"YOU DID WHAT!!" Shouted Brian pissed off with the news his dad brought down on him.
"Think of it son, she is the best fighter in that dojo. She has at least three styles of fighting she has learned imagine how much the two of you can learn from each other."
"But still Dad out of all the people in that dojo you just had to partner me up with the only person I have issues with!" He spat back. His father stood up from his seat.
"I have made my decision Brian, question me any further about the matter and you will regret it." His father said even though he was shorter than him his words made him feel as if he was the bigger man.
Brian just stomped upstairs, banging the door as he entered his room. His dad was about to go after him but was stopped by his wife. "Let him blow off some steam, remember he has your temper." His wife cooed.
"I know, it just feels like no matter what I do that boy doesn't respect me." He said sitting down.
He flicked his finger changing the channel on their flat screen. Stopping by the news channel.
"You just need to be patient with him. He will see what we do for him is beneficial." She said, hearing her phone ring in her pocket.
"Hello." She answered.
This just in, former national threat, Ahamed Binyam was sentenced to death earlier this morning. His final trial will be held this weekend in the Alamein Hall...
"I never thought I'd see that face again." Brian's dad commented as he scratched the center of his chest.
"Your insane!" He jerked his head to his wife. "How dare you think that you I'd support that bastard, you know what he did to me!" Brendan walked up to his wife.
"Honey is everything okay?" He said in a comforting tone.
She ended the call and jumped into her husband's arms. "Natalie?"
After a minute of them standing there in each other's arms Natalie pulled away. "I got all the energy I need now."
"Another late night?" Brendan asked.
"You can order dinner since I could be out for a while." She said, kissing her husband goodbye.
"Don't be gone too long, or you'll miss out on my legendary massages!" Natalie flashed her husband a smile before closing the door behind her.
______________
Chris Macklemore, a scholarship student that excelled with all his subjects. Rosemary had no shortage of geniuses, but even among them he seemed to be the cream of the crop. His body was smaller than the average guy and his glasses were so thick they could pass as a magnifying glass. Classic nerd look. On top of that the boy was shy, in the three days he had been at school he hadn't talked to a single person.
Mazekien hadn't realized how intently she was staring at the boy until she noticed his flushed cheeks and trembling fingers.
He must be so uncomfortable right now. She figured. Let me strike up a conversation with him.
"Good Morning class, judging by how loud you are this morning, I guess you're excited about today's news." She was interrupted by her home room teacher as he entered the class.
"Freshman Orientation Day. A day where each of you will be assigned a freshmen to look after, but since we have new learners in our class they will get to co-mentor a single freshman with a random partner." Everything had come full circle as Maze could reminisced about her first Senior Mentor, in fact she was looking at him at that very moment.
She heard a whimper coming from next to her, it seemed Chris's trembling had worsened. His skin grew pale and Maze began worrying for the boy's health, but yet again before she could question him about it, she was interrupted by the teacher.
"Mohammed, you shall be partnered up with Daphne there in the back." Mr. Fry announced.
Mohammed was one of the other new students in her class. He too hadn't spoken with anyone in the 3 days he was there. With bright amber eyes, a tall and lanky build, and light brown skin he carried a rather intimidating aura around him. His sharp eyes making him look like he was permanently angry. It didn't help that everyone knew that he was a Southerner. Understanding the prejudice that could come with she felt sorry for the guy.
"Chris your partner is Mazekien." Mr. Fry announced. Only then did the boy peak his head out of his book, but he instantly dove back in when his eyes met with Maze's. An obvious flush forming on his pasty white skin.
Hold on, does this boy... No it's probably just my looks that got him so jumpy. Maze figured. She wasn't a stranger to how attractive she looked, heck she was even aware that of the effect it had on most of the opposite sex, sometimes even the same sex. On top of that she held an influential position within the school so it made sense to her as to why he'd be so jumpy around her
I should probably clear the air so he doesn't get the wrong idea.
Mr. Fry continued with his announcements until the bell rang for their first class.
Getting up from her seat Maze circled in front of Chris, knocking his desk to get his attention.
"I don't think I'm ugly enough for you to be hiding behind your book." Maze teased. Finally getting him to make eye contact with her.
"Uhm, H-hello Ms. Schmidt, I-I-I'm Chris, but you can call me uhm ya just call me Chris." Chris laughed awkwardly. He was so adorable.
"You are not used to talking to people are you?" She noticed the slight flinch he did. "Drop the formalities and call me Maze, we are classmates after all." Chris was still overly tense, so Maze came up with a proposal. "You should sit with us during lunch so I can introduce you to the rest of my friends, kay." Chris's mouth froze open and the flush on his cheeks deepened in color.
"I have Chemistry right now, but I'll be sure to leave a seat open for you if you accept." Maze turned to leave as Chris tried to pick his jaw up from the floor.
His eyes fixed on her back as walked out of the class, a smile formed on his lips, but he was quick to slap himself out of it.
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One of the biggest structures in Rosemary high is Rosemary hall as it was built to accommodate over 10 000 people with room to spare. It had a stage used for plays and singing competitions. Behind the stage was a room where all the band equipment was and a soundproof room for practice. A repurposed performance Hall and unironically one of Rosemary's staple structures.
Maze could remember from the time she was a freshman, looking up at the Head Leaders that came before her. All of them felt so far and out of reach from her, but now as it was her term she couldn't help but marvel at the power she felt standing at that podium. I wonder if this is how my brother felt when he stood here. After finishing the opening speech she invited the principal to stand at on the podium as she retreated back to her seat.
"Damn bitch, you looked like a queen up there!" Tiffany exclaimed as she violently shaked her friend by the shoulders. Principal Vander cleared his throat, giving the pinked haired maiden a stern look which instantly quieted her.
"You should try being quieter next time you choose to shake me like that 'kay." Mazekien said with an obviously fake smile on her.
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're on my case too." Tiffany pouted. Her chubby cheeks making her look extra adorable.
"I can't stay mad at you to save my life." Maze giggled.
"That's because you wuv me." Tiffany said giving Maze her potent puppy dog eyes.
"I'll cuddle you after we're done with this assembly." She retorted.
"Oh, guess somebody's taking a page out of Brian's book. So forceful." Tiffany clawed the air like a cat, adding a slight purr at the end of her sentence.
"It's amazing isn't it." Maze started, taking Tiffany out of her playful mood.
"We worked our asses off and now we're here. Graduating later this year and after that we might never see each other again."
"I'll kill you if you don't visit me every month." Tiffany retorted, getting a giggle out of her friend.
"That's unreasonable Tiffany. I'll be inheriting my dad's company once my birthday comes and once we graduate you'll be moving to Rusavic."
"Who's to say I won't fly halfway across the earth to see my best friend?" Maze rolled her eyes.
"Be real Tiffany---"
"Bitch anything real when you have enough money." Maze broke out in a laughter before receiving a stern glare from the principal. He went back to giving his speech shortly after that.
"Look who's the one getting in trouble now." Tiffany teased, getting a hissing "Shut up" from Maze.
The two went quiet as they listened to the principal's speech, as now almost everyone's eyes were on them instead. Tiffany placed her open palm on Maze's lap and Maze didn't hesitate to intertwine her fingers with hers.
"Your brother would be proud." Tiffany's voice trembled as if she was holding back tears. Her grip tightening around hers.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"I bet he would." Maze answered with a flat tone. Principal Vander stepped down the Podium as he called Mazekien up to announce the pairings for the freshmen. She kissed Tiffany's hand before getting up to go to the podium.
Marcus would be proud? Yeah, I doubt it. She thought as she began her speech. Knowing him he'd be indifferent about the entire thing. But honestly, I wish he could see me now, so I could rub it in his smug face.
"As you know today marks the annual Freshman Orientation Day where the Seniors who are the pride of our school get to mentor the newest members of our astounding phoenix family. That however isn't the only special occasion. After 43 years of success Rosemary high reached out with an open hand to adopt some new talents amongst our seniors. I would like to formally welcome these three students into our ever-growing family:
A prodigy from the South, Mohammed Binyam. (Mohammed stepped forward. Hands in pockets and an indifferent look on his face)
A Genius from out-of-town, Chris Macklemore. (Chris nervously stepped forward. His shoulders tense on his sides.)
And lastly Blacksilver herself, Nami. (Nami stepped forward. Sharing the same expression as Mohammed but standing more formally.)
The crowd clapped hands for the three students before them and cameras went off like firecrackers before they turned to return to their seats once the clapping subsided. Chris shook violently in his seat as he felt he nearly fainted on the spot.
His heart raced a million miles a minute and his palms were getting moist from sweating. So many eyes, so many flashes, it was all so disorienting.
Maze continued her speech, snapping Chris out of his nervousness. It was something about her voice that was so soft yet captivating. Even he found himself chuckling at the jokes she made despite not knowing anything about those topics. He could tell that he wasn't the only one under her spell as everyone else in the Hall paid close attention to her. Like the full moon she shone gently and at the same time she seemed so out of reach for someone like him and yet she reached out to him first. It could have been out of obligation, but it didn't matter to him. He knew not to mess that opportunity up.
"And now to announce the mentorship pairings for this year. Can Cindy Inoue come to the stage." A girl from the front came to the stage. She had dark shoulder length hair that was tied in a ponytail and light brown eyes with freckles on her cheeks. When she approached the center she tripped in front of Chris and by instinct he jumped in to stop her falling.
"Are you okay?" Chris asked while helping her up.
"It seems fate has a weird way of playing it's cards, Chris Macklemore will be working along side me to be this young girls' mentor." The crowd was taken aback but clapped in approval. Chris's face flustered up when he realized that she was still resting on his chest. He wasn't much taller than she was, and she seemed adamant in staying where she was
"Chris leave the stage with her and wait outside for the rest of the seniors." Maze said to Chris with her usual warm smile.
________________//____________//________
Chris stood outside awkwardly waiting for the assembly to finish. He didn't know what to say to the girl, so he just stood there looking at anything that grabbed his attention. For example, the butterfly that stood on the brick wall of the hall, the cloud that looked like a flower or the chip packet that flew in the light breeze.
"I'm sorry If I caused you any trouble. I wasn't wearing my glasses." Cindy apologized. Chris looked at her, surprised she was the first one to speak between them.
"Oh no you didn't at all I'm sorry I held you like that for so long I might have given other people the wrong idea." Chris apologized as he didn't want her to feel guilty.
"No don't I actually liked it." Cindy whispered out the last part.
"What?" Chris asked despite knowing exactly what she said.
"Nothing, ignore me please." She said getting flustered she looked down to avoid his gaze not knowing that he was doing the same thing.
"S-So why did you take of your glasses?" Chris asked trying to change the subject.
"Well, I think I look a lot cuter without them, first impressions matter, y'know." She said twiddling her fingers. Chris couldn't help but laugh at her.
"Hey it's not funny!" She said getting a little embarrassed.
"No, I'm sorry it's just that I used to think the same way in high school. I never did end up fitting in though." Cindy giggled at the thought.
"If you want my advise I'd say start investing on contact lenses. I have a pair at home but I've grown to like my glasses." He admitted. "The thing about insecurities is that you could try to change them, but they never go away. It's why I chose to live with mine."
"Is that so?" She asked innocently.
"I wish I could feel that way, but I couldn't get over the bullying I got from my High School...."Almost reflexively Chris wrapped his arms around her capturing her in a warm embrace. Her eyes grew wide at the sudden embrace as her ear rested on his chest.
"I may not be the strongest guy in this school, but I'll make sure you never feel that way ever again." Chris said with a confidence that even took him by surprise.
"It looks like you two are getting along well." Maze said as she approached the two. In their little moment they hadn't noticed all the other seniors were finished with their pairings and were making their way to the cafeteria. Chris slowly pulled away from the hug and turned away from her muttering "I'm sorry." Repetitively. Maze chuckled at Chris's constant apologizing before saying.
"You should walk with me to lunch, I'm sure my friends are dying to speak with you."
____________//_____________//___________
Chris sat with his head hanging on his shoulders, an obviously sad look on his face.
"Don't worry about it Chris. How were you supposed to know that seniors and Juniors eat in different cafeteria?" Maze said trying to comfort him. The other Seniors didn't react to grand when they noticed Cindy sitting among them. She was promptly escorted out when they caught wiff of her.
"Now she probably hates me for making her look like a fool." Chris moped.
"You're being dramatic." Maze giggled at his little exaggeration.
"Tiffany over here!" Maze waved to catch her friend's attention. Chris got a good look at the girl who was approaching them. She was a dark-skinned girl with beautiful blue eyes. Her braids were black near the root but faded to a bright pink. The school's jersey was wrapped around her waist which highlighted her curves. The most notable feature she had though was her huge chest. It was big enough to make Maze look flat in comparison.
"Hey guys." The girl named Tiffany greeted as she sat opposite Maze.
"So, Tiff, this is Chris, but by now you should already know and Chris this is my best friend, Tiffany." Tiffany extended her arm to give Chris a handshake. Her hands were so soft it got Chris by surprise.
"Tiff, do you know where Brian and Duncan are?" Maze asked.
"They said that they needed to discuss something, so they won't be eating with us today." Maze said taking a bite from her burger.
"So, Maze, did you invite him yet?" Asked Tiffany with her mouth partially stuffed with food.
Chris looked at Maze who awkwardly looked away.
"Maze don't tell me you forgot?" She said swallowing the food in her mouth.
"I was very busy okay, so it kinda slipped my mind." Maze lied.
"Argh your hopeless without me. So, Chris what do you say?" Tiffany asked shifting her focus to Chris.
"Oh, uhm what, sorry I wasn't listening?" He lied.
"There is this party that Maze is hosting at her place, wanna come?" Tiffany asked getting a bit too close for Chris's liking.
"Uhm, yea, sure, I'll have to ask my parents though and I'm not sure if they will allow me." He said trying to find an excuse of why he can't go to the party.
"You're an adult Chris, why do you need their permission to go out late?" Tiffany asked with an annoyed look on her.
"Uhmm actually, I'm 16." Tiffany nearly choked on her food when she heard that.
"No fucking way dude! You're 16!" She exclaimed.
"Wow Tiffany, I'm sure absolutely no one heard you just now."
"Then take me a long with you. I'm sure your parents would allow you if they knew you had someone to look after you." Tiffany said flashing Chris a girly smile. She seemed a little too giddy for Chris's liking.
"Oh no you don't have to do that. I don't want to give my parents the wrong idea." Chris said imagining his parent's reaction if he brought a girl as pretty as her to his place.
"I'm sure Tiffany could work something out with them, she's a member of the debate team and trust me when I say that she can be more than persuasive." Maze added.
"Yeah, but that's not what I'm worried about." Chris said, eyeing Tiffany's bosom. "I'll work something out, but I can't make any promises."
"Please do, I swear I'll make it well worth your while." She said, placing her hand on his. Chris immediately turned beat red.
"Oh, you poor little thing." Maze shook her head. "I wouldn't fall for Tiffany's little games if I were you." She warned.
"Oh, come on Maze I'm just playing." Tiffany defended.
"With what, his feelings? If he doesn't want to come, then don't force him." She reprimanded.
"It's okay, I'll come." Tiffany jumped for joy and pulled him in for a big hug, his face buried deep within her bust.
"Tiff, you're suffocating him!" Maze called out laughing.
Tiffany let go of Chris who had a more than satisfied smile on his lips.
__________________________
The freshman Orientation party was to start from 16:00 and end at 19:00, but right after that party is over the seniors were to migrate to Maze's place where the real party will begin. So Chris made up a little lie that will allow him to spend more time out of the house. With the lie he told his parents he will be out of the house until before Midnight. Even though he was reluctant to go, it was his first ever Highschool party. He was never invited for any of those in his previous school. That and Tiffany did a great deal in convincing him on his way home.
He didn't have much in terms of style in his clothing as most of his attire was chosen by his parents. The best he could do was a white shirt and pair of denim jeans. He borrowed his father's spray and sprayed his entire body with it.
He fixed his curly bangs so they hung just above his eyes and lastly he removed his glasses a put on his contact lenses. Feeling rather weird without his glasses
He came down the stairs and his parents awaited him at the door. They both gasped at how different Chris as he didn't usually put any effort on his looks before this.
"Look at you Chris! You look so Handsome. Now listen to me boy I may be 58 years old but I'm way too young to be a grandmother." Chris's face turned beat red at the statement.
"Mom I'm too young for that okay!" Chris reprimanded.
"Kids these days grow up way too quickly. You can't blame me for feeling a tiny bit worried."
"Oh, come on now sweetie you can't cloud his thoughts with that nonsense. The boy's balls haven't dropped yet." His father's statement made him feel worse.
"Okay everybody I'm leaving. I'll be back before Midnight okay!" Chris said bolting through the door.
________________________
The freshman Orientation party was an event where the first-year junior high students bonded with the third-year senior students. Lots of games and team building activities were played and the Dj kept the dance floor active. Food and drinks were sold so no one went hungry.
The activities were especially fun for Chris who was basically with Cindy for the entire 3 hours. Maze was busy setting up the party, so Chris had to look after her the whole time. Not that he found it annoying, it was actually quite the opposite. She was a klutz half of the time but the other half she was quite entertaining. Her curiosity and bright-eyed innocence were the best part. Chris didn't know why but she felt like a nice breath of fresh air.
He loved her company and felt disappointed with a hint of sadness when the Orientation came to an end and all the freshmen had to go home. Chris didn't want to leave her so soon so he decided to wait with Cindy until her big sis came to fetch her.
"Y'know, Chris you a lot more fun than anyone else your age. I thought you were the serious broody type at first but it seems I was worried for nothing." Cindy said.
"How old do you think I am?" Chris asked scratching his head.
"Well you are a senior so you should be 17 or 18 right?"
Chris shook his head.
"Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm still 14. That's actually the first time someone has said that I look older." Chris chuckled.
"Really!?" She asked excitedly as smile spread across her face and a light blush painted itself on her cheeks. A car pulled up in front of them.
"Oh that's my sister. I guess I'll see you next week." She fidgeted with her finger before she wrapped her arms around Chris's neck and pulled him in for a hug. Chris's hands froze at his side as he didn't know what to do with them.
Before he could return the gesture Cindy pulled away and quickly got inside the car. The car drove off with Chris still frozen on the spot.
"Bye Chris!" Cindy shouted through the open window of the car. Chris smiled ear to ear and his blush turned his face beat red. He hugged himself and looked up at the night sky.
It's so cold but I feel so warm. She was so soft and she smelt so sweet.
/THIS IS THE BEST!/ He thought, barely able to keep in his scream.
His phone rang in his pocket and when he picked it up he saw a few Messages from Maze
They read:
"Thanks for filling in for me."
"How was the party??"
"Come over quickly before it's too full."
"Address Newark North Maple Street 20022"
Chris stood there and pondered on whether or not he should go, he was already satisfied with his night, but not going to a party after getting invited was bound to make Maze mad at him. And he didn't want that.
Sucking it up he turned down the road and began his trek towards the party venue.
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