My alarm rings right next to my ear, unbearably loud for me yet most likely out of Wasabi's earshot. I bring my phone to my face, unplug it from the charger, and turn off the alarm before it can drive me crazy. I move to get up and instantly scream into the pillow before taking a few deep breaths and hissing through my teeth to keep myself from screaming more.
At least I didn't wake up throughout the night, even though I feel sweaty. I fling my sheets off of me and turn on my phone's flashlight. I keep glancing over to make sure I'm not waking Wasabi up as I work on taking off the bandages and the pain relief patches. My knees are still visibly swollen. Luckily, though, they're not warm to the touch. They do hurt like hell if I put any pressure on it with my fingers though, so I leave them alone. Surely I can walk to the lecture, I'll be sitting most of the time, right?
I grab my cane and shuffle around for my sleeve braces and clothing. I have to sit on the toilet lid to brush my teeth and manage the shower from the shower floor, but the task is done. I make sure the newly put on pain relief patches aren't accidentally ripped off by the knee sleeves, put on my compression socks, boxers, and binder, and then the rest of my clothes. I'm looking through my bag trying to see how to make it lighter when Wasabi's alarm rings. I hurriedly shove my pill organizer back in and stare as he turns off his alarm and sits up to stretch. We lock eyes and he gives me a sleepy wave. I give him a thumbs-up gesture in return.
"Do you know where your class is?"
"The robotics building I think? Professor Callaghan's class," I answer. He nods to himself and yawns again.
"Okay, I'll text my friend Tadashi so you can go with him. My first class is on the other side of campus so I can't help you there."
"It's okay, Wasabi. Thank you."
"Sure thing," he replies. Wasabi turns on the light on his side of the room and gets up. Once he's in the bathroom, I finish organizing my bag. I look at my cane and then inside my bag. I slide my cane to rest under the bed and take out my foldable cane from my bag. I double check my pill organizer, pain patches, phone, water bottle, notebook and pen, and Spooky the Owl are all in there before nodding to myself and closing the NASA backpack. I'm making sure the NASA and star stickers on my foldable cane are still smoothly on when Wasabi steps out already changed into his clothes for the day.
We walk to the cafeteria and while Wasabi buys a bowl of fruit I take a granola bar out of my bag. After the nauseating pain from last night I'm not sure I can eat anything heavy. He gives me a look but eats his bowl of fruit. I down my vitamins and morning medications while he checks his phone. I'm playing with the wrist strap of my cane when Wasabi looks up and waves, startling me. I peer over where he is waving and see a tall guy walking towards us. He has a backpack slung over one shoulder, a cap, and what seems to be a cup of coffee. His face is vaguely familiar.
"Danny, this is Tadashi; Dashi, this is my new roommate Danny," Wasabi introduces us. We nod at each other. "You two have today's morning class together, so I'll be on my way to my Engineering class. See you two later!" I remind myself to thank him again as he walks off, clearly wanting to be early to his class. Tadashi takes a long sip of his steaming cup and smiles at me. I get up slowly and grip my cane. He seems a little startled by it, but brushes it off and he tries to walk at a pace I can keep up with. His legs are still long, making me have to work a little to keep up with him perfectly, but we manage.
"Nice to meet you, Tadashi," I say. I grip my bag tighter with my free hand and work my way around the small crowd of hungry college students.
"Nice to meet you too. I think I saw you yesterday when you were leaving the lab, actually. You okay?" I swallow my dread.
"Yeah, I was just super jet-lagged, you know how it is." From the way his laugh sounds, Tadashi hasn't experienced jet lag recently. Lucky. "Hey, so class started a few weeks ago and since we're in the same class— do you take notes?"
"Of course."
"Okay, after class can I see them and take a picture or something? I don't want to fall horribly behind." In the morning sun, his smile radiates warmth.
"Sure thing, Danny."
Class starts in a few minutes, so I walk up to Professor Callaghan's desk, already dreading the interaction. Last time we talked he'd been slightly condescending about the cane and with the day I had yesterday I don't really want to hear it. Still, I personally have to remind him about accommodations. School policy. Yuck.
"Good morning Professor," I say, gripping my cane with a white-knuckled grip. He looks me up and down and nods, telling me to keep talking. "I'm your new student, Danny Fenton. I want to know when is the best time to talk to you about the accommodations I will need in your class?"
"Let me take out my notepad so you can tell me right now," he says. "You might have to email me, though. I'm a little forgetful." The smile doesn't reach his eyes and I swallow dryly. "Let me tell you what you need to do for this class. Attendance is part of the grade. You are allowed up to three absences with a doctor's note. I can give extensions up to a week, and I allow my students to record audio of the lectures. However, you can't take pictures. No food or water in my classroom." I wince.
"Okay, so, I do need water and breaks," I begin, somehow managing to grip my cane tighter. You don't have to go into detail about your symptoms, I remind myself. Breathe. "I'll ask if I ever have to take a picture of the board since writing can be painful. Also only three absences? Didn't Disability Services tell you I need to be allowed absences?" Professor Callaghan pinches the bridge of his nose.
"Mr. Fenton, as I told you when we first met, if you find yourself struggling with something as simple as attendance, maybe not taking this course would be in your best interest."
Don't lash out. "I understand, but this course is compulsory for my major. Just remember that I am allowed accommodations and if you have a problem with that you can bring it up to Disability Services yourself." He doesn't answer, realizing this isn't something we can really fight on right now, and I squirm where I stand. "It is a pleasure to be in your class. I am looking forward to this semester, Professor." I make my way to a desk in the third row so Professor Callaghan can't see me as easily. I sigh deeply and fold my cane and shove it in my bag. I take out my water, notebook, pen, and phone. My bag is on my lap so I can rub my fingers against Spooky discreetly.
"Hello again," a voice says. I turn to see Tadashi giving me an awkward smile. "Also, nice cane, I didn't know some could fold like that." Although I'm not in the mood to humor him, I still manage a tired smile and click my pen. The lecture begins and my knees start throbbing. I bite my lip and keep writing. The lecture finishes and I see Callaghan's mouth move, talking about applying the knowledge. I nod blankly while he talks. Someone touches my shoulder, snapping me out of the fog for a few seconds before it clouds me again. "Hey, want to review with me? Professor Callaghan always gives ten minutes to ask each other questions."
"Sure," I feel myself say. I grab my water and take a few long gulps, willing the dull, throbbing ache in my wrist from not taking a break during note-taking to go away. Luckily, it's not shaking.
I understand about half of what Tadashi says and when he asks for my number, I hand him my Contacts screen. I'm extending my cane when he taps my shoulder to give me my phone back.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little pale," he says, and I make a so-so gesture. "I'll text you pictures of my notes. Sorry in advance for my handwriting." Instead of replying, I show him the last paragraph of my notes. He raises his eyebrows slightly. "Okay, not so sorry about my handwriting." Even through the cloud of pain and what might be my blood sugar dropping, I laugh. He stays seated after we're dismissed and I wave him goodbye with my free hand before leaving.
I'm walking slowly, wondering whether I should go to the library or back to my dorm when I bump into a giant lizard. I yelp and it raises its hands.
"This is a suit! This is not my real face or body," it reassures, and I sway where I stand as it opens its mouth all the way to reveal a six-foot-tall blond with an easy smile and half-lidded eyes. "Anyway, I'm on my way to second breakfast. Want to join me?" I blink. That could mean food, which might help my blood sugar…
"Yeah, okay."
He lets me walk first and matches my pace perfectly, setting me at ease. He closes the mascot's mouth and folds his arms behind him as he walks.
"My name's Fred," he says.
"Danny." He looks at me and then grins.
"Huh, my friend Wasabi has a new roommate named Danny." I feel some heat reach my face.
"He already talked about me?" I ask. The grapevine in this university is impressive and terrifying. I haven't even mentioned him by name to my family. "W-what has he said?" Fred gestures for me to turn left and follows me.
"Nothing really, just that you're his new roommate." I sigh in relief. "And that you snore, sleepwalk, and speak Latin in your sleep. I'm kidding. He just talked about how you were exhausted yesterday so he didn't really get a chance to know you. Just stuff, you know?" Fred leads me outside of campus and around a few blocks, checking that my cane doesn't get stuck on anything. "We're going to the best café in the entire city. It's on me this time."
"Wait, what? You really don't have to!"
"Nah, compadre. That means your house is my house in German."
"It's really… not," I say, but he pays me no mind. We cross the street and he points to a small building with a waving lucky cat.
"This," he says, opening the door for me with an enthusiastic gesture, "is the Lucky Cat Café. Literally the best thing in the world." I raise my brow but step in anyway. He takes me right through the morning crowd to the bar stools and looks at the warm display thinking about what he wants. A short woman behind the counter sees him and smiles.
"Fred! Second breakfast?" she asks. He wriggles his right arm out of his suit to give her a thumbs up. "Let me guess: coffee and a quiche?"
"You bet!" I tune them out to look at the small blackboard-esque menu on the wall and the warmed up display. After I find something I find appetizing, I nod to myself and gesture to grab her attention. The woman turns to face me and I see her name tag says "Cass".
"A butter croissant and a large hot chocolate please, for here."
"This is Danny, he's with me," Fred says. Cass nods and turns to get our stuff ready. Fred sits on the counter, wriggles out the suit so its mouth hangs around his waist, and makes sure he's not knocking my cane over in the process. I'd fold it, but I'm tired and want it readily available, so I don't. "Nice stickers," he says. "You're a NASA fan? Ooh, are you gonna be like, an astro… uh… space physics person?" I snort.
"No, I'm not aiming to be an astrophysicist. I'm studying to be a biomedical engineer. Mostly to make inventions that will help doctors work faster and make sick people's lives easier." I hold my cane and turn it gently in my hands, looking at the stickers. I swallow the lump in my throat and give Fred what feels like the worst fake smile of my life. "I do love space, though." Before I can contemplate astronomy for much longer, Cass walks up to us holding small ceramic plates with cherry blossoms painted on it with our food. She hands Fred a small dark teacup with coffee and places a large steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of me. I thank her and she just winks at me before handling the next order. While I wait for the hot chocolate to cool I sink my teeth into the butter croissant and revel in the flaky crunch of the pastry.
"It's great, isn't it?" Fred asks with a mouth full of quiche. I nod and nibble on my food.
"What are you studying? At SFIT?" I ask. Fred shakes his head and swallows his mouthful of food.
"I'm not a student, just an awesome mascot." He smiles proudly. "By day and by night. I'm committed to the role." He takes a long gulp of his coffee. I finish my croissant and wipe my fingers on my pants. I blow on my hot chocolate to cool it down a little more and then sip it.
Bliss consumes me. It's smooth and slightly thick and creamy and just the right amount of sweet. There's probably cinnamon and the chocolate taste is sharp, yet the milk tones it down just enough I don't feel it's just molten chocolate. I close my eyes and take a breath, forgetting all about my fatigue and pain just a second. Fred is staring at me with a hue grin, pleased with my reaction. I beam back and take several gulps of hot chocolate. The only reason I stop is to breathe. The steam's warmth remains on my face, a phantom comfort.
"It's wonderful," I say. I twist my cane until it's securely in between my legs so I can hold the mug with both hands. With how tired I've been I wouldn't be surprised if I started having tremors, and I don't want to waste a single drop of his heavenly drink. I take a few more sips before putting it back on the counter and flexing my fingers. My right hand still hurts and will probably ache for the rest of the day, but a pain patch might help. I finish my hot chocolate and clench my jaw.
"Hey dude, you okay?" Fred startles me out of my planning and I turn my head so fast it disorients me for a moment. For some reason, I don't feel tempted to completely lie to Fred.
"I kind of tired myself out yesterday and then again in class, so I'm just in a little pain right now."
"Sounds like it sucks," he says. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
I'm taken aback by the question. Then with a shrug, "I mean, I'll be fine if I just try not to overdo it." Fred nods and gestures to the menu.
"Want anything else to eat? I know it's not like, a painkiller or something but if you want more hot chocolate or a smoothie or a sandwich to take with you for later I'd be glad to pay for it." I think over it and sigh.
"If you're sure you're fine with it. Um. A turkey sandwich would be nice." I feel my cheeks heat up. I hate asking for things, but I don't want Fred to feel like I'm blowing him off. He gives me a thumbs up and calls for Cass.
"A turkey sandwich, two chocolate chip cookies, and uh… gosh, which one is Honey Lemon's favorite again? Strawberry smoothie? All of that to go, please, and the bill." Cass smiles and gets it ready for us.
"Thanks again," I mumble.
"No problem, anything to help a bro. So, want to exchange numbers or something?" Fred nods at Cass and hands her some cash and slides a paper bag and warm cardboard cup in my direction before taking out his phone. Cass shakes her head fondly at Fred and takes our plates and cups. I put my number in Fred's surprisingly fancy phone and hand it back to him. It goes into a mystery pocket under the suit and then he puts the suit back on and takes the cup as well as one of the cookies out of the paper bag. He gestures for us to go and I grab my things to walk next to him.
We make it back to campus and he gestures in the direction of the lab.
"Want to go to the lab? I'm dropping off a smoothie for my friend." I gauge how much pressure I can put on my legs and make a so-so gesture. "If you want, I'll walk with you to the dorm building."
"It's okay, but thanks. See you around, Fred."
"I'll message you later!" he promises before walking off in the direction of the robotics lab. I roll my tense shoulders and make my way to the dorms. Once I get there, I gingerly put down the hot chocolate and paper bag. I fold my cane and put it and my bag on top of my desk chair and check the time on my phone. It's not noon yet, so I kick off my shoes and lay on top of the bed. My phone buzzes and I groan loudly. I lay on my side and turn on the screen to see Sam wants to video chat with me. I accept the call and make myself comfortable.
She's sitting in her room as well, hair in her usual style and makeup on. From what I can see, she has a dark colored flannel shirt on with a black tank top under it. She's smiling until she sees my face and that I'm laying down. Her concerned frown makes me scratch my neck before I wince and put my hand back down.
"You overdid it, didn't you?" She runs her hand through her hair, messing up her bangs in the process, and sighs deeply. "Will you go to your afternoon class?" I avoid looking at the screen. "Okay, that's… do you have class tomorrow?"
"No, but I want to go to the lab. I haven't even sat at my desk there yet." She makes an I guess gesture.
"How's it been? We didn't get to talk yesterday."
"My roommate is nice, I think I made a friend, and I guess I have a study buddy now. Callaghan still sucks."
"Ugh. What happened this time?" I explain the situation to her and she rolls her eyes. "Some people… So, your roommate?"
"Wasabi— don't make that face, everyone knows him by his nickname— is all right, he showed me around campus and let me know I can always ask him stuff. I also met the school mascot, well, the guy inside the suit. His name is Fred and he's probably the best person in this city." I scratch my neck. "Tadashi from my robotics class is going to lend me his notes and I'm really grateful for that. How're things on your end?"
"Outside of worrying about your dumb ass? Things are good, I think our next project is field work." Sam beams and talks about how the forest near Amity is full of some plants she wants to put in the greenhouse to study further. I nod along. Suddenly, she stops talking. "Hey, we've been talking for twenty minutes."
"Yeah, and?" I shuffle in bed to rest against the pillows in a poor imitation of sitting up.
"You should probably take a nap before your afternoon class." She brings the screen (and by extension, the camera) closer to her face. "No offense, but you look like you've been army crawling everywhere."
"Thanks, you also look absolutely gorgeous." She sticks her tongue out and waves goodbye before hanging up on me. I set an alarm and try to get comfortable.
A few minutes pass and I feel too awake to sleep but too tired to really move. I groan and turn around to face the desk. The cup of hot chocolate is still there, as are the pictures and posters I had thrown there yesterday. I sit up and grumble to myself before standing up and breathing through my teeth with every step until I reach the posters.
It takes some effort, but soon all the pictures are with me on the bed and I'm on my knees. A terrible decision from all angles, but here I am anyway. I grab the tape and sticky pads, take a deep breath, and start sticking things on.
My NASA and the Kennedy Space Center posters are on the further end of my bed. Some space themed wall stickers connect the posters to my photos. There's no particular order outside of the photo of me with my family and Sam and Tucker from about six months ago, which is closest to my bed where I can see it when I wake up. I smile at it and then get off my knees. They give off an audible crack and pop once I move. I drink my hot chocolate that is still warm somehow. Once I finish it, I take my bag off the desk chair and put it on the desk itself, then scoot myself over to the storage under my bed.
It takes a while and a lot of cradling my wrists, but the drawer is finally organized enough that I won't have to go on an excavation when I want to get dressed. I look at the time on my phone. It's almost one and I sigh deeply.
I eat the sandwich and cookie Fred bought me, then put my empty cup inside the paper bag and take my regular cane. The foldable one is still in my bag just in case.
After throwing away the bag outside and making circles around campus looking for my next class, I finally find it. A wave of people leave the room and just as I'm about to walk in, someone taps my shoulder. I turn to see Tadashi and smile awkwardly. He waves before disappearing from my sight.
The professor is a short and stout woman with brown skin, graying hair, and a cheery disposition. She nods along with the accommodations I mention until I get to the absences. Her smile is replaced with a worried expression.
"Dearie, if you didn't feel well you didn't have to come today." I look away and rub my arm.
"I don't really want to fall behind, so I try not to be absent unless I really need it." She presses her lips into a fine line, then nods.
"Okay, but if you feel you need to leave early, I really won't hold it against you." My eyes burn and my vision is a little blurry as I thank her.
Even with my exhaustion and struggling to take any notes, Health Science might become my favorite class. Professor Jimenez speaks slowly and clearly, writes large, and has a bare bones bullet point summary on her website. Not enough to replace paying attention in class, but a good refresher of basic information. I thank her again before leaving her class with lifted spirits.
My phone buzzes and I open it up as I walk back to my dorm to see Tadashi sent me pictures of his notes. I reply and put my phone away once I get to my room and see Wasabi studying at his desk.
"Hey," I say. He startles then turns to face me and puts his hand over his chest.
"You scared me! Anyway, how was your day?"
"I love Professor Jimenez," I respond. Wasabi smiles.
"Yeah, Tadashi's said she's a nice lady. Want to grab dinner with me after I finish reviewing this?" I shake my head and hold back a yawn.
"It's been a long day, I'll just shower and go to sleep."
"If you say so. By the way, thank you for organizing your things. Messes make me extremely nervous."
"You're welcome." I make a mental note to try my best to keep my side of the room organized. I hook my backpack by the straps to the back of my chair and bend down to find my pajamas.
The shower is heavenly. All the tension of the day leaves me when the warm water is on me and I take a minute to just lean against the shower wall. I put on my clothes and take my medication as well as some painkillers before getting Spooky out of the backpack and holding her close. I'm excited to see the lab tomorrow.
I'm somewhat drowsy at the cafeteria in the morning. I look over the notes Tadashi sent me as I eat, and then I head to the lab. I find my table quickly as it's pretty much barren and set up my things. I put my blueprints in my drawer and set my tools out and organize them after making sure their grips are well secured. I attach a small hook of sorts to "hold" my cane while I work so it doesn't fall, and put some pain patches in the drawer as well. I adjust the lamp on the desk to point exactly at the middle of the surface and drape the lab coat Mom gave me over the back of the chair.
Despite not doing much outside of basic organization, I feel drained, so I lean on the table and take some deep breaths. I take out my phone and look at the time.
9:05 A.M.
Maybe I really should have slept the day away. I force myself to sit up and look for the metal plates I'll need so I can do the heavy work of lifting things today and spare myself the agony later. I pray my knees don't buckle while I drag some medium sized boxes of metal, silicone, and wires to my table. I'm already regretting trying to do so much. It's a little too late to just leave though since I have these boxes at my desk and it'll look like I'm hoarding them.
A few stiff movements later, I have enough for at least a small prototype in order to finish the conceptualization part of the process. I take a few steps and kick the box with whichever leg hurts less, take a break, kick it again gently, stop for a few seconds, and continue the process until the materials are kind of back in place. There's no way I can lift the boxes right now. I turn around meaning to take my bag and go back to my dorm when I realize a girl has been staring at me the whole time. She's about my height and chewing gum. Her leather jacket makes her look imposing. I tense and wave at her. She simply pops her gum and raises an eyebrow at me. I feel my heart race and the beat become more irregular. I need to calm down before I pass out. I leave the lab in a rush, still feeling the girl's eyes on me. It makes me shudder and makes taking a nap or just sleeping all day seem impossible even once I'm on my bed with Spooky in my arms. My phone rests in my hands and my eyes linger on the family photos on the wall. I unlock my phone, go to contacts, and press "call Mom".