CHAPTER FOUR: TAKING MATTERS

*A FEW HOURS LATER*

I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom, still thinking about what happened back at the Pizzaplex. I growled slightly at the memories. I didn't know why, but my interaction with Roxanne Wolf lingered in my mind. Like, for God's sake, it was just a simple interaction! It really shouldn't have been THAT big of a deal anyway. Yet, my mind was acting like it was.

To top it off, my sister's behavior didn't help with any of this as well. Despite how I felt about her not telling me anything, I was still very grateful for what she tried to do for me. I couldn't even imagine what was going through Lisa's mind, knowing that her attempts to help me gain my first friend, though there was a good hint of what she was thinking when my father drove us home.

It also didn't help that she was all upset over it for the rest of the day. The cheerful girl we all knew was replaced with a gloomy gal, looking at me with a big frown on her face. I love my sister, but she didn't have to be all gloomy about my honesty about how I felt about Roxanne like that.

Thinking about Roxanne, the thought of being friends with her did sound nice. To finally have someone be by your side, having your back whenever you need them, etc. That's something I need in my life, but at the same time, it didn't sound so great.

Sure, having friends is a huge benefit in life, but the problem nowadays is finding the ones that won't stab you in the back at any moment. That, and there's them hiding their true colors. They might act all nice and supportive, but with the flick of a switch, they can change into something else, thus revealing their true selves with your very eyes.

Back when I was a kid, I tried to make friends, but of course, me being paler than others, along with the simple fact that I was the smartest kid in the school didn't help with trying to get any from the very start. Thinking about that, I guess it also had something to do with me doing things without thinking about them a little more properly. I was aware of that problem, yet it was something I had a hard time trying to overcome. There are things about your own personality that are hard to change or overcome.

I rolled over onto my left side and grabbed my phone. I turned it on to check the time. It read 10:36 PM. I sighed before placing the phone back in its original place.

'Time to get some sleep,' I thought to myself before taking off my pajamas, leaving me in my undergarments. There were nights when I slept with my pajamas on or slept in my undergarments.

I folded them and placed them on the chair. I hopped back onto my bed, lying on my back for a before rolling onto my right side. I rested the covers on me and sighed.

'Hopefully, tomorrow will be better,' I thought to myself before I closed my eyes, slowly slipping away into unconsciousness.

*THE NEXT DAY*

"Big brother… big brother, wake up," whispered a soft voice in my ear. I groaned loudly as I shifted in my bed. I rolled onto my back as I opened my eyes.

I looked to see Lisa staring at me with a slight smile plastered on her face. I smiled mentally upon seeing that. It was nice to see her smiling now, though something told me she was still upset over her failure from yesterday. My heart stung a little at that, but what could I do?

"Morning, Lisa," I said. I noticed that she was all dressed for school, something that was usually rare for her to do.

"Good morning, Mihael," she said softly, that smile still on her face. We stared at each other for a brief moment. "Did you sleep alright?"

I was a little taken aback by the question. That wasn't something Lisa would ask me. In fact, thinking about that, she would usually call me 'sleepyhead' every time she woke me up. I had a gut feeling as to why she wasn't her usual cheery self. Looks like it might have affected her more than ever.

"I… slept alright," I replied slowly. I stared at her for a brief moment. "How about you?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

I didn't believe that one bit. Knowing Lisa, she probably spent a mass majority of the night awake, thinking about how having me and Roxanne become friends failed. When it comes to her, she always wanted to make sure things went all according to plan. Whenever her plans failed, Lisa wouldn't think of anything else other than that, spending all day and a good chunk of the night thinking it through. That was more bad than good, honestly.

"I don't believe you," I said, making my skepticism known. "I know you couldn't stop thinking about how me not liking Roxanne and not becoming friends with her went against what you had in mind."

Lisa didn't say anything. I did notice a hint of hurt in her eyes. I knew I hit the nail on the head with that. I waited for what she was going to do.

"Come on, Mom has prepared breakfast," Lisa said, clearly dodging the subject. "Remember that Dad wants you to drive me to school as part of your punishment."

"I know," I said, a little annoyed at her reminding me about it. "I'll be there. Now, get out of here."

Lisa nodded before she walked out of my bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I stared at the door, waiting to see if Lisa was going to come back in to make sure I didn't fall back asleep. After a few moments, there were no signs of my sister coming back, which was a huge relief.

I removed the covers off me and hopped off the bed, grabbing my phone off the desk. I went to my dresser, grabbing a white t-shirt, light blue shorts, and a pair of socks. I put them on quickly, stuffed the phone into my right pocket, and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

I entered the dining room, where my family was having breakfast together; my father and my mother sitting next to each other at the north end and my sister at the south end of the table, as usual.

"Good morning," I said casually. Everyone looked up from their plates, turning their attention to me. My mother smiled, though my father's smile was small, and my sister's smile was weak.

"Morning, Mihael," they all said to me at the same time, though I noticed how weak my sister said it. I mentally sighed as I walked over to my usual seat. On the table were pancakes and hash browns.

I licked my lips in delight. If there was one thing my mother was fantastic at, it was making hash browns. They tasted like how the ones you get from Wawa, as well as being crispier, and had that noticeable quirk of knowing that someone put a lot of effort and love into it. How my mother did it was what makes her hash browns so delicious.

"Thanks, Mom," I said gratefully. My mother turned her attention to me, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Your welcome," she said, a small sense of pride present in her tone. I looked down at my plate, picked up my fork, and began to dive into my breakfast.

As usual, none of us said anything. That was something I really loved about breakfast. While we usually chatted away during dinner, since some of us have to get ready for a busy day, there wasn't a lot of time to talk. The peace and quiet and having no distractions while trying to eat were nice.

As I ate, I noticed a hint of gloominess in the atmosphere. It was like the whole dining room itself was being affected by a source… or should I say… by someone. I turned my attention to the source of it all; my sister.

She was eating her food, though she was doing it kind of slowly as if she was trying with all she had to keep eating, but the feeling of sadness was making that task impossible. The weak smile that was on her face moments ago was replaced with a frown.

Feelings of both pity and annoyance flowed through me. Pity due to knowing the feeling of failure and things not going the specific way I wanted them to. Annoyance due to her not letting the whole thing go. I get that she did it out of the goodness of her heart, but it was now starting to get very ridiculous.

"Mihael, do you remember what we spoke about yesterday?" my father spoke, preventing me from speaking to my sister. I turned my full attention to my father, staring at him for a moment.

"Yes, I do," I replied. "I will help you and Mom around the house and take my sister to school."

"That's right, son," my father said sternly before he finished his meal. "Do what your mother tells you to do with no complaints, got it?"

I nodded before turning my attention to Lisa. There was a strange expression on her face. She looked as though she wanted to object, but she couldn't find the strength to do it. Lisa turned her full attention to me, her eyes blank of emotion now.

A wave of uneasiness flowed throughout my body. I had never seen my sister like this before. It was like I was looking at a totally different person that was sitting right next to me. It was so weird that I began to think that the person sitting there wasn't Lisa at all.

The sound of a door closing snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked to see my father was now absent, along with my plate missing from its spot. I heard the familiar loud clattering coming from the kitchen, signaling to me that my mother was washing the dishes.

"Mihael, while I wash the dishes, drive your sister to school," my mother called out from the kitchen.

"Okay," I said as I got up from my seat, my sister following me. As my sister walked into the living room, I noticed that she was wearing her shoes with her backpack on the couch.

Lisa put her backpack on before turning her attention to me, her eyes still blank of emotion. I walked over to the front door and put on my shoes. I grabbed my keys and opened the door. Before I could say anything, Lisa walked out swiftly. I stood there for a moment, surprised at how swiftly she did it. It was both graceful and unnerving at the same time.

I snapped out of my trance and walked out, closing the door behind me.

We arrived at the school in time, due to me wanting to get Lisa there as soon as possible. In all honesty, it was because I didn't want to see the frown on her face anymore, along with wanting to get back to the house as quickly as possible. The more time I have left, the better.

I pulled up at the front of the middle school, setting the truck to 'park'. I looked at my sister to see her staring out the window, that frown still on her face. She was still as a statue, looking as though she hadn't moved from that position for the entire duration of the drive to the school, and showed no signs of breathing.

'This is getting very ridiculous,' I thought to myself, mentally sighing as I did. I cleared my throat. "We're here, Lisa. Better get going so you don't end up being late."

Lisa sighed before looking away from the window, turning her full attention to me. She stared at me for a moment, her eyes now saddened rather than being blank of any emotion like earlier. I stared at her back, waiting to see if she was going to do something.

"It stinks," she said simply.

"What stinks?" I asked though something deep down within me knew what it was.

She sighed again. "That you didn't gain a new friend yesterday."

I mentally sighed at that. Again, I was aware that she tried to help out of the goodness of her heart, but her still being so upset about it for this long was childish to me. I had my moments where I become childish, but sheesh.

"Lisa, I understand what you were trying to do," I began. "I do appreciate you doing that, but you do understand why I don't really like Roxanne, right?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, "but that doesn't mean you can't be best friends with her."

"And you acting like this until that changes really isn't going to make things any easier or better," I retorted.

"Look who's talking," she spat, the frown changing into a snarl. "Says the guy who expresses his extreme distaste for the Pizzaplex constantly, hoping that it will make the whole place disappear."

I stared at her for a moment, taken aback by her statement before I glared at her. "Says you. Being all mopey-dopey about the whole thing yesterday and just won't let it go. I guess you can say that we're both on the same page right about now."

"You can at least try to befriend her, despite her 'attitude', as you may call it," Lisa retorted. "Don't use that as an excuse for not wanting to be friends with her."

"It's not an excuse," I countered. "She's not the type that I want to be friends with, Lisa. I and Roxanne will never be friends, and that's final."

Lisa glared at me for a moment with me glaring back at her. She looked away and opened the door. She put her right foot onto the pavement before she turned to face me, the glare now gone, replaced with a defeated frown.

"I have friends who behave just like Roxy, but I don't judge them for it nor see it as a reason to not be friends with them, Mihael," Lisa said strongly. "That's the problem with you. You can't accept other people's flaws nor see the real reason why people act the way they do. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day, you will come to understand it… like I have."

With that, Lisa hopped out of the truck. She slammed the door shut and began walking towards the school at a fast pace. I watched her closely until she went inside, the large glass door closing behind her.

I stayed where I was, the words Lisa said to me echoing loudly in my mind. I didn't know why, but those words hurt. Whether that was Lisa's intention or not, it didn't matter because either way, they hurt. Like a lot.

'If only it were THAT easy to accept people that easily, Lisa,' I thought to myself before I set the truck to 'drive', pulling out of the middle school parking lot.

*A FEW HOURS LATER*

I slammed the washer door before setting the cycle to have the clothes washed. The sound of the washing machine doing its work filled the garage. I sighed loudly as I walked out of the garage and entered the house through the front door. I turned my full attention to the couch as I closed the door behind me.

My mother was sitting on the couch folding the laundry into neat piles, a smile plastered on her face. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't find the strength to smile at the sight. It wouldn't be very different if it wasn't for my sister's words echoing loudly in my head for a good chunk of the day.

If I had to be honest with myself, maybe that wouldn't be much of a problem if I didn't go through the shit I've had for a good chunk of my life. I guess it might've gone easier if I told someone, but I didn't like the idea of getting people involved in my problems. I didn't want anyone else to suffer what I went through.

I sat down on the couch next to my mother. I sighed as a wave of relief washed over me. I sat there for a few seconds before I felt a pair of eyes staring at me.

"Did you put the clothes in the washing machine?" I heard my mom ask. I resisted the urge to groan at the stupid question.

"Yes, I did," I replied, trying to hold back my annoyance.

"That's good," she said. Deafening silence filled the living room for a brief moment. "Mihael?"

I turned my full attention to my mother, an expression of concern plastered on her face. It caught me off-guard to see that. What was my mom concerned about? I could only hope it wasn't over something really stupid.

"What?" I asked.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?" I was confused as to why she would ask that.

"Well, I've noticed that you've been looking really troubled," she replied. "I'm worried that something happened. If so, what?"

I stared at her for a moment before it clicked. I sighed before I stood up from my spot on the couch, looking away from my mother as I did. Normally, I would prefer on not telling her anything, but knowing my mother, she would insist on me telling her. She was the kind of person that wouldn't let it go unless you tell her.

To be honest, Lisa's words had been echoing in my head constantly that I felt that if I told my mother, maybe it wouldn't be such a huge bother. Plus, it might also help if I told her what Lisa had been planning yesterday might help me breathe better. Would be better to get it out of the way.

"It's about yesterday, mother," I said simply. "Lisa tried to help me become friends with Roxanne Wolf. No doubt out of pity for me since I don't have any friends whatsoever. While I do appreciate her efforts, she hasn't been able to accept the fact that me being friends with that animatronic wolf is impossible."

I rested my right hand on the back of my head, placing my left hand on my hip. "Plus, I don't really like Roxanne's attitude. She was acting like she was the best, no doubt thinking that she's the greatest, which she's not. I don't like people who behave that way. I find it annoying.

"And earlier today, Lisa let me have it. She was telling me that my problem with me not liking Roxanne and befriending other people with flaws is because I can't accept nor see the reason why they do act the way they do. It may be true, but what's the point of making friends anyway? I know people say that making friends is important, but how can you with the possibility of being stabbed in the back later on in life?

"I gave up on making friends a long time ago, so there's no point in even trying. That's all there is to it."

I turned my attention to my mother. She had a blank expression on her face. From the looks of it, she was taking in everything I told her. I could only hope she would understand what I was saying. That, and I hoped I didn't overwhelm her by doing it all at once.

"I see," she said simply. "I understand, but things like that happen sometimes. Those kinds of people are not real friends if they do stab you in the back, as you put it. You just have to be careful when you choose the people you want as friends."

I stared at her for a moment. She was right about that, I couldn't deny that. However, the thought of that happening to me flooded my mind. To me, that wasn't worth taking the risk.

"I guess so, but it can still happen," I said, removing my hand away from my head. "Honestly, making friends isn't something really worth taking the risk on. I would rather be friendless than suffer the feeling of betrayal."

We stared at each other, not moving a muscle. The silence was so deafening that any random that breaks it would deafen me for a good while.

A soft smile formed on her face. She leaned forward, rested her elbows on her legs, and her chin on her hands.

"That's the issue right there, Mihael," she said softly. I arched an eyebrow at her. "While it is true that betrayal can be a major concern in friendships, especially when it comes to relationships in the mere future, you can't let those fears and thoughts consume you. In life, sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith. If the people who you become friends with betray you, don't let that be the sole reason to not gain new friends. Learn from those experiences and watch closely for the signs.

"As for you not liking Roxanne, the only reason that's the case is that you judged her just solely from how she behaved. From the sounds of it, you don't want to be near her due to you find her 'annoying'. You didn't even try to get to know her better, to see her real self. You are using her arrogant attitude as an excuse to not be friends with her."

She pointed her right index finger at me. "The issue with you is that you are too negative, afraid, and judgemental. Even though we find those traits of you annoying, Lisa, your father, and I love you very much. My advice; take the leap of faith the next time you see her. Who knows? Maybe Roxanne isn't as bad as you think."

I stared at my mother, my eyes slowly becoming dry, no doubt from how wide they were. Okay, I wasn't expecting that to come out of my mother's mouth. Taking a leap of faith? Yeah, I'd done that so many times that I lost count soon after.

However, I thought about her words carefully. She was right about one thing; I didn't even try. The only thing I knew about her was that she was into racing, nothing more. It didn't help at all that she kept calling me a 'loser'. Does she call a lot of that of the kids that come to the Pizzaplex all the time? Maybe not, but I had a feeling it had to be.

I looked away from my mother. "Maybe so, but will it be worth it in the end? I don't think so."

"You may never know unless you give it a try," my mother said, sounding a little annoyed now. I looked back at her.

"Great piece of advice," I said sarcastically, giving her a thumbs up. "Not going to attempt it. It will end in disaster, anyway."

My mother stared at me for a moment before she got up. She walked up to me slowly, her left hand spread out. A wave of unease washed over me. I was about to say something before my mother swung her left arm with great speed.

A sickening smack echoed throughout the living room as my head jolted. A sharp pain surged through my cheek. I looked back at her, anger swelling within me. My mother glared back at me.

"HEY!" I shouted angrily.

"That's enough!" she declared. "I've had it! If you're not going to do it yourself, I will do it for you!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" I demanded.

"I'm going to give you the push you need, Mihael!" she replied, pointing her left hand's index finger at me. "You're 17 years old and you still don't have any friends of your own! If you can't make friends with the other kids, then I will help you make a friend out of Roxanne! Now, get in the shower and be ready in 20 minutes! I'm taking you to the Pizzaplex myself!"

My eyes widened. She couldn't be serious, but from the look on her face, I could tell she was serious. I was frozen. I stayed where I was, no doubt looking like an idiot.

"What are you doing just standing there?!" she shouted suddenly. "Get your ass in that shower and be quick about it!"

I jumped out of my skin before I turned and ran up the stairs.

'This can't be happening,' I thought to myself. 'This can't be happening to me right now.'

'This is really happening,' I thought to myself as my mother and I stepped into the Lobby of the Pizzaplex. 'Just great.'

As always, the Lobby was crowded. The usual smells and noises that echoed or flowed throughout the room remained the same. A wave of disgust washed over me. I just didn't get how any of this was even possible. I wished it would all burn in hell.

I surveyed my full surroundings, hoping to God that Roxanne wasn't around as we passed through one of the metal gates. I really didn't want to deal with her at the moment. The last thing I needed was to deal with her arrogant attitude the second upon stepping into the place. It would be like my worst nightmare coming true before my very eyes.

"Busy as usual, it seems," I blurted out.

"It's very popular, so no big surprise," my mother said blankly.

'When in reality, it shouldn't be,' I thought to myself bitterly. 'People are stupid these days.'

"So, do you know where Roxanne is?" she asked bluntly. I looked away from her, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"Oh gee, I wonder," I said sarcastically. In all honesty, I didn't know where she could be. For all I knew, she could be in her room or in some other area in the Pizzaplex.

"You do, don't you?" I heard her ask in a deadpan tone.

"I'm serious!" I replied quickly. "She could be anywhere as far as I knew. Trying to find her in a place this big would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

I looked back at my mother, who had an unamused expression on her face. I was annoyed with her looking at me like that, but at the same time, I couldn't blame her. I didn't want to see Roxanne right now, no doubt she believed that I was trying to weasel my way out of the whole thing.

"Oh, Rockstar, you're here!" I heard a familiar voice call out. I felt my heart sink into the pit of my stomach as I turned my head in the direction where the voice of the one thing that I didn't want to see today right off the bat came from. I held in the urge to scream at the sight.

Charging at me with an evil grin on her face was Roxanne Wolf. The way she was doing it was just like in the animes I've watched where the girl would charge at their crush at full speed, all the while doing it with an evil smile on their face. It was funny seeing it on TV, but it's a whole different story when it happens to you in real life.

I closed my eyes and prepared myself for what was coming my way. I waited… and waited… and waited. Nothing happened. Before I could open my eyes, I felt something wrap itself around my left hand. My arm began going up and down as if someone was shaking my hand.

I opened my eyes to see Roxanne shaking my hand with her hands cupping mine. She had a big, normal smile on her face, and her tail was wagging.

"It's good to see you here again, Rockstar!" she said happily before that familiar smirk formed on her face. "Did you come back so you can spend more time with the best mascot of the Pizzaplex?"

I stared at her with a deadpan expression. I really wished Roxanne wouldn't start this interaction with that. Unfortunately, she did just that. That was exactly what I wanted to deal with at that very moment.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," I said in a deadpan tone. Roxanne didn't reply to that remark. She turned her attention to my mother.

"Hello, Rebbeca," she said casually. "Nice to see you here around these parts."

"Same here," my mother replied back. The smile on Roxanne's face grew slightly. The smile weakened slightly before she looked around as if she was trying to find someone or something.

"Where's Lisa and Harold?" Roxanne asked curiously.

"Lisa's at school and Harold is at work," she replied casually. "I decided to come here with just my son. I figured it was about time for him to have fun and loosen up a bit, starting with hanging out with you."

I glared at my mother. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the strength to do so. I wished this was a dream, but luck nor was life on my side. This was reality. I really wanted to pull off a zoom sprint or some other evasive maneuvers that were done in the animes, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't Kimihito Kurusu or any of them well-known IPs for that matter.

It took me a moment to realize something. Roxanne and my mother were casually talking to each other the same way my sister was with her yesterday. Did something happen that I wasn't aware of? It was all so bizarre to me.

"Is that so?" Roxanne asked with slight traces of happiness in her tone.

"That is correct," she said with a smile. "I will be waiting in the cafe just like I had with Harold yesterday. I want you to bring Mihael back in 1 hour. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," she replied. Roxanne turned her attention to me, that smile still on her face. "Let's go, Rockstar. Let's have some fun."

Roxanne grabbed my left hand and began to drag me to wherever she had in mind. I glared at my mother, who had a smile on her face. I pointed my right hand's index finger at her.

"I WILL REMEMBER THIS TRANSGRESSION!" I declared loudly as Roxanne happily hummed to herself.

Author's Note:

After what felt like an eternity, Chapter Four is finally here! :D

I want to sincerely apologize for how long this took. It hasn't been easy trying to deal with the mental stress that comes with writing, especially since now, I'm still suffering from the mental exhaustion that came with working tirelessly on Book 1. I'm doing everything I can, but sometimes, I feel like I'm failing you guys.

This chapter marks the beginning of Mihael and Roxanne's bond. I know it's nothing crazy, but I want to start it off with this.

One last thing before I go. After work on this is completed, I will be working on a light novel series of my own. It will be published on Wattpad under the account of the same name. For any updates, go over there so you can be caught up to speed.

That's all for now. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I will try to get Chapter Five out as soon as possible. Constructive criticism is appreciated and I will see you guys in the next chapter! :)