Chapter 20 New Day

Chapter 20 New Day

I jolted awake and let out a groan. "Ah, shit! I slept!" I quickly lifted myself from the couch and looked around. The room was all too familiar, and I remembered falling asleep on the couch.

As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I took stock of my surroundings. I felt... different. I looked down at my hands, which seemed smaller and less calloused. I frowned, confused. Then I glanced up and saw the digital clock on the wall. June 5, 2012. A wave of relief washed over me. "What a relief… So not everything that happened yesterday was just a dream after all."

Suddenly, my bedroom door creaked open, and my mom poked her head in. "Oh, you're awake Justin, Goodmorning!" I scrambled to my feet and gave her a sleepy smile. "Yeah, Good Morning too, mom."

"Come on Justin and let's have breakfast," she said, beckoning me toward the kitchen.

As I entered the room, I saw my Dad sitting at the table, sipping on a mug of coffee. He looked up and saw me, a grin spreading across his face. "Good morning Justin! Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, feeling a little more awake now. "Goodmorning Dad. I slept well, thank you."

We all sat down to eat breakfast together, and I couldn't help but feel content. This was a nice change of pace from the chaos of my adult life. I was glad that not everything had been a dream.

As we ate, my Dad suddenly spoke up. "By the way, your mom and I can't go to school with you today, but someone will come with you, and you can go to school with her today."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Her? Who is that?"

"The one you will be going to school with is Mrs. Suazo's daughter," my Dad explained. "You probably know her because you were in the same class as her, and she attended your birthday party last night."

My mind raced. Mrs. Suazo's daughter? Could it be...?

"Last month, she and her husband moved near here with us," my Dad continued. "So they are our neighbors now. Because we live close to each other and you two go to the same school, we have decided that you can go to school together."

My heart skipped a beat. So, we're neighbors now? I peered out the window, and my Dad gestured toward their house. Yep, we were practically next door to each other.

Then, the doorbell rang. "Ah, they're probably here," my Dad said as he headed toward the main door. I couldn't help but wonder who it could be. When my Dad opened the door, my eyes fell on a beautiful girl standing before me. "What?!" It was my first crush, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Suazo.

My Dad greeted them both warmly. "Good morning, Mrs. Suazo, and good morning to your beautiful daughter," he said. Mrs. Suazo returned the greeting with a smile, and my mother came over to greet them too. I glanced at her eyes, and we quickly averted our gaze. My heart raced, and I tried to calm myself down. After all, I was still 38 years old, trapped in the body of a child, while she was still a child herself. But then I remembered what she had said the previous night about wondering if we were both looking at the same moon at the same time. What did she mean by that? It was impossible, right?

Today, we were going to school together. I ran my hand through my hair, wondering if I looked okay. It was silly, really. We were just going to school. Why did I feel the need to impress her? I reminded myself that it was pointless to worry. In four years, she would meet him and fall in love with him all over again, and there was nothing I could do about it. But being friends with her wouldn't hurt, right? It was the first time it was happening, after all.

"Are you ready for school now, Justin?" My Dad asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded, trying to hide my nervousness. Mrs. Suazo spoke up then. "I hope you and my daughter get along very well from now on and take care of her, okay?" she said, looking at me with a kind smile. I blushed, not knowing how to respond. "It's my pleasure, ma'am," I managed to say, hoping I didn't sound too awkward.

"You two should get going now before you're late," Mrs. Suazo said, breaking the awkward silence. "Yeah, you two, be careful on your way," my Dad added. We both nodded in agreement. "Okay!" we said in unison.

"Let's go now," she said, smiling. "Right," I replied, feeling a smile on my face too. We waved goodbye to our parents and walked side by side.

As we walked away, I couldn't help but steal a glance at my crush. She looked so pretty, her long hair cascading down her back and her bright eyes sparkling in the morning sun. And then I noticed the small red rose hairpin she always wore. It was her signature accessory and looked so cute against her blonde hair.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound nonchalant. "That's a nice hairpin," I said, nodding toward the rose.

She looked surprised for a moment but then smiled. "Oh, thank you! My mom gave it to me for my birthday."

I nodded, trying to seem interested. "It's really pretty. It suits you."

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she looked down at her feet. "Thanks, Justin."

We walked in silence for a few moments, and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What was I supposed to say to her? We hadn't talked much in the past, and I didn't want to be awkward or weird.

As we walked, I couldn't help but be nervous. Damn, very quiet. Should I start a conversation, but how do I start a conversation? I can't think of anything. Then I heard her little voice of her again while she was looking away. "This doesn't happen either…." What did she mean by that? Anyway, 

I should start a conversation now. This awkward silence is killing me.

"Hey, thanks for the gift you gave me last night! it looks beautiful."

  "I'm glad you liked it." 

  Damn it I don't know what to say anymore. But good thing we were about to reach the school. 

As we entered the classroom, I couldn't help but notice how some of my classmates were smirking and giving us weird looks. "Uh, what's going on?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

One of my classmates, a mischievous-looking girl with a lopsided grin, spoke up. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. The two lovebirds." It's the energetic girl. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I felt my cheeks turn bright red.

The beautiful girl let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we're just friends," she said with a smile.

The energetic girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," she teased.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, guys? We're just classmates who happen to walk to school together. Can't a boy and a girl be friends without everyone assuming they're dating?"

The energetic girl spoke again, "Oh you said that while your face is beet red-" Then suddenly, she was interrupted by a head chop from the smartest kid, the lawyer's son. "Stop it, stupid." 

"What was that for?!" The energetic girl asked.

The beautiful girl laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Justin's right. We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You heard it stupid, so just shut your mouth okay. Class is about to start." 

"Meeh, you're no fun at all." 

The class finally settled down, and our teacher began the lesson. It was difficult for me to focus, though, with the occasional snicker or side-eye from my classmates. But I tried my best to pay attention and take notes.

After class, my crush and I walked home together. We chatted about our favorite classes and our plans for the weekend. I couldn't help but notice the small red rose hairpin she was wearing, it was her signature accessory, and it looked really cute on her.

We reached our houses and said our goodbyes. "See you tomorrow!" I said with a wave.

"Bye, Justin! Have a good evening," she replied, flashing me a smile.

As I walked into my house, my mom greeted me with a smile. "Hey there, kiddo. How was school?"

"It was good, Mom. Me and my classmates are getting along really well," I replied happily.

CHAPTER 20 -END-

To Be Continued. 

I jolted awake and let out a groan. "Ah, shit! I slept!" I quickly lifted myself from the couch and looked around. The room was all too familiar, and I remembered falling asleep on the couch.

As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I took stock of my surroundings. I felt... different. I looked down at my hands, which seemed smaller and less calloused. I frowned, confused. Then I glanced up and saw the digital clock on the wall. June 5, 2012. A wave of relief washed over me. "What a relief… So not everything that happened yesterday was just a dream after all."

Suddenly, my bedroom door creaked open, and my mom poked her head in. "Oh, you're awake Justin, Goodmorning!" I scrambled to my feet and gave her a sleepy smile. "Yeah, Good Morning too, mom."

"Come on Justin and let's have breakfast," she said, beckoning me toward the kitchen.

As I entered the room, I saw my Dad sitting at the table, sipping on a mug of coffee. He looked up and saw me, a grin spreading across his face. "Good morning Justin! Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, feeling a little more awake now. "Goodmorning Dad. I slept well, thank you."

We all sat down to eat breakfast together, and I couldn't help but feel content. This was a nice change of pace from the chaos of my adult life. I was glad that not everything had been a dream.

As we ate, my Dad suddenly spoke up. "By the way, your mom and I can't go to school with you today, but someone will come with you, and you can go to school with her today."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Her? Who is that?"

"The one you will be going to school with is Mrs. Suazo's daughter," my Dad explained. "You probably know her because you were in the same class as her, and she attended your birthday party last night."

My mind raced. Mrs. Suazo's daughter? Could it be...?

"Last month, she and her husband moved near here with us," my Dad continued. "So they are our neighbors now. Because we live close to each other and you two go to the same school, we have decided that you can go to school together."

My heart skipped a beat. So, we're neighbors now? I peered out the window, and my Dad gestured toward their house. Yep, we were practically next door to each other.

Then, the doorbell rang. "Ah, they're probably here," my Dad said as he headed toward the main door. I couldn't help but wonder who it could be. When my Dad opened the door, my eyes fell on a beautiful girl standing before me. "What?!" It was my first crush, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Suazo.

My Dad greeted them both warmly. "Good morning, Mrs. Suazo, and good morning to your beautiful daughter," he said. Mrs. Suazo returned the greeting with a smile, and my mother came over to greet them too. I glanced at her eyes, and we quickly averted our gaze. My heart raced, and I tried to calm myself down. After all, I was still 38 years old, trapped in the body of a child, while she was still a child herself. But then I remembered what she had said the previous night about wondering if we were both looking at the same moon at the same time. What did she mean by that? It was impossible, right?

Today, we were going to school together. I ran my hand through my hair, wondering if I looked okay. It was silly, really. We were just going to school. Why did I feel the need to impress her? I reminded myself that it was pointless to worry. In four years, she would meet him and fall in love with him all over again, and there was nothing I could do about it. But being friends with her wouldn't hurt, right? It was the first time it was happening, after all.

"Are you ready for school now, Justin?" My Dad asked me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I nodded, trying to hide my nervousness. Mrs. Suazo spoke up then. "I hope you and my daughter get along very well from now on and take care of her, okay?" she said, looking at me with a kind smile. I blushed, not knowing how to respond. "It's my pleasure, ma'am," I managed to say, hoping I didn't sound too awkward.

"You two should get going now before you're late," Mrs. Suazo said, breaking the awkward silence. "Yeah, you two, be careful on your way," my Dad added. We both nodded in agreement. "Okay!" we said in unison.

"Let's go now," she said, smiling. "Right," I replied, feeling a smile on my face too. We waved goodbye to our parents and walked side by side.

As we walked away, I couldn't help but steal a glance at my crush. She looked so pretty, her long hair cascading down her back and her bright eyes sparkling in the morning sun. And then I noticed the small red rose hairpin she always wore. It was her signature accessory and looked so cute against her blonde hair.

I cleared my throat and tried to sound nonchalant. "That's a nice hairpin," I said, nodding toward the rose.

She looked surprised for a moment but then smiled. "Oh, thank you! My mom gave it to me for my birthday."

I nodded, trying to seem interested. "It's really pretty. It suits you."

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and she looked down at her feet. "Thanks, Justin."

We walked in silence for a few moments, and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What was I supposed to say to her? We hadn't talked much in the past, and I didn't want to be awkward or weird.

As we walked, I couldn't help but be nervous. Damn, very quiet. Should I start a conversation, but how do I start a conversation? I can't think of anything. Then I heard her little voice of her again while she was looking away. "This doesn't happen either…." What did she mean by that? Anyway, 

I should start a conversation now. This awkward silence is killing me.

"Hey, thanks for the gift you gave me last night! it looks beautiful."

  "I'm glad you liked it." 

  Damn it I don't know what to say anymore. But good thing we were about to reach the school. 

As we entered the classroom, I couldn't help but notice how some of my classmates were smirking and giving us weird looks. "Uh, what's going on?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

One of my classmates, a mischievous-looking girl with a lopsided grin, spoke up. "Well, well, well. Look who it is. The two lovebirds." It's the energetic girl. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I felt my cheeks turn bright red.

The beautiful girl let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but we're just friends," she said with a smile.

The energetic girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that," she teased.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, guys? We're just classmates who happen to walk to school together. Can't a boy and a girl be friends without everyone assuming they're dating?"

The energetic girl spoke again, "Oh you said that while your face is beet red-" Then suddenly, she was interrupted by a head chop from the smartest kid, the lawyer's son. "Stop it, stupid." 

"What was that for?!" The energetic girl asked.

The beautiful girl laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Justin's right. We're just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You heard it stupid, so just shut your mouth okay. Class is about to start." 

"Meeh, you're no fun at all." 

The class finally settled down, and our teacher began the lesson. It was difficult for me to focus, though, with the occasional snicker or side-eye from my classmates. But I tried my best to pay attention and take notes.

After class, my crush and I walked home together. We chatted about our favorite classes and our plans for the weekend. I couldn't help but notice the small red rose hairpin she was wearing, it was her signature accessory, and it looked really cute on her.

We reached our houses and said our goodbyes. "See you tomorrow!" I said with a wave.

"Bye, Justin! Have a good evening," she replied, flashing me a smile.

As I walked into my house, my mom greeted me with a smile. "Hey there, kiddo. How was school?"

"It was good, Mom. Me and my classmates are getting along really well," I replied happily.

CHAPTER 20 -END-

To Be Continued.