*Ding!*
Simon felt the vibration of his phone as he lay flat on the ground, he reached into his pocket with his scrawny hand and unlocked his phone.
[Thank goodness...]
He breathed a sigh of relief after reading the text from his girlfriend.
[I really didn't want her to see me like this...]
He had been racking his brain for an excuse not to meet up with her, but fortunately she had to go home.
He dragged his body off the ground and dusted the dirt off of his uniform.
"My mother's gonna scold me for being so dirty..."
He muttered under his breath and made his way home.
//
Simon silently stood by the door of his home, his hand reluctantly reaching for the doorknob.
"*sigh*. This is so exhausting..."
He muttered, putting on a bitter smile.
Simon finally mustered up enough courage and opened the door.
"Hello! I'm home, is anybody here?"
The pleasant smell of food wafting in from the kitchen alerted him that someone was cooking.
[Huh? Is there someone cooking in there?]
He took off his shoes and placed his school bag on the floor before walking into the kitchen.
There he saw a beautiful middle aged woman chopping up some vegetables on the kitchen counter.
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
Simon's mother spent most of her time at work so seeing her so early in the day was a rare sight.
"Oh, hi Simon!"
She walked over to Simon and gave him a big hug and pinched his cheeks.
[Ugh!]
Simon bit his lip and cried inwardly.
He felt a sharp pain in his ribs as his mother embraced him.
The pain from being beaten by Akira and the others still lingered in his body.
"I'm working the nightshift today so I decided to make us a hearty meal since it's been so long!"
His mother exclaimed, a bright smile adorning her face.
"Oh my!"
"What happened to your clothes?"
"Oh uh, me and Brad were playing a little rough today and we ended up tumbling on the ground haha."
He laughed awkwardly, lying through his teeth.
[What a shitty excuse! No way she'll believe that!]
"Oh, I see."
[Really?! ]
[At least show a little bit more concern than that!]
"By the way Simon..."
She extended her hand, indicating that she wanted something from him.
[?]
"Come on don't play dumb with me, I know what day it is today..."
She said, a gentle smile adorning her face.
[Ah that's right... That's all she ever cares about.]
He put on a bitter smile and reached into his dirty blazer.
His hand came out holding a brown envelope.
[This is probably the reason why she's home so early today. ]
"Here you go, Mom."
He handed over the envelope, today was the day that the midterm results were out, she had made it her duty to always check up on Simon's academic progress.
She quickly ripped open the envelope and read its contents.
"A+ in Mathematics, A+ in Chemistry, A+ in physics, A+ in Geography..."
She read out loud, her smile getting brighter with each passing second.
"Hmmm..."
She paused briefly and glanced at Simon.
"B+ in Latin?"
"Don't worry, I'll get you a tutor so you can do better next time okay?"
[B+ is still a very good mark you know?!]
He exclaimed inwardly.
[I mean you could at least praise me for getting A's in everything else!!]
He furrowed his brows in frustration.
His mother noticed this and spoke:
"Don't worry about it Simon, I'm sure you'll do better next time, I believe in you!"
"No that's not..."
[*sigh*. This is pointless...]
"I'm going upstairs to freshen up..."
"Okay, be back down in time for dinner!"
She said enthusiastically, stroking his hair.
"... Alright."
Simon climbed up the stairs with a bitter expression on his face.
He got into his room and locked the door, his large bedroom that was big enough to be considered a small apartment, having its own bathroom, came into view.
He walked to the large mirror on the wall next to his large wardrobe and unbuttoned his blazer and shirt.
Wincing as he took them off, he beheld his scrawny upper body, with his ribs visibly protruding from his sides.
His scrawny frame was riddled in bruises.
[Those fuckers... I hope they didn't break anything.]
"*sigh*. Nothing a warm bath can't fix."
He walked into his personal bathroom and opened the taps, perfectly balancing between warm and cold water to produce the perfect temperature.
An hour passed and he returned to his bedroom, putting on some comfortable clothes.
He laid on his bed, his mind blank as he glanced at the ceiling.
[I wonder if Maya got home safely...]
He reached for his phone and unlocked it.
[She's online...]
Tap! Tap! Tap!
<
He shot the text.
Ding!*
<< Yeah I did.>>
[Hm? Is she mad at me?]
<< Sorry I couldn't walk you home today, are u mad? :(>>
Ding!*
<
"Pfft! How cute."
<< I'll make it up to you okay? How about I come pick you up and treat you to something nice?>>
Ding!*
<
[She's been studying a lot these day. I guess I'm a good influence? Keke.]
<
Ding!*
<>
[Of course I need to study, you think I was born knowing calculus or some shit?]
Simon spat inwardly.
<
Ding!*
<
<
Ding*!
<
[Yes please!!]
His eyes shone brightly, steam coming out of his nostrils.
<
A few minutes went by without a reply.
[Hmm... I guess she went back to studying.]
"*sigh* it's almost time for dinner, I should head downstairs."
//
As he descended down the stairs, he heard three voices happily clamoring away at the dinner table.
[Dad and Samuel must have returned.]
He mused, entering the luxurious dining room.
"Hey Dad, hey Samuel."
He greeted his brother and father whilst pulling out a chair to sit on the table.
"What's up skin and bones? Keke."
Samuel spat mockingly.
[This little fucker...]
Simon glared at his little brother.
"Hey stop that! How many times do I have to tell you not to call your older brother names?"
"It's okay Mom..."
[Oxtail huh? It looks amazing!]
Simon appreciated the food in front of him.
His Mother was a doctor so she barely had any time to cook for them, and his father was always down at the MMA gym with his brother, so it had been a while since he had a home cooked meal.
"How is your training going Simon?"
His father asked.
"Are you following the new training regime I gave you?"
"Yeah I've been training everyday before going to school."
"And? Are you seeing any improvements?"
"..."
Simon clenched his fist underneath the table before responding.
"No. Just as usual there isn't any changes in my physique no matter what I do."
"I see..."
His father frowned slightly.
He added:
"Never before in the Cavil family has there been someone like you."
"We descend from vikings after all. I mean look at your brother's physique."
He gestured at Samuel who had bulky frame even though he was only 15 years old.
"And your other brother? He's followed in my footsteps and has become an MMA world champion. "
"I didn't ask to be born this way you know..."
Simon spat through gritted teeth
"*sigh*. I know, but you should train harder."
[I fucking have been!]
He cried inwardly.
"Honey that's enough..."
His mother spoke in a trembling voice.
"I have tried examining his body and researching but he's a unique case."
She continued:
"No matter how much we change his diet and no matter how much he exercises, his body refuses to gain muscles or fat."
[You think that muscle brain doesn't already know that? He thinks hardwork can solve anything. ]
Simon mused, quietly chewing his food.
"Besides, Simon doesn't need to be muscular or whatever in order to become a doctor."
She said, with a bright smile on her face.
[Now that I think about it... when the fuck did I say I wanted to be a doctor?]
"A doctor huh? With that fragile body of his? How will he save lives when he can barely pick up a spoon?"
"You are putting too much pressure on him! He can't control the way he was born!"
The two of them began arguing back and forth, Samuel just ignored them and continued munching down on the food on the table.
Simon on the other hand, lost his appetite and excused himself from the table.
His parents were so immersed in their argument that they didn't even notice him leave.
[I need some fresh air...]
He grabbed his jacket and phone and headed towards the door.
Before opening the door he unlocked his phone and checked if there were any messages from Maya.
<< Studying is so annoying! I've been stuck on the same equation. :( >>
[Yeah but where's the sexy pic though?]
Of course, he could never bring himself to actually ask that question.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
<< Send me a picture of the equation and I'll help you out lol.>>
Ding!*
<< Nah, I'll do it myself, I can't rely on you forever!>>
<< LOL okay XD>>
[She's so adorable...]
[Maya and Brad are really the only two people that actually make my life a little easier.]
"My life would be hell without those two..."
He muttered, with a bitter smile on his face.
[I wonder if I should tell them that I'm actually being bullied?]
"Nah..."
He shook his head and stepped outside his house.
[Speaking of which, I wonder if Brad is still at the arcade...]
"Guess I'll head over there."
He walked for several minutes until the arcade finally came into view.
[!!]
As he was about to cross the road and enter the arcade, he saw Brad.
[Luckily he was still here.]
He raised his scrawny arm and prepared to wave at Brad.
But what he saw next made him drop his arm.
[Hm? Is he with a girl? Look at this fucker haha...]
He smirked.
But wait...
[Is that...]
He recognized the visage of the girl who was with Brad.
His heart began racing, his eyes gawking at the duo walking out the door.
[Why are you here...?]
[I thought you said you were studying??]
[Why are you two holding hands?!]