Astyn(Introduction)
Tick-Tick-(Then the minute hand strikes 12) —and then starts a strident and blaring beeping sound, irritating enough to make me question every life choice that led to this moment —and I confidently resolved to shut those choices down by turning that shit off... *confidently? Or rather a confident fool?* Despite all the baseless and illogical decisions i ever made, I somehow still managed to conclude that i definitely had enough time to get more sleep (groundbreaking logic, really)And here follows nothing but a few minutes of awkward silence with eyes shut.....wait....was that the last alarm?"Ohh fuck, 8:03? No wait..."(I rub my eyes with great personal offense) still EIGhT. ZERO. THREE. (Didn't someone just mention something about 'enough time'? With an audacious 'definitely' too?)"I mean, atleast i got it correct, you see...!"(What a perfect time to celebrate glee!)
And so begins the greatest race of my life — not the kind with medals, ovations and cheering crowds, mind you, but the kind where you are simultaneously brushing your teeth, hunting for a sock that has apparently decided to retire, and questioning every fundamental truth about the universe (of course not quadratic equations) while the comb, still miserably captivated and jailed by the ruthless and impossible curls, dangling as you move about.The mirror catches me mid-chaos and honestly? I look exactly how I feel— homeless and gross! I mean, both of these are permanent about me.
"Astyn!!" Grandma's voice floats up the stairs like it always does — warm and completely unbothered by my current crisis. "Breakfast!!"
I briefly consider telling her I don't have time, but then I remember that arguing with grandma is essentially arguing with a mountain. Pointless. The mountain always wins with illogical statements, with mine being unheared and hers being unfazed. (Yeah, as if I spit logic)
"Coming!!" I lie. But unlike other lies, this one does not feel bitter.... it never does....it feels like...umm...home.
I mean, I really crave chaos, so I could just go along with my intrusive thoughts and enter school triumphantly like an empire in a night suit, but that might not be the most preferred aesthetic, so i just probably would prefer something simpler this time...Gotta keep the first imression modest instead of awfully accurate just in case that's worth my thoughtful efforts. I open the cupboard, and some things fall out, which do not even belong here. "Is that a tomato?Bruh what!"I extend my hands out lazily and pick a dress without even looking at it but at that cute flushed tomato. "Okay so my today's personality is....A crippled sweater with jeans...hmm that's fine." After getting dressed, I bathe myelf with buckets of perfume because I could not bathe today which is definitely not my fault, right? Then i quickly apply my lip balm (very quicly, like only in 5 minutes hehe) and pray to dad, which i would classify more as talking about random things happening in my life. And then I bid him a bye(of course not a goodbye) and rush down the stairs (honestly, stumble down them)
"So, is that a new trend, Honey?"
"Gran look, I know it's hazardous to see such a beauty, but trust me, you'll get used to it"
"But Honey, dont worry, I already am used to random things stuck in your hair"
It was then when i turned my attention to the hopeless comb, and offered it a down-to-earth smile.(little does the comb know that I still consider myself superior to it!)
The table is set like Gran thinks I have all the time in the world. Which, to be fair, she always does. A plate of toast, eggs, something that smells dangerously good and will absolutely make me late.
"Gran I really—"
"Sit."
One word. Unmovable as a mountain.
I sit.
"I have school—"
"You have eggs."
Honestly? Arguing with her is gonna cost me time too, probably more than eating would.(but would it take more time than the lip balm?)
I eat. Faster than medically advisable probably. And somewhere between the second bite and the third, I forget I was ever in a hurry.Some things do that to you.Gran wordlessly reaches over and yanks the comb free. I wince. She doesn't apologize. Then she sets my hair humanely.
I grab my bag, stumble out comb-free and stuffed with food, and face the grey Canadian morning with the energy of someone who has mastered quantum physics before 8AM. The school building sits at the end of the road like it has been waiting specifically for me. Funny. I have never liked things that wait.
If I had known what was waiting for me inside those doors — I would have gone back for more eggs.
