MERRY-GO-ROUND
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
WHAM!
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
WHAM! WHAM!
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Same old alarm clock.
7:30.
Same old time.
BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Haruhi sat up in bed and pulled the plug on the alarm clock. The buzzing stopped and the numbers went out.
Same old morning.
Haruhi turned herself around and sat on the ledge of the bed. She continued to sit for quite a while.
Today was a school day. Just like every other weekday. Haruhi stood up.
It was time to change into her school uniform. It was the same school uniform that she had worn the day before yesterday. It was the same school uniform she would be wearing until summer, when it would change into another school uniform that she would have to wear until it was winter again.
Haruhi did not want to go to school. She never did.
Haruhi changed into her school uniform and sat down on the bed again. She sat there for a long time, then got up again and changed into her summer uniform. She admired herself in the mirror for a while then sighed and changed back into her winter one.
Haruhi walked into the bathroom. After using the facilities, Haruhi examined her hair in the mirror. It looked like the pillow had attacked her head. She started walking out of the bathroom again anyway but then changed her mind and brushed her hair. She examined it carefully for a while then messed it up again. Then she compromised by brushing her hair on one side.
She discarded the brush in disgust and moved on.
She walked out into the dining room. Breakfast was on the table. Her father was reading the newspaper and eating. Haruhi sat down and almost started to eat with him.
"Breakfast again," she said.
"You're not skipping it," her father told her. "You're a growing girl. You're already in junior high now."
"I don't want to skip it. But I always have breakfast in the morning. Why couldn't we have lunch or dinner in the morning instead?"
"You can't have lunch at breakfast," said her father. "Whatever you eat in the morning is breakfast."
"Well, who made that stupid rule up?"
"No one made it up; that's just how things are."
Haruhi sighed and ate her breakfast. She tried not to think about the day ahead of her.
Soon she was finished with her breakfast, which was the same one she had yesterday, and then brushed her teeth and put on her shoes and got her stuff ready and left the house.
Outside, it was overcast, as it had been for the past week. Haruhi stood still for a while, then kicked some rocks on the sidewalk and trekked toward her school.
She decided that after school she'd buy some ribbons to put in her hair.