Chapter Text
You know that you’re really bored when you start listening in on your two and a half year younger, completely obnoxious little sister’s conversation with her best friend.
Which is exactly what I am doing right now; listening in on my two and a half year younger, completely obnoxious and insane little sister conversation with her best friend of way too many years (in my opinion. No, seriously. I do not know how she puts up with her.).
I shouldn’t be listening in on them, and not for the reasons you might think. You know, what with the whole eavesdropping on people’s conversations is very, very bad.
Though, with psychoanalysts for parents, we’re actually encouraged to do so. To eavesdrop on other people’s conversation I mean. It’s supposed to help us to understand different people and what they are thinking and all sort of psychoanalyst crap like that.
Personally, I just find it rude and irritating and I’ll happily beat anyone I catch eavesdropping on my conversation with my notebook. My laptop though heavier than a notebook, is far more valuable and useful to me and whoever is listening in on whatever conversation I’m having, isn’t worthy to hit my laptop with. Beside why would I want to damage my old, but trusty and reliable laptop over some idiots head?
But anyway, sometimes I just get bored, like we all do, and I was kind of curious to know what this conversation between these two was about, even though I really shouldn’t be listening in on them because that involves listening to her and that is something that I’m trying really, really hard not to do at the moment…
“Mr. Gianni’s cool.”
What Lil? I mean, yeah he is. He’s a pretty funny guy actually, but why is Lilly saying so? I must have missed something, but then again I am actually trying not to listen to their conversation and am only doing so because I’m bored.
Yeah, real great start to the school year Moscovitz! Twenty-four days in and you’re already bored!
On the bright side, I’ve managed not to do anything particularly stupid in these past twenty-four days that would suggest to anyone that my feelings towards my little sister’s best friend are anything other than those of older brother. If that…
But fuck, it’s hard and I’ve just missed completely what she said…
Crap… oh wait, wasn’t that the idea? Why do I have to be so bored? Why does she have to be in this class?
Oh, right, because she’s flunking Algebra, the class that Mr G teaches… is that why Lilly is calling him cool? To try and convince her that flunking Algebra isn’t so bad?
No, it looks to be a bit more than just that, but she’s speaking in such a low voice, a complete contrast to Lilly’s loud voice, that I can’t hear what she is saying…
Ok, so now I’m really confused. Seriously, what the hell is Lil on about now? And her face is going so red, it’s kinda cu… Crap!
“Tell her you don’t want her going out with him.” Wait, what? Who is going out with whom now? “I don’t understand you, Mia. You’re always going around, lying about how you feel.” And she isn’t the only one, but what feelings has she got to lie about? She’s fourteen years old! A freshman! A kid… crap! “Why don’t you assert yourself for a change? Your feelings have worth, you know.” Thanks Lil… oh, wait, she’s talking to her! Not to me, but sometimes I seriously have to wonder if my little sister doesn’t have mind reading abilities.
Though, if she did, I’d probably be dead by now as she would not take too kindly to my own feelings towards a certain person.
Ye-ah, I am so going to burn in a very special level of Hell. A level they reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theatre… Yeah, I know, I need to get a life!
Oh, thank god, there’s the bell!
I shut down my laptop, slung my backpack on to my back and made my way for the G&T classroom door, though not before I unlocked the supply closet where we’ve been locking the new Russian kid inside.
He’s supposed to be this musical genius… I say supposedly because the only stuff he ever plays on his violin is Stravinsky.
Like the only thing! Which is fine for like… a minute. After an hour?
Yeah, then it starts to grate on your nerves and makes you just want to smash the stupid thing over his head, musical genius or no.
“Ah, thanks.” He squeaks once I let him out of the closet.
I just shrugged at him and said you’re welcome.
I didn’t bother to mention that if he played something other than Stravinsky, he might not end up being locked in the supply closet. But I was almost afraid too. Because you never know what the alternative might be with this kid.
I was the last person to leave the room, closing the door behind me because Mrs Hill, our “teacher”, won’t be back anytime soon from the teacher’s lounge to close it herself.
I was half-way to my Trig class when I saw her being shoved to the side by Lana Weinburger, causing all the books that she had been carrying in her arms (Why didn’t she just put them in her bag?), toppling down upon the corridor floor.
No, Moscovitz, don’t…
Oh, fuck it.
I strode over to where she was kneeling on the floor, trying to pick up all her things and shoving them furiously into her bag.
“Hey. Easy there.” I said, picking up a book that didn’t quite look like a school book. It had no title on its front and it just… didn’t look like a school book.
She looked up at me weirdly, like she couldn’t quite believe that I was helping her, which is stupid because why wouldn’t I?
Oh, right… I haven’t been ‘cough’ exactly the warmest of people towards her of late.
But I have a really good reason for that. A very good reason, in fact, but I can’t exactly tell her what it is. Actually I can’t tell anyone what it is.
So now, my whole family thinks I’m being a jerk to her, all of sudden, for no particular reason other than I’m just being a jerk towards her.
Damn, why couldn’t she have come AEHS next year… wait, then she would be only thirteen years old to my seventeen years…
Ah, crap! I can’t win!
“Here.” I said, handing her the notebook and oddly her face went this really bright red colour. It was kind of cu… Never mind, though I can’t help but wonder why.
Was it her diary or something? That’s new. I didn’t know she kept a diary. She never did before to my knowledge, not that I’ve been spending all that much time with her of late.
Yeah, but you still don’t wear a shirt when she’s around at home, a voice in the back of my head pointed out which I pointedly ignored.
“Thanks.” She mumbled, taking it - snatching it more like - back from me and shoved it quickly into her ‘SAVE THE WHALES’ backpack.
And then she just left!
Just like that! No ‘bye’ or anything. Though when was the last time I had said ‘bye’ to her? Come to think of it, when was the last time I said anything to her? That wasn’t a teasing remark… um, um, um…oh god, she must hate me!
Argh! How much longer can I keep this up? How much longer do I have to keep this up?
I mean, what does it matter anyway? I mean, seriously, it’s not so uncommon for a senior to date a freshman. I mean, bloody Josh freaking Richter is dating a freshman! So why can’t I?
Because she also happens to be your little sister’s best friend and she’s known you for years, since she was like six years old, which could mean that she simply views you as an older brother or as some really, really annoying person who teases her and acts like a jerk towards her most of the time, a voice in my head pointed out quietly.
Well, there were a few reasons why I can’t just go up to her and say ‘Hey Thermopolis, you want to go out with me sometime?’
That, and the fact that over the last couple of months I have forced myself, religiously, to call her (both out loud and in my head) ‘Thermopolis’, which is her last name, as opposed to her first name ‘Mia’.
Why, you may ask? Because this way… I have no flipping idea. Originally it was one of my bizarre methods of trying to stop myself from liking her so much, but… it hasn’t worked. At all. In fact, I think it’s just made it worse.
Fantastic!
And crap, I’m late for class!
Not that Patterson is going to care much. He’ll be too busy telling Backstreet Boy Clone and his cronies off, to pay much notice to me.