High School Union, Chapter 39
EmDrago; Hello, faithful readers! I'm really sorry I've been off the air for a long time, but I was thinking about what a lot of you were saying. I want to try and keep everybody happy, so I hope this new chapter will do that.
Giratina; Ah, enough with the teary junk already! Get on with it, you lazy bum!
EmDrago looks at her and asks
EmDrago; What is your problem with me? I have not done anything to you, so why do you treat me like this?
Giratina; Haven't done anything to me? Ha! That's a good one! What about embarassing me multiple times, causing me emotional and bodily harm, and just being a jerk all around?
EmDrago shakes his head sadly, then tells her
EmDrago; Grow up already. This is a Drama/Romance, and part of Drama entails problems, big ones. Tone your ego down, would you?
EmDrago walks off, leaving behind a very pissed Giratina. She brings out a table, some paper, and begins to plot EmDrago's downfall. Arceus arrives and asks
Arceus; What are you doing?
Giratina; I'm going to have our author murdered.
Arceus sweatdrops and asks
Arceus; Don't you think that's a bit much? We still need somebody to write out this story, you know.
Giratina pauses, then slams her head into the table.
Giratina; DAMN IT! I HATE immunity!
Arceus chuckles, then tells the rest of the gang to take care of the rest of the business since he needs to watch after Giratina.
Dialga; Today's Story Spotlight goes out to Primary, by PheonixLyric.
Palkia; For the ratings, first place goes to the United States.
Shaymin; Second place is Canada.
Celebi; Third, Singapore.
Mew; Fourth belongs to the United Kingdom.
Giratina comes in, recovered, and says
Giratina; And last but not least, fifth place is reserved, at the moment, for the Philipinnes.
A Day In My Life... (Mew's Perspective)
Mew was heading out the door of the apartment complex he lived in, carefully closing the door behind him. He did so carefully because the wood was severely rotted and at risk of losing the door. He looked at it in disgust, knowing if anybody cared to, it wouldn't be hard to break in. He nearly punched the door in anger, at the frustration he felt from the course his life had taken.
He calmed himself down after a moment, looking back at the door and thinking about how frustrating it was to live like this. He was still too young to live out on his own without it becoming a big, news cover issue. He still had to have a parent/guardian, but he highly disliked the one he had right now.
He pushed his dark thoughts aside and descended the stairs and out onto the street. He certainly didn't live in the best part of town, and he hated it. If there was just one thing he had to like, it would be the fact that he could see the area where Mespirit lived. Up in his apartment, if he looked out his bedroom window and focused, he could see Mespirit and Azelf's house. He didn't do it often, since he saw her everyday, but whenever he needed a tonic to the stresses he was forced to live under, that would usually help.
He sighed heavily and began to walk. He was on a tight schedule today; first he needed to go to school, then he had to go straight to work. After that, it would be a real crunch to get his homework done, and done well, before he could finally go to sleep.
Weekends were a little easier, as it allowed him to get his homework done (if he had any) before going to work. What a life to live, with school, work and constant worrying about his housing situation. But he had an agenda, and as long as he didn't let anything slip up, he could get out of this hole and live a real life.
He gazed up at the sun, feeling himself relax as he soaked up what warmth could be gained. He began to walk again and thought to himself
"Everything isn't hopeless. As long as I stay my course, I won't go wrong, and with the benefit of not having to keep that mask on, I can focus on it better."
He exited the slum portion of the city, arriving at the park he so often went to, whenever he had free time, which come to think of it wasn't often after all. Nevertheless, his best memories were held here, and he loved to reminisce on them while waiting for Dialga to pick him up.
When the steel gray and metallic blue car showed up, Mew got up off the bench he usually sat on and walked over, getting in the passenger's side.
"Morning, Mew" Dialga said to him, and Mew responded in kind. Things were fairly silent then, but Dialga eventually asked
"Mew, I wanted to ask you something. Why do you have me pick you up at the park? It would probably be easier on both of us if you would just let me pick you up at your place." Mew shook his head and told him
"No, that wouldn't be as effective as you think." Dialga raised an eyebrow and asked
"Why?" Mew sighed, then replied
"Well, the park is closer to your house in the first place, and I don't like where I live. I don't want anyone who knows me, and I mean actually knows me, to see me there." Dialga's gaze became bemused, and he said
"You live in the bad portion of town?" Mew nodded solemnly, and Dialga asked
"Why does that matter to you? You know it doesn't matter to any of us, right?" Mew nodded again and said
"It's an issue of pride. I know you guys don't really care where I live; on the other hand, I do. I have an issue with where I live, how I live, and who I live with. Don't ask any further on that, though, okay?" Dialga was surprised but nodded his assent. The rest of the drive was spent in silence, and when at last they arrived, it was about seven-fifteen. Mew thanked Dialga, then went straight to the library. There, he brought out some books and paper, looking up at the clock.
"All right," he muttered to himself, "let's see how much I can get through."
He had recently been taking to asking for the lessons ahead, hoping to have at least one or two lessons out of the way before it started. This was a method he found taxing and not particularly enjoyable. However, it allowed him to get ahead of the game, become more involved in the discussion, and gave him time to develop questions that could either be addressed in the course of the lesson or directly with the teacher.
Right now he was doing some of the philosophy they would be going over with Mr. Mewtwo. Due to the similarity in their names, despite it being his own first name and the teacher's surname, many people assumed they were related, more specifically father and son.
However, that was strictly untrue. And Mew had had one hell of a time with that. To make matters worse, he had been under the fun-loving yet annoying persona he adopted so many years ago, nearly ten, now. Things had not turned out well; he wasn't quite sure how it all happened, but the end result was a two-week suspension, and at the time he hadn't been working, which meant he was spending a lot of time outside, where he always got suspicious glances.
Bringing his brain back out of Memory Lane, he went back to his work, though due to its difficulty, he doubted he would get very far. He looked back up to the clock, and then the work. He quickly put it away and instead brought out some work for Health Education. Philosophy wasn't slipping right now, and he didn't have time to go through and contemplate every point of view, whereas H.E. was beginning to lag behind.
At five to eight, the warning bell went off. Mew scrawled in his last answer, sighing in relief, then quickly packed his stuff up and went off to his first course, history. He was one of the last few to arrive before Zekrom, who was pristine in his pitch black suit, hair, and shoes. The class filed in and took their seats, and Zekrom started with roll. When he reached Mew's name, and after he answered, Zekrom's attention was latched right onto him. Then he moved on and soon started the class.
Right now they were going over the beginnings of the Civil War, and Mew was heavily invested in it, especially from the poorer side's point of view, being able to relate in a way.
The class was over before he knew it, but while he was packing his stuff up, Zekrom asked
"Mew, can I speak with you for a moment?" Mew looked up in surprise but nodded. His next class was close anyway, so after everyone left, Mew stayed in his seat and looked up at Zekrom expectantly.
"What happened to you over Christmas Break? You weren't so serious before you left, and you suddenly come back with an entirely different personality, almost the complete opposite of what you had before. I don't understand what's going on with you." Mew looked down at the table of the desk, trying to come up with the easiest answer. Finally he replied
"The Mew you knew before Christmas Break was far from the real me, and is now for all intents and purposes dead." Zekrom was stunned into shock, and when he recovered he asked
"But what happened?" Mew shook his head and replied
"Sorry, but that's personal information right now." Zekrom scowled and asked
"So you can't trust me?" Mew sighed and replied
"Honestly, right now, I can't even trust my friends with all the details." Zekrom was just completely speechless now, and Mew took that opportunity to get up, shoulder his backpack, and say
"Sorry, but I have to get to my next class now."
He walked out of the room, leaving Zekrom behind in continued stunned silence. The next class he had was philosophy, which right now was quite boring. Like Zekrom, Mewtwo's attention was not lost on Mew's new attitude, but he didn't request to see Mew after class, which gave him relief.
His next class was physical education. This was yet another class where his change was noticed, but Virizion was slick about it, nor did she pry. Mew enjoyed P.E., as it allowed him to relieve some stress by way of physical exertion. Slightly more relaxed now, he made his way to the cafeteria, making use of the free lunch program that pretty much every school offered. Once he had a decent lunch, he walked over to the table and sat next to Mespirit, where they shared a kiss.
Being with his girlfriend always exhilerated him, and gave him relaxation to an extent that P.E. could never compare to. And even just being with his friends was relaxing, though right now they were rather suspicious of him. But he couldn't blame them; they had every right to be.
He began to eat his lunch which was packed mostly with carbs, somthing he had learned thanks to his health teacher. Now he was able to make a decision for a lunch that would last him through dinner and push him through his job. Because of that, he cut a rather slim figure, which neither he nor Mespirit minded. Giratina was eyeing him now, and he became worried. She usually asked questions he didn't want to answer, and he had a suspicion that today would be no different.
"Hey, Mew?" Giratina asked him. He flinched, then sighed wearily and asked
"Yeah, Giratina?" She placed her arm on the table behind her empty, pushed-up tray, then continued
"I've been wondering, why do you always grab so much food?" Mew smiled inwardly; this one he could answer.
"Well, I need the energy for after school, when I work. Then I try and get my homework done before I get to bed and restart the cycle." Giratina grunted and looked over at Arceus, who had been his best friend since before middle school, but even then he hadn't been able to unmask him, despite being very socially adept. Then Arceus asked him
"Where do you work, and what do you do?" Mew's half grin faded and he responded
"Fast-food joint, basic cleaning, minimum wage. Need the money, though." Giratina grinned and remarked
"With that much food, I imagine you burn through that rather quick." Mew shook his head and told her
"Actually, I get this off the reduced/free lunch program. I use that money for other means." Giratina's expression became skeptical and she asked
"Let me guess; video games?" Mew scoffed and said
"I don't have time for such luxuries." Now Giratina was surprised, and she asked hesitantly
"So, what are you using it for?" Mew shook his head and replied
"Sorry, that's personal right now." Giratina scowled and told him
"You know, you're racking up a lot of those 'personal info' points. You're backstory will probably take a couple of hours to tell along with all that information." Mew thought about it for a second, then shook his head and responded
"No, not really. It all really revolves around one event that leads up to everything that happened, but again the right circumstances haven't been met, so that's under lock-and-key right now." Giratina rolled her eyes then, and Mew went back to eating. Once he was finished, he kissed Mespirit again, then went on for the next portion of school-time killing.
This bit was different for him as opposed to the other students, however. He went up to the office and walked in, greeting the secretary as he passed by her.
"How's it going, Tammy?" She scowled and told him
"You know you're not supposed to adress me like that. To you, I'm Miss Pollock." Mew shrugged and retorted
"Come on, we're all friends here, right?" The secretary simply ignored him and went back to her desk work, which made Mew roll his eyes. Then he walked further back and knocked on a certain door, to which a female voice said
"It's open." Mew walked in, seeing Miss Reshiram at her desk. She served as a counselor alongside the choir teacher, and Mew was an assistant to her, generally making copies of something or delivering notes. It was sort of a strange circumstance; the school had found out about his predicament last year, and they were on the verge of calling in some specialists. However, Mew had begged for them not to interfere. He barely grazed the problem by the skin of his teeth, the compromise being that the school wouldn't interfere as long as he kept his grades up, showed no signs of malnutrition or neglect, and would agree to work with Miss Reshiram. Mew had automatically agreed to the terms, and things had been tense ever since.
"Good afternoon, Mew. How was your first week back?" Mew shrugged and responded
"Difficult getting back into my routine. But I'm managing. How are things with you?" The bright woman appeared concerned now, and she said
"Well, I have some concerns about you." Mew sighed and asked
"Such as?" Reshiram motioned to the seat across her desk and Mew sat down. Then Miss Reshiram told him
"Mr. Zekrom informed me about what you said to him when he requested to speak to you after class." Mew's heart sank, and he said
"Oh yeah?" Miss Reshiram nodded and told him
"And I'm a bit concerned about it." Mew sighed and told her
"Look, it's not like I'm going to keep it a secret forever. I'm just waiting for the right circumstances."
"Which are?" Mew hesitated, then said
"When something similar happens to one of my friends or at the end of Senior year." Miss Reshiram then said
"Don't you think that's a bit of a far cry? I really think you should be more open with your friends. They won't judge you for what happened, especially since you had no power over it." Mew hesitated, then shook his head and replied
"No, I just can't. I hear what you're saying, but... it's difficult for me to talk about it unless I know someone else is in a situation that's at least partly similar to it." Miss Reshiram sighed resignedly, then said
"Well, that's your choice. But I urge you to reconsider your position, especially since it's unlikely the same circumstances will occur." Mew nodded and told her
"That's why I added at the end of Senior year. If we get through that without any mishaps, and I pray that to be the case, then after graduation I'll explain everything." He stood and asked
"What do you need me to do today?" Miss Reshiram recognized the closing of the subject, and from experience knew that he wouldn't speak any further about it. She handed him some files and told him
"I need four copies of the first two and one copy of the rest." Mew nodded and left the office. Shortly after he did, Mr. Quaza entered the room, and Miss Reshiram smiled weakly up at him and asked
"Hey Ray, how's it going?" Mr. Quaza smirked, which quickly faded away as he asked
"What did he say?" Miss Reshiram sighed and replied
"He's waiting for now, but I urged him to open up. I just wish there was more I could do for him. I would gladly take him in, but he refuses." Mr. Quaza nodded and told her
"You're not the first, but he wants to stay where he knows the rules. I have no doubt that a change like you taking him in would be a positive shift, but he's afraid." Miss Reshiram regarded him with confusion and asked
"Afraid? Of what?" Mr. Quaza sighed and replied
"Of change. It's a basic human fear of the unknown. His circumstances are miserable and unhealthy, but he's accustomed to it. I'm sure that, deep down, he would love it if you took him in, but consciously, he fears the possible outcomes. And instead of taking risks, he feels more comfortable staying where the rules are easy for him to remember." Miss Reshiram looked down, her gaze unfocused. Then she shook her head and said
"Well, if things get any worse, I'm taking him in. That's all there is to it." Mr. Quaza nodded and said
"The rest of us will be behind you, and I'm sure he'll appreciate it, though perhaps not at first."
Back in the copier room with Mew, he had finished making the copies and was returning to Miss Rehiram's office. He passed by Mr. Quaza, and they both greeted each other but didn't continue on. Once Mew delivered the copies, Miss Reshiram was looking at him sadly but endearingly. She let him go early, saying there was nothing else to do.
The rest of Mew's day passed uneventfully, and when school ended he hopped on one of the buses, taking it to another part of town. It was about a half hour walk from his side of town, and since he didn't get off until about eight-thirty, though he tried to put on more hours, he usually got home by nine. Then it was generally two hours to get the homework in, and he went to bed to begin anew the next day.
Try though he might, he and his boss just simply didn't get along. He thought he had found a sympathetic listener in Giratina when she sometimes complained about how her boss seemed to hate her, at least before she became an internet singing sensation, but all it took was a change in attitude for them to see eye to eye. However, that didn't work for Mew.
He stepped inside and went to punch in, then grabbed his cleaning supplies and began to get the bathrooms first. He had never been fond of public restrooms, but at least restaurant restrooms were generally kept cleaner than most others, especially school restrooms.
Once he finished there, he swept and mopped the floors. It seemed there were some wild children and lazy cleaners today, so he got in a lot of work. After he finished mopping, he took out the trash, and by the time that was done, his shift was over. He groaned lightly from the back-breacking work and punched out, fortunately not having to deal with his boss, Frank, along the course of the shift. It seemed they both wanted a break from each other.
On the way home, though he never really considered it such, he was always keeping a vigilant watch over his shoulders. In this portion of town, if you weren't careful, you would find yourself lying in a gutter the next morning, devoid of your possessions. Wishing to avoid such a fate, Mew's head was somewhat comparable to a bobble head, but in more of a side-to-side motion.
Luckily he avoided any mishaps, and he climbed up the rickety stairs to his apartment, being careful with the door. Once he was inside, he checked for the signature of the only other person regularly here. Sure enough, the tv's light was flickering in another room, and the sounds of snoring could be heard. Mew shook his head in disgust, then went to his room.
It was a small, shabby room, barely big enough to fit the bed and desk he managed to squeeze in. He set the backpack down on his bed, then brought out the books he intended to use. Once he had his set-up prepared, he went to the fridge in the dinky kitchen, opening it up and seeing that the weekend would have to be spent getting groceries. He sighed in resignation, then pulled out some fruit, retreating to his room.
A couple of hours later...
Mew set his pen down, sighing tiredly and stretching his sore, cramped hand out. He looked at the clock on the desk and saw it to be close to midnight. Yawning, he packed up his things, then flopped on the bed and instantly fell asleep, waking up the next morning to start again.
Okay, how's this work for ya? I hope you liked the chapter and don't want to join Giratina in the plot for my downfall. At any rate, please review when you're finished.