29...

~ Omni Pov ~

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Stepping out of the shower, Alex quickly dried himself off. His mind was still lingering on the question, of what he should do at this point in his life...?

'I know I aimed for basic survival, but is that what I really want? To just always be in hiding? To always be in the shadows...' He shook his head, he knew that a life like that wouldn't really be, living.

Wrapping the towel around himself, Alex walked back into his room, he turned on his fan, feeling the cool air against his damp skin. He sat on the edge of the bed, running his fingers through his hair as he mulled over what he should do so far...

'I know nothing still, and I've only been going with the flow...' He sighed at himself. He could only do so much for now. With better tech and slightly more time, he could eventually find out what he needed to, he just needed to be careful about doing it.

"I have around 3 hours until school closes, this should be enough time for my clothes to dry... On the bright side of all this, no more school." He chuckled to himself.

*Ring~*

*Ring~*

'Hmm? Someone's, calling?' Alex walked over to his phone, picking up, and answering;

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey, Alex." He remembered the voice, it was Anna.

"Anna? You have my number?" He asked.

"Yeah, I asked professor Xavier if he could give me your contact, and he did." She replied.

Alex shook his head, knowing he likely will need a change of device soon... Just in case.

"That's good, so? What do you need? If it's to check up on me, I'm fine." He quickly added.

"Well, alright... Just wanted to remind you though, when you get your own space, remember to call me; for hanging out, ya' know?" She said, with slight shyness evident in her tone.

Alex smiled, and continued, "Ah yeah! I haven't forgotten, and technically, I can't... But, yeah, I hear you. I'm gonna take care of some stuff now, give me a day or two to get myself started." 

"...Alright, stay safe, and see you soon-"

She then hung up the phone...

"Well, I guess that was my first ever phone call from a friend... Hahaha~" Alex sighed but smiled.

'My clothes will take a while to finish, around 30 minutes. I could head down to school and finish up my leave, until then...'

The problem with this, was that he likely didn't have clothes that could fit him at the moment, but checking wouldn't hurt. So he went through the drawers, and after a couple of minutes, he found an old navy blue t-shirt.

'Huh, this looks like my size...' After fanning it out a bit, he tried it on...

"Woah... This is, a tight fit. Fitting but, tight..." He looked at himself in the mirror. The shirt hugging his frame tightly. It didn't look bad, not his kind of thing, but it fits, and that was enough.

He thanked whatever god or gods that existed here, that reminded him to keep his old clothing. It came in clutch, literally.

He took out his current cargo pants, and luckily his current self always bought them larger than his old size, and because of that, they were practically a perfect fit for his current self.

'Not bad, if I do say so myself.' With all that finished, he pulled back his hair again, that just barely made it past his chin.

After getting himself together, he quickly headed out...

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'Alright... This is getting a bit awkward,' Alex continued down the street, the unease settling in. However, fate seemed to have other plans for him...

'The women, they just won't stop staring,' he thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He kept looking straight ahead of himself, not sparing a glance at the opposing sex.

The unexpected attention left him feeling uncomfortable. It wasn't as if he didn't get the stares earlier, but they were nowhere near this much. If two looked at him then, they were constantly looking at him now.

'Was the change in wardrobe that made this much of a difference?' He shook his head a little. He knew he was getting more attractive as he exercised and got stronger, and on top of that, he was quite built in an athletic sense. And on top of that too, he was decently tall...

'Just keep walking dude...' He told himself.

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After a few more minutes of walking, It didn't take long to get to his school. Ahead, he saw the school grounds up ahead.

'Damn... Is a month really that long?' He chuckled a little, realizing how swiftly time had truly passed.

As he made his way past the entrance, he saw the guard just to the left...

"Hey there, you a student?"

Alex turned towards him, "Yeah, I~ used to be," Alex replied, a faint smile playing on his lips. The guard raised an eyebrow, sensing a subtle hesitation in Alex's response.

"Used to be? What brings you back here?" the guard asked, scrutinizing Alex's demeanor.

Alex sighed, his gaze briefly drifting across the surroundings. "Well, I was thinking of dropping by to check things out, maybe catch up with a few people. But honestly, I've been considering dropping out for a while now."

The guard's expression shifted, registering surprise at the unexpected shift in the conversation. "Dropping out? Are you sure about that, kid? School's important."

Alex nodded, "I appreciate the concern, but my life is taking me elsewhere. I need to figure things out on my own terms."

'Technically, I already have...' He thought to himself.

The guard, though initially taken aback, offered a supportive nod. "Well, it's your decision. Just make sure you're doing what's best for you. Alright; you can go on ahead son."

"Thanks." Alex said, genuinely grateful for the guard's understanding. As he walked through the familiar corridors, memories of his time as a student flooded back, just mostly, unpleasant ones...

'It's lunch-time now, students should be roaming the canteen by now...' He continued to where the principal was, but suddenly he stopped as he walked past the lockers in the passage way.

He saw her name, Jane...

'I wonder if she's here?' The thought came up, he didn't speak much with her. Even though she tried to stand up for him when he needed it, she could only do so much and go so far, but it was practically useless most times.

'Anyway, let's just get this over with-' He walked his way to the principal office, passing by a few classrooms that were practically empty, seeing the principal's door in front of himself, he knocked twice.

"Come in." He heard the voice say.

Alex opened the door to see his principal, Mr. Jacobs. His eyes not leaving his desk from the paper he has.

"Good morning Mr. Jacobs." 

"Good morning son, is there anything I can help you with?" He responded, his eyes still not leaving the papers.

"Yes, my name is Alex Young, and I just wanted to say that I'll be leaving the school." Alex added swiftly.

Mr. Jacobs had finally looked up from his papers, his expression shifting from the documents to Alex. There was a brief pause as he assessed the seriousness in Alex's eyes.

"Leaving?" Mr. Jacobs inquired, a mix of surprise and concern lining his features.

Alex nodded, his resolve unwavering. "Yeah, I've been giving it some thought, and I believe I want to leave this school."

Mr. Jacobs sighed, leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him. "Alex? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the student that aced two of his tests in minutes, then disappeared for more than a month?"

"Yes, sir... That seems, right so far..." Alex said.

"That's strange, you seem like bright student, and you've got potential. What's prompting this decision? Have you faced any issues here at school that we're unaware of?" He asked.

'Yes, I've been bullied for practically my whole high school life... But, it's not like I can blame you for that one.' Alex thought.

Alex appreciated the concern but shook his head. "No, it's not about the school. It's about me, it's easier to say that I've found a better alternative."

The principal regarded him thoughtfully. "I understand the need, Alex; But, education is a valuable tool. It can open doors for you."

'This conversation feels, rehearsed. His way of speaking and tone are just above being condescending, and awfully meticulous...' Alex noted.

Alex quickly met his gaze, "I appreciate everything this school has offered me, Mr. Jacobs. But right now, I feel like I need to learn in a different way. I hope you understand."

There was a moment of silence before Mr. Jacobs nodded. "I respect your decision, Alex. Just make sure you're making the right choices for yourself."

"Thank you, Mr. Jacobs. I, appreciate that..." Alex replied a little hesitantly.

"Alright, I'll give you some documents to sign, when you're finished you can just leave them on the desk and go, if you have questions for particular sections, I'll help you fill them out if you need to."

After taking reading through the whole paper, he saw no issue with it all, so he quickly signed what needed to be signed and quickly left.

'That was, easier than I thought it would've been.' Alex shrugged, he wasn't going to complain though. He still had some time to spare, so he could pay a small visit...

Walking toward the canteen, Alex found himself face to face with the entrance. Pushing the door open, he entered to a bustling scene of students from various grades, both lower and higher. Familiar faces dotted the room, but his arrival didn't go unnoticed.

Curious gazes followed him as he made his way through the crowd. Alex sensed their curiosity, and to a degree, he could guess exactly what they were thinking of when they saw him, but he ignored them, his focus was set on finding Jane, and catching up a little on the day.

After a brief scan of the area, he spotted her at the back of the canteen. 'There she is,' he thought, making his way over. Placing a finger to his lips, he signaled Jane's friends to keep his presence a secret. They nodded quickly in understanding.

*Tap~*

*Tap~*

Feeling two presses on her shoulder, "Hmm?" Jane turned around, her eyes meeting an unfamiliar face. She noticed the person's attractiveness but refrained from vocalizing it. She knew that would be a little too embarrassing.

"It's me, Alex," he said with a smile.

*Splat!*

*Splat!*

"Annnd, that's a waste of good food..." Alex remarked as both Jane and her friends' lunches fell out of their mouths.

"A-Alex! H-How? T-This is you?" Jane exclaimed, still processing the surprise.

"Yup, it's me alright," Alex chuckled at her reaction.

"That... How, but... You look-" Jane halted her words, captivated by the familiar green hues in his eyes, shades she had known for years. They had intensified since he left, drawing her into a momentary silence.

'It really was the Alex', She didn't know anyone else in the school who had emerald eyes like his, much less as rich as it was now...

"Surprised?" Alex teased, still wearing a grin as he took a seat beside Jane. Her friends, recovering from the initial shock, they exchanged glances before quickly offering welcoming smiles.

Jane, her disbelief transforming into a mix of joy and confusion, stammered, "I-I can't believe it's really you. How did you... change like this?"

Alex shrugged playfully. "Let's just say, life hit me harder than a truck."

Jane, still processing all this, managed to compose herself. "But seriously, Alex, you look... different. In a good way, though."

"I'll take that as a compliment... And thanks, you don't look too bad yourself."

They spoke for a little while, Alex mainly making up small talk; He wasn't going to stay long at all, and just wanted to say high, after a few minutes of catching up. He finally said his goodbyes, not forgetting to take Jane's number before doing so...

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"Today, is a good day... Speaking of being good, I should check my income on my games..." He hadn't checked because he wanted to see how well the games did in their first month...

After making it home, he quickly used his old laptop to check his account. As well as checking their ratings.

"No way!..."

He saw his balance on the screen. Counting the Zeroes...

"I made just 50 grand off my games, in a single month..." 

'I didn't even add much microtransactions, or update either.' Alex just realized that mobile games were the way to riches!

"This is 5 times what I was expecting... It'd be a waste not to make use of it..."

He cupped his chin, looking around his house, 'Now that I think about it... I do need a new place. Renting my own home is simply inefficient at this point, and likely will make anyone who wants to find me have a simpler job; So the best course of action would be to make my own place.'

Thinking for a moment, he acknowledged the idea.

'My own place doesn't sound too bad of an proposition at all, and I can choose where I live too...'

With a few minutes of pondering, he nodded.

"Though, what would it even be made out of?" He asked himself. 

"A wooden home is good, but a little too brittle for my taste, and concrete is great, with good qualities and much tougher," Alex contemplated. The idea of a traditional structure wrestled in his mind as he sought a thought along the lines of sturdiness and practicality.

'Why am I going so far when I don't know the first thing about places, much less making them?' He sighed...

"Still, I'll need something that's tough, yet easy to handle too; Something like a container... Actually, that could work. I saw them use it in my last life. and they seemed pretty good." As if Eureka had struck, Alex hopped onto his laptop, surfing the web for any information on for his new idea.

"Shipping-containers; They're cheap, very cheap... Even the big ones cost around $2,500 at the least and some $4,000, at most. It would take a couple of months to finish the place, three if I'm quick about it."

'Learning how to make a home wouldn't be an issue for me, I'll learn quickly if not instantly.' He noted.

Reflecting for a moment, he accepted the notion. "Though, I should tell Anna that my house tour might be way longer than she anticipated... She'd be sad, but it would be worth it."

Wanting to tell Anna of his plans, he reached for his phone to call, but hesitated for a little, staring at it for a bit.

"-I'll need to make my phone pervert-proof first..." The realization prompted him to prioritize the security of his devices before diving into the logistics of his new, unconventional housing project he'd given himself.

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END