The sound of the alarm clock forced me out of my peaceful slumber and into a groggy haze of wakefulness. My eyes and body felt heavy, reluctant to leave the comfort of my warm bed. For a moment I considered pressing the snooze button to sneak in another five minutes of rest, or I could let the alarm keep screeching on until it was too much to handle. I would smash it to pieces and go back to sleep. Forget about school altogether. For a moment I liked that idea, but the longer I thought about it the further the incessant high pitched beeping dug into my mind. If I don't make myself get up now I'll likely be late for school. I don't like being late to anything if I can help it.
I turned over with a groan and smacked the top of the alarm clock. If I let it go on any longer it would end up waking my dad. The walls of the apartment were so thin you would have to be deaf not to hear someone breathing in the next room. I don't want to wake up Dad earlier that necessary. Work stresses him out enough as it is. With all those short deadlines he has to meet every week, we barely get to see each other. I should let him sleep.
Slowly, I sat up, one hand rubbing the sleep out of my eye. The once warm inner layer of blankets slowly fall exposed to the cold lingering air. No longer able to provide an impenetrable shield against the outside world. I blink, letting my sight focus on the orange and white fuzzy lump sleeping at the foot of my bed.
"Good morning Giz," I said softly. The cat's ear twitched slightly at the sound of his name. He lifted his head and turned toward me, eyes still closed. Gizmo let out a small good morning meow which quickly turned into a long yawn, his tongue curling dramatically. Then, he rolled over onto his back and stretched his paws out in all directions. I could see his body tremble as the veil of sleep swiftly left him.
"I know that feeling," I say with a yawn, my hand barely hovering over my mouth. The cat had already stood up and walked over to me, assuming my raised hand was meant for him. I let my fingers fall onto the top of his head as he looked up. Reaching with his nose, he happily accepted a series of long firm pats from his head all the way to the end of his tail. The sun shone brightly through my window, warming the spot on my bed where my left hand lay. The heat sent a tingling sensation climbing up my arm. Another peaceful morning.
"I'd rather stay here with you all day, Giz, but Larry would kill me if he had to walk to school alone today," I admitted to him. Gizmo nodded in agreement and stepped over me toward the side of my bed. His little paws digging into the meat of my thighs. "Ouch," I protest. Gizmo simply ignored me and hopped down off my bed, landing on the ground nearly soundlessly. "You're such a fat cat." With a displeased shake of my head, I flipped the blankets off my legs and sluggishly hopped out of bed.
"Brrrrrow," Gizmo replied, leaving my room before I could respond.
-
It didn't take much time to get ready. In almost a flash, I was showered, dressed and prepared for the walk to school. A perfectly normal start to another average day. Backpack in tow, I rode the elevator down to the first floor to meet with Larry. It had become a routine since my first day attending the local highschool. I had been to plenty of different schools in the past. For me, being the new kid was more usual than not, but Nockfell High felt like a place I could finally call home.
I stepped into the elevator just outside my front door and casually pressed the button for the first floor. Living in such an old building, it was common for elevator rides to sometimes seem longer than they should, though the elevator in Addison Apartments always looked clean and new thanks to the diligent efforts of Lisa Johnson, the building's resident maintenance woman. I don't particularly enjoy staying in the elevator for longer than necessary. I'd rather get to where I'm going as quickly as I can. Standing around in a silver box for as long as the box wanted to keep you could be a little agitating at times. After a moment had passed I looked at the floor indicator on the wall eager to be on my way.
