All night long, Misha stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. Too many thoughts swirled in his head for him to sleep.
The morning sun shone through the curtain, casting a gentle golden hue on his face, yet he didn't even realize it, still unaware that dawn had arrived.
A few weeks had passed since Vanessa popped up at his school, and it was now the middle of October. As days went by, he gradually got closer to Vanessa, and his teacher's opinion of him improved. Of course, he was still slacking off, but because his grades became excellent, his teacher was left at a loss for words, having nothing to reprimand him about.
So what if Misha was daydreaming? He still got a perfect score on the last exam!
Besides, Misha diligently helped Vanessa whenever she had difficulty understanding something—though they often found themselves bickering about this or that. Vanessa called him on his grammar, and Misha would take his revenge when it was mathematic time. It was like a tug of war, and the first to correct the other's mistakes won.
Over time, Vanessa started to smile and laugh more frequently, and the melancholy in her eyes slowly dimmed. From her arrival until now, Misha showed rare diplomatic tact and didn't bother her with uncalled questions, putting the girl at ease. It let her forget about the car accident and everything that came afterward.
But the other children didn't necessarily know how to keep their mouths shut, and a few came to ask her about the car accident, their voices dripping with curiosity. Every time they talked without watching their tongues, Vanessa seemed to retreat into her shell, like a little turtle afraid of the world.
And then, Misha would show up and become her knight in shining armor, saying stupid things to distract the children. And when it didn't work, the boy would chase them away with harsh words or a few kicks in the butt. Unsurprisingly, his mother was called to the director's office a few times because of this.
Once, the director tried to scold her about how she brought up her son. He barely finished saying the first sentence that Misha had already opened his mouth and bared his teeth.
"Are you kidding me? Do you say the same thing to the parents of the children who keep on bothering Vanessa about her car accident? The brats are well aware that she doesn't want to talk about it. Or what? Is it okay to verbally attack my friend? And is it any better to stand by and watch from the sideline? Wake up, man!"
"That's not the problem at hand! You should ask an adult instead of resorting to violence."
"Of course you'd say that! And then what? Mr. The Teacher will give a slight slap on the bullies' wrists, and the bad guys will be let off with a few meaningless warnings. Bullying won't stop just because the teachers interfered, and you know it."
"It's—"
"Don't play dumb! These guys will start again the moment the adults turn their backs, and it'll become much nastier in retaliation. Bringing over a teacher will only make things worse!"
The discussion continued for a while longer but ended in a stalemate, with the director angrily puffing and Misha naughtily lifting his chin, glaring at the bald man.
Meanwhile, the homeroom teacher and Mrs. Brown, who had been sitting on the sofa, looked at each other, seemingly not knowing what to do. They tacitly ignored the bickering director and child, aware that it would only result in a throbbing headache if they tried to meddle. Thus, they were silent for a moment until the teacher decided to take the opportunity to talk to Mrs. Brown about her son's sudden excellent grades.
Later, when they finally got home, Gulnas asked her son about his grades and how he had achieved such a feat. Unconsciously, Misha averted his eyes and said that he had been reading his schoolbooks at home, practicing on his own.
It wasn't a complete lie; he did read through the school material to refresh his memory. Now that Misha was reborn, he might as well try to obtain good grades and pave his way toward success. In his mind, good grades lead to scholarships and good jobs. In this timeline, he wanted to make a lot of money and spoil his loved ones. No way in hell would he let them go through any hardships this time.
The alarm clock rang, and Misha lazily glanced at it before smacking it, rolling over to the side to get off the bed. Sleepily, he walked out of his room, and as he passed by his sister's bedroom, he heard her voice and stopped dead in his tracks.
He didn't have the habit of eavesdropping, but he knew that his sister wasn't the kind to talk to herself, and so it meant that she probably was talking with Gabriel over the phone. Curiosity overcame him, and he couldn't help but edge closer to the door.
"… so do you think you will be able to make it? I can't think of a better gift."
There was a second of silence before Masha burst out laughing. "Why not? I very much want to see that. Anyway, I need to go if I don't want to miss the bus. Some people still have to go to school. So, well, good luck, and don't you dare die of boredom, or I'm going to pay you a visit in hell and bring you back by the skin of your neck."
Following those words, Misha heard rustles inside his sister's bedroom, and he instinctively fled downstairs and went into the kitchen, out of breath. Despite the days passing by, his body was still as weak as a chicken. It was to the point where the PE teacher even took pity on him and put him in the girls' group, telling him not to overwork himself.
A little annoying, if you asked him.
"Are you alright, sweetie? You're panting quite a lot," asked his mother, who was preparing her children's breakfast and lunch.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just too hungry and run down the stairs to eat asap. I could smell a very nice smell from my room, you know?"
"What a smooth talker! I wonder from whom you inherited that? Certainly not your father," Gulnas teased as she put a plate of crepes on the table. "Come on and sit! Eat while it's still warm."
"Thank you," Misha smiled as he rushed to his seat, digging in as soon as his little butt was on the chair. "It doesn't only smell delicious! It also tastes delicious!"
The compliments made his mother chuckle, the corner of her lips curling up. Then, she stroked her son's head, which looked like a bird's nest after waking up. Her eyes were warm and gentle, carrying a deep love in their depths.
A few months ago, Misha started to eat the meals she prepared as if it was the most delicious food in the world. And lately, he would often say that he preferred to eat what she made instead of going out to eat in a restaurant. Before, Misha would throw tantrums once to twice a week because he wanted to eat fast food. Now, forget about fast food; he didn't even mention going to any kind of restaurant.
Her son had changed drastically over the past few months, and Gulnas knew he was hiding many things from her. Nevertheless, he was still her baby son, and if he didn't want to talk, then she wouldn't probe. Instead, she would patiently wait for him to open up. In any case, the changes weren't bad ones, so she didn't mind it. She was just a little worried.
"You know, your birthday is coming up, so we need to think about how we will celebrate it. My little boy is turning ten after all! That's something worth celebrating! Let's see… For starters, do you want to invite a few friends over?"
Misha froze for a second. With everything that had happened, he had almost forgotten that he was born in October.
"I don't want anything big—just a little something with our family, Dereck, and also Vanessa. Oh, yeah, Vanessa is a new friend, but I'm very close to her. I'm sure you will like her." Misha paused, seemingly hesitating to say something before finally adding in a softer voice, "If Gabriel could be there too, then I don't need anything else."
His mother smiled, "Alright. Do you want something in particular for your presents? Dinosaur toys, maybe?"
The boy shook his head before twisting his upper body, lifting his bright blue eyes to meet his mother's. "No, I don't want anything. I have enough toys, maybe even too much. Really, spending time with all of you is more than enough for me."
Yes, it was more than what he could have ever wished for.
__________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-20
Edited by Clozed! ♥
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rs_vaesen
Discord: https://discord.gg/ZsEYr5eh6h