'Since when did I become so popular?' Adam lamented as yet another face he had completely forgotten began pestering him about his arm.
"Wow, so cool!"
"This motherfuc– dude is like the Terminator!"
He didn't even get to have a cute girl fawn over his arm. Everyone who crowded around him at the lockers and in class were boys who wouldn't have given a shit about him otherwise. In fact, they had interacted with each other so little in his previous life that Adam didn't remember any of their names. It was nice that they were more interested in their own fantasies rather than Adam's well-being, because if he actually had to talk to them he would most certainly fuck up the name.
Adam did his best to ignore the sudden fame as he went through his locker and grabbed his materials for first period. It was just his luck that next year his school was going to be renovated and modernized, so that there would be no need for lockers.
Instead, he had to listen to these dickheads marvel at his 'accident.' Worse than that, they were actively blocking Faye even as she tried to force her way through the crowd of kids who didn't actually give a shit about Adam.
Sighing, he knew he'd have to wait until 4th period to finally talk to her again. After 10 years of thinking she was dead forever...
...
The periods dragged on due to the constant pestering. His classmates wanted to know all about the accident, while his teachers wanted him to know that they'd accommodate him as best they could. Because, apparently, having a bionic arm threw a normal life out the window.
However, after a few eternities, he finally made it through trigonometry, language, and biology. Now it was time for history, or more importantly, Faye.
When he walked into the classroom, Adam's breath caught in his chest for a second. Not only because she was actually there, alive and breathing, but also because she was as beautiful as he remembered.
Gripping his book tightly to calm his emotions, Adam ignored the small breaks forming in the binding as he walked to his seat. Sitting down, he realized how much he missed the lavender scent of Faye's favorite perfume.
"Hey Scott Giskel, how's your day going?" she asked in a low, refreshing voice.
Adam laughed at the inside joke. Scott Giskel had been one of her celebrity crushes when she was younger, so whenever he received any kind of attention, that's what she'd call him. Before the apocalypse and everything, anyway...
Silence fell between the two as a rush of emotions sprang over Adam—emotions he quickly shut down. They couldn't exist, not now when he was surrounded by vulture kids.
Not when Faye was right next to him.
"Why do you think Washington wore that Yankee hat?" Faye asked with a soft chuckle, clearly trying to change the subject.
Of course, any attempt to hide his emotions from Faye failed from the start. If there was anyone on the planet who knew him better than he did, it was her. They had been friends since preschool, after all.
That's why she was changing the subject right now. He knew for certain that she didn't know the real reason he had been overwhelmed just now, but she felt his uneasiness all the same. She probably thought he was upset by some dumb remark a kid made or something.
Steeling his nerves, Adam decided it was best to face her head-on. Up until now, he had been avoiding eye contact as much as possible because he was afraid her old self would return.
The one that lay amidst the rubble, choking for breath as thick, coarse blood ran from her many open wounds. He was afraid that when he looked into her eyes, he'd see that trembling fear he had seen that day. Fear that had turned into a fierce resolve.
Adam, survive. Please.
Three simple words that had broken him for years. Words he never wanted to hear again, not from her or his parents or his sister. He was going to master this villain system and reap all of its rewards and more. Those burning images of death and destruction that littered his mind were going to be obliterated.
As he raised his head, Adam made a fierce promise—no, conclusion—that he was going to end it all. The kaijus, whoever was behind the kaijus. The Exalted and anyone else who decided to be dangerous.
When his eyes landed on Faye's, which held a small mixture of uneasiness amidst the dazzling beauty, he vowed to crush anything that stood in his way.
The compassion held in her lovely iris eyes only strengthened that resolve. Her raven-black hair that was combed elegantly over her left shoulder, the small dimple on her right cheek that only became even more beautiful when she smiled.
That wide, angelic smile was on her face right now. Before she died, she had always smiled. She was always one of the best parts of his life.
Even with the impending apocalypse, in this brief moment that lasted an eternity, Adam imagined a lifetime of simple peace. It was beautiful, serene, perfect even. A place he could live forever.
However, reality wasn't always so kind to indulge in someone's fantasies. The harsh truth was that, even with his conviction, they were racing against time. To be more precise, he was.
In just a month's time, unparalleled terror was going to land on Earth and kill millions, potentially billions, in a short amount of time.
If he stopped that, then he could indulge in that fantasy. Maybe.
For now though... he couldn't let the love he had distract him from his main goal. After he grew stronger, after he stopped the kaijus and the apocalypse they brought, then he could finally live that fantasy.
Right now, it was March. The apocalypse came around near the end of April, and his school's prom was held in May.
Of course, they might not have it so soon after such a harrowing event. But, if they did...
He was going to ask her out to prom, something he should've already done 10 years ago.