the third person

03

ARTHUR

I don't listen to songs because I like listening to music. I listen to songs because I like relating to the lyrics. I cannot like a song whose lyrics I can't relate to. Once I know a song by heart, my mind automatically memorizes it. 

I feel like about 90% of my brain is just songs. 

Most people know that, but no one can understand how can someone with such a chaotic mind get such good marks and focus on his studies.

The answer is, I don't. 

This is not me flexing, I just have a weird thing that happens whenever I see something written on paper. I can either understand it by heart or I can't. If I can understand it then nothing can make my marks go down in that particular topic. But if I can't understand it, or if it's something related to sports or any extra-curricular activity that requires having conversations with organic life forms, I fail.

And I don't like failing.

Blaze Carterwood, on the other hand. White and blond, in contrast to my light brown skin and dark hair. He loves failing. 

Because he fails in everything. 

And he's not even sad about any of it. I am the one suffering because the topper gets the duty of teaching the failure. I have never made eye contact or had any kind of proximity to Blaze or with anyone from his tall burly friend circle. Mainly because most of them are suppressed bullies who would've bullied me if I wasn't constantly monitored by Kai and Mei. They're not exactly helpful but some people automatically assume that Southeast Asian kids know kung-fu.

Today is my first day with him. I am supposed to meet him in the library but I have no idea how I am going to do this. I don't even know what he looks like. I did not tell Asher I was going to be alone with someone from the friend circle he hated. That too for 2 hours, because then Kai would've been recruited for my safety. Which would lead to a lot of awkwardness, because that boy is the living definition of awkward.

Ash was giving me looks while I was doing my hair in the mirror. Our father couldn't afford to get us separate rooms, so we still sleep in our bunk beds, ones we grew out of long ago. Our knees are a few inches away from the edge, but neither of us bothered telling Dad, it would make him sadder.

"Is that my hair gel you're using?" He questioned placidly.

I made eye contact through the mirror. "Yeah, why?"

"You've never touched it before."

I blinked at his reflection again. "I had an inkling that I acted upon unconsciously."

"What inkling?" He said the word in a way that made it sound weird. It sounded better in my head.

I gulped. I don't want to tell him, it's none of his business. I frowned.

"Something." I turned and brushed past him out of the bathroom. 

"The last time you used my hair gel was when you were on a date with that dipshit of an ex-boyfriend."

"I thought you said I've never used it before."

"You're not going out with him again, right?"

I looked up at him. His brown eyes were soft and hard at the same time. "Ash. No."

He sighed. "Fine."

I hesitated as he walked away, then called out. "Asher?"

He turned. His hair was messy, dark circles around his eyes and sunken cheeks made him look like he hadn't eaten in ages. He was always wearing the same 3 sets of clothes. A beige tee, a gray tee, and a white one, with the same sweatpants. Asher didn't work out anymore, but his body was well-built. Maybe that's why the cancer was taking this long.

"You know someone called Blaze?"

Asher frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Carterwood?"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe, why?"

"Is he nice?"

"Well, none of them are, but he's certainly better than the rest."

I nodded. He gave me a look. "Why?"

"Uh, it's my duty for the teaching session."

He groaned. "Why did you have to be a nerd?"

"I'm not a nerd."

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "Goodbye, Art."

"Goodbye, Ash."

He turned and left. I just stood there until it was time for school.

I don't have a lot of friends, but I do have a lot of acquaintances. Not a lot of people like or support me ever since I came out, but I have been the receiver of a lot of smiles. Especially from the girls. They love me. 

I spotted Kai in the corridor, standing with his sister as always. 

"Hey Kai, hey Mei."

Both of them muttered greetings as we walked off to our classes, discussing the latest gossip and drama. A normal day like every other. A daily routine we were all stuck in, was a puppet show. The purpose is to find who exactly is controlling the puppets and snatch the strings from them. 

I sigh quietly as I sit down in class. Maybe I should get a notebook to write these poetic metaphors somewhere, it's getting out of hand.