[ Chapter 2: ]
[ August 28: Friday... 4:59 P.M. ]
[ Zack's POV: ]
Oddly enough, detention didn't feel like detention at all. It was paradise.
No noises to bother me, no bullies to batter me, and no scoldings to turn me deaf. Just me enjoying a front-row window view of the rain.
The cold air that entered the space comforted my body to no end. The fresh, humid air just ushering itself inside for us to breathe in.
Yup, I could stay here all--
"Zack, you can go now."
Well that was a bummer.
I lazily swiveled my head away from the wide-open window and turned to Sir Lawrence. "Yes sir." was all I could say as I picked my bag up and walked up to him.
Giving elders a polite bow before leaving was something I was always taught at home, it really pays of being raised in a well-mannered family. I did just that and recieved a smile of appreciation from him when I stepped out.
I can't lie, that felt great being appreciated and all. So great that my lips couldn't help but curl themselves up into a smile.
The halls that were previously infested by the invasive species of unruly students were now ghosted. Not a single moving object in sight, just the sound of my footsteps bouncing off the walls.
The bluish hue casted on the corridors courtesy of the paint and artificial lighting made my walk seem like something out of a horror movie. Not being the best at handling jump scares and such, I hurried. Not breaking the rules and full-on running though, just brisk walking. I was still on school grounds and as much as I wanted another dose of that good-old detention paradise of mine, it was getting late to spend another two hours away from home.
I zoomed past classrooms after classrooms in minutes. Destination? Faculty room.
I turned left and there it was- Faculty room- written in bold, black letters on a white plate of steel above the door. I bet my balls that you could see that sign from atleast half a mile away, the thing stuck out like sore thumb.
Without wasting another second in this creepy, deserted hallway, I moved ahead.
Halfway there, the door flung open and a girl with long, inky black hair stepped out. I'm pretty sure I've seen her somewhere, just didn't know when and where somewhere is.
Our eyes met for a second and I'm not going to lie, she looked like an angel with her deep, dark eyes contrasting with snow-white skin.
I didn't have time to appreciate that though, she had already walked passed and vanished around the corner.
Lucky her, she's out of the woods now.
Me? I'm only about to plunge in. I stood infront of the door to hell. "Here goes..." I turned the knob and peeked in. The room basked in bluish light, rows of individual tables for teachers. Each and every one of them tidied up and vacated. Only the sound of the roaring air-conditioners filled the area. "Miss Lesley?" I called out.
"Is that you Valdez?" Her voice was distant, as if in a different room.
"Yes ma'am." I answered.
"Come in."
Without further adue, I stepped in. The last nail on my coffin was planted without fail as I closed the door behind me.
I looked around for and found nothing. Weird.
"Miss Lesley?"
"Just wait there!"
"Yes ma'am."
Well wherever she was, it wasn't here. That's good enough for now.
I just realized that I was suppose to be hating this room, there were no windows. It felt claustrophobic to an extreme extent.
How do people even concentrate on their work here? It might as well be prison.
Minutes of unbearable inactivity on my part, the woman finally revealed herself. From the looks of it, she was just inside the women's room.
Drop-dead gorgeous actually became an understatement to how she looked. That's something I never expected to say to anyone.
"So..." She walked over to me, more swaying to her hips. Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn into a trance. "...Did your parents tell you already?"
I was punched out of my paralysis. My parents?
"A-About what?" I asked.
She sighed for whatever reason she had. "They didn't tell you yet then..."
"Tell me what exactly?"
"...Nothing."
Well two things were weird. One- this thing my parents didn't tell me and two- Miss Lesley seems kind of toned down? Compared to how she always acted, she seemed a little mellowed.
"You can go."
"T-That was it?"
I'm not going to complain about not recieving an earful of nasty comments but I needed answers. She was definately not the usual raging beauty of a teacher that I knew.
"Yes, that's all for today." was all I got from her.
Looks like curiousity and inquisition wouldn't be enough to peek through her words for today.
"Well... See you later then, ma'am."
She nodded and that was all I needed to bolt out of that portal to an alternate universe where my teacher acted kindly. I felt like I just got Isekai-ed from real life into a world where the bad turns good, no questions asked.
I closed the door behind me and walked faster than ever, away from that messy circumstance.
I had to cross another set of creepy hallways before I got to the main route leading up to the exit. Alfred should be there.
"Psst! Zack!"
I stopped in my tracks and looked around for the funny guy trying to mess with me again. "Just come on out man, I really need to get home."
Suddenly, a locker opened and stepped out the one and only Alfred Gregory. I didn't know what to ask- how he managed to fit in there or just why?
"Get over here!" he whisper yelled.
I blinked a couple of times, and just decided to play along. "What's up, Mugsy?"
"Mugsy?" He asked.
"Don't worry about it, now spill."
"Look over there genius!"
I followed wherever his index finger pointed and landed on the girl I saw earlier, sitting on the stairs by the exit, calmly reading a book.
"What about her?"
He gasped. "Don't you know who she is?! That's Franzine Athena!"
"And...?"
"And? There's no and! The name's all you need to know!"
Really now? I haven't seen him freak out over a girl besides Erika, this one must be really significant too. What's someone like her doing here? Alone and incredibly late considering that three o'clock was the dismissal, no less.
"How long has she been there?" I asked.
"She was here before me. She left earlier and came back just now."
So she really is the one I saw earlier. Miss Lesley was the only one left in there and she's the one responsible for making calls to parents. If my hunch is right, Miss Franzine must've attempted to call her parents but didn't recieve a feedback. That must mean she's stranded until the rain stops!
Well, looks like watching detective conan actually paid off. "Hey Fred, about that umbrella..."
"Oh yeah! Just a sec..." He grabbed a foldable umbrella from his bag and handed it to me. "...Here." he said.
"Thanks, now here's the plan."
"Plan? It's an umbrella. The planning's pretty minimum if you ask me."
At that point in time, I actually face slapped myself out of genuine disappointment. "Just hear me out here."
"Okay then wise-guy, shoot." He said.
"As soon as I hand her this umbrella, we're going to sprint away. Got it?"
"Uhuh, you've gone crazy. Got it."
"Ha Ha. Just follow me." I began walking, gently placing my steps. Sneak mission, in progress.
"You're serious?!" he whispered, just tailing behind me.
I didn't bother answering and just kept my eyes on the prize. I didn't know what the prize is, but you get my point.
My fingers transitioned from one, two, and three!
I ran towards her and gently dropped off the item and dashed away...
...
...Only for her to grab my sweater and have me slip on the wet concrete.
"Zack!"
Okay, how he got ahead of me is beyond my mind's capabilities. I thought he was way back behind me but no, the dude literally had to come back for my sorry wet ass just to pick up from the puddle I so-luckily landed on.
"Lets go!" He yelled, getting me back to my senses surprisingly quickly.
Without looking back, we dashed into the rain, cold air, and everything.
We ran non-stop even when presented with the choice of staying under one of the buildings of Tuwbey city. Reason? Anime.
We passed through company buildings, family establishments, and everything else you might find in big cities. The wet pavement simply urging us to be careful when running. Streets were never empty, buzzing cars zooming through even the damped asphalt came with living here. A line of trees was the only thing separating the vehicle's road from the pedestrian side-walks.
Crowds shrunk compared to when it's not raining, every person I could see were either wearing a business suit and taking care of work or just lazy shut-ins heading to the convenient store for a supply run.
It was a pretty chill day.
Speaking of chill. Running in the rain? Not so cozy.
The water clinging to my clothes and skin just made the wind colder. My teeth gritted, my body shook violently as we continued our stretch. It wasn't pleasant to say the least.
Minutes, after minutes, after minutes of treading through cold air and wet side-walks, we arrived.
My family home was a simple decent-sized, box-type, two-story house. It wasn't that special, but it definately wasn't something to scoff at either.
"Come on Fred! Just a little bit more!" I yelled.
"Yeah! And next time, warn me if you're planning on making me run in the rain you psycho!"
"Got it!"
A brief exchange of sarcastic words and then we entered, closing the door behind us.
We both sighed with relief upon feeling the gentle touch of warmed up air. Just like coming home from a snowstorm then sitting next to a warm fireplace.
The smell of freshly cooked stake filling the hallway with millions of enticing aromas. Mom must still be cooking cause a faint- yet still audible- sizzling was everything that I heard.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!"
"Welcome home dear! Your dad's in his study!" My mom yelled back.
"Got it but do we maybe have some extra towels or something? Me and Fred kind of..."
"Oh of course! Coming!"
Not even a minute later, Mom came through the kitchen archway and walked down the hall towards us, carrying two neatly-folded towels with her.
"Welcome Alfred." she greeted, handing us both a towel each.
"Thankyou Mrs. Valdez."
"Are you staying over?"
"Yup!"
Okay that wasn't in the grand scheme.
I raised my eyebrow and faced the guy. "You're staying over?"
"I am. It's payback for making me run with your stupid rain just pelting me with water."
"..."
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." I continued wiping myself down. Having a friend over wouldn't actually be that bad if I think about it.
"Come to the kitchen when you're done."
"Yes, ma'am." Me and Alfred simultaniously replied.
And with that, Mom entered her cooking heaven and resumed.
Wipe, Wipe, Wipe, Wipe, Wipe.
That was everything we did for about five minutes or so, until we were atleast dry to the point where no 'Accidental' drippings would occur. Mom could be very strict or very loose when she wanted to, and even just a little drop of water could get me and Alfred killed. Just thinking about it made me shiver.
"Wait for me upstairs, just going to grab some snacks and then we'll MHA our way through life."
"Got it." And from how he was pumping his fists all the way up the stairs, even an idiot would be able to guess that he was excited.
I couldn't help but smile, the guy's like a kid.
But now it was time to get down to business. Miss Lesley told me that there was something Mom and Dad weren't telling me.
My eyes were on the archway opening up to the kitchen where Mom was supposed to be at. Going in there would be easy, bringing it up would be difficult, and getting an answer could be near impossible.
If they chose to hide it, I know she won't tell me that easily.
Without wasting another second by the staircase, I walked towards the 'kitchen access-point' and entered.
Sure enough, there she was, prepping food like how I assumed it would be. The intense flavours just pushing themselves down my nostrils the moment I stepped in. If what they said about smell accounting to eighty-percent of the food's flavour was correct, then these steaks are going to send me to heaven.
"Zack?"
"O-Oh, hi Mom."
"What are you doing standing around there?"
Rip it off like a bandage. Just ripping it off like a bandage!
"I just want to ask you about something."
"Okay, fire away..." she said, not daring to look away from her cooking progression.
"One of my teachers told me that there was something you needed to tell me...?"
"Which teacher hun?"
"Miss Artemis."
"Ohh! Little Lesley?"
"Little Lesley? What's with the nickname?"
*Click* went the stove when she shut the fire off. She turned around, faced me with nothing less of worried painted on her expression.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I think it would be best if me and your Father both explain it."
I followed her out of the aroma garden we were just in. I couldn't help but worry about what in heaven's hell they were going to say, her face basically said that it wasn't good.
No further words were spoken between us as we headed for my Father's study upstairs. The pit-a-patting of my shoes and her slippers were the only things filling the void of soundlessness.
I breathed in a truckload, preparing for the worst.
"Zack?" She called out, snapping me out of my worried trance. She was already by the doorknob, clutching it with her shaky hands.
"Mom, calm down. Unless it's the end of the world, I think I'll be fine whatever it is you have to tell me."
A little giggle from her was all I need to justify that my cringe-worthy joke calmed her down even by a little bit.
The knob was twisted, and the veil covering the truth from me was lifted.
We entered and found my father sitting on one of the couches, eating chips and typing a million-words-per-second on his laptop. The norm.
"I'm home Dad." I called out, closing the door behind me.
"Zack!" he cheered, placing his laptop down on the coffee table and heading towards me and my Mom. He gave me a crushing hug courtesy of this forty-year-old, jacked father of mine. "How was school son? Got some ladies to present to—"
"Ehem..." My mother cut in. "...We forgot to tell him about little Lesley, Charles."
"We did?!"
I chuckled at their short comical exchange.
"Yeah, you did." I said.
He gave me an apologetic smile from what I could tell. "Sorry about that Zack. The biggest news of your life and I couldn't even tell you the first day."
Biggest news of my life? Something bigger than the birth of anime?
"What do you mean, dad?" I raised an eyebrow of absolute confusion. Who wouldn't? Biggest news about YOUR LIFE and you weren't even the first to know about it? That's something worthy of writing in the Guiness Book of World Records under the title— Densest kid ever born.
"We should really sit this down." he offered, smile unwavering.
Mom's frowning, Dad's smiling.
Where in the seven layers of hell is this leading up to?
He lead me to one of the three couches in his study. Mom on the longest one to my right and Dad infront of me, only a coffee table serving as our middle-ground.
"First..." Dad started. His face filled with all the seriousness in the world. This wasn't time for jokes and I knew it damn well. "...Do you have a girlfriend, Zack."
I smiled, if this was a test, they should've just given me the first place. The easiest question ever made for me. Do I have a girlfriend? Definately... "Nope."
For some reason, Mom and Dad both sighed. I didn't know if it was because they were relieved that I was focusing on my studies instead of chasing girls or just flat-out disappointed that I couldn't even get one.
"Just tell me what it is..." I urged.
"Okay, Okay..." Dad breathed in a ton, seemed like he was preparing to yell some kind of battle cry. "...You're engaged."
And the world stopped, exploded, reformed, and exploded again.
I blinked, trying to digest whatever that horrifying thing was. A slight chuckle escaped the confines of my mouth.
Engaged to what? A monkey?
Only a total nut-job, rabid animal, or some kind of shameless freako' would do something like getting in an engagement with me— the anime nerdie king of all Nowhair island.
"Nice joke Dad!" My whole body wanted to laugh its ass off, sadly only my lungs and mouth could take up the task.
"We're serious dear." Mom added, only increasing the military might of Laughs-ville. Laughs were my ammunition, a flurry of endless, uncontrolable sounds of pure amusement.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Three minutes...
Four minutes...
Five minutes passed and my laughing dam got emptied, leaving a teary-eyed fool— me.
"Are you done, sport?" Dad asked. Well while I was laughing my whole life off, it looks like Mom and Dad got decked out. Now eating chips and drinking wine that were DEFINATELY not there earlier.
"Yeah, that joke got me good."
"We keep telling you that it wasn't though." Mom replied.
Well if they want to keep going, I'm going to be the clown. I gave them a playful grin before I shot my first joke-bullet.
"Really? Tell me more about her then."
Mom and Dad looked at each other, probably planning their own joke. It was a custom between us to randomly tell jokes around the household, this is the first time we actually gave them thought.
"Well, it's your teacher. Lesley Artemis." and we have a winner. Dad claiming the jokester of the year as my funny-system kicked in and launched another volley of chuckles.
One minute...
Two minutes...
Three minutes...
Four minutes were everything it took to calm my laughing fit. Miss Lesley and me? Funny stuff.
Wiping my tears of joy away, I could hear my parents sighing another tornado away.
"Seriously, just tell me what it is and I'll be out of your hair."
"We told you already." Mom repeated.
"You're really engaged to her." Dad confirmed. The sincerity in his voice told me everything I needed to know.
What? I mean I'll be fine marrying her, that's my job as the second son of the family to be honest. If Mom and Dad agreed on my behalf, they probably know that it would benefit me. Plus, something tells me that her family's wealth could terrorize me if I refused. That's one useful thing I actually learned from anime— The powerful can get anything that they want.
But I wanted to know one thing— scratch that— I needed to know one thing. "Why me?"
Did all the handsome men just went up and die? Why would she— an insanely perfect woman— agree to marry me?
"She has a condition..." Dad answered.
"What condition?"
"...She's allergic to men."
First it was Sir Lawrence and now, Dad?
"Atleast tell me the real reason! You're asking me to get married here!" I pleaded.
"That is the real reason." Mom replied. "She can't even hug her own dying father."
What the...? Something just occurred to me. If she's allergic to men, then how come she can touch/slap me?
"She said the only person she can touch was you." Well he just answered it.
The only person she can touch is me? Unless I'm secretly a woman, then I had to ask... "Why me?"
"She didn't know either." Dad replied.
My face turned deadpan without a second later than the moment those words left his mouth. "You believed her right away?"
"Of course not! I wouldn't give my son up that easily just for some company deal!" Mom boasted.
"Really?" I asked, smiling and everything.
"Yeah! We tested her first. She poked your father and her finger got all swollen and red."
A brief moment of silence enveloped the room.
"Well then that's that." They had proof. That's all I needed to agree. It's not like I was in a relationship or anything. This is just going to add a ring on my finger, nothing more nothing less.
"You're fine with this already?" Dad questioned.
"There's nothing much I can do about it, right?" Knowing those big-shot company stuff, they probably had to sign a binding contract. I had no choice from the get-go, just the fact that I was given time ahead to let it all sink in was enough consideration on their part.
Mom and Dad smiled, I could tell how proud they are just by the look in their eyes. Looks like I made the right choice— just accept every damn thing they throw at you!
"So, how is this going to work?" I asked.
"Oh right..." Mom brought out a printed out form and began skimming through it. "...You're going to move in with her next week, this is a trial."
"A trial?"
"Yes. If she somehow hates your company, the engagement will be wiped."
That's good to know. If I start to regret things, I could just act like a douche and make her hate me. That's one of my most developed skills.
"Is there anything more?" I asked.
"Well, it says here that the marriage wont be official until you graduate."
"Highschool?"
"Yes." She answered.
"Well that's good to know too I guess..." A married teen, me? I haven't even kissed a girl, haven't even went on a date. Now suddenly, I'm engaged to a beautiful twenty-one year old woman. "...WAIT! SHE'S TWENTY-ONE RIGHT? HOW WOULD THAT WORK?!"
"I asked them that too..." Dad replied. "...they said that it should be fine as long as you're not seen together in public until you're eighteen."
"That's going to be difficult. Living with her and all that plus avoiding public eyes." This just complicated the already complicated predicament they oh-so-generously dumped on me.
"Don't worry about it too much just yet Zack. If worse comes to worst then we'll be there to guide you, good?"
How can my Dad be so calm about this? I'll never know.
I just sighed the tightness in my chest away and stood the hell up. "Well, is that all. No more secret engagements in your pockets?"
Dad laughed, Mom giggled. That was enough of an answer to get me chuckling. "I'll be in my room if you need me." I said.
They both nodded, letting me exit the room without any more delay.
Once out, I immediately ran towards the other end of the second floor hallway.
Don't worry?! Am I insane?! A marriage, I accepted a marriage!
Waking up, she'll be there.
Eating, she'll be there.
Going out, she'll be there.
She'll be everywhere!
My mind went into a crazed tycoon of endless worries piling themselves up like a company started by Lucifer himself.
At the speed of light, I reached for my doorknob and flung the door open. There he was, sitting casually on the bean-bag seat, eating chips which I didn't even know he had.
He waved at me. "Hello my crazy friend, who died?"
"Shut... up..." I spoke through breaths, that short run drained the life out of me. Unfortunately, it didn't give me the sweet release of death.
"So..." he started, still munching of those artificial fried potato shavings of his. "...Do we watch some slapping anime or be like girls and talk about what's wrong?"
I entered and bolted the door shut right behind me. I needed to forget, I needed to erase my memory.
Its a shame I couldn't bleach my own brain.
"Lets... just watch."
[To be continued...]