Noah

The alarm went off at 6:15, same as always, but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t hit snooze because I was tired — I hit it because I didn’t want to get up at all.

Usually, Tuesday mornings were easy. Routine.

I’d grab my bag, pull on whatever hoodie smelled the least like the inside of my locker, then head over to Jackson’s. He’d be waiting out front, eating cereal straight from the bowl like a psychopath, his cleats already hanging off his backpack. We’d ...