Deduce Me

Three: Sherlock is a Show Off

John

"Ta," I thanked Mike when he gave me back my bag.

"Good luck with your roommate, mate," he replied. "He takes some getting used to.

When I made it to the door of dorm 221, I knocked before I opened it. What I saw before me nearly shocked me to death. I'd never seen a room in such disarray. Science equipment littered every available space on the far desk, and even on the counterspace in the dorm's small kitchen. It seemed my roommate was in the middle of several different experiments, but had never bothered to clean up after any of them. Today was the first day we were allowed to show up here... How had he managed to completely destroy the room already?

"I can see you found the room just fine... Although I was worried you might forget again," Sherlock muttered, not looking up from the microscope he was bent over.

"Erm, yeah..." I said, blushing a bit. Great, already he thinks I'm a complete idiot. I placed my bags on the unused bed- the one on the right side of the room with the desk beneath the window.

"Can I borrow your phone?" Sherlock asked rather abruptly. "Mine's dead."

"Er, sure, I guess." I placed it in his outstretched hand. He didn't look up. He sent a quick text, then gave it back with a questioning gaze.

"Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"What?!" I looked up, startled and confused my the question.

"Your dad. Which is it - Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"Afghanistan... Sorry, how did you know?"

But the mysterious boy named Sherlock ignored my question. "How do you feel about the violin? I play when I'm thinking... Sometimes I don't talk for days on end. Would that bother you?"

Christ, this kid is weird. "No, I suppose not. Sorry, how did you know about my dad?"

"Quit saying sorry, it's annoying." I almost appologized again, but he looked at me with a smug grin on his face. "I know a lot more that that," he boasted. I must have had a doubtful look, because he continued. Or maybe he just likes showing off.

"I know your father is in the army and away on military leave. I know your mother died at least two years ago from breast cancer, leaving you to live with your brother who cares about you. But, you won't live with him any longer because you don't approve of him- possibly because he's an alcoholic; more likely because he recently walked out on his wife. And I know that you're hiding something- something you don't want anyone else to know. You may even be denying it to yourself. Frankly, I won't ask because I don't care enough to know." He turned back to his microscope, still smiling slightly at my dumbfounded expression.

Yes, he definitely likes to show off.