• #2- Awake

    "Ayumi..."
    "Ayumi..."
    "Ayum!! Wake up!"
    My eyes snapped open. I blinked twice. What happened? Was that just a dream?
    Suddenly I remembered. School. I was at school. I rose my head off my desk quickly, looking up onto the face my math Sensei (teacher), standing beside my desk with her arms crossed, tapping her feet impatiently on the ground. She had a 'you-are-in-so-much-trouble-young-lady' expression on her annoyed face.
    The classroom was as silent as the grave, all staring at me awkwardly. My face went bright red. This was the first time I had fallen asleep in class. In fact, it was the first time anyone had fallen asleep in class.
    "S-sorry... Sensei" I stammered softly, looking like a dork. I heard a few boys seated in the back row whisper and snicker to themselves.
    She stopped tapping her feet and spoke.
    "Ayumi, you have never been like this in my class before," she said, a little more calmly, "I'll let you slide off without detention for just this single time."
    I smiled with embarrassment at her, biting my lip.
    "But if this ever happens again," she continued, sternly, "I'll have you take your punishment of detention and a call to your parents."
    I nodded quickly at her just as the end of school bell rang, echoing through the school. The awkward silence was quickly penetrated with the sound of books closing and chairs scraping the ground as the grade 12 math class got up from their seats to head home.
    I picked up the pile of math books and pencils on my desk, stuffing them into my book bag, carefully. I brushed down my skirt. It had been wrinkled from my sleeping position.
    I rose from my chair, picking up my book bag and headed out of the classroom.
    I thought of my dream as I walked out of the school, onto the courtyard pavement. It felt so real, so vibrant. I felt almost scared I would have the same dream again tonight. I didn't want to think about that.
    The sun was shining so bright and hot. It was the middle of July, almost summer vacation. I couldn't wait to get home and turn on the air conditioning as the suns heat was scorching my body. I decided just to forget the dream. It was probably just a random spasm of my mind.
    I got to a street curb and suddenly I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me.
    "Ayumi-chan!"
    I turned around, seeing one of my friends running towards me, waving her arm excitedly in the air at me.
    "Ah! Misaki-san!" I called to her, waving back.
    She stopped in front of me, trying to fix her messed up long black hair. She used her hand as a comb and brushed it through the tangled areas.
    "Is it better?" she asked me, pointing at her hair. I nodded, rolling my eyes playfully.
    "I wish I had your short brown hair, Ayumi-chan," she sighed as we continued walking home together, "It seems so easy to take care of."
    I giggled. Misaki-san was my friend since grade school. She was always extremely conscious about her hair. Day after day she would complain about how messy it was. My other friends and I loved her anyway. She was the mad box of all of my friends.
    "Your hair is too nice, Misaki-san," I said, "I'd be happy to trade."
    "Lets!" she yipped, pulling a strand of my hair gently.
    I brushed her hand aside, grinning, and we both laughed together.