"Could we grab some paper towels or something?" she asked, approaching the teacher's desk and indicating towards the floor. I responded affirmatively, grateful for her quick thinking. She located a stack of paper towels meant for cleaning up spills during biology experiments, which seemed fitting for our current situation. As she attempted to pick up the time-frozen paper towels, I walked over to Jennifer and offered my help. She expressed her frustration with the situation and her eagerness to return to normal life. "This is so annoying," she complained. "I can't wait to be done with this nonsense." With a chuckle, I touched the stack of paper towels, causing them to become tangible once again. She was impressed by the trick and picked up a few of them to clean up the mess with her feet. As she started to speak, I walked over to her. "You know, you're really cute," she said. I responded with a grin, asking, "Is that so?" "Your appearance is just... disarming. You seem like a swee
010She swiftly retrieved a hairbrush from her backpack and spent a moment smoothing out her hair. After returning the brush to her bag, she picked up her pencil from the table and readjusted herself in her seat. When she glanced at the clock, she realized that time had stood still and waited patiently for me to be ready. As I turned back to look at her, she met my gaze with a smile and said, "Take your time." I grinned at Jennifer's playful banter and returned my attention to my own work. As I began to scribble notes on my paper, the sound of pencils scratching against paper filled the room. It was a familiar sound, one that I had grown accustomed to over the years. Jennifer found it amusing and let out a chuckle, but her moment of levity was quickly silenced by a nearby student who shushed her. Jennifer didn't take kindly to being shushed and retorted with a sassy comeback. Despite the mundane task at hand, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment as I concentrated on my w
"Are you feeling okay, Anthony?" Nora curiously asked. "You seem... different."I was taken aback, although pleasantly so. "Different in a bad way?""No," she replied, showing some intrigue, "it's interesting."That's when the fifth and final member of our group, Brandon, spoke up. "Anthony's just becoming a brother like us," he said, referencing the fact that the other three boys in our group were black whereas Nora and I were not."Oh, shut up," she replied, reaching behind Frank to playfully shove his arm."Next thing you know," Brandon went on, "boy's gonna be six-foot-two, two-twenty-five and ripped from head to toe." We all shared a laugh."I'll believe that when I see it," Frank remarked."Same," Nora added with a grin as she looked over at me. I couldn't help but get the sense that she was getting into me. That or she was just messing with me like she usually did.Then, Josh looked down at his wristwatch. "Looks like lunch is over in a couple of minutes.""Aw, damn," Brandon r
As the bus carried us home, I idly watched the sights go by with a content smile on my face. I gazed up at some birds going by and resumed my little game I'd played earlier that morning by freezing them and un-freezing them continuously. But then I wondered what would happen if I'd just kept those birds frozen in the air forever. What would people think? Would the police come to investigate? Then the government shows up to analyze it?Luckily enough, I wasn't a reckless guy like that. I was always thinking a step ahead, weighing the consequences of my actions before I followed through with anything. I wasn't going to do something stupid like freeze a guy walking down the street and keep him that way forever. What would that accomplish for me? Wow, a funny joke? All it would do is put people into a panic. Word gets out; suddenly it's on the news all across the country, all across the world. And then, when I try to freeze time for myself and anyone else ever again, it's only going to ma
When I finally awoke with a weak groan, the first place my sleepy eyes went to was over at the table clock. I was about a half-hour early from when I usually got up, so I figured I might as well start my day and get ready for school while I had plenty of time to spare.Time? Shit—I could've just frozen time, walked across the country and back, and still have a half-hour to get ready for school. That, however, would've taken me years to complete and was probably the stupidest idea I could've ever had anyway. On top of that, the previous night's stroll made me realize it was more fun to be in the real, living world than alone in a stilled land of silence. I wanted to be more responsible with my power and keep its use to a minimum.Responsible, great, I was already becoming an adult thanks to this power.I headed on down the city sidewalk and made my way to the bus—my usual trek at its usual time. I contently breathed in the cool, morning air carrying the taste of sea breeze and sighed h
We spent most of the rest of class just copying down text from the textbooks—my absolute most hated thing to do. I could never fathom why just reading from, or studying the text wasn't good enough. Nevertheless, my high spirits persisted throughout and I charged ahead with hand-copying the pages we were instructed to onto my notebook.Afterward, the teacher was feeling merciful for once so she allowed us to spend the last ten minutes of class chilling out. I decided to make the most out of that time by once again listlessly gazing out the window. While I was thoroughly enjoying myself, however, I felt a quick tap on my shoulder. I uttered a curious hum and turned around to see who had poked me.It was Tamara. One seat back in the adjacent aisle of desks, she was one of the girls I was actually on friendly terms with. Usually, the black girls in school wouldn't even give me the time of day but Tamara was different—and she was super cute to boot."Hey, Anthony," she greeted me with a ti
I knew there was no way I was the only guy in class that stared at her ass jiggle so subtly when she wrote on that whiteboard. She certainly captivated my attention and made the class much more enjoyable.Before I knew it, the bell for lunch rang and everyone eagerly got up out of their seats. The chattering quickly began almost immediately as they made their way out of the room.I joined them and headed out to the hallways when I was suddenly tapped on the back. Keeping my stride, I looked back to see Jordan and Sarah following up on me."So," Jordan spoke up as they walked alongside me, "What's for lunch today?"I shrugged. "Same as usual.""Ohh..., so cafeteria buffet," she said. "I'm surprised you haven't started glowing or grown gills after eating that stuff for so long." I laughed in response. Jordan was an enjoyable person to be around. Her style of humor was always about playfully poking fun at others. Like Nora, she didn't exactly get my juices flowing but she was still a goo
Talia was another one of my Biology classmates—and she was so very pretty. She had long, wavy, sable hair that shined and contrasted beautifully with her fair skin and bright, hazel eyes. To run into her in the hallways was a gigantic coincidence, but it was one that I welcomed just because of how nice it was to be around her."Are you okay?" I quickly asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?""No, no," she replied with a casual wave, "That was totally my fault."I shook my head. "Well, I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going either."She laughed as she combed back her long hair. "Guess it's both of our faults, then."We smiled at each other as we stood there for just a moment. She had this unfaltering, pretty smile on her face that reflected how upbeat and perky she was. She was another part of the reason Biology class was so enjoyable. She was a sweet girl whose beauty was amplified by the exotic nature of her Persian genetic makeup. Although, she sounded and dressed and act