Not Your Normal Kid

This morning, I woke up with my heart racing. I'd had the weirdest dream.

Picture this: a gang of cute anime dolls marching toward me, all smiles and charm. Suddenly, their faces twisted into something out of a horror movie, and they started chasing me, screaming about eating me alive. And then, as if that wasn't enough, she appeared.

I was in a car—a Porsche 911, to be exact—doing stunts on the road like some action hero. Then I saw her. My focus slipped, and bam! I flipped the car ten times. Do you believe that? About the car flipping, I mean. Not about a kid like me driving a Porsche.

Anyway, I woke up with a jolt and accidentally jump-scared my mom in the kitchen. Instead of scolding me, she laughed. Why do parents do that? Get scared one moment and then smile the next like they're watching a comedy show?

After breakfast, I stepped outside for a walk. For the first time, I noticed how green everything around my hometown had become. There were forests surrounding us, and apparently, there's even a big green field near my house. I've lived here for over a year and only now realized it. What the heck?

But then my mom called me back, yelling for me to get ready. Like always, I rushed through everything, and—boom—I was suddenly at my desk in school.

This time, she was there. Back to her "sacred duty" as the hygiene monitor, checking everyone's nails, hair, and whatever else monitors are supposed to inspect. She came to my desk, as heavenly as ever.

I wanted to praise her—tell her she looked amazing—but then I remembered my mom's another golden rule: "Don't say weird things to girls." So I kept quiet. She checked my nails, asked some nerdy question, and moved on. It felt like a tornado of perfection had passed through my life.

That's when I summoned my "Einstein of the Era"—Nitesh, the chatterbox. I've come to think of him as my personal information gatherer. After some incoherent rambling, he finally spilled the tea: she didn't come to school on the first day of the new grade because she "didn't feel like it."

What? Didn't feel like it? She's an honor student! This school needs her. The students need her. I need her. What do you mean she didn't feel like coming?

Anyway, school ended, and this time, something extraordinary happened. She said goodbye to me. Goodbye! No one ever says goodbye to me, let alone someone like her. I was so happy I felt like I was flying.

Before I knew it, I was back home in the living room, a plate of snacks in one hand and my little brother by my side. Honestly, I kind of like the little guy. He's small, and I can kick his butt anytime I want or try out my weird experiments on him without anyone complaining because, well, he's my brother.

We were watching Pokemon on TV, like we do every day. At first, we didn't understand a thing, but over time, we became experts.

Dad came home later with sweets. Usually, I'm not big on dad-stuff. Men don't really do the whole emotional connection thing, you know? But when he brings home something for us, I gladly take it. No complaints there.

After dinner, I went to bed and started thinking about her. That goodbye she gave me—it was the first time anyone had ever done that. Was this real? Was I dreaming again? I didn't even realize when I fell asleep, but I was still smiling when I did.