She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering how she was going to look for school today. There was something that was distracting her, keeping her attention from how she looked. It was that watch, on her wrist. It was always counting, and it bothered her.

    Why couldn't it just show days? Or, better yet, years? It was killing her as she watched it tick so slowly, the seconds never stopping, just slowing. Was there something she could do to cover it up? No, it would just project through her sleeve. So, back to the idea of what she was going to look like today. She could go for the, "I'm tired and don't want to do anything," look or she could actually look presentable. She went with presentable, no matter how much she would rather go back to bed and sleep for the next 6 years - the amount of years on her clock.

    "Zero!" Her brother called her from downstairs, making her stop in her tracks. Her brush was going up her cheek while the rest of her face was done, including the minimal eye shadow she wore. When he didn't call again, she kept moving, hurriedly packing up all of her makeup, grabbing her phone and headphones, making sure everything was in her bag, then heading downstairs. 

    When she saw the time, she said, "Shit!" Under her breath. Her Mom heard it, whipping around and warning her to not say those things while Tucker, her younger brother, was around. She apologized quickly, grabbing an apple and kissing her Mother and Father on the cheek before going out the door.

    She walked down her driveway, grabbing her bike and pedaling to her school. This was going to be an interestingly boring day, no doubt.

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    After about three periods of pure nothing but reviews, she finally got to go to lunch. She pulled out her journal, pencil, and what little lunch she ate, walked down the corridor to the cafeteria, and sat down at the nearest empty table. Upon sitting down, she came to the realization that this was the wrong table to be sitting at, especially since the jocks were already coming up the stairs, to their level of the cafeteria. She tried to get up, knowing the leader, Rhett, as everyone called him, was most likely going to send her to the ground without giving her the chance to fight back.

    As she was getting up and taking the drink and sandwich she had with her, he called her out. "Oh, fuck," she said under her breath, turning around. Rhett had his girlfriend, Tina, beside him, in her cheerleading outfit that covered nothing other than her chest and, what she couldn't seem to keep closed, her upper legs. "Hey, Zero," Rhett called her by her brothers nickname. She wondered how he figured out her nickname, but didn't say anything, just stared.

    He got close to her, ripping her journal away from her arm and looking at the clock. "6 years?! Ha! What a loser. And, guess what? You're a loser that's not gonna look very pretty once we're done with you," and with that, she got a blow to the face. Then another and another, until finally, the assistant principal came by the table and pulled Rhett and his gang away from her unconscious body.

    Why did she hate her clock? That's why. Because, if you have a clock like she does, then you're the most likely to get hit by Rhett, whom had already found his soulmate, Tina. And, what sucked the most was, if you're soulmate-less, there's no one to protect you.

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    He walked around his dormitory, making sure he didn't have any college work due today. He looked down at his clock, seeing 6 years and scoffing. 6 fucking years to wait for her? Really? He wanted her now, to be able to hold her. Be able to have her, so he wouldn't have to look at this damn clock anymore.

    It bothered him, how he would have to wait for the one that was made for him. It sucked that he had to live alone until he was 26, and with his crappy job, there was no telling how boringly bad things were going to be for the next few years.

    He looked at the time, seeing it was noon, then down at his wrist, wondering if the years had magically gone away and she would show up at his doorstep at this very moment. His phone ringing started him, then making him groan at the idea of it being anyone other than his boss calling to tell him he could have a whole month off with pay.

    He picked up the phone sitting a few feet away from him on the couch, not bothering to see who the caller was. "Hello?" The receiving end started to talking about a free cruise to the Bahamas on some random cruise line that he didn't bother to listen for, nor care to hear about.

    He left his dorm, deciding that going to the library didn't seem half bad now that he was bored out of his mind. Walking down the path of Cincinnati University, he was stopped by his friend Wade calling him out. "Mark!"

    Mark looked in his direction, watching as he lanky friend ran toward him, coming from seemingly nowhere in particular. There was a blonde girl standing beside him, a bright smile on her face. "Meet Molly," Mark saw Wade's wrist as he moved it to introduce Molly. The clock had reached 00:00:00:00. 

"My Soulmate." Mark smiled, shaking Molly's hand before talking to Wade for a few seconds, then walking off toward his intended location: the Library.

    As he walked, he started to get lost in his thoughts, no longer paying attention to his surroundings and some random soul mate couples. He looked down at his clock and scoffed once again, "Can you come faster, please?"

    Why did he want her so badly? That's why. If you're like him, with a clock like his, then you have no one there for you and you get to watch as some of your friends find their soulmate. What sucked the most was, was when you were soulmate-less, like he was, you didn't have anyone to protect.