floating | ✓

04| midnight

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you need to breathe. Trust. Let go and see what happens. ”

-Mandy Hale

04| midnight

I look at the page again. The numbers blur into each other and I can’t make sense of anything. It’s a haze.

I renew my focus and try to solve the math problem. I am halfway through, and I know how to solve it. It’s easy. Then something happens. I get lost.

I look at the clock. Two hours down, and it’s 12 o’clock. I still have loads of homework due. I won’t be able to finish it even if I stay awake till three in the morning.

I yawn, push back my chair, and stand up. I stretch and look at my study table. It is a mess. I have jumped from one subject to another hoping I will be focused enough to do some learning. No use.

I throw myself on my bed. Tick-tock, tick-tock. The clock keeps spinning, the time keeps running. I am still lost. I have to do something about it.

I pick up my phone, find the contact I am looking for and hit call. The phone rings, once, twice, thrice.

Then Oliver Carlson answers.

“Heyo!” I say cheerfully, “Whatcha doing?”

Oliver takes several seconds to reply, “Where’d you get my number?”

“Hehe,” I reply, “A magician never reveals their secret.”

I can feel Oliver rolling his eyes from the other side. I smile.

“Go to sleep,” Oliver says and I know he is going to hang up. 

“Really, Oliver. It’s only 12. Who sleeps at 12? Talk to me,” I say.

Oliver makes a sound, like he is really annoyed, “Look, I don’t have time for this, alright? Find someone else for your midnight adventure.”

He hangs up.

Wait, midnight adventure? What does that mean?

I blink. An idea is swirling in my head. I look at the clock again. It’s 5 minutes past midnight. My eyes go wide and I contemplate again. My heart is beating too fast and I can feel the excitement in my body. I haven’t felt like this in a while. This is going to be so much fun.

I stuff my pillows under my covers. I turn off the light and put on my shoes. Thankfully I kept them in my room for my ‘midnight adventure’. Then I open my window. I step out on the roof and climb until I find the tree. I set my hand on the tree and with the other I hold the drainage pipe on the side of the house. Then I set my foot on the wall and slowly, step by step, climb down.

Five minutes of struggling later, I am on the ground. I wipe my sweat with my hoodie and duck down so I can’t be seen from the inside of the house. Then I crawl through the lawn, open the front gate, and run.

My hair is flying in the night air. I have spring in my step. I am free.

I walk all the way to Carlson house. Reaching there, I fish my phone out of my pocket and hit call.