On his way to school, Arthur decided to go to the local store, that doesn’t really sell much. He looked around. He could see bottles of booz, beer and wine, chips, cookies and more food that is not healthy though very tasty. He went up to the cashier and asked for a pack of cigarettes. Though he smoked for 3 years, today was the first time, he could buy the poison legally since it is his 18th birthday today. He walked out, took out one cig, light it up and on his way he smoked it. Though he didn’t like the taste, nor the smell, he found smoking as a process that helps him relax and calm down. While smoking he had a thought. “Maybe the traveller is real? Maybe it’s not just a forum hoax?” On these thoughts he saw 3 boys from his class. They came up to him :

-          Hey there, blonde, - said the fat one,- give me some smoke, or do you wanna get it? – and he showed his fist.

-          Fuck off, James, go buy some, you little shit! – said Arthur in anger.

After these words, the next thing Arthur remembered was standing by the school doors, looking up to the principal’s office window. His nose was bleeding and so were his fists and eyebrow. Classmates were always bullying him, because of his hair colour. He was the only blond guy in school and had a german feel to himself. “Oh, how I wanna make em pay…. Those little shitheads don’t deserve to walk free, I will make em pay…. If not today, then tomorrow , if not this week, then next week, if not this year, next year, but they will pay”, those were his only thoughts. He finally opened the main door to school and went to his class. Like always the last table near the window was full of trash. “It’s them again”, he threw the trash down and sat down. A girl walked to him. Her name was Sarah. Long red hair, dyed like it has to be. Maybe that’s why they shine so much. Tall, about 175 cm. Pure face, no bad habits and the best student in class. Her body was saying “I’m young and pretty why don’t you fall for me”. Arthur looked at her and smiled:

-          Hey, Sarah.

-          Hi, Arthur. Did it happen again?

-          You mean this? – he showed at his bloody face – doesn’t matter. There were three of em. The pig, slug and stinky. Well stinky managed to escape, but fatso and slug had it. Maybe they are still lying on the ground, near the store, but I…..

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-          YOU DID IT AGAIN DIDN’T YOU? – Sarah shouted at Arthur- HOW MANY TIMES…. How many times I asked you not to involve in fights… how many? How many times I have to say I love you, so you could finally stop fighting? I don’t want see you get hurt and I don’t want you to be in trouble…. CAN YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE?

-          I can’t help it and I’m sorry. – he looks down away from her because he  feels ashamed – I can’t love you back the way you want to… I’m sorry.

Sarah smiles in pain. It was the first time she heard words like that from him. Of course they weren’t a couple, but she had a crush on him since 5th grade.

-          OK. If you want it this way…. Ok… - she puts down a wrapped box on his table – Happy Birthday, Arthur. – and she runs away from class in tears.

Arthur takes the box. Unwraps it and sees a picture of them together on a sports festival, holding hands and laughing with sincere smiles, loving the moment and looking with eyes which are saying that that was one of the best times in their lives. There was also a letter. He put it in his backpack and got ready for math class.

The day at school was same as usually, couple of fights against bullies, couple of cigarettes and couple of coffee cups. At the beginning of last class – history, he looked through the window and he couldn’t believe his eyes. There was a person. An identical copy of him, just walking around school. Then he noticed that Sarah was outside too, talking to the imposter. He looked around the class. Sarah was not in her seat. He looked back to the stranger, and he felt pain. He saw them holding hands, both of them smiling and laughing. Sarah seemed happy, Arthur was in pain ‘cause he might have lost a person that believed in him to…. Himself? And an imposter was grinning with an evil smirk on his face. “Who is he? And why the fuck he looks like… me?”