Beyond Control

01

Date: December 3, 20XX (18 years later)

-------------------------------------

I sat silently during my free period, typing an essay for my English class. Most people would be hanging out with their friends or doing anything else, but I had devoted myself to staying on top of my work. Glancing around me, only a couple of other students were in the library, working diligently.

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair and contemplated how to continue the essay. It certainly wasn't something I was interested in, it being Rilandian Literature. At that moment, I gazed outside and admired the sky. White, puffy clouds filled only a small portion of the deep blue sky, making me wish I could be out of the confinement of this building.

I had to be devoted to studying. My dream was to get into the top university this country had to offer, and it was my parents' dream too. I had yet to decide what I wanted to major in, however. Maybe a teacher? Maybe something in business? Maybe a-

Whack!

My thoughts were interrupted by something solid hitting me in the side of the head. I looked at what hit me, and on the ground beside my desk was a plastic water bottle. Looking around to see who decided to throw something at me, a familiar face appeared. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Xavian, what are you doing here?"

He threw up his arms and looked offended, but his personality told me he was only messing around. Xavian took a few steps forward.

"What? Am I not allowed to come visit you, Eli?"

He sat down next to me as I cleared my throat and spoke with a slight smirk on my lips. "You never bother to come to the library, nor do you care much about your studies. So why are you here? To bother me?"

Xavian didn't seem to know what to say, but before he could speak, I began to laugh, catching him by surprise. "Don't take me so seriously. I know we don't have much in common, but we're still best friends. You're athletic, I'm not. I focus on my work, and you don't. It's how it's always been since day one, right?"

His demeanor shifted to where he was more relaxed. He sighed and shook his head. "I can never tell with you sometimes. Anyway, what are you working on? You seemed to be deep in thought when I walked in."

"Oh, just this literature essay."

"How's that going?"

I shrugged and ruffled my hair to fix it after seeing myself in the reflection of my computer. "Fine, I guess. It's nothing interesting, though. What's up with you?"

"Man, I'm exhausted," Xavian said, drawing out his words. He rested his head in his hand. "Baseball's been a lot. I don't know if you've been paying attention, but we haven't been doing great this season, so the coach has been on our ass."

"Ah, I understand," I answered. "Just hang in there. I'm sure the team can turn it around soon."

Xavian shook his head. "I hope so. The season started about a month ago, so there's still time to fix our weak points."

The bell suddenly rang, signaling the end of the seventh period, and having one more to go. I started to pack my things into my backpack. "Well, I'll see you after school, then. Do you have any plans?"

He shook his head. "No, but I'm probably going to rest at home. My mom's probably cooking dinner, though. Wanna come over?"

A small smile formed across my lips. It had been a while since we last hung out outside of school. With my studies and his athletic schedule, we didn't have much time for each other anymore after the school year started in August.