"Okay, this is the last thing for tonight."
George sighed in relief, eagerly waiting for the woman to continue.
"The faster we can get done, the better," He thought bitterly, tapping his pencil against the edge of the table.
"We started working on the quadratic formula yesterday, and I left you with a few practice problems. Did you get around to finishing them?" The woman asked, adjusting her ponytail.
"Yes ma'am." He searched through a folder of papers before pulling one out and sliding it to her.
She took a moment to scan over the paper. "It all looks good, except the seven should be negative on problem two."
With a disappointed sigh, George nodded and reached for a pen to correct his mistake.
"It's okay. We'll practice a little more with this, then you'll have a quiz in a couple of days." His tutor handed him a couple more problems, then began gathering her things.
"You've done well this unit, I'm proud of you." Her kind smile eased George's disappointment a little.
Once she had left, George beamed. He didn't receive compliments often, so he took each one with an extra sense of pride. Deciding to leave his books for later, he bounded up the stairs and into his room.
Just before he could shut the door, Ari, his bodyguard, poked their head in. "You hungry?" They asked, stepping into the room.
"A little bit," George mumbled, flopping lazily onto his oversized, fluffy beanbag.
"Orange chicken sound good then?"
"Sure, thanks, Ari."
"No problem, I'll bring it in when it's done," They said, clicking the door shut behind them.
"In the meantime, I could use a shower." George heaved himself off of the beanbag and after finding something comfortable to wear, he set his clothes on the bathroom counter and started running the warm water.
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Ruffling his damp hair with a towel, George walked across the tile floor and into his room. A shiver jolted down his spine from the sudden cold air against his skin.
He tossed the towel aside and was pleasantly surprised to find a fresh, hot plate of orange chicken and rice sitting on his bed. He climbed onto the bed and pulled the plate to him. It took a while, but he finally found a show to watch on his tv and began eating.
Around half an hour later, George had just finished the last bite of chicken, when he heard a car pull in next door. Setting his plate aside, he slid off of his bed and shuffled over to the window.
A small kid hopped out from the passenger side and scrambled into the house next to George's, followed by a taller, dark-haired boy. He assumed they had just gotten home from school.
He leaned onto the window ledge, his previously upbeat mood now downcast, The desire to attend public school like the boys next door did was strong, but not strong enough to convince his father to let him go.
He stepped back and grabbed his plate to carry with him downstairs. After rinsing it off and setting it into the dishwasher, which was something his father had always told him to "leave for the maids to take care of later," George approached his bodyguard and tapped their shoulder.
They spun around. "What's up? How was the food?"
"It was good. Thank you, Ari." He bowed respectfully.
"No problem! Now, by the look in your eye, that isn't all you came down to say," They smirked.
George grinned. Ari knew him too well.
"You're right. I was wondering if I could run to the market real quick? I want to look around for a while."
"Didn't you just take a shower?" They asked, gesturing to his damp hair.
He shrugged.
Ari glanced out the window. The sun was starting to set. They looked back at George, "Sure. Wear your glasses so you don't get recognized and text me when you get there and after you leave."
George gave an affirmative nod and raced back upstairs. He shoved his phone in his back pocket and grabbed his clout goggles, as he called them, before bounding back downstairs and out the front door.
He slid on the clout goggles and began walking along the sidewalk that led to the main road. As he passed by the neighbor's house, he noticed the boy's truck had disappeared once more.
"He never stays home for long...are normal kids allowed to drive wherever they want this late?" The term "normal kids" stung, because he knew he'd never be the same as other kids.
Shaking off the negative thoughts, George continued his short, but enjoyable journey to the shop.
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He giggled softly as the automatic doors slid shut behind him. He had always found amusement in the doors, no matter how many times he'd been through them. George grabbed a small, hand-held basket and started searching for his favorite snack, blackberries.
After locating the beloved berries, he tossed a couple of boxes into his basket and continued his food hunt. He spent a while aimlessly wandering around and grabbing what he wanted along the way. When he was happy with what he'd picked, he turned the corner and bumped headfirst into a stranger.
George stumbled back, his clout goggles clattering to the ground.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Here, I think these are yours?" A rough voice frantically muttered.
After his dizziness subsided, George regained his balance and glanced up to see the boy from next door. He was holding out his clout goggles, an apologetic smile on his face.
George took them wordlessly and slipped them back over his eyes.
"You look familiar..." The boy squinted at him.
"Shit." George's mind began racing for an excuse as he sucked in a harsh breath.
"Wait, aren't you the kid who lives in the two-story house on Silver Street?"
He nodded, hoping that this boy didn't recognize who he was.
"Oh, cool! I live next door. The name's Sapnap, by the way."
Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he forced a smile. "I'm George, nice to meet you."
"Well, I need to get going. Nice meeting you, George." With a small wave, Sapnap continued down the aisle.
Before he disappeared around the corner, George noticed his letterman jacket, which had the number 25 embroidered on the back in bold, white letters.
"A football player, huh? He seemed nicer than the ones I've heard about, but that doesn't make him any more trustworthy."
He shrugged and began walking to the checkout, the interaction quickly slipping the back of his mind. After checking out, he shot Ari a text and left the shop, letting out another small giggle as the automatic doors squeaked shut behind him.
As he stepped out of the building, he noticed the sun barely hanging over the horizon. The sky was bursting with different shades of pink and purple, and each cloud was highlighted with hints of red. The colors swirled together, creating unique, eye-catching blends. He stopped, taking a moment to admire the gorgeous sky.
Before he knew it, the sun had nearly disappeared from the sky, meaning he had to begin his trek home. He soon arrived at his front porch, watching as night settled over the town.
Ari gave him a warm welcome as he entered the house. He barely had time to take his goggles off before they eagerly asked, "So, what did you get?"
Amused by their curiosity, George motioned for them to follow as he climbed the steps to his room. He dumped the bags' contents onto his table and began separating the frozen food from cabinet food.
"I ran out of blackberries, so I grabbed plenty more while I was there." He paused, sliding the packages to Ari. "Would you please put these in the mini-fridge beside my bed?"
Ari nodded and grabbed the packages. "What else?"
"I also bought some vanilla ice cream for you, a package of blueberries, some treats for Catt, and other things," George replied, sorting the cold food into his fridge.
"I still can't believe you named your cat, Catt," They snorted.
George shot them a playful glare. "What else would I have named them? Dog?"
"Oh god, that would be worse," Ari groaned, leaning against the door.
"Exactly, now hush."
A few moments of silence hung in the air, the two moving back and forth to put away food. Once they finish, Ari grabs the ice cream tub and walks towards the door.
"I've got to get back downstairs since I promised one of the maids I would help out a little. Thanks for the ice cream and remember, you've got a test to study for and homework to finish." They winked, then disappeared down the steps.
He sighed. "A little extra sleep could do some good, right?"
Soon, he was ready for bed. He plugged his headphones in and made sure his phone was charging, then relaxed and let the responsibilities of the day disappear, for now. The comfort of his bed slowly reached his brain, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
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