Chapter 4: Gym Class and Everything Else
I woke up and my head hurt a little. Not a lot, just enough to make me groan and lie there for like five minutes, staring at the ceiling. Crimson Fang was on the floor next to my bed, glowing red like it was breathing or something. I don't know why I keep looking at it. I think it's because it's scary but also… cool. Weird, right?
I got up slowly. My socks were wrinkled, and one of them had a hole in the toe. Mom was in the kitchen, making breakfast. She looked tired. She always looks tired in the morning. I got a bowl of cereal. I spilled some milk on the table, like I always do. Mom didn't yell. She just said, "Be careful." I said "okay" and wiped it up, but I didn't clean it properly at first because I was thinking about the sword.
Walking to school, the air smelled like wet grass and trash. Someone had thrown a banana peel on the sidewalk and it looked like it was growing roots. Kenji was at the corner, waiting like he always does. He waved. I waved back. I almost said "hi" properly but didn't. I don't know why.
Gym class was first period. Coach made us run laps. I was already tired from waking up too early. My shoes squeaked on the floor, and my chest hurt a little. Kenji ran past me without saying anything, and it felt weird. He usually yells at me to run faster or makes some joke. Today he didn't.
Then we started basketball. I got the ball first. Kenji guarded me. Normally he teases me the whole time, but today he just… stared. Like really stared. I felt my stomach twist. My hands got sweaty. I dribbled slowly. My feet felt heavy.
I missed my first shot. Kenji clapped a little too loud. "There we go!" he said. Everyone laughed. I laughed too, but my laugh felt fake.
Later, I scored a shot. I didn't even touch Crimson Fang. My legs were sore, my hands sweaty, but I made it. Kenji laughed, but it was short and quick. "Nice one," he said. His eyes didn't match his voice. I smiled anyway because I didn't know what else to do.
After practice, my legs hurt, and my head was kind of throbbing. Kenji slapped me on the back. "Don't let it go to your head," he said. I laughed, but later I kept thinking about it. The words. The look. Was he joking? Or mad? I don't know.
Walking home was slow. I passed the park. The swings creaked in the wind. The smell of wet leaves made my nose tickle. My backpack felt heavy, like it was full of bricks. Crimson Fang hummed faintly in there. I could feel it, like it was alive and waiting for me to notice. I didn't. I just kept walking.
At home, I ate a granola bar and stared out the window at the clouds. Mom asked how school was. I said "fine" because what else do you say? I thought about gym. About Kenji. About the sword. My head still hurt a little.
It's weird. The sword is cool. Powerful. But it makes things hard too. My head hurts, my nose bleeds sometimes. But I like it. I want it.
And Kenji… I don't know. He's acting weird. But maybe it's nothing.