Eustace

Eustace walked into school head down, hood up, eyes half open. A hint of red circled his eyes. No time to go to his locker, must go straight to gym class. He walked into the gymnasium and threw his tattered backpack under the bleachers. He fell like a sack into a chair against the wall right when the bell rang.

Eustace was in a well-earned half-asleep stupor. This was his third night of only getting six hours of sleep. He didn’t have time to make coffee this morning. He only had a bowl of cereal and a cigarette on the way to school. He could feel the beginnings of a headache at his temples.

“If you’re not participating in gym see me, everyone else, go change,” said the gym teacher.

That teacher looked so healthy and full of energy. It was heard in his voice. It sounds like he got a full nine hours of sleep last night and went for a run this morning. He probably had a caring wife that made him eggs benedict for breakfast. He didn’t really drink coffee though. He preferred to live his life drug-free. He sneaked a cup here-and-there and on Saturdays. All of his kids had A’s in elementary school. He had an above ground pool in his back yard. They had families over for dinner on Fridays. They would play board games and drink wine until two bottles were empty. Right after the guests left were the nights he got lucky with the wife. That’s how surprises like little Anna came along.

“Eustace. Eustace!”

His eyes cracked to see the gym teacher standing over him.

“Are you participating today?” the gym teacher asked.

“Naw,” Replied Eustace.

“Then go sit over on the bleachers.”

Eustace groaned internally while getting up. He could see the kids filtering out of the locker room. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. The gymnasium turned blurry. His nose started to run and he wiped it with his sleeve. He thought of all the classes he had to sit through today and it brought a headache on full-force.

Eustace squinted. Through his eyes he could see a pretty girl talking in her circle of friends. The blur was still in his eyes from when he rubbed his face, and he found himself unable to stop yawning. When he closed his eyes he could see her clearer. In fact, she was right in front of him. He studied every contour of her face. Every perfection. Every imperfection. He liked the imperfections more, because he was the one that knew them. They are what made her his. Eustace smiled, then she smirked and looked down. Eustace touched her hand ever so softly, and she looked up. He bent down, and softly kissed the tip of her nose. They embraced. He could feel her body press up against his. Her head fit right under Eustace’s chin. He breathed in deep the smell of her hair.

The bell woke him up.