The Universe

My legs were unsteady as I walked to her, and I cursed myself beneath words, and my fingers nipped my legs angrily as I staggered towards Stacey.

Her hands were buried behind the pockets of her jacket, propping herself against my locker.

"Stacey." I smiled, urging myself to be still and cool, regardless of her condescending aura.

"I hear you sing." She said, beaming graciously.

"Well, hmmmmm," I hummed. "Yeah, I sing." I replied, regretting how stupidly I hummed.

"Well I've considered your dating proposal Trevor." She merely announced.

I knew her words were condescending, she sounded the part, even looked the part, but it wasn't just fair to make me feel like some desperate philanderer when I'm actually not.

"It's a date?" I asked, trying not to embarrass myself to my high school 'crush'.

"It could be though," Stacey grinned, "if you join our music club." She concluded, clearly observing my countenance and of course it altered, I betrayed an expression of surprise, making Stacey chuckle.

I wasn't going to join a club with Aaron in it; I wasn't going to give him the assailable opportunity to taunt me, not happening!

"Wait what? Music club? I swear down Aaron's the supervisor." I said, trying to maintain a balanced proportion of calmness.

"Not really, he's among the board but nothing to fear, Mr. Smart's the actual supervisor and I'm sure you'd get in, that's if you are as good as they say you are." She sternly said, not disrupting our optical impingement.

They say I am? Who's they? I wondered.

"So what d'you say?" Stacey jolted from the locker, fiddling with her backpack strap.

"I don't know Stace, it's just that..."

Stacey interposed. "I want you to understand that it's totally voluntary, no one is mandating you to join the music club." She starkly said, clearly defending her ego.

"But I don't get to hang out with you, do I?" I asked, feeling the trembling of my pulse build.

"That was my only condition Trevor." She tutted. "I really don't hang out with boys; I think they're a bunch of douche bags." Her eyes slightly widened as she stated her declaration with evident certitude.

"Douche bags?" I repeated with furrowed eyebrows, wondering why she should be so categorical.

"I mean, that's my generic definition, but individually I think there're rational boys." She poked my chest and shrugged her eyebrows.

"Yeah I geddit, so this umm music thingy..."

"Music club." She threw in sternly.

"Music club, sorry, what's it about?" I asked, trying to be a bit serious.

"Well for starts, it's a club that fishes out musical talent and improves it." Her shoulders shrugged as well as her eyebrows.

"Nice to know you sing." I smiled, looking down at the stack of papers I carried on my arched arm.

"Did I say that?" Stacey asked, with a wavering laugh.

"You said; 'our music club', so evidently you're a member." I smiled fleetingly, trying not to be so meddlesome.

Stacey quietly laughed. "Well I guess you're right, I'm a member, again what d'you say?" Her eyes turned intent and they still looked up at me, barely blinking. Her charismatic comportment, I thought admiringly.

"I'd be there for the audition, when is it?" I fought with myself and composure.

"Tomorrow, during recess." A smile shortly assumed her face.

"See you there then." I said, walking slowly towards her, and looking closely at her eyeballs and how her brows furrowed immediately.

"Yes." She looked questioningly at me and darted backwards.

I smiled at her actions and dropped the papers in the locker, snatching my phone and my skateboard.

"Bye Stacey." I waved.

"Bye Trevor." She whispered with what looked like relief.

I turned away and laughed softly.

Did she really think I was going to kiss her? I thought, clutching my skateboard in my hands.

I snickered at the remembrance of her face when I walked towards her; an expression clouded with intense ego-aegis she thinks I'm such a perv, I chuckled again.

Trapped in such a hilarious memory I lost my concentration and accidentally stumbled against someone who seemed to be walking with hastened steps in the hallway.

"Oh sorry, sorry." I said; picking up the books of the fat boy I had collided with.

"It's fine, it's fine, you're Trevor right?" He asked, looking closely at me.

I smiled immediately; at least someone remembers my name.

"Yeah, hi." I erected to my full height, looking down at him with extemporary pride.

I was wondering; if just one recognition can make me feel so ego bloated then what about Aaron that the whole school lauds infinitely at?

"Hey Trevor, I'm Browne." He extended his plump white hand towards me amidst broad smiles.

I cleared my throat, snobbishly receiving his hand and curtly shaking it.

"Browne," I facetiously repeated. "How are you Browne?" I softly asked, rubbing my chin.

"I'm very well." He stood, carrying the books in his arced arm.

I immediately got disenchanted with my unrealistic pomp, I'm among the hoi polloi of Maxwell High, only Aaron and his friends are hierarchically above us, if that's even a thing.

"Sorry about the collision dude." I smiled.

"No it's okay, still in good shape." He tittered and I observed him quickly.

Browne: A fat, white boy with mediocre height and big hair.

"Can I have your phone number Trevor?" Browne asked, carelessly dropping his books to the floor and bringing out his phone from his body-fitting pants.

"Umm, buddy, my phone's bad." I quickly said, scratching my hair whilst smiling.

"Yeah I'd have it." He eagerly said with sheepish smiles.

"Okay, I'd just type it in." I looked at Browne cordially albeit with diminutive contempt as he so minified himself to me.

"Thanks." He forwarded his phone to me.

I quickly inserted my number on his dial pad and gave it back to him.

Browne made a few taps on the phone and smiled.

"I never knew this day would come." He muttured.

I smiled wonderingly and asked. "What day?"

"Hmm," He sighed. "The day I'd have an actual friend." He said lowly, deflecting his head to the ground.

I laughed toothily. "Well you seem nice, Browne."

"I know right, but nobody wants to be my friend, they all think I'm a freak, 'I don't wanna be with nerds nyeh, nyeh, nyeh.' Like I don't even know what myalgic encephalomyelitis is, so how am I a nerd, it's very..."

I scoffingly laughed. "You are not a freak Browne, nor a nerd, you are just an interesting guy people don't realize yet, be you for you and watch people come to you." I beamed, cringing a bit at my words.

"You think so, my friend?" He slowly enunciated.

"I know so my friend, I'd see you tomorrow bro." I patted gently on his shoulder.

"Definitely." He smiled and I turned away.

Skating and stunting to the market square in search of a hardware technician and there was a man; standing beside me in a kiosk, chanting eccentric words to himself, I felt inclined to keep searching because of the evident eccentricity her exuded of but on second thought I reckoned; I've been skating for over twenty minutes and he's the only person I've seen with the probability of being a technician.

"Hey." I softly tapped him.

He opened his eyes, smiled and shut them again.

"Hey." I tapped again, getting impatient.

"Hey!" He shouted, beaming awkwardly. "How can I help you boyo?"

"Boyo?" I snickered at his use of words. "Anyway, can you repair an apple phone?" I asked.

"Mmm, let me see." He stretched his hand to me.

I gave him the phone from my pocket; he took it, made a few examinations and cackled.

I noticed how people gazed at us with a look of disfavor, no they weren't looking at us, they were staring at me; disapproval written all over their faces like they had seen a mad boy foolishly soliloquizing.

"Can you fix it or not?" I asked impatiently.

"It's not about the phone fool! I see through you." He slowly pronounced.

"Weirdo." I muttered, grabbing my phone from his hand and turning away, trying to avoid the eyes that were projected to me.

"You beseech fame Trevor." He laughed again.

I was startled, then surprised, then cloaked in thoughts; how does he know my name? How does he know I want fame?

"Trevor?" I repeated, jolting back to him, "How d'you know I'm Trevor?" I asked, stopping in front of his counter with a bemused expression.

He began chanting again, chanting ridiculous phrases amid laughter.

"You called me Trevor, how did you know I was Trevor?" I stomped my fists on his counter.

"I see through you Stewart." He laughed.

"Okay, then you must know my recent predicament, how do I get out?" I asked with sincere curiosity.

"The Universe is all you need boy." He snickered.

I noticed people were still gazing at me and shaking their heads, mouthing words that expressed pity.

"Okay, okay, okay, tell me more, the universe like our world?" I asked, ignoring the stares from the crowd.

"No idiot, your very own Universe, the Universe you control." He cackled again.

"That's a thing? Everybody gets their own universe? How theoretical." I muttered with a clear hint of disbelief in my voice.

"You do not need an apple phone scum," He began chortling," you need the Universe."

Then it hit me; the old man that stood before me didn't just seem lonely but also mentally deranged, and I engaging him in stupid conversations was just all he needed- a companion.

"Hol'up, firstly I'm not scum, or an idiot or a fool and secondly how do I know you are not a lonely senile old man?" I flared with so much confidence I seemed to be devoid of earlier with Stacey.

"Maybe you're right. I'm a bit senile." He whispered softly, and then guffawed. "But I've got what you want, just ask and you receive." He roared with laughter.

"I need a fucking phone repair mister, now you gonna tell me if you can help or not." I glared angrily at him and noticed how his countenance soon became gradually serious.

"Fine, let me see the phone." He asked soothingly; no laughter.

I tossed it on the counter and he took it in his hand then smashed it, shattered it beyond recognition.

"What the actual fuck was that for?!" I shouted, staring at my phone in surprise and anger.

He smiled and dissolved into laughter again.

I just had this overwhelming impulse to jump over the counter and smash his throat and steal his vocal cords.

"Mister you better have a damn good explanation for ruining my phone." I squalled, glaring disgustedly at him.

"Because you don't need it," He enthusiastically laughed. "I present to you," He said, raising a phone to me "The Universe."

He cackled, pushing the phone to me; a mobile normal apple series eight sized phone with a U emblem at the back.

"Take it." He urged.

"Okay, chill." I took the phone from him; inspecting it. "What do I do with this?"I asked.

"Okay Trevor," His voice became unusually unplayful- his features were blank and his voice was grim. "The Universe is in your hands, like literally in your hands, and as in your hands you control it, it's like any mobile phone except it has an app, the app with the U icon, that's all you need to get what you want, what you have to do is; click on the app, sign in and begin to update your status, update your status with a desperate wish but make sure you save, and after that, boom," He dramatically expressed the 'boom' with his fingers; spreading them widely. "Your wish comes to reality." He cackled again.

And there I was; trying desperately not to laugh, of course it was a lie, nothing of that sort ever happened in the actual world, nothing like that happened in a world harnessed by nature.

"So freaking fictitious man, this shit don't happen." I smirked.

"And I knew your name how?" His brows furrowed. "How would you go to school tomorrow if you have no food?" He laughed noisily.

He didn't lie, they were honest revelations, he was accurate but it still hurt me, I knew I was in a grave dilemma and I didn't want anyone, least of all a creep reminding me.

"You are a weirdo, a very big one." I gnarled irritatedly.

"Be warned Trevor, it does have limitations, it's as dangerous as enticing, don't get too addicted." He thawed into laughter again.

I looked down at my phone despairingly.

"Whatever, can you get my SIM?" I asked, twiddling with 'the Universe'.

"It's exactly where you want it to be." He cackled again.

"I want it in this phone okay, and just so you are clear I am not paying a damn penny for this shit." I whisper-shouted.

"I don't need your money Stewart, and go!" His voice strangely reverberated in my ears. "Everything you need, you have." He chortled loudly as I skated away.

People were evidently avoiding me, looking at me like I was a terrifying ghost. It was weird; when the public all of a sudden begin to segregate from you just after a seemingly business transaction with an eccentric phone technician, or was that what it was- his eccentricity?

"He had probably thought he had seen a fool." I muttered beneath my breath as I skated out of the market.

***

"Where are you coming from Henry?" My father asked as I crossed him in the living room.

"Market." I curtly replied and walked towards my room.

I was extremely exhausted and a bit fulfilled; Stacey had talked to me today and it was just enough to make my day.

I wearily slumped on the bed, going over today's incidents; Aaron and his friends, the most embarrassing incident of today; how I raced left and right just to grab a phone which I didn't even succeed in after all, it was Stacey that caught the phone, Oh Heavens! Her lovely face, her charismatic personality, her noble gait. I really can't wait to see her again.

I jerked from the bed, undressed and hurried to the bathroom, quickly showered and emerged back to my room; donning a faded blue T-shirt and a checkered pair of Bermuda shorts.

I gazed at my new phone that lay on the bed. 'All I need' I remembered his words, quickly I grabbed the phone, discovering my SIM card was actually in it, all my social media handles were signed in, exactly how I had left them in my previous phone, and another thing was the battery percentage- it had none!

That was strange and awkward; it doesn't seem anything like humanly possible or natural yet I didn't want to believe that it had anything to do with wizardly thaumaturgy. My belief wouldn't be altered after sixteen years by a mere super-android phone.

I saw a text from an unknown number- 'Hey Aaron it's me Browne, save the no.'

I smiled and saved his eagerly number, I inwardly liked that he's my latest friend, even though he was kind of nerdish.

The Universe gazed back at me as I stared at it, wondering if I should open it or not, what if it really has the solution to my problems? I reckoned, gently tapping on the icon.

The strange man from the market appeared on the screen- laughing.

"Hmm, he's the programmer." I muttered, tapping the 'next' button- sign up, but it wasn't the usual method, aside the required name the other procedures were odd- Do you promise to use the Universe wisely and not waste your once in a lifetime opportunity? Of course I said yes, eagerly wanting to proceed to the next section. Do you swear to keep the Universe confidential? Again I said yes. Laugh to your screen. I wondered why that would be part of registration, what has anything got to do with my laugh? But out of curiosity I laughed, mimicking the strange man from the market.

Congratulations Trevor you have successfully acquired the Universe! Now update your status...

"All I need to get all I want." I reiterated, even though I didn't wholly believe anything would happen afterwards but for the benefit of doubt I typed- I would wake up to my mother.

I heaved and hibernated the phone, burying myself under the duvet and falling asleep.

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What do you think about this chapter? A bit long, or boring, or short of plot?

Do you think the Universe works? Or it's just a fictitious illusion?