"Why do you like her?"
We were having so much fun at the time. We also went to the mall, shopping for some clothes and snacks. When Zenji found matching hoodies for the three of us, Heather bought a matching bracelet with Tristan, "Isn't she thinking way ahead to the future?" Zenji muttered as we both stared at her, blushing really hard while holding the paper bag—I was pretty embarrassed with what she was doing right now. We took a picture in a photo booth. It was a blast.
"Bye!" Heather bid me farewell with a hug before waving goodbye to me as she walked away with Tristan walking behind her. I turned to look at Zenji and Clayden, and it seemed like Michael lived in a different direction than those two. 'Still, it's too much of a coincidence if those two lived in the same direction.' I thought as the three of us walked our way home.
"Tristan is my neighbor. He just went with Heather to the nearest bus station," Zenji told me and let out a chuckle. It surprised me that Tristan was actually interested in her. "I don't think he likes her, though. He's only looking out for her, it's already part of his nature."
"Would you... Stop reading whatever I'm thinking for one second!?" I shouted as he started laughing, while Clayden glanced in our direction, looking confused.
"It seems like I missed something I should know right now."
"Wait, Tristan. Where are you going? Aren't you going home with me?" I asked Tristan, completely confused as to why he was walking the other way. He ignored me until I noticed he was going in the same direction as Heather.
"I'm gonna go to the convenience store before going home." That is what he said. He didn't even turn to look at us. He was walking straight forward. 'ばか, You would've done it at the supermarket earlier.' I thought and started smirking while I was watching him follow Heather.
I giggled. "Sorry, I just can't help but imagine how Heather looks now..." As I placed a strand of hair at the back of my ears, I looked up at the night sky—knowing that a guy like Tristan was looking out for Heather also put me at ease. He's a good guy. After all, He's Zenji's friend.
"You were thinking he's a good guy because he's my friend, right?" Zenji teased me with a smirk as my cheeks heated up by what he said. I started shouting at him and hit his back.
"Oi, fill me in. What are you two talking about!?" Clayden shouted as it made us stop for a second and started laughing, which indeed made him more confused and pissed at the same time. We did tell him what was happening earlier, and indeed, after that... Clayden went silent and didn't say a word.
When I got home, Royce was already standing at our doorstep, leaning against the wall as he was folding a strip of paper, wearing an apron covered with paint. It looked like he was in the basement painting all afternoon again. Since we started living here in Chicago, Royce has become attached to art—I never knew why, but he was really good at it.
"I'm home..." I said as it somehow still startled Royce. He looked in my direction and sighed. "What's wrong?" I asked him, and he returned to folding the strip of paper and making it into a star before he answered me.
"Nothing really, just needed some fresh air." He said while staring at the tiny star paper he held as I handed him a paper bag. He had a confused look on his face, wondering what I was giving him.
"Don't think too much and open it already, Roy." I told him. He opened the paper bag I gave him, and his confused expression was immediately washed away when he saw what was inside, I guess...
"A sketchbook!?" Roy became ecstatic seeing that inside. I knew full well that he uses up his sketchbook every single month and thought that I should get him one since I was already at the bookstore earlier. He went towards me and hugged me, saying. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Don't stay here for long. You'll catch a cold." I said, hugging him while I rubbed his back. He nodded to me in response as I started heading inside.
"Were you out with your friends, Raven?" Mom asked me. I smiled and hummed in response. I put my bag down on the couch before helping her set the table.
• • •
After eating dinner, I went straight to my room and put out my textbook to do my homework. 'Today was fun...' I thought as I looked back at what had happened today. Come to think of it, Zenji looked so annoyed this morning...
"He can handle himself from here, Raven." He said that with a severe look on his face, obviously telling me to leave him be. That was new to me, honestly. Usually, he says things straightforwardly with a stern look, but that was different somehow...
When I met Zenji, he had just moved into our neighborhood. He looked so lost when we first saw him by the park, tearing up. I was out playing with Clayden as usual, but at that moment, I couldn't stop myself from approaching him. That's why I went to him and invited him to play with us.
"I'm Raven, and you?" My young self asked for his name. He looked so surprised that I made a conversation with him. A stranger whom I didn't know and had just moved into our neighborhood, at first glance... His appearance didn't leave a bad impression on me. Rather, I wasn't scared of approaching him, unlike when I met Clayden.
He stared at me in awe, immediately wiping his tears away with his arms, and stood up. "Hasegawa... I'm Zenji Hasegawa." He introduced himself. He was small and a crybaby. And because of that, I didn't know that he was older than me and Clayden. We didn't have a hard time getting along with Zenji. I thought that He and Clayden would brawl... but at some point, they didn't. Since that day, Zenji has come to the park and played with us.
I still had a good childhood because of them.
But a year before we got into middle school...The atmosphere around Clayden and Zenji changed. They were still friends... but it had somehow become different, especially Zenji. He wasn't really blunt or cruel with words, nor that stern expression that he makes every single time wasn't. He was a bashful guy and didn't have much confidence as Clayden—Maybe, that's also the reason why I wasn't scared of him. Unlike before, Zenji rarely smiles around other people.
I sighed. I looked outside the window and saw Zenji and Royce by the park. Zenji was holding onto a guitar. I knew he loved music, but to play a guitar? No. I then bumped into a picture frame on my table. I looked at it, and it was the picture that three of us had taken when we were kids.
"What changed him..."
It's already dark out. All I could hear was the water splashing down from the fountain and crickets singing along with Big Brother Zenji's strumming the guitar. I was surprised when I saw him pass by along with his guitar and invited me to the park as he adjusts the tune. Whenever I looked at Big Brother Zenji while playing his guitar or singing, he would always seem to be at peace. I couldn't help but stare and listen to him and would find myself being relaxed by it.
Big Brother Zenji was the one who made me realize my love for art...I don't hate Big Brother Clayden at all. I just don't get along with him as much as I do with Zenji. I'm just a kid, and I'm completely aware that I'm clueless about lots of things. About my Father; About my Sister; Why me and my Sister had to live in Chicago while our Mom was in New York...
"Hey..." I called out for my Big Brother beside me, slightly hesitating with what I was about to say to him, but as soon as his eyes laid on mine, I wanted to back away in an instant, and he was waiting for me to speak. Curiosity got the best of me, but I still asked him. "Why do you like her? My Big Sis?" I asked. Suddenly, it became quiet. Big Brother's laughter then broke the moment of silence, and I was taken by surprise by it.
A little later, he finally stopped laughing and excused himself. "Sorry about that. It was just a sudden question that I didn't expect you would ask." He suddenly touched my head and rubbed it, messing up my hair. Which... I hate the most. I started groaning as that made him chuckle and stop. "I haven't even told her anything. Why should I tell you?" He said as he took a deep breath and looked up at the sky before glancing in my direction.
I stared at the floor while fondling my fingers, thinking. 'Big Brother Clayden likes her too. I think she likes him too.' As I remember how close their relationship is, Big Brother Zenji is part of that too, but... Why is he so distant? I wondered that the most. Big Brother Zenji sighed while placing his guitar back inside the case. "You're done?" I asked as he hummed to me in response and stood up.
"All I can say to you right now, Royce... is that I'm not giving up without putting up a fight." He said with a smile on his face, with sincerity in every word. His smile reminded me why I liked him more than Big Brother Clayden, the smile that brought me back to my feet... "Now, let's go. Your Mom might start looking for you if you stay here for long." He said as he started to walk away slowly, waiting for me to catch up.
"Ok!"
To Be Continued. . .