I may give off the impression that I was born a genius.
That's really only half true. The root of my genius comes from the gift of logistical analysis. That's basically a big term for "paying close attention." I'm being serious. My genius is not the reason I have good grades. I have good grades because educational standards are tipped heavily in the favor of students. No, I call myself a genius because I have something that everyone else should.
Common sense.
If someone is sweating and it's not hot, common sense dictates that the person must be feeling some sort of internal anxiety. Most commonly associated with worry or fear. If you understand what I'm saying and can implement it in real life, then you're in the minority. Most people are too stupid or dull to even comprehend dimensional analysis; especially teenagers. Yet, I can do it. In fact, I've been able to do it extraordinarily well ever since I was young. I've become what I am today because I've been making sure I stay sharp through reading and just paying attention. My academic prowess is just a side effect of this. I can ace tests because I pay attention and retain it for as long as I want.
Of course, my genius is still bound by the limitations of being a sixteen year old. I mean, I'm not perfect. I'm not above forgetting prior appointments.
You know, like I did today.
"Uh… sorry?" Xion simply gives me a look of annoyance.
We're walking home from school together, like her text requested. Since Kairi dragged me into her nonsense, I forgot about my own sister.
"I still can't believe you forgot," Xion punches me in the shoulder, "what took you so long?"
That's a loaded question. What am I supposed to say? A girl I barely know made me tutor two of her friends against my will? That's the truth, but I highly doubt she'll believe me.
"Um… studying?" It's the first thing that pops into my head.
"Hm… so is that what they call it these days…" she murmurs suspiciously.
"Pardon?" Does she know something I don't?
"Oh, I'm just talking about why I wanted to walk with you…" she pauses, then gives me an all-knowing smirk, "so Sora, who's the girl?"
Crap.
"What girl?" Just keep playing dumb. Maybe she's bluffing.
"Does red hair ring a bell?" God. Damnit.
"Should it?" I'm not ready to give up yet, although I think Xion might be getting the wrong idea at this point.
"Well, I was just wondering. A little birdie told me that a girl with red hair was pulling you into a classroom… an empty classroom!" Xion lets out a sharp whistle, "So you're finally getting some Sora! Congrats!" This is what I feared. Xion's gotten the entirely wrong idea. A common misunderstanding, or maybe not so common. Either way, this is going to be hard to fix. It might even be impossible to undo. Xion is a master of teasing and harassing.
"Would you believe me if I told you I was tutoring her two delinquent friends?"
"Um… what? Where did that come from?"
"Yeah… never mind."
"Aw, c'mon Sora! Don't hide anything from your sister, tell me her name!"
"No thanks."
"C'mon, please?"
"No."
"Hmph, well if that's how you're gonna be," she gives me another smirk, "but remember, the truth will come out, whether you want it to or not!"
"Yeah, okay."
"C'mon, Sora!"
XxCOMPLICATEDxX
I hate Saturdays.
Although, I don't really know why. Saturday is probably the most eventful day in the week for me. My part time job is this Saturday, but I doubt it's the reason for my displeasure. I mean, the work isn't very tiring, nor is it very demanding. On normal circumstances, I have the entire house to myself during Saturday afternoons. My dad is always on set during the weekends and Xion often has a large congregation to hang out with. You'd think that I like this day, but I really don't.
It might be because I resent not having anywhere to be on Saturday. I've never gone to the mall or the arcade with friends before, which is a normal even on Saturdays for high schoolers like me. Perhaps my mind is demonizing the day simply because I can't appreciate it. Maybe I'm jealous of seeing my sister leave and come back with a big grin on her face, carrying the things she's acquired over the busy day. Either way, I can't keep debating this any longer. I said this earlier, I have a job to get to. After changing into some casual clothes, I descend the staircase to see Xion reclined on the couch with the television turned on.
"Xion, do you want me to make breakfast?" I startle her with my question, but she quickly nods her head. I couldn't really tell which direction she was nodding, probably due to her sleep-addled state, so I assume she wants some. See, I'm kinda the chef in this house. When my father takes responsibility for us, he just orders take out. I've got no problem with pizza or noodles, but this almost never happens. He's never home except for the rare exceptions, so Xion and I could get away with a lot of stupid stuff if we wanted to.
Which I obviously don't do.
You need friends to do stupid stuff.
You would think that the eldest sister would be able to cook, but you'd be wrong. Xion would also call you sexist. She's tried cooking before, but… we promised never to speak of that day ever again. I refer to it as Mystery Food X. The day the world grew dark for the sad soul who consumed that monstrosity. I shudder at the mere thought.
So that left me with the task of learning basic cooking. Eggs, fried rice, and steak are the foods I excel at. It's not very hard to understand and follow a recipe, so I don't get why Xion is so bad at it.
I crack open an egg and watch it sizzle on the pan. It's a bit therapeutic, in a way. It's just a waiting game until I flip it over. It's only when I begin cracking the second egg that Xion speaks up.
"Soooooraaaaa…" she yawns my name, "when are you… coming back home?"
"Uh… three o'clock?" I really don't know, my schedule is pretty sporadic due to my "manager". "Why?" Xion rubs the sleep out of her eyes and stretches.
"Because dad said that he was going on a trip with one of his college buddies or something, so his friend's kids are gonna stay here."
"You're not gonna be here?"
"No, I will."
"Then why do you need me?"
"Just cos'." That makes no sense.
I simply nod in response and turn back to my cooking. The first egg is already done, but the second and third egg that I opened during our conversation have been burned on one side.
How tragic.
Well, it's not like I was gonna eat breakfast anyway. These are all for Xion. She's going to need the energy since she'll be taking care of those kids on her own. After all, if they can't be trusted to be home alone for a few days, then they're probably in elementary school. Something else you should probably know about me.
I don't do well with kids.
XxCOMPLICATEDxX
I work at a convenience store.
…
Yeah, okay. Laugh it up.
…
…
No, no, I can wait.
…
Done? Okay, onto the explanation.
I work at a convenience store because it's inconspicuous. It's so unabashedly ordinary that no one would suspect a Hikari to work there. I also have connections with the owner of the store, so it was easy for me to get a job without any real skills. But then again, it is just a convenience store. It probably wouldn't be that hard. Also, I wouldn't really use the term "manager." The only manager-like thing he's done is hire me. Other than that he just works the cash register and tells me what to do. Not really that bad of a job for minimum wage. Also, the work reflects the "manager", so I never have to do anything particularly strenuous. I can be as laid back as he is, which is pretty laid back in my opinion.
"Yo, Sora! Looks like you made it!" He shouts from the front door. His loud voice and blazing red hair help me distinguish his identity.
"Sorry I'm late."
"No prob, man. Not like I was dying to open this place." he gives me a few pats on the back, "Just give me an excuse that I can put in the books."
"I was making my sister breakfast and she kept hassling me." I answer truthfully.
"X-Xion? W-Well, I mean, if you were helping h-her then… it would've been f-fine to be… late…" I give him a weird look, "I mean… uh…" he starts rubbing his face.
"Axel…" He grins sheepishly.
"Yeah, I get it. Professional attitude during work hours." he sighs dejectedly, "Welp, your uniform is in the break room where it always is." With that, he walks back to his station and starts playing with his phone.
Sigh.
Axel Rayman.
What an odyssey.
He's rash, flirtatious, and an all-around joker; but he often acts sage-like around me. I don't know why – he's only three years older than me. But as you can tell, he's got a crush on Xion. That's how I know him. It originated at our old school. He was a senior when I first entered high school. It was at a time where hitting on my sister proved ineffectual for him. Once he found out that I was her brother and that I was generally alone, he was on me like a vulture. He was constantly following me and trying to get on my good side, just to gain some sort of "leverage" or "advantage". I thought he was just another fan that was trying to suck up to the Hikari name, but I later learned the most perplexing thing about this whole situation.
Axel didn't know the importance of our surnames.
He was pursuing Xion out of genuine interest rather than making ties.
And that was all I needed.
In the commercial world, everyone is used to gain popularity. It's all about title. Many young men have been presented to my sister in the attempt to gain ties to his name. It's pathetic, isn't it? But that's commercialism for you, everything is based on face value. Everyone wants to boost their popularity and building relationships is one of the most efficient ways. And while some of those guys might have been genuinely good boyfriends, that niggling thought in the back of my head is what kept on disturbing me whenever I saw a boy talk to her.
He doesn't like her.
He doesn't care.
Once Axel graduated from high school and took up the store, there was a period where he grew obsessed and starting stalking us. I had to track him down and set him straight before he did anything too extreme. We didn't hear from him again for a year until we changed schools. I was looking for an inconspicuous part time job, found the convenience store, and Axel recognized me in an instant. I told him I was looking for a job and he hired me right there on the spot, and that's how I got this job.
Then again, "job" is probably not the right word. All I do is move the occasional stock shipments into their corresponding sections in the store. Nothing too demanding. It's just an opportunity to think and get some easy munny. Plus, Axel is probably the best "manager" a teenager could ask for.
This work also gives me an opportunity to work out the things I've been mulling over. For example, I have to figure out why Xion was lying to me.
Yesterday, she told me why she wanted to walk home together. She wanted to "confirm" what I was doing with Kairi, although I still think she has the wrong idea. This theory holds water, but there's one glaring flaw.
She texted me during lunch.
I was pulled aside during last period.
Unless she's a secret time traveler, she was simply deflecting the conversation. There was another purpose for her request, one that she's unwilling to explain. She wasn't ready to speak up, so she just changed the subject. Although I don't know what she wanted to say or ask, I can be sure that she'll tell me sooner or later. There are more pressing issues to deal with.
Like the ramifications of making my sister, who probably has a lot of seniors work to do, babysit a few kids. Once again, since this "friend" can't trust his kids to be home alone, they must be quite young. And this bears repeating, I'm bad with kids.
Well, now that that's taken care of, I can figure out what I'm supposed to do about that perplexing trinity.
Roxas Nomura.
Riku Takeba.
Kairi Uchida.
To figure that out, I have to ask myself another question.
Do I even want friends like those three? Or more to the point, do I even want friends at all?
It's true, I've lived in general animosity for most of my life, but perhaps that's worked in my favor. People with a very large social circle tend to have declining grades. Xion with her straight C's, is a good example. I've seen things on the internet that tout the phrase, "The less friends I have, the less bullshit I have to deal with", but I have to discern the truth in this statement. Logically, this makes sense. If you isolate yourself, the only problems you have to deal with are your own. Nobody to help, nobody to care about, nobody to depend on. As a genius, I don't like having to depend on others for success.
Even though this statement makes logical sense, some people would argue that the fun experiences and memories are worth it. Yeah, pulling out your wisdom teeth is good for you, but it still hurts regardless. I suppose you can't have something good without its fair share of negative consequences.
Maybe my problem is that I'm not in an ideal mindset.
Some decisions in life can't be dissected rationally or logically. I guess this is one of them. But now that I think about it, this isn't a choice I have control over. At this point, the three of them are probably sure of my identity, so it's up to them to pursue the goals they want. All I can do is wait for their move.
But I must confess, life would probably be less predictable with them around.
XxCOMPLICATEDxX
Hm…
Remember those ramifications I was talking about?
From Xion Hikari
where r u? theyre here
Hrm…
My stomach churns with guilt and regret coupled with my lack of breakfast.
I choose to ignore the text and continue with my work.
…
…
…
…
Calling… you hear me calling…
Oh come on…
Calling… you hear me calling…
That's my ringtone. After hearing the song in a popular soundtrack, I felt the need to make it my ringtone. Unfortunately, nobody really gets the joke.
I silence my phone and keep working, ignoring the guilt that was settling into my chest.
As I bring a particularly heavy box of instant noodles into the store, Axel's phone starts blasting some rock music. After looking at the caller, he gives me a confused and startled look. I don't know why, but he answers the phone and starts stammering nervously into it. I continue moving foodstuffs to their appropriate spaces, but Axel calls me over.
"Yo, Sora. C'mere for a second." I carefully drop the container of soda on the ground. As I walk to the cash register, I gauge his expression. Stern, a bit confused, but mostly reprimanding.
"Um… what?" I ask cautiously.
"Your sister just called me," Axel points to his phone, "and said to let you off work. Something about your friends from school visiting. You know anything about that?"
"Uh… kinda?" Friends? From my school? I may have misjudged my assumption.
"Yet, you decided to come to work despite how your sister told you to stay at home."
"Uh… yes?" This is looking worse and worse for me. He gives me a pat on the shoulder.
"I think you know what to do."
Before I know it, I'm walking the route back to my house.
I don't even know anymore.
First of all, since when does Axel care about my outside responsibilities?
Well, it was Xion's request, so I think I just answered my own question.
Also, friends? From my school?
I don't have any friends from school.
That should be self evident.
There's something I'm missing here.
What's going on?
After an uneventful five minute walk, I arrive at my house. I walk briskly up the front steps and start fishing my keys out. After I realize I left them on the rack, I test the doorknob to discover that it was unlocked to begin with.
"Xion, you've gotta learn to look the door. I mean, I think I've told you a hundred times." I yell as I enter the house. At the sound of my voice, three girls turn to me from the couch. Xion and two girls; one with red hair and one with blonde hair. My eyes are automatically drawn to the redhead. Her eyes grow wide, mirroring my own.
I know her.
"Yeah, and I've told you a million times, don't forget your keys!" Xion passes me my keys, only for them to graze my shoulder and fall to the ground.
I know her all too well.
"Well, I suppose now I should introduce you guys." Xion points to the blonde, "This is Naminé…" then she points to the redhead.
"…and this is Kairi, her sister."
So, lots of things to talk about.
First of all, some of you in my incredibly small "fanbase" may have realized that I deleted a story called "Controlled Experiment". This was because that story and Complicated were very similar, and I didn't feel like making two of the same kind of story. Also, I feel that this story has more potential.
The reason it took so long to update was because of general apathy, SAT tests, and the fact that I had to remake this chapter multiple times. Well, hope you enjoy this chapter. Check out my new story, "Changing the Status Quo". I've only got the first chapter out, but I'm gonna remake it with a different narrative style.
See you next time.
~Breaking Barriers