The breeze gave such a calming touch Dwight's focus was kept towards the window as muffled music was heard. Every minute passed made any lurking issue feel less important. Voices of constant demands soon faded into oblivion. Moments of pure tranquility settle in pushing away voices belonging to numerous individuals. Nothing came across as bothersome until a sudden nudge broke Dwight from his daze, no longer concentrating as he glanced over at Oliver's direction.
Over the course of a couple minutes, Oliver played three different songs at full blast. The powerful vibrations throughout caused the car to shake, with the speakers itself barely managing to keep up with each song. The music was not any trouble but things became a different story when Oliver began to sing along halfway. Dwight felt awkward initially, however, reaching song number five he became slightly amused and started jamming out himself.
Going a couple more minutes, Oliver's hyperactive attitude shifts, lowering the volume on his car's stereo, he starts taking things more seriously. "Alright, enough of our randomness. Time for us to be serious. No more beating around the bush." Oliver says. Dwight's smile quickly faded and his expression shifted from enjoyment to irritation. "Look, Oliver, I know you want what's best for me but I have trouble believing this Job will be the right option."
Further discussion, Oliver noticeably looked disappointed. Expecting a more effective reason. "Dwight, that type of mindset is usually right if the person saying it has other options. Considering how many times we spoke about this seems to come from someone doubting themselves rather than taking risks head on." Oliver stated.
Dwight had noticeably taken his words personally and was almost defensive. "What are you even trying to prove, Oliver? Do you really believe judging everything I do is considered helping, because news flash it is not."
"No Dwight, that isn't what I am trying to do at all. You are misinterpreting what I am trying to say." Oliver responds, choosing his words carefully.
"Oh, I feel like you said it perfectly. Ya know, you always been one to nitpick and I never knew why. It's like you get some type of thrill out of picking me apart." Dwight says, clearly heated every minute passed.
"Listen, I am only worried about you man. You know how I am. We have been through so much together and seen more than maybe we should. I have no reason to belittle you. There is no personal gain being provided or should be involved between us, I am only speaking what comes up."
Dwight distances himself entirely. quietly looking away his gaze fixated on the passenger side window anticipating this kind of reaction. Oliver could only sigh, yearning for anything to break through his silence.
"Stay upset with me if that helps, Dwight. I precisely want you to know in our three-year long friendship, never once I thought you were incapable of doing anything with your life," Oliver expressed even though Dwight was not budging and normally takes longer opening up after subtle arguments.
"Fine, stay mad. Just start finding your own path before it's too late," Oliver states, leaving their conversation on that message. They barely exchanged any words and mostly kept to themselves. Oliver adjusts the volume on his radio using music as a last resort to break any silence.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the broadcastΒ "Today, we interrupt this program to give some breaking news. Recently, there have been many reports about sightings of mysterious unknown figures lurking around in the dark, causing issues for many. We advise everyone to stay safe when going out and locking your doors at all costs. We are all hoping to get this matter resolved, very soon."
Music started playing a few seconds after the unexpected broadcast ended like nothing happened. Neither Dwight or Oliver really paid attention, due to their own personal issues any problems around were brushed aside without much worry.
Reaching Nemsis street they had enough alone time and decided to talk again ignoring their earlier disagreement entirely. Noticeably tension remained however both of them were not up for back and forth banter.
A few minutes later Oliver became familiar with his surroundings which gave him insight into how many blocks were left. Before turning into an intersection Oliver coincidentally spots a friend of theirs named 'Frederick Martella' standing near the main bridge. Below him were sights of clear crystal water, cars traveling alongside pedestrians and a sense of peace knowing all it would take was one choice. Oliver watches with an uneasy feeling and decides to pull over.
Immediately Dwight noticed Fred wasn't alone seeing that his parents were apparently dealing with some car issues a couple feet away. Oliver calculated how far within distance Fred was from the school including how much time before security no longer allowed people inside.
Despite their tight schedule he decides to park his car and offer a helping hand. Dwight, feeling all kinds of emotions, tries reminding Oliver about them desperately needing to be at school in less than half an hour.
"Don't worry pal, I understand. Trust me it will take about five minutes tops. Listen, If I take longer than that you can honk at me." Oliver says shutting the door behind him right before Dwight is able to speak up.
"WOW! THANKS ALOT OLIVER. IT'S NOT LIKE WE GOT TIME HANGING BY THE BALLS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, WHO CARES? WHY NOT JUST STRETCH OUR TIME EVEN FURTHER!" Dwight yells out, rubbing his forehead in frustration, watching time be held by a thread.
Oliver approaches Fred with a smile on his face, giving a super energetic and polite greeting. "Hey, Fred. It's me, Oliver. What's up broski. How are you doing this fine morning?"
Fred is unsurprisingly startled by Oliver's unexpected disruption, which causes him to backs away from the edge.
At the same time, Fred's parents, who are working on fixing their car trouble, overheard Oliver's voice and turned around. Their mood immediately shifted from stressed out to a pleased smile. Misses Martella walked up and greeted him with a hug.
"Oh, Oliver, Hi, what a surprise to see you here. How are you doing?" Misses Martella asked.
Oliver continued, adding to the conversation like he normally would as Dwight frequently looks at the time on his phone and then back to Oliver.
"Hello Oliver, how's your day going? Hope treating you better than our morning." Mister Martella jokingly commented.
They chatted among themselves, catching up and asking about their well being as Fred watched from a distance.
After backing away, Fred looked at his mom and dad, who were speaking with Oliver or working on the car. From how no one reacted to him being on the edge of the bridge, it made him believe they had not noticed at all.
Taking the chance, he looked at the edge of the bridge to see how far the distance between him and the water below was. Soon as the realization struck him, Freds eyes widened and his fear that officially set in skyrocketed. He tried to back away, accidentally stepping onto the street.
Without him noticing, a car was approaching. The driver instantly honked, which startled Fred, causing him to stumble back onto the sidewalk. His parents, including Oliver, looked back in shock at what occurred.
"Watch where the fuck you are going ya lil twerp!" The driver yelled from out the window.
Fred's face broke out in cold sweats. Realizing this, Miss Martella went over and made sure her son was alright by consoling him. At the same time, dropping his tools, Mister Martella approached, patted his son's shoulder, and gently reminded him to be careful. Regardless, they comfort him in the manner of loving parents would.
Dwight scoffs as he observes them through the car window and turns away carelessly, although he does exhibit a tiny noticeable sadness after looking. All of sudden, he's caught off guard by a vibration in his pants. He checks his pockets and sees a notification from his friend Jaliene.
'Good morning!' said the first message. He scrolled down to the next message that read. 'I am checking in again once more to know if you will be coming to school. Please message me if anything comes up, and if you are unable to do so, I will attempt to fill the blanks today. Best wishes and stay safe, Dawko. Later!'
The little nicknames she always gave him made Dwight smile and roll his eyes. He typed back a whole response. Before pressing send, Dwight repeated the message in his head, making sure it was perfect enough. For a good few minutes he struggles with what to say or whether to call her, which makes him flustered.
While struggling, Mister Martella opens up his driver side door. He pulls out his cellphone and notices time is passing by faster than expected. Miss Martella, noticeably worried about Fred becoming late for school, gives Oliver an idea.
Suddenly multiple honks caught their attention turning around. It was obviously Dwight getting impatient. "HEY, WE NEED TO START HEADING OUT! WE GOT LESS THAN TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE THE FIRST BELL!"
Oliver realizes this and snaps into full serious mode figuring what he can do. Fred goes towards Dwight and decides to make subtle conversations hoping to cheer him up.
"Hey Dwight, did you get my message earlier? I tried not to send too much if you were busy. Hope there was no trouble with getting here or caused by something I engaged in. Did I do something wrong? Am I talking too much? I am sorry If I am."
Amusement formed all over Dwight's face hearing Fred's spiel. He attempts to reassure Fred about any concerns and pushes aside his eagerness for a chat. Oliver, being so determined, doesn't give up, sweat trickles down his face and time becomes increasingly limited. Looking over, he sees them both talking and gives a proud smile which in return helps boost his own motivation.
While a couple of topics were brought up, one that stood out was Fred's willingness to question Dwight's mental health. It wasn't unordinary but how young they were made it difficult to explain without confusing or bringing their mood down before exam day could finish the job.
"There is barely anything going on but lately it feels like there is too much happening at the same time. Somedays I feel motivated but other times it feels like I need to pick failure just to not deal with the responsibility." Dwight says. He acknowledges how jumbled his words sound. Expecting not much of a response back he didn't expect to be left astounded as Fred starts speaking.
"I understand completely, ever since, things have been feeling overwhelmingly faster and sometimes it's hard to catch up mentally. Some days feel easier than others and when life becomes too extreme we decide giving up is our safest option. I want you to understand that feeling this way is natural and overtime we know whatever happens, whether life separates us or others move on in life we will never forget how we started and what pushed us on believing and hoping for a better day. So I say again I understand completely, maybe even in more ways than one."
Dwight felt more comfortable expressing himself to Fred. They had a personal conversation which became the main priority to help them grow their bond. After what seemed like a meaningful conversation between friends Fred looked noticeably guilty. Dwight realizes this and tries to repay the favor by asking about their mental health. Before any word was exchanged Oliver came running up.
"Alright boys we're heading out, Hop in Fred."
Dwight is confused at first by Oliver's sudden boost of energy; he backtracks his train of thoughts when it abruptly hits him, remembering the reason for being there. Without hesitation Dwight put his seatbelt on hearing it click while Fred looked baffled and worried.
"Oliver, wait a minute, what are you talking about? I can't just leave my parents here." Fred said.
"I will say this quickly because we barely have enough time and need to be at school inβ" Oliver looks at his watch, and opens the door. "Exactly fifteen minutes, including extended time if we are lucky to get that, which I believe we might due to it being an exam day." Oliver swiftly responds.
In a fast motion, Fred practically threw himself and his bag into the back seat. He adjusts himself into a comfortable position on the seat and sees his parents still fixing the car.
"Wait Oliver, how about my parents? How will they feel about me randomly leaving?" Fred says, placing a palm onto the rear glass. "Maybe I should stay. That might be a better option than leaving them on their own."
Fred grabs his bookbag and tries leaving, but feels the car door doesn't unlock. In response, Oliver speaks.
"Nothing to worry Freddy, I talked it over with your parents and they agreed that getting a ride from us is way better than missing an exam and failing due to car troubles." Oliver responds, pulling out of parking and speeding towards an intersection as soon as the light turns green.
Suddenly, another car was coming at full speed. He quickly slams on the brake pedals as other cars do the same, barely avoiding collision. Everyone appeared startled, pedestrians taking a stroll outside were eyewitnesses of what occurred, multiple drivers from out their windows shouted vulgar terms causing Dwight in response to cover Fred's ears. An issue brought up halfway was no one being able to catch the drivers face due to their tinted windows. In complete silence Fred observes the car pull away catching a glimpse of the license plate which makes his heart skip a beat.
Oliver drives off, waving a final bye to Mister and Misses Martella. Fred nervously taps his fingers repeatedly against the door which caught Dwight's attention. He tries reassuring Fred, promising no more road rage ahead. In return Fred's response with a faint smile obviously showing how visibly concerned he still felt.
A few minutes later, Oliver parked his car a couple blocks away due to limited parking. The remaining lines of students entered one by one while security guards checked through bags and school ID's. Dwight practically flung himself right out of the car when he heard the passenger door click open. Oliver and Fred followed behind, running as fast as they could trying to beat the final bell. Dwight couldn't believe it, he was so close but yet so far. Reaching the front door they were stopped by a security guard midway. All hope slowly fading. The last thing needed after such a start to the morning was some guard practically blocking them and going off a little rant which felt rehearsed.
"Hold up, you three. Do you not see the time?" The guard said strictly, "From how old you guys look I expect the rules should have been set in stone. Come late and face the consequences."
Dwight had no idea how to explain himself without sounding like he was giving a typical excuse. Before things could escalate any further a younger looking woman wearing glasses and holding a clipboard walks by.
"There you three went, I have been looking everywhere for you guys." The young woman approached, making sure the guard heard her clearly.
Dwight and Fred quietly faced each other, confused by what they were hearing.
"My apologies for the inconvenience, Mister Malcom. I had these boys come help me with some things before the exam started. I guess time just went by faster than I originally expected." The young woman claimed, sounding very convincing. Dwight glanced over at Oliver who was smiling throughout.
"Well thank you for clearing things up Jane. I'll let this one slide, but remember 'principal Higgins' doesn't like tardiness, especially with new employees. Be a little more cautious and no issues will evolve. Are we clear Miss Hernandez?" Mister Malcolm says in a formal manner. In response she politely nodded, accepting his words of improvement.
"Alright, glad we have an understanding Jane. Take these boys up to their scheduled classes, exams should be starting by now." Malcolm says going towards his seat, keeping an eye on the front entrance.
A huge sense of relief rushes past Dwight knowing how lucky he is in that moment.
Making their way upstairs, no one spoke a word. Fred tugs on Dwight's shirt to catch his attention. Both were clearly baffled about the entire thing; why would someone like Miss Hernandez lie for them.
Arriving on the fourth floor they spent a minute contemplating who should start up a conversation. From past experience Dwight often struggled including Fred who's still kinda new with his surroundings. However, for Oliver, being the purest was a whole different story.
"Hello excuse me miss. My name is Oliver. I just wanted to say thank you for being such help to me and my buddies back there. It really means a lot." Oliver expressed.
Miss Hernandez continued walking and responded peacefully. "Oh, don't mention it. That wasn't anything special, I never liked being marked late either during high school especially on important days like today."
Before heading towards the assigned exam rooms she abruptly stopped moving midway. Dwight stands behind, nudging Oliver slightly believing he must have said something wrong.
"I just have one question for all three of you." Miss Hernandez asked. Dwight felt a sudden chill run down his back feeling afraid of what those words implied.
A Second later Oliver responded by smiling, keeping everything still on a positive note. "Sure, go ahead. I promise whatever you ask us we will make sure to answer without any problems, right guys." Oliver asks, looking over and nudging Dwight back in response.
Awkwardness between everyone is noticeable including a sense of discomfort. Fred nods his head leading to everyone else looking at Dwight waiting for an answer. Questioning what to say next, Dwight watches Fred and Oliver's facial expressions pretty much give the response they were expecting.
"Uh yeah, we promise, just like he said." Dwight responds sounding unenthusiastic. A handful of minutes have already passed causing him to feel a sudden rush of anger to run through his blood.
"πΎπππ ππππππ π° ππππ ππ πππππππ? π°π'π πΆπππππ πππ ππππππππ , πππ ππ. πΎππ ππππππ π° ππππ πππππππππ ππ πππππ ππππ πππππππ ππ ππ πππππ πππ ππππ ππ πππ πππππ πππππ." Dwight thought to himself.
All of a sudden, Miss Hernandez changed her entire demeanor, speaking in a louder tone and more stern. "I need to know truthfully that you boys didn't come late on an exam day because of something stupid, correct?"
Knowing how the truth would sound Dwight pondered believing it would only cause unneeded issues. Just when it seemed like things might take a turn for the worse Oliver stepped in and spoke for everyone.
"Definitely not Miss, there were just a few setbacks arriving today but usually we are better at managing our time. I do wanna say we appreciate what you have done and promise you don't have to worry about us causing trouble in the slightest. Maybe this isn't the greatest first impression but who truly knows how it would be later on with or without a good impression? So no matter what, leave it to us Miss." Oliver then reassures Miss Hernandez with a bright smile and a thumbs up.
A common trait Oliver had was how well spoken and put together he presented himself that was unlike anyone else, this time was no different. Miss Hernandez's tone shifted and her smile returned, lightening her words with a more relaxed and genuine attitude.
"Thank you for being very mature, I appreciate that very much. Lastly, I just wanna wish you all good luck in your exam today."
Dwight could not rally under it but it felt strange to him seeing how reasonable Miss Hernandez was being. He wasn't someone who thought teachers were people without feelings but something about this woman made him feel different. Oliver and Fred continued speaking with her. Dwight considered staying back, not really interested in speaking.
Suddenly, Miss Hernandez looked up, and noticed the clock. "Oops, I almost forgot. You three need to start heading to class, come along boys!" She responds.
Dwight let out a sigh of relief knowing they are free until Oliver randomly asked one last question.
"Hey miss, I know there is limited time but may I ask what your name is again?" Oliver asked. Dwight, lost with words, stares at Oliver shocked and annoyed knowing they can likewise still make it to class at a somewhat reasonable time before they are marked more late.
Miss Hernandez randomly turned around showing her bright smile. "I am one of the new counselors. I would hopefully be seeing you guys around some time. The name I expect you guys to call me is Miss Hernandez but if you want to know, my full name is 'Jane Pearl Hernandez' It has been a pleasure meeting you."