"Spotlight"
I really don't know what I want to be in the future, but what I do know is that I don't have any limits on what I can do. The only problem is that I do not have any confidence as Clayden does. I never liked that part of him even one bit when we were kids, but when I realized that his confidence came from his determination and happiness.
"Rae. I did it, Look! Look!" Clayden called for my name and convinced me to listen to him. When I turned to look at him, He was smiling so brightly out of excitement that he immediately spat out the great news that made him who he is now. "I'm now the ambassador of "Lacia"! My favorite brand."
When he said that with complete happiness, I knew at that time that I had already lost to him, because Clayden had the greatest thing that I never had to begin with; maybe that's also the reason why he can't even cook a simple egg.
"Stop, Big bro! That tickles!" I heard my brother say those words in between his loud laughs, making me stop chopping vegetables to check on my brother. Later to see that Clayden was tickling my little brother, who couldn't almost breathe from laughing too hard.
"Clyde," I called out for Clayden, and he immediately turned around to look at me. I then gestured for him to stop tickling my brother; he did stop whilst I sighed and continued to prepare the table.
"Roy, Can you fetch me the spoon and forks?" I called my little brother Roy to help me get the utensils so we could start eating, He then stood up and ran towards the kitchen and said, "I'll go get it big sis!" as he passed through the dining table on his way to the kitchen. While I was waiting for Roy at the table, Clayden went to the table as well and stood next to me.
"Why are you so harsh on your brother?" He asked. I turned to look at him with a glare as I noticed his left hand taking a piece of the egg rolls. I slapped his left hand whilst Roy arrived, bringing the spoon and forks three pieces in each. I took the spoon and forks from Roy and was about to place them; I looked back at Clayden and said, "At least a middle schooler is more industrious than you, Clyde." I told him with a grin on my face and placed the utensils on the plate as I heard Clayden click his tongue; his actions made me quite satisfied.
"When will Big Brother Zenji come?" Roy asked with a sad expression on his face whilst he continuously mixed the rice with his soup, Obviously playing with it.
"I'll invite him here next time Roy. Now please, Stop playing with your food." I told him as I caressed his hand and persuaded him to eat. "Why do you want Zenji anyway? Your big brother Clayden is here." Clayden mockingly mentioned that Zenji was unimportant only made Roy narrow his eyes at him, whilst Clayden reassuringly, or should we say confidently, told me that he was there for Roy as I grabbed a glass of water.
"No thank you." Roy bluntly declined Clayden, making me burst out laughing when I was drinking while Clayden's eyes twitched, and tried his best to maintain the smile on his face.
"Why is that?" Clayden asked whilst Roy swallowed the food and looked at him; Clayden then waited for his answer. The truth is, Roy is somehow kind and sweet towards Zenji, I don't know why, but he adapted Zenji's blunt and cruel words.
"You suck at cooking, You are clueless, Immature, Irresponsible, Insensitive, Careless, Shameless, Selfish, and above all else...You're a playboy." Roy defined him for how he viewed him. Roy then sipped the soup and stood up whilst Clayden was trying his best to take in his words. 'I'm just glad that my brother loves Clayden... in a different way.' I thought as I glanced at Roy, who brought his dishes with him towards the sink.
"I'm not a playboy, though..." Clayden mumbled as tears streamed down his cheeks while I ignored him and continued to eat. "Stop whining and start eating, Clyde." I told him as he sat up straight. I put a spoonful of rice with fish that was dipped in soy sauce and placed it in front of his mouth.
"Ahh," I said as he did the same. I then feed him with that same rice.
"It's delicious...Raven." Clayden complimented my cooking while he was munching food.
"Don't speak when you're eating. What are you? A kid?" I reminded him at first and mockingly asked him if he was a kid. He then glared at me, but Roy spoke.
"He is a kid, big sis. You just noticed?" It made me burst out laughing once again as tears went out in my eyes because I kept on laughing whilst Clayden glared at me, He was about to speak, but I gestured to him with my hands to wait as Roy went up to his room.
"Not funny, Rae." Clayden told me as soon as I fell from the floor, laughing making him pout.
"You do act like a kid sometimes, Clyde."
• • •
The next day at school. I went over to Zenji's classroom to invite him over to dinner. His Classmates didn't call for him though; rather..they pointed in his direction. I then saw a guy with a Messy ashe brown-haired guy, It was Zenji. He was sitting by the window with his headphones on, I walked towards him and checked what he was doing.
"Zenji?" I called out for his name, but he didn't answer. Instead, he started singing in a whispering tone.
"どうしようもない,あなたに恋して. たとえどんなときであっても,あなたが私よりも彼を愛していることはわかっています."
"Zenji!" I called out for his name once again, but this time I moved the other side of his headphone, making him flinch; he was about to get mad as soon as he looked at me, his facial expression changed.
"Uhh, Yea?" Zenji asked me as he put his headphones down on his shoulders; I then grabbed a chair and placed it at the side of his table.
"What were you doing?" I asked him with a smile on my face while Zenji sighed, He was about to speak, but I interrupted him, saying.
"You were writing a song?" I asked him once again whilst he put his palm on my forehead, moving the hair that was covering his face revealing those dark blue eyes, and giving me those bright smiles of his.
"If you know, Why bother asking? Rae." Zenji asked me as he suddenly chuckled and stared at my eyes, waiting for me to answer. "Nothing, really," I answered. I stood up from my seat and was about to leave when I remembered what I was supposed to do. "By the way, Will you go to my house for dinner?" I asked Zenji, expecting him to say yes. He just answered me with a nod, It also signaled me to leave since the next class was about to start.
"レイヴンさん,本当に美しいですね.." I muttered as I stared at Raven as she walked out of my classroom, I groaned as I remembered her face while she was asking me out for dinner. Wait... Did she even ask me out? Ughh. I thought as I scratched my head irritatingly.
"You're blushing too hard, Hasegawa."My classmate Michael teased me as I glared at him while he ran away to his seat. I laid my head on the desk and sighed as I fantasized about Raven's smile once again whilst I pressed the play button to turn on the music.
I was walking in the hallway when I noticed Clayden surrounded by girls again; when I was approaching a group of boys in the hallway, I heard them say.
"That guy sure has it easy, I bet he will have no problem getting any girls he wants." As they all groaned. I thought the same thing as them when I always noticed him being surrounded by those girls, but I didn't have the right to make them go away... If I did, most of them would say that I was only bothering him again. I glanced at the window to look in his direction again, and he was actually looking at me. He waved at me. I was about to wave back, but...The group of guys went to me and started to talk with me, which made me run away along with the school bell.
I never got used to the crowd or being in front of a lot of people. Some of my girlfriends do say that I'm really pretty and smart and that I might even get popular if I tried, and that is my problem.
"Hey, Zenji. Who was that girl earlier?" A seatmate of mine asked, making me look at him went to glance at my bag to get my textbook.
"That was Raven," I answered his question as the professor started to write on the board while I started to copy.
"She's really pretty; how come I haven't even noticed her back then?" My seatmate asked once again whilst he was writing in his textbook. I looked out the window to see Clayden excusing himself to the girls in front of him and walking toward Raven.
"Raven doesn't like to be in the spotlight, So she becomes the shadow of someone else's light. If only she could do the same thing." I told him as I sighed and glanced at the board again to continue writing in my textbook.
To be Continued. . . .