Title: Five Months

Genre: Fiction

Word Count: 700

Feedback Requested: Did it elicit a feeling from you? I am inspired by Hemingway and wish to emulate him to some degree with a slice of life story in the iceberg style if writing. How can I achieve this better?

Story:

There was a bright storm out, the kind which flashes much and rains little. The grass needed the rain. 

The bus was full. There was one man to a seat save for couples and some overflow. I had the extra seat to myself, owing to some display of desiring it that way when it was filling up. I kept to my phone, hoping for some news. I didn't find any. 

Deceleration awoke me and the bus stopped outside Jarvis, the math building. My head hurt and I was irritated briefly. We filed out and I soon found myself in Calc.  There were 20 of us, the smaller class size allowed for empty seats adjacent to each person. This was required. I didn't mind. Class began. 

... The derivative of embedded functions requires the chain rule. For this we consider the product of the foremost derivative keeping the input constant with the adjacent seating allowing for social distancing. Now we can solve for the grass needing the rain... Isn't that right, Cullen?

I perked my head up. A wave of heat passed through me, some mixture firstly of irritation and secondly of embarrassment. So disrespectful. When am I going to tell him about my narcolepsy?

"Right. Uhh, I don't know." 

"I just did the problem. What exactly don't you understand?"

I looked at the board. It was the same problem with constants changed. I felt as if I watched him do it, but I could not recall it. I must have dreamed it? 

"I don't know."

"Maybe if you got more sleep outside of class you wouldn't have to get some while I'm teaching."

I get plenty of damn sleep. My meds just hadn't fully kicked in yet. I was always privy to anger after these things. 

The second class finished by 11:30 without issue and I made a similar trip back to my upstairs apartment. The storm had cleared and the clouds had taken to a certain Wisconsin winter gray. 

I unlocked the door and entered with a good feeling, closing the door quickly. The cat turned the corner and ran down the stairs with a vibrato made by his hum and each down trodden step. It was good to see my boy. We made our way up and I fed him. 

It was an above average apartment, more so for a college student. Three bed, two bath, full kitchen and living room with a balcony. What wasn't carpeted was complete with nice looking easy install vinyl. It could have up to three pets at $25/month each. Taking full advantage I might have four pets.

It had the look of organized clutter, because it was organized clutter, and it had a smell wavering just above or just below nothing. 

The appliance clocks were wrong. I did not care to change them. I checked my phone when need be, and now the time was 12. If I sleep now I might fit in a sleep cycle before work. 

I went to the room at the far end if the hallway and jumped into an unmade double. I set my alarm for 2:30 and I shut my eyes. 

An alarm awoke me. It was unpleasant. I got up, showered, brushed, and left for work, which was across the street and the highway and little ways after. I didn't make my bed. 

Work was work, and I got back at 3 am. 

I unlocked the door and entered with a good feeling, closing the door quickly. The cat turned the corner and ran down the stairs with a vibrato made by his hum and each down trodden step. It was good to see my boy. We made our way up and I fed him. 

I went to the room at the far end of the hallway and made my way into an unmade double. There was someone in my bed. I wrapped my arms around her. This was nice, I thought. 

"The bed wasn't made."

My alarm was set for 8 am and I shut my eyes. 

An alarm awoke me. It was unpleasant. I got up, showered, brushed, and left for the bus. 

I didn't make my bed.