Eugene sighed while fidgeting with the headset around his neck, his mother's reminder still freshly echoing in his ears. There was a vaguely warm feeling because his mother knew him so well, though the context in which made him want to bury his head in the ground.
Eugene never went out without music. It helped elevate the boring experience of walking around the familiar neighbourhood that he half-grew up in. Familiarity exhausted the neighbourhood of interesting things that the place offered.
Stretching his arms and legs lightly. He looked around, taking in the scenes of the small neighborhood he called home. A disgruntled expression crumpling his features.
Walking down the corridor, he could see patches of the wall cracking and peeling off. Obnoxious grafittis and vulgar words covered sections of the walls. Eugene gave the vandalism a passing glance, as he heard the sound of plastic crunching beneath his foot. Looking down, he saw an empty and now crumpled plastic bottle along with more trash strewn around the floor. He felt that the sight made the apartment building look more dilapidated.
The building was sandwiched between two smaller residences, both made of light wooden materials. The houses were mostly built from patchworked wooden planks, like popsicle replicas of actual houses. Simple, but habitable. Though the rainy seasons made it more difficult to live in such unreliable structures.
Looking down over the parapet below the apartment, the road echoed with the loud bustling of pedestrians going to and fro. All kinds of vehicles passed every now and then, sometimes having to slow down to let those on foot cross the road safely. The sidewalk just in front of the apartment building was occupied by a few parked tricycles, the sidecars taking up most of the space allotted for pedestrian movement. The supposed drivers were lounging around in a makeshift waiting shed nearby.
Some of the pedestrians muttered complaints about the obstructed sidewalk, and a student walking home almost got side-swept by a passing motorist who was clearly in a hurry to get somewhere. The pedestrians had long started sending angry glares at the tricycle drivers, but it didn't faze the bunch who clearly didn't care and were too lazy to move their vehicles.
Eugene's disgruntled look crumpled even more at the sight of this.
He took the stairs and descended to the apartment's first level, greeting the neighbours who had decided to hang out in the stairwells for fresh air, on his way down. The building didn't offer a lot of ventilation because of it's design, so those occupants who couldn't afford the A.C, often loitered around the stairs where the air entered and flowed more freely.
Exiting the building, Eugene steeled himself, preparing for what usually came when he ventured out of the apartment.
"Hehehehe, look who we have here boys! If it isn't Eugene Gideon Reyes...how's college working out for you? Honestly, isn't it hard going to such a great school when...you're such a...uhmm...how should I say this? Err...freak? Right?"
Eugene heard a hushed gallery of snickers and cackles grate against his ear. The sound invading his ears rather than naturally entering it. He began to feel his firmly beating heart, pump blood into his circulation. A warmth found itself climbing up his neck, clinging to his jaw before finally reaching his cheeks and rising to the tip of his ears. The sensation induced a whistling sensation to tingle in his ears, like untreated tinnitus.
His fist subconsciously clenched, the frustration building up within his body. To the point of physical response.
This was a daily occurrence, one that exhausted Eugene before he could even leave the apartment. Suppressing the burning emotions simmering beneath his skin, he walked past the makeshift-shed, heading for the alley just across the street.
The bakery was on another street on the other side of this block of houses. The alley was the closest path and the other routes were less than optimal, in Eugene's opinion.
Just as he was about to set foot on the street. Suddenly, a tricycle came speeding down the road, straight for Eugene.
In a split second Eugene's body reacted, taking a swift stepback, the side-car wheel barely an inch away from clipping his leg. He felt the wind blow past his face, the air ruffling his bangs as it went. The fabric of his jeans stretching across his skin when his leg twisted out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.
The tricycle came to a screeching halt, the tires scraping the street as it skidded a few feet before coming to a complete stop. The passerby's gawked and stared at Eugene—who would've been dead if not injured, had it not been for his timely response.
Disoriented and dazed, he set his foot down, only then realizing he had been standing on one leg. Suddenly he staggered, his mind clouded up for a moment and he nearly lost consciousness.
Briefly he felt gravity loosen its hold on him. Like he had been placed on a still lake, until everything came crashing back as blood surged in his veins. The feeling of awareness doubling down on him. Suddenly the feeling of his shirt clinging to his damp chest felt more vivid.
He turned his gaze slowly. Staring down the reckless driver.
The man leered back, his mouth tightening with tension-preparing to spit out a harsh scolding or two. Met by Eugene's frigid and blank gaze and his gloomy eyes partially shadowed by his hair. Suddenly, the air felt cooler as the man felt a chill envelope his skin.
"I...I-I'm sorry!! I didn't see you..." The man weakly called out. His voice faltering as he spat out the weak excuse. His voice failing him as it shook with apprehension.
Eugene kept a steady gaze on him. For a moment there was tension in the air. With a low sigh, Eugene shook his head.
"Get the fuck out of here..." He spoke out loud, his clear voice was crisp as it reached everyone.
Not a second later, the driver stepped on his gearshift and drove away. Much slower this time, but still fast enough to get away from Eugene's frigid expression. The crowd watched for a bit more before dispersing.
"What the fuck was that about?" said the hooligan who had been messing with Eugene earlier. His hand on his shiny bald head, scratching it in annoyance as he watched the driver speed off, and the crowd dispersing at Eugene's words.
Unaware of Eugene's expression, the deadbeat glared at his back. Offended that the bastard was ignoring him.
"Fuck are you starin' at Gege...I wasn't done talkin' to ya!" He shouted out loud, his tone grating Eugene's ear.
Taking a deep breath in, he put his headset back on as he ignored the third rate insults thrown at him. There were groceries to retrieve and better things to deal with.
Crossing the street, he walked into the alley leaving behind the obnoxious hooligans.