Alfendi prods Clive's cheek a few times trying to decide if he is really sleeping or just pretending. Sometimes he does that.
Alfendi knows he has been a nuisance lately, but maybe he would bother him less if Clive would just play with him more. Clive would struggle to stay awake anymore and would nod off in the middle of bored games while waiting for his turn. He could never finish any of Alfendi's favorite movies anymore. He is always so exhausted like this; his nocturnal lifestyle really takes a toll on him.
But the lonely boy really needs his attention, "Clive are you awake?"
The tired man turns over onto his side so that he faces the back cushions of the couch instead of the boy because he wishes to remain in slumber.
"I know you're awake," Alfendi states, now confident that he is faking.
"How can I not be?" Clive grumbles.
"Come on Clive can we play?"
"Have I had six hours of sleep yet?"
"No."
"Then no."
Alfendi pouts pitifully, "But I go back to school tomorrow." He sighs, wishing it wasn't so.
Clive is still very groggy, but he does sit up on the couch, but he only asks him very tiredly, "What's on your mind?"
"I just thought we would get to play more while I was out of school. I don't want to sit in class all day and fend for myself against the bullies."
"It won't be so bad. It's a new start, you at least have to give it a chance."
Alfendi shakes his head, "i don't want to go at all! It's gonna be the same. It's always the same."
"Not this year," Clive yawns without any reasoning as to why, but instead he offers a small bribe, "I'll make you breakfast before you go tomorrow. Whatever you want."
Alfendi's face lights up, "I just like eggs and toast with Earl Grey," he tells him, "Oh! And sausage! And bacon!"
"If it's in stock then it will be served," He strokes Alfendi's hair once before slipping back into his pillow. Alfendi waits, but a few minutes later he is breathing softly with sleep. Alfendi sighs and turns to the tele to entertain him with a mind numbing rerun until Clive could stay awake long enough to be fun.
'There has to be a reason for his strange behavior,' Alfendi decides, 'He wasn't like this before.'
The next morning Clive fulfills his promise completely.
Alfendi is met with an impressive smorgasbord on his platter, but every gulp he makes lands with a very uncomfortable plop in his uneasy stomach. Would he know anyone from last year in his new class? Would they remember him?
Flora glides in as if in a daze still rubbing her sleepy eyes. She is dressed in a pale nightgown; her unruly curls cascading beautifully behind her shoulders.
"Flora what are you doing up?" It is rather strange for her to be here because she didn't have to leave until eight thirty for work. It isn't even seven a.m.
"I-" she cuts herself off with a yawn, reaching blindly for the coffee pot. She nearly drops it when she picks it up because it has already been filled with a fresh brew.
Clive effortlessly takes a mug from a cabinet above him despite his task of frying eggs and slides it across the counter to her. "Well good morning cherie," Clive grins looking over one shoulder to see another hungry family member in his midst.
"Good morning," She greets him in a small voice.
"Would you care to join us as well?" He invites, extending the invitation to three. She does not reply with any words, but Flora does take two plates from the cabinet. Alfendi's jaw drops involuntarily and Earl Grey drips out of his mouth and back in his cup when she actually sits down to be with both of them. Clive scoops an egg on to their each of their plates and sits down between them.
Then things get really weird: Flora and Clive actually speak to one another... Without screaming or insults or threats. They just talk like two boring adults.
"How was work last night, Clive?" Flora asks him.
"Oh... The same as always," Suddenly he seems to remember something and he pulls something out of his pocket, "Hey Al, I got you something."
Alfendi reaches out greedily to see what Clive has brought him today. At Clive's job he assembled various kinds of toys, but sometimes a few made it to the reject pile for a poor paint job or something silly like that. This time it is a small red automobile with a yellow splatter of paint across the hood.
"Cool! Thanks Clive. No other kid will have a car like this!"
But Clive does not hear this because he is already mid-conversation with Flora. She tells him of a client she is designing a one of a kind wedding gown for and he seems to actually be absorbed I listening to her fluffy drabble. Alfendi can't believe what he is witnessing. He starts shoveling down his breakfast absentmindedly, totally in awe of this bizarre spectacle, until he suddenly chokes on a bite of crispy bacon.
"Alfendi! Are you alright?" Flora pats his back firmly and Clive quickly pours him more tea to wash down the small shard of meat that had caught in his throat.
"Fine. I'm fine! I-I have to go to school," he grabs his backpack and deserts them immediately. He slams the door to be sure to inform them he has left, but then he sneaks about the house and nudge the window up an inch to eavesdrop.
"That was really strange," Flora murmurs to herself, "Did I miss something?"
"He was just nervous about school today," Clive assures her.
Flora becomes very quiet and Clive doesn't say anything more. The only sound he hears for awhile is the clanking of cups on the table every time they took a quiet sip.
"This is quite a breakfast you prepared again," Flora comments.
"I made it for Alfendi. It's just coincidence you happened to wake up in time to pilfer a small helping for yourself."
"A girl needs her beauty sleep," she teases, "I sacrificed it this time," she giggles heartily.
"You need beauty sleep?" He laughs at her for this, "That's nonsense and you know it."
"Well thank you for brewing my coffee for me," she mentions a little warily, "That was thoughtful."
He hesitates a moment before answering. Alfendi assumes Clive must have offered a usual shrug in response, "It was nothing."
Alfendi steps away in disbelief. What is happening with them? Could they... actually be friends now?
He ponders this when he mounts his bike, when he steps into his school, and all the way to his desk. He is so lost in thought he hardly notices the very pretty, blond girl who takes a seat in front of him.
All the other boys have already taken notice. Her gorgeous long blond hair is certainly eye-catching, but what may be more so is her ice blue eyes. Nearly every boy who is in her class today has already developed a small crush on the new girl.
The teacher brings the class, to attention for attendance and then starts off with their classroom procedures and rules. He turns to the chalkboard to discuss each generic and simple point of common sense.
Alfendi takes out his new car from his pocket and rolls it a few times in his boredom. Then he takes one of his pencils to doodle his subject. He gets pretty far when the girl turns in her seat to watch, which makes him slightly uncomfortable.
"Are you an artist?" She whispers to him.
He does not glance away when he answers, "No."
"But you're drawing," she tells him.
"I know that," he chides, "But it's not good."
"Do you like to draw?"
"No," he replies curtly.
"Oh, well that's a shame. My old best friend used to draw. I thought we could be friends too."
"I don't want to be friends with a girl," he rudely tells her.
She raises her voice without thinking of the consequence, "I beg your pardon!"
The teacher quickly becomes aware of their squabble, "Alfendi, Hilda, is there a problem?"
They continue to scowl at one another, but they both answer with a forlorn no. They become very quiet again, Alfendi returning to his doodle and Hilda paying perfect attention to their teacher like a teacher's pet.
Hilda flips her long waterfall hair over her shoulder and it spills all across the surface of Alfendi's desk. Alfendi grits his teeth and growls before pulling his notebook to the end of his table so that he can have some peace, but a long lock of gold gets caught in the metal spiral.
"Ow!" Hilda yelps.
"That is enough you two!" The teacher rebukes them for all the class to hear, "You can both stay in class ten minutes during recess."
"But he pulled my hair!"
"It was an accident!"
"If you continue to pester one another you can stay in the full thirty minutes," their teacher threatens.
Their mouths hang open in astonishment. On the first day they are already being severely punished. This fuels a strong hatred in Alfendi for this little blond girl. He stares at the back at her head for their time of sentencing wishing he had laser vision. It is the ten longest minutes of his entire life.
When he is released he finally parts ways from her for the first time that day. Besides class they sit at the same table for lunch because they are alphabetically close in proximity according to their last name seating arrangement. He has had just about enough of Hilda Pertinax got today or any other day for that matter!
He steps outside and into the warm sunshine. Hilda runs off to go play in a double dutch game for girls. As for his recess, he decides he will lie on the metal slide and bask in the glorious warmth. All is perfect on his isolated, curved island. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to finally relax. He rolls his car on the smooth surface, taking great pleasure from the sound of wheels zooming across the metal.
'It is so hard to be a kid sometimes,' he reflects. The thought hardly crosses his mind when two feet land on his head and push him into the dust.
"What is the big idea you chowderhead!" Alfendi explodes.
"Alnerdi! Alnerdi!" His bullies chant. Of course it was too good to be true. He has almost forgotten of these boys' existence because they are not in his class. This must be why they went to find him.
He grips his head with his hands, "Quit it! Leave me alone!" He screams at them.
"He can't even find someone to play with!" Charlie taunts.
"What a loser!" David laughs, though his statement is agricatingly redundant.
"I don't want to play with any of you!" Alfendi rages, "Go away! I wasn't bothering you!"
"You are wrong actually! We want this slide. It's ours now!" The leader George informs him.
"You can't do that!"
"Sure we can," George declares, "Right guys?" His comrades agree unanimously.
He knew they only wanted it because he had had it first. But like always he would have to give it up or fight for it. He is about to hypothetically roll up his short sleeves and get ready to defend his territory when Hilda appears from nowhere at the top of the ladder and gives the three a harsh push. They all try to stop themselves, but the last one lands in a heap in the shallow pit of dirt.
"Who wants to play on this dented heap of metal anyway!" Hilda suddenly intervenes for him. The boys suddenly shut right up at this confrontation with a girl.
"But it's cool," one of them finally argues without any actual reason to convince her she is wrong.
"Right. Let me know how much fun you have burning your bums sliding down that!" She laughs so rudely that she actually snorts once. She quickly composes herself and before Alfendi knows what is happening she jumps down to the ground and takes Alfendi's hand, "Let's go!"
"No! You let go!" Alfendi rages at her trying to pull away from the firm hand she has clamped onto his. He can't seem to break free, "Gaaaaah! Let go I mean it!"
"You act like you've never held a girl's hand before," she taunts him.
His cheeks flush a humiliating red, "Shut up!"
She only stops once they have escaped behind the big jungle gym, "Well then! Don't thank me or anything," she criticizes as she pushes him away. He tumbles into the metal bars and quickly climbs to the top of the fortress to get away from her.
"I'm not! I didn't need your help!" He insists, his fists clenched in resentment around the metal pipes.
"Fine then! I won't save you ever again!" She sticks out her tongue at him rudely from below him.
"Good!" He shouts down at her.
"Hmph!" The bell has rung so she takes off running back towards the school.
Clive is nowhere to be found when Alfendi returns home. With no one to vent to he hides in his room because he is so mortified. He could never go back to school again. He would be a laughing stock. He would never forgive her for this! With covers over his head and tears of humiliation stinging his eyes he chants over and over and over again: "I hate her! I hate Hilda Pertinax!"
It is a few hours later when someone finally finds him curled into a ball after he had tuckered himself out with all his hateful thinking. He wakes when he hears his door creak open, and can instinctively tell it is Flora because of the sound her dainty little footsteps make. She sits down delicately beside him on his bed and runs a soothing hand over his shoulder blades.
"Hey sleepy boy. How was school?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he grumbles pitifully..
"Why not?" A worried tone enters Flora's calm voice, "What happened?"
Alfendi clutches a pillow to his face in humiliation,"Today was without a doubt the worst day of my life!"
"Oh come now. It couldn't have been that bad," she tries to assure him.
"It was! This stupid girl got me in trouble! I didn't even do anything it was an accident! And then she got in the way and was poking her big nose in my business! She won't go away!"
"A girl?" Flora can tell she is smirking when she asks, "Does this girl have a name?"
"Well yeah, duh," Alfendi grumbles at her, "But it's a dumb one. Just like her."
Flora tries not to, but she can't help laughing, "You are one to talk Al-fen-di."
Alfendi growls at this and buries his face in his pillow trying to fight back the tears that are still forming in his eyes. Boys didn't cry in front of their sisters.
"What's going to make you feel better. Hmm?" Flora wonders.
He wipes his eyes off against his cotton pillow cover before he lifts his head up to make a suggestion with a pout still evident on his lip,"Pizza for dinner?"
"A special breakfast and pizza?" Flora giggles at him, "You just eat away those troubles don't you?" She tries to tickle his belly, but he squirms away from her and wraps himself deeper into his blankets until he is just a mound of fabric.
The sound of a car horn outside the house makes both of them jump. The blankets fall away as Alfendi sits straight up and Flora lets out a startled little squeak. They sit completely alert and sure enough a small beep sounds again.
"Who could that be?" Flora asks Alfendi.
"How should I know?" He throws his covers aside and flies down the stairs with Flora not far behind. Alfendi reaches the door first and opens it to see who it is. Flora stumbles a bit behind him and has to catch herself by leaning on his shoulder.
"Ah, Ms. Reinhold," Clive says in an oddly chivalrous tone. Alfendi tilts his head in confusion at this because he already lives here and this shouldn't be an arrival. He outstretches a hand to Flora, but she is as utterly confused as he is.
She immediately turns her gaze to Alfendi,"What's going on?"
"Please save all questions for the end," Clive interrupts her, "We wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."
"W-what surprise?" Flora stammers, "I don't like surprises."
He chuckles once and finally elaborates, but only to Alfendi whom he spoils the secret for.
"WHAT!" He exclaims, "No way! Are you serious!?"
"What is it?" Flora pleads with him, but Clive motions for him to stay quiet.
"Flora! You are going to love this! Come on!" He takes her hands as tries to take her to wherever this surprise could be.
"Wait Al! She has to close her eyes so we can lead the way."
"Close your eyes, Flora! You have to!"
"Ok…" she utters with a nervous tremor in her voice. Reluctantly, Flora squeezes her eyelids shut and allows for them to take her around the house and to the edge of the street. It is a bit difficult for her to walk in her tall shoes without her sight, but Alfendi and Clive hold her sturdily so that she cannot fall. Finally they stop in front of a small yellow vehicle that is parked behind dad's automobile. Dad himself stands in front of it whom quickly motions for Alfendi to join him at his side.
"Open your eyes, Flora," Alfendi tells her, letting go of her arm to be with Dad.
She peeks with one eye and then stares in wide-eyed bewilderment. Her fingers slip away from Clive's and she has to cover her gasp with both of her hands, "Is that?!"
Clive laughs at this and places his hand on her shoulder, "Why yes Flora, this is... your brand new car!" He announces with a showy gesture towards the perfect little vehicle.
"Oh my goodness!" She begins hopping and squealing with joy. She is clamping onto Clive's arm not having any idea who to look at, who to thank, or how to stop repeating the single phrase, "Oh my goodness!"
Dad smiles with a proud tilt of his hat, "I take it you like it?" He ventures to guess.
Flora flies into his arms and dad hugs her warmly, "I love it I love it!"
Flora had been goggling over that puny little car for ages. Dad knows she still had calculated that it would take another year until it would be hers. He must have contributed the remaining sum to help her out if she would be leaving before then.
"I always knew you were the favorite child," Alfendi comments sarcastically, but adds his arms to the existing hug.
"Come here favorite brother," Flora teases and bends down to give him a cute peck on the cheek to assure him she loves him too.
"Ew!" Alfendi cries, pulling away from the embrace, "Flora you are so gross!"
"What about me? I helped too," Clive jests at being the odd one out, "Who do you think drove it here?"
Alfendi tilts his head in confusion, "You have a license?"
Guiltily, Clive scratches his head a bit shamefully, "At one time I did..."
Flora gapes at Dad and Clive for having driven her new vehicle here illegally, which makes Alfendi laugh all the more thoroughly, "You are the best brother ever!"
"Brother?" Flora echoes fearfully, almost as if she is choking on the word.
"Sure! Clive is family now! Right Dad?" His son's statement caught him off guard as well, but his top hat appears to dip down once in a nod.
"Wow," Clive whispers, "Thanks Al. I never knew you viewed me that way."
Flora tentatively bites her lip at this, but because Clive is one of the Layton's now, according to her brother, "Thank you for your help today."
Knowing these grateful words were hard for her to give Clive hugs her with one arm before letting her go uncomfortably. Her cheeks burn red from the gesture and she quickly departs to the house becoming much to flustered to stay in this awkward circumstance.
Because Flora has somewhat approved of this new happening, Alfendi bro fists his new big brother and cheers, "Welcome to the family, Clive!"
...
...
...
What have I done. o_o
It's so cute, but you see where this is going right?
New topic. Don't get me wrong I love Alfendi and Lucy... but Hilda alone is a great character. We all know they dated, but what if they had known each other much longer? I can't even get over it it's so cute. Hilda is so used to boys admiration and his rudeness drives her a little crazy. Then poor Alfendi xD He's so sensitive, that would be his placidness, but because he can't cope with it he just gets all mad. Oh my word I love it.
