Huh? Where's Derrick? Normally he's still sleeping around this time, but I don't see him on the couch. I guess he could be sleeping in my room again (he likes to do that sometimes), but when I go upstairs to check—nothing! Where could he be? There's no way he actually went outside at this time of day, right? But when I look down on the hall's floor, I notice his shoes are missing. Well fuck me, this guy actually went out to get some daylight in his system. Took him a while though. Usually, he only steps a foot outside when it's already dark out. I wonder what he could be doing. Maybe he's at the park close to school. I like going there sometimes. It's pretty calming, especially after a rough day at school. Every time I go there, there's this small group of ducks that come to me 'cause they know I always give them something to munch on. One day, it's some leftover bread I didn't get to finish during lunch, other times I go out of my way to buy them something from the store, like some bananas. They love bananas, maybe I'll go buy some tomorrow after school and go to the park.

  I check the kitchen drawer to see if there are any snacks, and would you look at that: Rice cakes! Not just any rice cakes—chocolate coated ones! Oh, how much I love those things. I can bitch about my brother all I want, but this is one of the few things he gets right. Every time he orders groceries, he always makes sure to buy me those rice cakes. Though, now that I'm thinking about it: Where does he get all his money from? He doesn't have a job or anything, and he also sits around at home most of the time. Hmm, maybe there's a reason he only goes out during the nights, and coincidentally he also goes to parties then... Yeah, I think I get it... Hey, as long as he has enough to get me rice cakes, I'm not complaining—you do you, bro.

  While going to my room, I notice a folder on the dining table. That's new, right? I don't think it was there in the morning. It's probably Derricks. I mean, it DEFINITELY is, 'cause we're the only two that live here. But I'm still curious as to what's inside, though. Just when I'm about to open the folder, the front door opens. It's Derrick. He looks like he's in a rush, but even with that in mind, why is he sweating so much? His breathing is annoyingly loud, as if he's having an asthma attack, and his shirt is sticking to his back like wet glue. Did he finally do some sports? He takes a quick glance in every direction of the room, and stops when he locks his eyes on me. "Hey" he huffs, while jogging in my direction. He snatches the folder out of my hands before I can say "Hey" back. After taking it, he once again runs outside and closes the door behind him. Damn, I really wanted to see what was in it but apparently it's something quite important. Such a weird afternoon... I've never seen Derrick be so stressed, I wonder why he's in such a rush. Today is his day of change, I guess.

  And... Done! The third page of my comic is finished! I would color it in, but I'm not the best at that, so I'll just leave it like this. This also gives it a more authentic feel in my opinion. I wouldn't know how to explain why, but... I just think it does for some reason. I put it in a folder with the other page of the comic. This page further introduces some more aspects of my main character, Evan. The story follows him and his struggles through high school. I'm mostly basing Evan on myself, as this story is kind of like a way to express myself. I didn't wanna get a diary or anything like that 'cause that's just lame, so I opted for making a comic. It's a lot more fun this way, and hell, it's not like the story is just gonna be about boring high school stuff. I have some ideas I wanna implement into it, but those are worries for later. Though, I'm a little mad at myself for not starting sooner on the comic 'cause now school's starting again and I won't have too much time anymore, but better late than never, right? I just hope I'll be able to finish it before the new year. That's a little deadline I gave to myself for more motivation to keep working on it.

  I look out my window and notice it's getting dark outside. How long is Derrick gonna be outside for? He could be on his way to a party again, but then why did he leave so soon? So many questions, it's honestly hurting my head. Well, it could also be the fact that I've been gaming for like... five hours straight. Yeah, it's probably that. I turn off my school laptop, and yes, I play games on my school laptop. I don't have a laptop of my own, sorry I'm not rich like some other spoiled brats. Should I get some sleep? I'm not necessarily tired, though. I guess I could reheat some of yesterday's dinner since I still haven't eaten. While grabbing the soup from yesterday out the fridge, I hear the front door opening. My head snaps towards the door, and would you believe it? Derrick is back. Weird. He doesn't look drunk, so he probably didn't go to a party after all. Derrick lets out a big sigh and walks towards the couch, hunched over as if he's carrying a weight. He sure looks exhausted. Derrick then plows down on the couch, throws his folder on the floor and starts snoring. Really? He already fell asleep? For crying out loud man, what the fuck have you been doing? Wait, now that I think about it... This is my chance to look inside the folder.

  I quietly tip-toe my way to the couch to prevent him from waking up. Great. He's still wearing his dirty ass shoes. I guess I'll clean up the couch tomorrow, 'cause I don't think he'll wake up any time soon. I quickly grab the folder from the floor and slowly go up to my room. I silently close the door behind me and sit on my bed. Alright, let's see what you've been up to Derrick. I open the folder and... Am I seeing this correctly? These papers... They're his resumes! So that's what he's been doing: He was job hunting! Damn, he must've gone to a lot of businesses then. Now I get why he's so tired. The folder is still pretty full, however. Maybe his resume didn't get accepted in some places, or he could've also gotten scared to give it out. I'd get that. I'm glad I'm not that old yet, 'cause I am not looking forward to search for a job. Just the thought of it alone makes me shiver. Imagine going to a bunch of different stores or something, and giving a stupid piece of paper to one of the workers there... Terrifying. Most of the times, you won't even get the job too. It's a cruel world we live in, so I'm surprised Derrick actually went out of his way to do all of that.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  'My name is Derrick Wells and I'm a 27 year old man looking for his first ever job.' That's not a line you'd want to start your resume with, dude. No wonder his folder is still full, who would want to hire a fully grown man who has zero job experience. Also, I know a lot of people lie in their resume, but adding 'Filled with energy and always up for the task!' as one of your 'qualities' just sets you up for disappointment, Derrick. I won't even mention the amount of spelling errors in here, 'cause at that point, I'd be better off reading the entire resume. But hey, at least he's doing something usefull for once. However, I'm sure tomorrow he'll go back to his old ways again.

  I suddenly wake up from the sound of the door shutting. Derrick? Did he really leave again? I grab my phone to check the time: 6:33 AM. Holy shit man, you're quite desperate for a job, huh? Didn't expect him to go job hunting today, especially not this early. Well, I guess I'll have an early breakfast. Not that I mind of course. Being awake during these hours means I won't have to rush for school at all.

  Damn, I knew I was gonna be early but I didn't expect the school to be this empty. There's a few people here and there, but most of them are just minding their own business. They're probably waiting on their friends. I park my bike and sit down on a bench close to some trees. The school has quite a lot of nature and stuff, which I really like. It makes the school feel a bit more alive rather than being a dry, gray place. I'm feeling a little sleepy, though. I should take advantage of the fact that it's so quiet right now and catch up on some sleep. This bench isn't the most comfortable 'bed', but it'll have to do. I make myself small enough to fit on the bench as I lay down, slowly closing my eyes.

  "Hey, Aylen."... "Aylen, you there?"... "Aaayleeeeeen."...

  "AYLEN!"

  "AAGH!" I gasp and fall off of the bench. There goes my peaceful sleep, I was actually enjoying it. I get up from the ground and look next to me to see who screamed my name. It's Iván. God, this guy just won't leave me the fuck alone. Didn't he see I was clearly sleeping? "Finally, you're awake! The bell rang like 5 minutes ago, I've been trying to wake you up this whole time!" he says while smiling relievingly. First of all: I think I made it clear yesterday that I didn't want to talk to you. Second of all: 5 MINUTES AGO? "You really don't speak much do you? Instead of looking at me all stressful with those big eyes of yours, let's go dude! I don't want to be any later!" Iván then starts running towards the building. Wait, was I looking stressful? Shit, I didn't notice. I probably look like a fucking weirdo to him now. Although, it should've already been pretty obvious that I was. Why did he wake me up, though? I can feel a frown forming on my face. We're not friends, I literally said only one word to him. That's it. Does he really think we're friends now? I mean, you wouldn't help someone out like this if you weren't friends, right?

  "Hey dude! Get a move on, will you?" Iván is waiting on me at the front door. I finally start running to him. He's even waiting on me? What the fuck is your deal, man? We're not friends and we'll never be friends, okay? Doesn't this guy understand that I don't wanna have any? I thought that was clear from yesterday. So many things I want to tell him, but nothing will come out. I enter the school building and we both start moving quickly up the stairs. "We're unlucky. Math is on the third floor, but I guess this can serve as a quick, early morning workout, right?" I see him smiling at me. Stop smiling all the time...

  "There you two are, I was wondering where the other 2 kids of the class were." Mister Peterson looks slightly mad at the two of us while we're standing at the classroom entrance. "Your names please? I can memorize names better once I hear them, and I also have to report y'all to the reception desk." Shit. Not again. I thought the whole introduction thing was just for yesterday. Don't the teachers have a list of everyone's name and picture? "Iván Rivera, sir." Iván says, with his head hanging down. "And you?" Mister Peterson says while staring at me with his deep, black eyes. It almost looks like he doesn't even have pupils. Well, here it goes again. I really hope this will be the last time I have to say my name this year. Frankly, I also hope this will be the last time I have to talk in general. "Ayl-" "Aylen Wells, sir. That's his name." Wait, what? Did Iván just... "Why are you talking for him? Doesn't he have a mouth of his own?" Mister Peterson looks confused at Iván. "Sorry, sir. Aylen lost his voice a little. You really won't be able to understand him right now." Iván says with confidence with his head held up high. "Fine, now get seated. I already lost quite some time thanks to you two."

  I look at Iván sitting next to me. Normally I would be mad, but I don't feel any anger or stress. What he did for me a moment ago... I never knew someone would do something like that for me. He actually helped me out. I guess he did understand me yesterday after all. Still, this doesn't mean he's my friend or whatever. Tomorrow, he'll once again be just another annoying little guy who will not leave me the fuck alone. But right now, I'll let him sit next to me. I just hope he'll shut his mouth for the rest of the day.