Through The Static

Something

Uno, dos, tres, quatro!

Ah yes. My alarm. Most people probably use a catchy pop song or maybe some classic rock for their alarm clock. I use a meme song. Sometimes I feel like you're the only one who understands me funni Mexican Mario cat. I sit up in my bed and reach for my phone. I turn it off, because as much as I love listening to it, I don't want to wake my parents up. See, I usually get up really early on weekends, around 6 actually, and considering mom and dad weren't home by the time I went to sleep, they're probably exhausted.

Good thing I showered yesterday. I get out of bed and slip on some clean clothes before grabbing my hoodie, because like I said before, I'm that one idiot who wears a hoodie in the middle of summer.

I peek into Jesse's room to see if he's up. He's not there, but I already know where he is. He's probably at work.

I go ahead and make myself some coffee. What to do today. I should probably go check the mail. I know mom and dad haven't been checking, and there's no way in hell that Jesse's been checking. I grab my keys, down my coffee after it cools off a little, and head outside.

I probably should mention that I live in an apartment. That seems like an important detail. I don't know the exact kind of apartment we live in, at least not the name. We don't live in one of those apartments that kind of remind you of one of those parking lot tower things or the kind of apartment that looked like a recreational area. No, we live in the ones you see in the city, the kind Peter Parker lived in. There was a playground right across the street and that's where the PO boxes/locker things are, which in my opinion was actually kinda genius. Well, genius if you had rowdy kids anyway. See, if your kids are up and wreaking havoc, you can just take them to the park and you can check your mail at the same time. Two birds with one stone. But I'm rambling again, aren't I?

I put my headphones on so I can listen to some tunes while I walk, but in reality it was just so that I wouldn't have to talk to anyone I run into. Not like anyone would want to talk to me in the first place. Truth is, the headphones I'm wearing right now don't work for shit. I have two pairs, one that works, and one that I put on to listen to the world. They don't even block out sound somehow. The walk to the PO box was fairly short, since it was literally right across the street. There were a few kids on the playground, which was surprising considering how early it was. There's a ferret, a raccoon, and lizard. Looks like they're having fun. I turn to the PO box. Now for my favorite part. Key roulette.

See, every resident of the apartment gets a keyring. One key opens their apartment, another opens their PO box, and a few more that no one knows what they go to. Why don't they just label these things? Then again, I probably could've labeled them if it bothered me so much. Anyway, I fumble with my keys, trying each one only to be wrong each time. That's right folks, I'm the most unlucky mongoose you'll ever meet. As I try and fail over and over with my keys, I notice something.

Cinnamon. I can smell cinnamon. It takes me a hot second to realize someone's walking by me, humming a cheery and upbeat melody. I can hear the jingle of keys and I look to my left to see a fox. He looks to be about my age and he's probably about a head taller than me, not that's a huge achievement or something. I'm actually pretty short for my age. His fur is orange, with a white color from the bottom of his muzzle going down his throat. His fur looked pretty soft actually. He looked kinda like how one would draw a fox in a cartoon, except his orange was a little more vibrant. He didn't have the black tip on the end of his tail though. He had a white tail tip that looked kinda like the top of a snowy mountain peak. It was actually really rare to see a fox that had this fur color, despite how iconic the look is. He wore a bright red hoodie, but not a neon kind of bright. He also wore a pair of denim jeans and sneakers. His tail swayed back and forth as he looked through his mail. He's kinda cute. Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope nopity-nope. Don't go crushing on some random guy you just saw Liam.

I quickly turn back to my keys before he can catch me staring. Why does my brain always do this? Every time I see someone remotely interesting, my brain decides to get to work and try to make me feel things about them. Good thing I don't listen to my brain. Still, this felt a little different. Before I can get lost in that smell of cinnamon, I quickly go through my keys and finally find the right one. I grab the mail and walk back home.

As soon as I get inside I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Jeez. Why is my mind still lingering on that fox? Ugh...I need something to distract myself. "Heya Squirt"

"SHIT!" I turn around quickly to see my brother standing next to the door. "Damnit Jesse, you scared me half to death!"

"Sorry not sorry," he replies with a laugh. Probably should've mentioned he likes to mess around with people.

"I thought you were at work," I say, still recovering from that mini heart attack he just gave me.

"Nah, not yet. I was actually just heading out," He says with his classic grin. "So, see any cute girls or guys while you were getting the mail Tiny?~" Ah, of course. See, I'm bi, and it's not really a secret to the rest of my family. Jesse takes full advantage of this and teases me almost every time I go out. "No," I reply as I can feel my face heating up a little. Yes.

"Ooh, someone's blushing!~" Shit. "Heh, don't worry little bro, just messing around with ya. Might as well have fun with ya while you're still here." Oh right. I forgot that I'm going to summer camp today. I'm supposed to be there for a couple of weeks. Guess I AM doing something this summer.