Pocket Full of Sunshine~

He glances at his multifunctional wristwatch - his only costly possession.

It is thirty past seven, which means there is still half an hour till his shift is over. It has been one of those days. He had woken up early enough, he thinks. What went wrong then? Well, nothing that he could control. He cannot control when a pimple decides to mar the perfection of his handsome face. He cannot control when his mother decides not to return home the next morning. He cannot control when his useless older brother comes knocking on his door asking for money. He should have remembered that the fridge was empty, though. He has been missing breakfast too many times recently. It exhausts him terribly when he has to study all morning on an empty stomach. A surprise test in his weakest subject. Unexpected rains cancelling the soccer match. No meat for lunch and then his phone just died on him for no reason. That was almost the breaking point – since he had remembered to charge it the night before. And it was going to cost too much to get it repaired.

Finally, a cranky boss at work.

“Ya! Move your legs faster! What sloths these young punks are!”

Just a little more time, he tells himself. Just a little more time.

The first thing that goes right is that he isn’t forced to work overtime. He needs this job. The boss knows that his school doesn’t allow part-time work. So he can throw him out any time he wants.

He rushes out towards his bicycle. His stomach growls in hunger but it will have to wait. He needs something more than food and water – heck, even more than money right now.

The place where he gets the lunch-box is unusually crowded today. And there is a newbie at the counter. Eight-forty already, he groans, as the cashier hands him back the change.

He pedals fast even though there is a dull ache in his calves. The roads are slippery after the rains and he almost skids at a dangerous turn. It takes a gr