Mob wasn't the best at math.
She didn't know why she was so bad at math, just that she was. Maybe because she didn't do the math homeschool books that often because she didn't like them. Or maybe it was because she had a calculator on her phone that did math for her. Or maybe because she had been bad at math since the day she had been born and she just didn't like how frustrating it was so it was easier to just let dad do any math that she needed to do and-
The bottom line was that she was bad at math.
She wasn't good at multiplication or division…and she didn't know about any of the stuff that came after. The stuff that dad knew about. He was good at math. He had gone to university and learned all of the math that his university taught. She wondered if mom had been bad at math. Maybe that was why she was so bad at it. She had no idea how she could have been this bad at math with two parents who were good at math.
She had no idea how she could have been this bad at math even if she had two parents who couldn't add two and two.
"One two three four five-" counted Mob. She knew how to count. She knew how counting worked. She could count without her fingers and her toes. She knew her numbers! The group was her family, her friends, and Fukuda. That was three people plus five people plus one person. That made…she counted on her fingers even though she could do it in her head…nine. That made nine people. There were nine people in their group.
But there were only eight beds.
"Mob, stop, you've been counting all day. It's driving me up the wall." Said Minegishi. They were tired. This was kind of Mob's fault. She was the one who told Sho about New York and he had told dad, and he had only been trying to be nice anyway so she wasn't mad at him, and now they were in New York City. A big apartment in New York City. One big enough….well not really…for everyone. This was one that they had stayed at before.
When they'd been seven people.
"I'm sorry, Minegishi. I didn't mean to be annoying." Said Mob. She stepped to the side as an Awakened carried in one of the boxes of Shibata's kitchen stuff. He came in carrying an even bigger box…and at least she had thought to have them bring in an extra big bed for him…and it was in a room with another bed…and that was meant to be his and Hatori's room. He and Hatori shared a room with bunk beds, extra-long ones because Shibata was almost three meters tall, and there was a room with a double bed for Minegishi and Shimazaki, one which was far away because they could make a lot of noise sometimes, and there was the room with bunk beds for her and Sho…and there was the room with a one person bed for Fukuda…and a two person bed for dad because he just really liked two person beds….
But she hadn't thought about the newest member of the group….and she was such a bad friend sometimes…..
"If my sister wants to count then she can count! Now be quiet, you're distracting us!" said Sho. He was kind of in a bad mood…but that made sense. He had gotten up very early and they had been on a plane for seven hours and now it was early in the morning again and he was tired and stuff….but he couldn't go back to sleep. Nobody could.
Not until they got the bed situation sorted out.
"I-I'm not distracted." Said Serizawa as he shifted on the couch. He fidgeted like that when he wanted to get away. He was tired and planes scared him, people scared him, and he needed to be in a room…but she had no idea which room was his. She had thought ahead to make sure that there was a room all by its self…but that one was supposed to be for Fukuda. It had been Fukuda's room the last time that they had stayed in this apartment…when she had been little.
She had been very little the last time they had been here.
They had come to…well dad hadn't told her what they had been here to do….but they had seen the big Christmas tree. It was still there and they could have gone to see it again…but this was not the time to think of super fun stuff for them to do. Now was the time to figure out what she was supposed to do…
Maybe if she just kept on counting again…but her counting was annoying.
"How about now?" asked Shimazaki as he teleported behind the couch and started to flick Hatori over the head. Mob closed her eyes and shook her head. Not now. Shimazaki was always like this after a long plane ride…and a short plane ride…and pretty much any time that he got bored. She was just…she loved her friends more than anything else in the world but right now…well right now she had to figure out the bed situation.
"Hey, come on. What did I do to you?" asked Hatori. He reached behind himself and knocked Shimazaki's hand out of the way. There. At least that was handled…sort of. She knew that she needed to step in but…well she had this to worry about. This was the day after Christmas…and a lot of people were off for the holidays…most people were because she had made the holiday package more generous…and there weren't enough people to just go out and get another bed…well they could do it themselves but…
But there just wasn't enough SPACE for Serizawa.
"You wake me up at night…or during the day. Whenever I feel like sleeping. Also you never put the soap back in the soap dish and it drives me crazy…and that's not even getting into what you said to Toshi back at the-" said Shimazaki
"Ryou, let it go!" said Minegishi. They were actually mad there…and Mob knew why. They were tired form flying and there wasn't enough plant life around them. They were so tired that they could barely wake up the plants that they were putting around the living room…the very small living room….Shibata wouldn't be able to sleep on these couches. He preferred couches but the ones here were so small that even she would have trouble laying down fully on them…and there just wasn't enough room in here for another couch…or even a big couch all on it's own….
This was complicated.
"Hey! Shimazaki doesn't have to let things go if he doesn't want to!" said Sho. Sho…she loved her brother but he was making this even more complicated for her. She loved him, she would always love him, but right now she did not need him being all love sick and jealous right now. He was tired, he was grumpy, and the boy he loved was in love with someone else. This was a lot for him and Mob, when she was done figuring this out, would give him all the love and affection and caring and understanding that she could. But not now.
Now she had to get all of this over and done with. Settled.
"Ryou, can you handle this? Can you stop tormenting Hatori, learn to let it go, and handle Mob's little brother?" asked Minegishi. Mob wondered if they wanted to smoke. They seemed like they wanted to smoke. She knew that she really wanted to smoke. She didn't care what. She had a box of cigarettes in her Elsa bag and one of those pens from Shimazaki…the rest of her stash had gone missing again…and she suspected that Sho was the culprit but she did not want to get into it with him. She wanted everyone to just…stop it and get settled.
But they couldn't get settled until she got the bedroom situation settled.
"He's fine, he's just a little….upset." said Shimazaki. Mob could feel Minegishi's aura. If she could feel it then Shimazaki could hear it…and Sho's aura was all bright and happy….because the boy he loved had said something nice to him…and she still had no idea how that even worked since Sho had a girlfriend…but she wasn't going to start poking around in his heart now….or ever.
She had enough to deal with.
"Ryou….fine. Just leave Hatori alone then? Come on, it's over. We just passed the one year mark. I don't care and I don't know why you care. Just let it go." Said Minegishi. She did not need them to fight. They were in love. Yes, she knew that Sho was also in love with Shimazaki and she knew that love was a big feeling for her little brother to have…but she also knew that Serizawa was hiding in his bathrobe and his aura was super bright and now Hatori's aura was showing and…and then when Shibata came back he would tell Shimazaki off and then a fight would happen…and then dad would come out of his room…and then he would be all 'Shigeko. Explain.' And then she would have to explain and…
And she had so much to do already….
"Toshi, come on. You know that I can't let it go. What am I? Elsa the ice princess?" asked Shimazaki. That was….she had so much to do. She had to make sure that everyone unpacked and got settled and she had to figure out where she was going to put Serizawa…and he couldn't be in a room with other people…and they only had seven beds and only room for seven beds….and also dad was in his room and he had trouble with Minecraft Story Mode…and Fukuda was in his room and he would come out soon and make the fight worse so she had to fix that too….and her socks were wet….and Sho was in a bad mood…
And now she had to explain Frozen….FROZEN! The movie that they watched at least once a week and had been watching once a week since she had known them all!
"Hey! Elsa is a queen and she is not Elsa the ice princess! She's Queen Elsa of Arendelle first of her name and-" said Mob. She was breathing kind of heavy and her hair was floating and everyone but Serizawa was looking at her, he was hiding in his bathrobe, and….yes…she was upset but….but….
How did he not understand FROZEN?!
"Miss Suzuki? Are you alright?" asked Serizawa from inside of his robe. He was scared and…and he should have been happy…because this was happy. This was a happy trip because they were all going to a Frozen musical and also there was other fun stuff in New York City and…and they were all together in this apartment and it would be like a very long sleepover all the time…but maybe that last part wasn't Serizawa's idea of fun….but still.
This was a happy time….or at least it should have been.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry for freaking out like that just….I have to count. One…two….three…four…" said Mob. She counted on her fingers again. She had to figure this out. Maybe she could…put Serizawa in her room and…well then where would she and Sho sleep? Well she could sleep with dad but then where would Sho sleep? He could share with Shimazaki since he loved him…that was a terrible idea and she didn't know why she even considered that…maybe…did they have futons in this country?
No, they didn't.
She just…had no idea…what she was supposed to do here. She could just…she could share with dad and then Sho could sleep on the couch….no. He needed his own room and…well people couldn't just get kicked out of the living room every night at nine….nine thirty if she pushed it…he could share with….Hatori could sleep in the living room and Sho could share with Shibata…but then Hatori would be out in the living room and Shimazaki wouldn't be able to resist messing with him….and…maybe they could move again? But they had just moved and….
And they had a lot to do as it was…she had a lot to do on her own…just…so much.
"Mob, what did I just say about the counting?" asked Minegishi with a sigh.
"That it was driving you crazy?" asked Mob
"Yeah, so knock it off already." Said Minegishi
"But….I don't know how this happened. I don't know how I forgot that we were eight people now instead of seven…and we can't fit another bed in here and we can't move again…I'm sorry that I forgot about you, Serizawa. Please forgive me." Said Mob. She heard some cloth rusting. Serizawa was coming out of his robe like a turtle. He was worried…and scared…and she should have done more to take care of him. She knew that he needed his own room but she hadn't been thinking…
She was a terrible friend.
"I….I was never angry with you. I can just….I don't need to sleep. I can just stay awake forever and….and be here." Said Serizawa. Mob loved how nice he was being…but that just wasn't practical.
"No, you need to be able to go to your room when stuff gets to be too much. I just…have to figure out how to make more space." Said Mob
"What about Fukuda? We could just make him sleep out in the snow or something. I doubt it could kill him." said Shimazaki
"No, that's mean. Not even Fukuda deserves that." Said Mob
"What don't I deserve?" asked Fukuda. Had he been taking lessons from Shimazaki? Did he have appearing powers now? Could he sense when he'd been mentioned? That…no. This place was just really small. That was all. This was all that could be found on short notice and when they moved again he'd be back to being far away from them all where he belonged. Not that she was mean, he was friends with dad and Sho and…well he was kind of a jerk but…well not everyone in the world would be nice to her. Just so long as he didn't fight with anyone everything would be fine….just no fighting and…and no thinking about her either…
She wished that she'd been wearing her giant sweater instead of her regular one.
"To breathe the same air as the rest of us." Said Minegishi with their back to him…and Mob…well that had been mean but they were in a bad mood. They were cut off from plant life right now, mostly, and also they had just gotten off of a plane so…so Mob would allow this….maybe.
"And yet here I go." Said Fukuda. No. No, not happening. Not allowed. Minegishi could be mean sometimes but it was fighting when someone said something mean back….or something. Fukuda just liked to fight. That was all. He was like Shimazaki but just…not as nice.
"No fighting. Fukuda, we're not talking about you…well we were but we aren't now…and don't worry. I'm not going to make you sleep out in the snow." Said Mob
"That's very generous of you, Miss Suzuki." Said Fukuda. Mob could feel herself making a face before she could stop herself. She hated that…she wasn't a Miss…and the only person who could call her that was Serizawa because that was what he was most comfortable with. Fukuda…well he was comfortable calling her that…but he had called her by name back when she'd been little and…and she didn't have the space in her brain to worry about this right now.
"I-It is…she's very generous!" said Serizawa. He meant it…and he was just being nice…and she liked it when he was nice and when he talked to people but…well she did not need him to be on Fukuda's radar right now. For some reason Fukuda hated all of her friends. Even dad was nicer to people than he was…and dad was…well he was dad.
"He's being serious….and don't start with him. There's no sport in getting the low hanging fruit…and that's not low hanging fruit, that's just grocery store fruit." Said Minegishi. Mob…had no idea why they were being mean….well she got the feeling that they were being mean. She didn't know what they had against grocery store fruit, though, it was very convenient.
"I wasn't starting with anyone, I just wanted to see what was on fire this time." Said Fukuda
"There's no fire, big sis just didn't get enough beds-" said Sho
"Which was not her fault! She did her best and her best is good enough." Said Shibata
"We don't even need beds. I mean we're Japanese, we can all just sleep on the floor." Said Hatori
"So what I'm hearing is you guys are going to sleep on the floor and me and Sho are building a mattress fort." Said Shimazaki
"Seriously? No fucking way! Ok, first we'll get futons and-" said Sho
"No, I thought about that already but it won't work. This is America and Americans only sleep in beds. I messed up, I know I did, but don't worry. I just have to figure out how to…well how to move everyone around so that Serizawa has his own room and Fukuda has his own room and dad has his own room and-" said Mob
"Why don't you just stay with your father, Miss Suzuki? He has a double bed. You can stay with your father and I can stay with Sho and then Serizawa can have my room." Said Fukuda. Oh! That was a good idea…mostly. Sho needed his own room, or one with her, because he didn't like people to know that he wet the bed mostly…and also he needed her to put him to bed and he didn't want anyone to know that he still tucked him in even though he was eleven years old now…
But it was the best idea that there was.
"Fine, if I have to." Said Sho. Good. He agreed too. That was…she had no idea why everyone else was giving each other looks. She felt like everyone, well Minegishi and Shimazaki and Hatori, and Shibata, had figured out telepathy. They were giving each other looks, and Shimazaki was talking with his aura, and she just…had no idea what was wrong with that idea.
If someone had a better idea now was the time to speak up.
"Mob, Sho, you guys are so good with your telekinesis why don't you help the Awakened out. We…have something that we need to discuss." Said Shibata
"What do you need to-" said Sho
"Come on, Sho, let's be helpful." Said Mob. Shibata…well he had asked them to help so they would help. They would help and just…take a step away from how she had messed up. She had messed up and now…well now they had an idea of what had to happen…and she had no idea what they were discussing but…well she was glad that she had left when she did.
Because it sounded like a fight had started.
"Have you people lost your minds!? How can you….Shibata! You of all people should know what it's like to be accused of this!" said Fukuda. Mob grabbed Sho's hand and walked down to the end of the hall where the boxes were. She held his hand tight. He had been pressing his ear to the door. That was just…not something that she wanted to deal with. She knew that she was the one who was supposed to break up all the fights, that was one of her many jobs, and she just…she wished that they could act their ages and not their shoe sizes….
Well not Shibata. His shoe size was even more than his age so he was ok.
"What? I want to hear what the fight is about." Said Sho as she dragged him down the hallway. She knew that he wanted to hear it and she knew what was best for him and what was best for him was not to listen to fighting…and also…well also she was tired but it was less selfish is she put Sho first.
"I know but it's not good for us to hear fighting. Come on, let's carry this stuff in while there's no normal people around." Said Mob. She could do this on her own. When it came to telekinesis she was super strong…and she didn't even need Sho…which worked out because Sho wasn't even making a move to help her.
That was ok.
"You can do it…you do everything on your own anyway." Said Sho. She knew what it meant when her little brother's aura got like that and his tone got like that and he leaned into the wall like that. She put the boxes down and put her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her hand off…and she didn't let herself feel very hurt. He pulled away when he got upset and that was how he had always been. She was happy that he had stopped hitting her…and compared to that this was a walk in the park…but not during the winter because it was very cold outside.
"What's the matter?" asked Mob quietly.
"Nothing." Said Sho in that way that meant something.
"You can tell me. Are you sad because we left your girlfriend? Because-" said Mob
"No! Just…it's not that. I just…don't want to have to share with Fukuda. He makes me go to bed at nine and-" said Sho
"But that's your bedtime." Said Mob
"I know it is but….just…he takes me phone and DS off of me…not that I'm on them at night-" said Sho
"Which is good because if you don't get enough sleep you get grumpy." Said Mob
"No I don't! I just…I love you and I can share a room with you because you're my sister and…and I'm not a baby and I don't need to share a room with anyone else!" said Sho. Mob…was going to do her best to understand him. Boys were weird about room sharing, maybe, because sharing a room with someone didn't make you a baby. She knew that if she had made Shimazaki share a room with him he would have been jumping for joy…but that was a love thing and also Shimazaki was a good cuddler…but that was it's own thing and she was not going to break Shimazaki and Minegishi up just to make Sho happy…even though his happiness was what mattered the most…
His happiness mattered and that was why she would….think up another idea.
"Alright. I'll…figure something else out. Just help me carry, alright?" asked Mob. She needed to figure something else out before they got back to the apartment…and she had no ideas…nothing good. She could sleep in the snow…or someone else could…and that was no idea at all and it made no sense and she didn't know why she had let that idea get into her brain…
She had too many ideas…and too few.
Someone could sleep in the living room….but then they would have no privacy and also the living room would be cut off…so maybe someone could sleep in one of the bathrooms…but then there could be embarrassing accidents and also they would be down one bathroom…but Serizawa loved small enclosed spaces…but then he might backslide…so then maybe he could share with someone and…someone else could double up…but there just wasn't space and…and…and this was a lot….
And the best idea Mob could come up with, by the time she made her way back to the apartment, was to hang up sheets to divide the room like mom had back when she and Sho had been so little that they had still fought.
"Guys, we have to think up another idea-" said Mob as she came in with some more boxes…and now the living room was even smaller…so dividing it up wouldn't work out either and…maybe moving right now would have to work…but they had just moved…
"Mob, it's been put to a vote and we decided that Fukuda is going to be sleeping with your dad, Serizawa is getting his room, and everyone else is going to stay where they are now. This vote is unanimous. You don't have to worry about anything but getting your dolls unpacked and dealing with that Minori girl, alright?" asked Minegishi. Mob blinked…and then she blinked again….and then once more for good measure. That was…something. She hadn't thought that it would all work out on it's own and…and it had and…
And Fukuda didn't seem like he was alright with this idea…
But she just…well if he had a problem with the idea then he would have to just….deal with it until they moved again. Dad liked him, he liked dad, and she knew that he and dad weren't hanging out like they used to but….well he needed to make up with dad already. They were supposed to be best friends and Fukuda needed to learn not to fight with his best friend…or anyone. He just…if he had such a big problem with this idea when he needed to just…find his own place to live then.
She had her friends to think about.
"Alright. I'll just….let everyone unpack…but not too much because we won't be staying here for so very long. Alright?" asked Mob. Everyone thought that it was alright…well at least nobody told her that it wasn't…and that was ok. She just...was not going to jinx this. Everything had worked out and that was what mattered.
So she couldn't do math and had messed up…so what? Everything had worked out in the end thanks to her friends.