The Summer Sessions |kellic; boyxboy|

In Which Vic has no Competition

As per usual, I wasn't paying attention during dinner. After all, it was always the same. Mom and Dad discussing successes or losses and what my grades looked like and scholarships and everything annoying; Mike and Tony talking to themselves, talking to where you could hear them but couldn't quite make out what they were saying; then me, head down to look at the cell phone in my lap.

"Vic, I have asked you not to do that." I hear my dad say, causing my head to lift up for the first time since the meal had started. "What else am I supposed to do?" I ask, sighing right after. "Not like I'm allowed to have friends stay the night, or even come over, yet Tony can and does basically live here. How come--"

"That's enough." Dad says, cutting me off only because he knew I was right. Parents tend to do that, I'd noticed. Cut you off when they know your point is valid and they're the irrational ones. I shrug and look back down at my phone. I hear a chair scrape against the floor and see that my father is now standing and I can't help but roll my eyes. He stands over me with his hand out and I don't move.

I sigh loudly when he reaches and snatches my phone right out of my hand. I look at Mike with a blank by obviously annoyed look, not sure if I was mad at him or not. He looked back, touch of sympathy in his expression, but mostly he was just as unsure of what to do as I was.

When I'd eaten enough, I cleaned my spot up quickly so I wouldn't have to be around them longer than needed. Luckily they didn't stop me when they saw me walking to my room. Just another reason for me to believe that they knew they were overreacting. They always did with me, since I'd been fucking born.

I didn't ask to be born and a book shoved in my face and forced study sessions since third grade. I didn't ask for any of it, but then again, I guess no-one ever really did.

_______

The next Monday, I pull on clean black jeans and a blue tee shirt. I needed to look somewhat okay for when Jack and Kellin showed up. I finished getting ready then headed downstairs. My mom was already in the kitchen, making breakfast for Tony and Mike. Looks like my point from the other night had been proven, as usual.

I fix myself a cup of orange juice and sit at the table, deciding I wasn't too hungry. "That's all you want?" My mom asked. I nod and sip from my cup. "Yep." I shrug. Tony and Mike were eating bagels and fruit, along with orange juice. Mike had bacon also but Tony didn't eat that, or any other meat.

"What?" Mike says, and then I noticed I was staring at Tony. "Nothing, I wasn't meaning to stare." I shrug. He looks at me for a bit longer, almost like he's suspicious of something, something I was unaware of. "What? Now you're staring at me." I sigh. Protective much?

He shakes his head, "Nothing, I thought you were in a bad mood. Sorry." He mumbled and finished his breakfast. Tony finished right after him, as if on cue. They both stood at the same time and threw their plates away at the same time. It was quite funny to watch actually. "Cmon, Tony, we've got a lot to do today." Mike laughed and led him out of the house, the shorter boy following right behind him like a lost puppy.

I shook my head and finished my cup of juice, then placed it in the sink. By the time I sat back down, I heard Jack pulling into the driveway. I sighed, literally willing to fake sick so I wouldn't have to do any work today, but of course, I couldn't.

To my surprise, Jack was the only one to walk in. I figured maybe Kellin was continuing his asshole act and was refusing to come in for a bit. Couldn't say I'd be too surprised about it. When Jack sat down, I asked where Kellin was. I could say I was a little surprised when he said Kellin wasn't coming.

"What? Why?" I asked. I didn't think I was upset about it, just shocked. He was so set on proving me wrong and being better than me all the time, it was weird to think he wouldn't show. "He didn't give me details, just that he couldn't come today. He'll be back tomorrow, I'm sure, you know how he is about competition." He laughed. I nodded and sighed, looking at the spot where Kellin usually sat.

And for a weird reason, it didn't feel the same. It didn't feel right in a way. It was too easy like this, without some form of actual competition. Whether I would say it aloud or not, Kellin was really smart, and was the only other student that really made me work for the grades I got. So without him here, it really wasn't any fun. As weird as it felt to think that, I knew it was true.

"Vic?" I hear.

I look at Jack and realize I hadn't been paying attention. "What?"

"Pay attention," he chuckled. "Thought you'd be happy." I shrug and look at the papers under his hand. He picks them up and hands them to me, explaining what I had to do, though I already knew how to do the work that was on the sheet. I don't like this, I think, I don't like this at all.