[11th April 2024]

He noticed James sitting next to him, engrossed in his phone.

"Hey dude, where the hell am I?" Evan asked, looking at him.

"Oh, you're awake, bro. Didn't expect you to wake up so soon, huh? Well, maybe it's good because only one period has passed right now; we can still make it to class," James replied, and Evan was taken aback as he began to think something strange.

"Bro, am I in a dream? I don't remember my friend being a period attendee who sleeps through it," Evan remarked, prompting a small laugh from James.

"No, you idiot. Just listen to what I'm saying. The teacher came by and said if you woke up, we should head to the classroom. And if we get caught skipping class, the punishment is much more severe than we can imagine," James explained, shivering slightly.

"Okay, so let me get up. Where's Rey? I didn't see him here," Evan inquired.

"He might be in the toilet; he mentioned it was urgent and hurried off," James said, scanning the area for any sign of Rey's return.

"Alright, let's go catch up with him," Evan replied as he thanked the nurse for her assistance.

They left the infirmary and headed towards the nearest restroom.

James stood outside while Evan entered to look for Rey.

Inside one of the stalls, Rey was engaged in a conversation, not on the phone, but with someone else. Those familiar with the second book would recognize his interlocutor.

"Hey, Rey, are you in there?" Evan called out, causing Rey, who was inside, to panic slightly.

"Yes—Yes, I'm here, Evan. Did you wake up? Are you alright?" Rey responded, trying to calm his voice.

"Oh yes, I woke up a few minutes ago and came here with James to bring you along," Evan explained from outside the stall.

"Okay, just wait a bit longer and I'll be right out with you both," he said.

"Alright but come out quickly because we all need to attend our classes, you know," Evan replied as he walked outside, leaving Rey alone.

A few minutes later, Rey emerged from the restroom and joined his friends who were waiting for him.

"Hey, you alright, brother? Something got stuck, huh? Hahaha," James teased, while Rey simply ignored him.

"Let's hurry before we're late," Evan urged, and they all followed him to their respective classrooms.

Upon arriving, they took their seats and began to focus on the teacher's lesson.

Hours later, at precisely two in the afternoon, school ended, and they all started to leave the classroom to head home.

Some students chatted, others packed their belongings, and a few dashed out of the classroom as if breaking free from prison.

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"Hey, Evan, want to hit the arcade today?" James inquired, approaching Evan who was lost in thought while packing his bag.

James attempted to rouse him, and after several tries, he finally snapped out of it.

"Oh yes, what happened, bro?"

"Where's your mind at, bro? I've been calling you for a while now."

"Oh bro, just lost in thought, no need to worry."

With that, Evan walked towards the door to leave the classroom.

"Hey, wait for me!"

James called out as he ran to catch up with him.

Together, they left the class and started walking towards section-B to meet Rey, who was already there waiting for them.

They gathered together to head outside and walked towards the exit.

After exiting the school gates, they began walking towards the main road.

"Hey, guys, we're going to the arcade, right?"

James inquired, noticing that both of his friends were lost in their own thoughts.

"Oh, no, James, I'm sorry, but today I have to go somewhere else with my aunt, and I might not come to school," Evan replied, aware that he couldn't reveal the truth about his time travel experiences.

"I need to head to the store early today, so you're on your own," said Rey, noticing James's obvious disappointment and shrug.

"Alright then, I need to get home too. I was hoping for some company, but I guess this is goodbye," he replied, as they went their separate ways.

"I'll head straight home and look up that website; it might help with my situation," Evan mused, recalling a secretive site known to few, not frequented by the average person.

'I have a lot to do; best get moving,' he thought, setting off, while Rey also made his way home, his expression troubled. He seemed to be conversing with someone, though no one was nearby, and his phone wasn't in his hand.

"Do we really have to do this now?" he muttered, as if in response to an unheard question.

"It's going to be a tough day, huh? No avoiding it, I suppose," Rey muttered, breaking into a run towards his home.

Meanwhile, James wandered the streets, his demeanor sad. He lingered aimlessly until the thought of home spurred him to start walking. Yet, before he could cross the street, a luxurious car pulled up, and its window rolled down.

"Oh, son, what are you doing here? I was waiting for you at the school door, and here you are walking. Can't you just use the car I gave you for your birthday?" a lady said from inside the car, presumably his mother.

"Hi, Mom. You know I prefer to live a normal life," James replied, while a man in a suit snorted from the other side of his mother.

"Come on, kid. You can't run away from the truth. Why don't you abandon this false reality you've created and come back to the real world? Have you left your friends, or are they still hanging around?" his father said in an annoying tone.

"Dad, I've already told you they're my friends, and I won't abandon them, so stop bothering me," James retorted.

"Oh, Jess, you don't understand. Make friends with people of your own standard, son. Don't let leeches cling to you," his father admonished.

"Dadddd!" James shouted, noticing many people looking their way.

"Son, come get in the car. We're just going home, so come with us," his mother said, opening the door for him, not wanting them to argue in public.

"Ok, fine, I'm coming," James said as he noticed many people looking at him.

He settled into the car, and as it started moving, a heated conversation between father and son escalated like a rising tide, with the mother caught in the middle, unable to take sides.

As they drove off, several cars surrounded them from different directions, providing security.

After a while, they arrived at a grand mansion, large enough to encompass ten large or thirty small houses within its lawn alone, not to mention the mansion itself.

It was too magnificent to merely be called a home.

It resembled the castle of a king or emperor.

James lived there, yet his daily lifestyle was too ordinary for such a beautiful, castle-like mansion.

__

But the events that led him to live this way, that's a story for another day, perhaps.