The Path

I got out of my bed and walked to the living room with my eyes barely open. I immediately lay on the couch, and tried to get some more sleep. But I knew that my mom would yell at me any second if I continued to lay in this position, so I forced myself upright and tried to get some sleep in this position. For all I knew, I wasn't totally sleeping,since I wasn't laying down. I felt like I was on airplane with nothing to do, but sleep while sitting in a totally worn-down economy class cabin seat... except it was a couch. I heard my mom humming a tune that I didn't really know, and came over to place two waffles and some cereal on the coffee table. She told me to eat quickly, since I had a test to take at school. I stared at the food, and then looked directly in front of my periphery. The TV was on, and there was the news. There were so many intense headlines lately, besides the Royal Wedding, which isn't really exciting. A serial killer on the loose, significant number of tornadoes in the south, the rising gas prices, and Libya's anarchy. The news anchors were different. They didn't look professional; didn't sound professional. For all I knew, it was the weekend. Everything felt different compared to the weekdays. More calm, more quiet, more mellow.

I put on my most comfortable clothes, applied deodorant, wore my accessories, grabbed my bag, put on gel, and headed out. As soon as I went outside, the silence hushed into my ears, like you're alone in a closet. All I could hear were the chirping birds hiding atop the trees, winding their spring. Cars occasionally cruised by the road, amidst the closed stores and restaurants. Most of the people walked slower than usual; it was no usual New Yorker walk. They were walking their dogs, sitting on benches, and the like. I continued to walk to school in the peaceful little neighborhood.

I arrived at school and prepared to take the test. Classmates looked just as tired as I was, barely able to speak to one other. They sat like deep-sea water creatures, waiting for their prey. A girl who was sitting next to me told me that she saw me walking in the park with my mom several weeks ago without saying hi.
"I just went right by you." I didn't know what to say. But not replying was awkward so I forced myself to reply.
"Wow, that's weird. I didn't even notice. Let's just say that next time we see each other, we say hi." I knew this was a forced way of saying this, and she knew, but it was a must.
"Will you promise me, Sean, that you will most definitely say hi to me when we see each other in the middle of the park again?"
"Yes, definitely."
We ended the conversation immediately as the test began about ten minutes later than its expected time.

The test ended four hours later. I put my pencils and calculator in my bag as I started to head out of the school. Most friends were talking with each other, but I had no reason to. I headed outside and said bye to my friends as I left for home. Everything felt more alive now. Compared to the morning, everyone seemed to have woken up and decided to walk around for a little stroll. This time, attractive teenage girls were walking together like Sex and the City, couples were aimlessly walking and cuddling with each other, some people were walking their dogs, on their phone, drinking coffee, listening to their music, chilling. More cars passed by the street, the bustling cityscape felt alive. I headed home while listening to my music.

In the afternoon of the same day, my mom and I walked around the neighborhood. We walked along the sidewalk, and into the park. We coincidentally walked along the path where the girl told me where she saw me with my mom. I was expecting to see her right on this path, but it didn't seem so. But it was the same scenario; I was with my mom and was walking on this same path. Tourists were aimlessly walking, locals were chit-chatting with other locals, and teenagers lay down on the grass with their friends. The girl wasn't there.