too," I remarked. Her lips spread into another adorable grin.

"Thanks," she softly said.

Tamara was so sweet and so enjoyable to be around. I was really liking the pleasant moments I was already starting to have with her. Getting to know her on a deeper level was something that I readily welcomed.

Not long after, second period ended and it was time for me to head to my most favorite class. I got up and slung my backpack over my shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, Anthony," Tamara sweetly said. I smiled and casually waved to her.

"See ya," I replied, heading for the door. Luckily, this time there wasn't a mass of students clogging the doorway so I was able to smoothly transition out into the hallway.

As I headed down the hallway, I was suddenly and very roughly pushed from behind which caused me to stumble forward a bit. I quickly turned around to see none other than Elizabeta being her usual rough-and-tumble self with a cocky smirk on her face.

"What's the rush?" she asked. "You don't think about being polite and walk a girl to class, pendejo?"

I smirked as I retorted, "Since when do you need to be walked to class?"

"Since I saw

you

talking to that Tamara girl," she replied as the two of us headed down the hallway together. "I never seen you talk to anybody. What's the deal? You two fucking or something?"

I laughed. "No, we barely know each other."

"Hmph. Hasn't stopped anyone from fucking before." I really loved how straightforward she was. No games, always saying what she feels.

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?" I asked, grinning slightly. "What, two people just say 'hello' and climb into bed together?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she nonchalantly replied. "I've seen it happen before."

The two of us made our way into the stairwell and walked up along with the other droves of kids.

"So," she spoke up again, "What about you? You gotten laid yet?"

"That's very nosy of you," I replied, opening the second floor door for her. She looked at me with a smirk as we headed down the hall.

"Damn

right

I'm nosy. Don't you ever notice me talking to

everyone?

"

"There's a

lot

about you that I notice," I replied with a suggestiveness in my voice.

She laughed. "Easy, tiger. Don't start thinking

I

want to fuck you just 'cause I asked you about sex."

"Well, don't you want me?" I asked with a sly grin.

She responded with her own sly grin, her voice sultry as she replied, "I like guys a little

taller

than you."

"Ouch," I remarked with a laugh. "You hurt my feelings."

"Don't worry about it, papi—you're actually pretty cute. I'm sure you'll find a cute girl to score with."

"Yeah, maybe," I replied, happily keeping any personal details to myself.

The two of us then headed into class and almost immediately, someone caught Elizabeta's eye and made her gasp in surprise.

"Ai~!" she exclaimed before going off on a gleeful, rapid-fire tangent in Spanish that I could

not

follow. She ran up and eagerly hugged some girl I wasn't familiar with. I shrugged and looked over at the front table nearest the door, spotting the lovely Talia. She had a big grin as she waved cutely at me with her fingers.

"Hi!" she greeted me in a very friendly, yet hushed voice. I smiled and laughed, waving back to her just the same which caused her to giggle.

Just a moment after I sat down, Eve walked in and our eyes met for just a moment. She smiled at me before taking her seat at the table in front of mine, shared with her good friend Lila.

Lila was a cute girl, too, though she was pretty indifferent towards me. And, by 'indifferent,' I mean she'd probably love it if I was in a completely different class. She'd been on the receiving end of my antics more than once, just like Jennifer had. It got to the point where Lila just tuned me out and was satisfied with pretending I didn't exist.

The bell rung—class began. Just in the nick of time however, Jennifer waltzed through the door with her notebook tucked under her arm. She had a cocky saunter in her step as she marched down the aisle toward her seat behind mine. She gazed down at me with a smirk, causing me to sneakily rub her thigh as she passed. She responded by swatting my arm with her notebook—hard.