The meaning of life is that it stops?

Walter looked forward to the ending of the class as the lecturer's voice like a lullaby, kept ushering the students deeper into their sleep. Walter was one of the few who stayed awake, however, staying awake was a real struggle.

Sluggishly, he lifted his tightly strapped wristwatch towards his face while his head still rested on his wooden desk. It was 3:55 pm. The class was till 4:00 pm. Despite the little time left, it was a long wait for the final class of the semester.

The whole class was burnt out, and majority of the class had their heads facedown on their desks. Walter kept fighting the urge to sleep, but he just couldn't keep up with the pace at which the History teacher was going. His monotonous voice has always been a sleeping pill for those who listened.

After a few minutes, Mr. Don glanced at his wristwatch. It was 3:58. He looked up afterwards, and surfed the class. Behind those glasses, his eyes moved slowly from one end of the class to the other. Finally, he realized that majority of the class had fallen asleep along the way.

He glanced at his watch one more time and the digital figures stared '3:59' back at him. He then asked,

"Any questions before we call it a day?"

Their silence was a loud response to what they all wanted.

"Alright then, in the absence of questions, let's call it a –"

"Excuse me Mr. Don," someone interrupted.

He turned to see Deborah nestled in the corner of the class, raising her hand.

"Debbie, let's have your question." Mr. Don said, pointing her out.

"If life is so sacred, why is it taken for granted?, And can the people who did, get a second chance to relive it?" She asked.

A moment's silence bought him the time to come up with a somewhat suitable response. Just as Don opened his mouth to respond, the bell rang violently, dissolving his

intention to explain in detail. The whole class immediately stood up and began packing. The once drowsy class suddenly became lively at the sound of the bell, warming up their hearts for the holiday ahead.

"Debbie!" Mr. Don's voice pierced through their chatter as they all looked towards him, "'The meaning of life is that it ends', and 'we only understand death after it has placed its hands on our loved one'. Think about these quotes." He said, still maintaining eye contact, "have a great holiday!"

"That was cringe. What the heck?", Walter thought to himself as he stuffed his books into his bag. He couldn't care less, tonight he had planned to meet up with Nicole, his girlfriend. She was to text him a location to meet so they could spend some time together. It was his 18th birthday the next day.

As he stepped out of the class, imaginations filled his head on how their date was going to go. He imagined all the possible options of all the fun they would have.

I can't wait to see her once again. Nicole really is cute. Her long hair, beautiful long eyelashes, her very dark ombre eyes, her smile. Thinking about it almost felt surreal.

Yes, yes, her very smooth skin. I just want to hold her hands once again! With that perfect smile she's got. How could I forget what our hugging her feels like .

"Bro, who's got you smiling like that?" A classmate asked as he walked down the hallway on his way out.

"Hey man, I was just remembering Youtube video. Have a nice day!" He replied, still beaming.

Nicole, the first daughter of 4 girls, was from a rich home. Her parents barely let her go anywhere. He had never seen them nor the house she lived in so their date was going to be a risky one.

As he stepped out of the school, the warmth of the setting sun in the west horizon cast its ember glow on his olive-toned skin, illuminating his very beautiful, dark hair. He gave off the gentleman vibes. He turned back, taking one last look at the college, reminiscing how stressful it had been throughout the semester.

My grades are doing just fine, he thought within himself as he bounced out of the school premises, " I ain't missing this place," he whispered, chuckling on his way home.

About ten minutes after leaving the school, he got to the front of his house. Before pushing the door open, he checked his phone for any expected messages. Unfortunately, there were none. He then threw his phone back into his pocket and pushed the door open.

On entering his house,

"I'm home!", he shouted, flinging his bag onto the couch.

"Welcomeeeee!" his little sister, who started running from upstairs on hearing his voice, yelled back. She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

"Jane, where's mom?" Walter asked as he reluctantly wrapped his arms around her just before wriggling himself out of hers.

"Mom was on a call on my way down," she replied.

"What about her husband?" Walter inquired.

"He's not back from work yet," Jane said, as she started looking through Walter's bag.

" Haven't I told you numerous times not to go through my stuff?" Walter said, heading for the stairs. Suddenly, his phone began ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket to check who it was. The words on his screen were 'Coco pops' with the heart emoji behind.

"Uhmm, can you give mom my report card, please?" he requested as he hurriedly placed the phone to his ear on his way out.

"You know we're meant to visit the hospital by 7pm, right? Don't go far," she responded reminding him.

Standing at the entrance of the house, he yelled for everyone to hear, "I want a new phone for my birthday!" After which he slammed the door at Jane who stood there, at the center of the parlor, staring in confusion, wondering why he was in such a hurry.

While he stood in the corridor, "I've been waiting for your call, where are you?" He asked while carefully looking out for anyone coming.

He lowered his voice and asked again, "where are you?"

Her voice was shaky as she spoke in a low tone, a sign that she was scared, too,

"I'm in front of the coffee shop in my car, hurry!"

Immediately, Walter took to his heels, looking left and right to check if he was being watched or followed. The silence of the neighborhood and the loneliness of the road were the perfect recipe for a clean escape.

He walked, but when he remembered his step dad would soon return from work, he began running. A few minutes later, he arrived at the coffee shop. He was squinting his eyes as he searched through the cars parked at the parking lot looking for her's.

"There it is!"

He walked over quickly, still being cautious of who was watching. On getting there, he gently knocked on the tinted front glass to see if she was there.

"Get in!" Nicole exclaimed as she rolled down the window, gesturing with her hands for him to get in through the other side. She wore a pair of shades that hid her very dark eyes and a face cap to conceal her hair.

Walter opened the door and hopped in,

"That is a terrible disguise," he commented while fastening his seat belt.

"Mom has probably found out that I'm not in my room and must be looking for me already." Nicole said, as she turned back in preparation to reverse the car from the parking lot, her voice carrying the tone of urgency.

"You don't drive often, do you?" He asked as they both made eye contact in a minute of awkward silence.

"Why do you ask?" She asked as she slowly tucked the strands of her hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear, whilst maintaining eye contact.

"Because you keep looking back instead of using the rear." He responded, making both of them break their undiluted gaze and back into jovial moods.

"You can't even drive," she replied, while giving a friendly tap on his shoulder causing them both to laugh.