ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲ ＳＴＵＤＹ （ＩＩＩ）

It was like any other morning here, foggy and raining. He loved it. Tyler was sitting in the bus, music blaring through his headphones (but not loud enough for other people to look at him funny) until he saw his stop. Art Institute of Seattle. He slowly stretched and got out of the bus, eyes glued to his smartphone for the duration of his walk. Dressed in a monochrome and somewhat expensive outfit, he stepped out of the bus and into the drizzle. As he neared the door to the school, he looked over and noticed someone he recognized from his old town. Thoughts began running through his mind, memories of a life that seemed distant now. Family, friends, relationships that were strengthened by 19 years in a small California town all began to resurge. As his mind came back to him, the person was already gone. Or was she there in the first place? He wasn't sure. He walked back to the class and entered. After a day of half-eyed, half-cocked learning he finally walked out through the same door. It was only about 6pm, so might as well make a day of it, right? Friday is the day to celebrate not working, staying inside is lame. At least that's what they say. He stopped by his apartment and grabbed his skateboard. He remembered those times at the free park, blaring 100 degree weather from that California drought. As his board rolled through the wet concrete, the cold wind felt fantastic on his face. Exploring the city was a great way to pass time. The ultimate bliss, and the ultimate cop-out. An escape, and an excuse. He saw the girl again. Walking into a coffee shop this time. He was sure he saw her. He skated towards the shop until he got to the crosswalk, where the light seemed to hold for an eternity. Finally he rode across the street and entered the shop. It was pretty busy, but he didn't see her anywhere. It was so busy, but so quiet. Digital lights lit up each one of their faces. "How sad," he thought as his pocket buzzed and he quickly looked down to his phone as well. Just another Twitter follower. Probably a business trying to get him to buy product, or some mediocre mini-celebrity trying to get their name out. Looking up, he noticed the line was empty. Woops. He bought some drink that wasn't coffee, and left the coffee shop. By this time it was about 8PM. He called up a friend who lived in the area to see if he wanted to come skate. Busy. Always busy. People have stuff to do. People are productive. Tyler skated down to the park, and pulled out his phone. He started (insert newest popular app here), just wasting time under the moon. It was refreshingly cold. Someone walked over to him and sat next to him. He scooted over. So did they. After looking up to figure out why this person was intruding on his bubble, he realized who it was. An old friend from California. They talked for a little while, she said she was here visiting a cousin or something. He asked if she wanted to walk around for a little while, and they did. They walked around the city, reminiscing on that small town, and how everyone knew each other, whether they liked it or not. He remembered knowing every street. It felt boxy, but comfortable. Like a cashmere coffin. It was about 1AM and they had no idea where they were. Somewhere in mid seattle. The nightlife was nice. It seemed like everyone was yearning to continue living, and they had no time to sleep. They walked down the street a little bit longer, exchanged phone numbers, and she snagged a taxi. The city lights blurred through the rain as the cab drove off, and a busy silence was induced. His headphones went back in each ear and his skateboard dropped to the ground. He reached the apartment at about 3:30AM. After lying in bed for another 10, it was obvious that it probably wasn't time to sleep. He walked out of the apartment to the roof, and sat at the edge. It was misty, wet, and bitter cold. It felt so nice. At about 5AM he crept back to the room and passed out on his couch. The room wasn't dark. Little LEDs danced around the room, blinking and flashing. It looked a lot like the streets outside of the window. He didn't wake up until pretty late the next day, so naturally he missed class, but he learned a lot.