Serendipity (Noun) -
"The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way."
Sawyer's POV:
"Who pissed in your cereal this morning???" Donovan, one of the few people I associate with who isn't family, asks; chewing loudly, "You've been ignoring me since I got here."
Donovan Harris. He practically lives at my house by the way. The little shit never goes home. I've known him since 3rd grade, and he's a dramatic, little pain in the ass that I keep around for whatever reason.
Have been for nearly 10 years.
I don't answer him and continue to casually sip my coffee. I resume doing my crossword puzzle, ignoring him. Eyeballing me from across the kitchen table, he arches a brow and waves his hand, "Hello?? I know you can hear me!! Usually, you'd be telling me that I'm eating cereal too loudly or calling me a dumbass by now!!! But you haven't!!!"
I continue to write in silence and don't acknowledge him. "It's bothering me!!!" He adds, pouting a bit.
I find his efforts to get my attention VERY entertaining.
He's been trying all morning.
The silence ensues, and he huffs, his blue eyes narrowing, "Silent treatment I see. Very mature of you. And you say I'm the immature one."
It's funny that he thinks he's the more mature and better one out of the two of us. I mean honestly. It's like comparing early 2000s Disney to Disney now, and we both know which is better.
Sometimes, however, I feed into his delusions just for the hell of it. Riling him up and shit.
But that comment pissed me off...
Like most things tend to do...
I continue to not respond to him but find myself frowning at his comment. "Haha!! I got you to make a face!! We're making progress!!!" He sings, shoveling another spoon of cereal into his mouth, "I like this game!!!"
Looking up from my crossword, I stare daggers at him, and he pauses, a thoughtful look on his face. "Okay...now you're, like...you look constipated, to be honest with ya," He states, studying my expression.
I roll my eyes, looking back at my crossword. Gesturing to my face with his spoon, he adds, chewing loudly, "What's up with that??"
"That's just his face." Peanut, my 8-year-old sister, giggles as she jumps up from her spot at the table, empty plate in hand.
Her real name is Mercedes, but everyone calls her Peanut. I'm not sure how the nickname started, it's just something that happened one day, and now that's all anyone calls her.
Anyway, she's a 3rd grader, does gymnastics, and always dresses up in glittery tutus, leggings, and tiaras. Hell, she's wearing them right now.
She's a little smartass, but that could be my fault. She copies my euphemisms and even has picked up on some of my habits.
I look up from my crossword and shoot her a glare, and she simply laughs as she walks to the kitchen sink, "You're so funny, Peanut. Literal comedic genius."
I shift my attention back to Donovan and grumble, "And I do not look constipated, you ass. I'm pissed at you, and you know why. Don't act oblivious."
I woke up this morning at exactly 8:45 for no damn reason. It pissed me off like most things do.
It's the last week of Summer, it's Saturday, I don't have to go to work, and that means I have nowhere to be today. You better fucking believe I'm trying to spend it being a lump on a log.
So, with that in mind, I tried to force myself to go back to sleep, but my loud-ass family downstairs was making it hard. My Dad, brother, and sister were running around the house in a frenzy this morning, not sure why.
Long story short, Donovan came into my room, a speaker in hand, and played "Thomas the Train Theme Song: Bass Boosted". I fell out of bed and hit my head on the wall.
And what made it worse was before I could get my hands on the little bastard, he threw a stuffed, pink unicorn at me, and booked it downstairs as he shouted, "HE'S TRYING TO HURT ME!!! HELP!!!"
Fucking coward...
"I was just fucking around!!! It was funny!!!" Donovan chuckles, setting his spoon down in his bowl. He grabs his cup of orange juice and sips it, "You gotta admit, that was S-Tier comedy."
"Not even close..." I mutter, rolling my eyes. Suddenly, I feel a hand touch the back of my head and ruffle my already messy, dark brown hair. I tense up, hearing Dad say from behind me, "I say it was pretty funny, Sawyer. And watch your language, Donovan."
"Sorry, Mr. Cortez!!" Donovan laughs a bit, and I frown. I look back at dad as he walks up to the fridge, "Of course you'd think that. You're not doing anything but feeding into his delusions, Dad."
Gabriel Juan Cortez. Aka, my dad. He's 45 and works as a construction worker. He and Donovan act a lot alike, so he tends to side with Donovan over me. And I'm his son.
Imagine that.
"You're so uptight, you know that??" Donovan laughs and Dad agrees, grabbing a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and closing it, "You never, like, laugh at anything."
"I'm not uptight and everything isn't always funny," I state, shrugging, "Laughing at everything would make you crazy."
"There he goes again. Being a pessimist." Dad chuckles, shaking his head as he pours himself a cup of orange juice. "For real!!" Donovan laughs, shaking his black hair from his eyes.
"Hey!!! Are we still going back to school shopping today, Daddy??" Peanut asks, skipping toward him and grabbing his hand.
He looks down at her, screwing the lid back onto the orange juice bottle. Smiling a little, he reaches down and rubs her head, "Yes, Peanut, we are."
"YAY!!!!" She chirps, her long dark brown hair bouncing as she leaps with excitement. Immediately, she turns around and faces me and Donovan, "You guys are gonna come too, right??"
"Of course we'll come!! I don't see why not!!" Donovan replies, and her eyes light up. "Really?!" She gasps, smiling and revealing one of her missing front teeth, "You'll come?!"
"Yeah!! Right, Sawyer??"
Shooting me a look, Donovan raises a brow and Peanut does the same. I look between the two of them, unamused.
They're always doing this childish shit...
Donovan pouts and Peanut does the same, staring at me with pursed lips and hopeful eyes. Stifling a displeased groan, I close my crossword puzzle book and reply flatly, "No."
My plans are already made for the day, and they are, as follows:
Do absolutely nothing.
Not sure where the miscommunication happened there...
"But why?!!" Donovan whines and Peanut agrees, "I need you there!!! You've been in the damn house for the past 3 days!! The guys and I want to hang outside of your house for once!!"
"I plan to continue that 3-day streak, thanks." I reply flatly, standing up, "And if the guys don't want to hang out here, there's a such thing as not coming over. I prefer the quietness over stupidity anyway."
"Aw, c'mon, Sawyer!! You can shop too!! You'll be starting your senior year in a few days!! I'm sure you're excited about that!!" Dad states, shrugging a little, "Don't you want new clothes and stuff for the new year?? Who knows, you might meet a girl you want to impress."
"I don't need new stuff to get through my last year of high school. And none of the girls at my school are worth the time or day..."
Most of them are annoying as hell and dense as fuck...
Darting out in front of me, Peanut stares with her round, hazel-green eyes pleadingly. I pause, staring back at her blankly, "No means no, Peanut."
"But please?!! I want you to be there!! You can help me pick out my tutus for ballet practice like we did last time!!" She begs, grabbing my arm now. She shakes me desperately, "You know Evan won't come, so please, Sawyer?!"
Evan Ian Cortez is my older brother by the way. He's 20, goes to college, and works as a bartender. He's also a gym rat, working out damn near 6 hours a day. 3 hours in the morning, then another 3 hours at night. I just go for about an hour and a half a day, and call it quits.
"Evan won't what??"
We all look toward the staircase, finding Evan standing there, half-eaten Twinkie in one hand and a box of Fudge Rounds plus a can of Sprite in the other. His wavy, dark brown hair is pulled back into a man bun as he chews and looks at the 4 of us in curiosity.
"You're the one who keeps taking my Fudge Rounds?!!" Donovan gasps in disbelief, bringing a hand to his face. Evan pauses, looking from him to the box, "Oh, these were yours??"
"They are mine."
"Were. Now they're my breakfast!!!" He sings, grinning cheekily, "I'm bulking, so..."
Yeah, 'cause that's a healthy, good, balanced breakfast...
"We're going school shopping later," Peanut replies softly, "I said you wouldn't come, but that depends on if you've changed your mind." Staring at her for a lingering moment, Evan scoffs, "HAHA!!"
Shaking his head, he waves her off, laughing hysterically, "Yeah, no!! Sorry, Peanut, I'm not doing that!! I already graduated!!!"
Jogging upstairs, he shouts, "Later, losers!!!"
"SEE!!!" Peanut pouts and Donovan agrees, "Pretty please!! I'll never ask you for anything else!!!"
That's a damn lie.
"Plus, he took my Fudge Rounds!! You're just going to let him get away with that?!!" Donovan whines, and I barely acknowledge him.
I stare down at Peanut, her face starting to flush and her eyes watering. I begin to waver as her expression becomes more and more emotional. I pause, thinking and trying to weigh the pros and cons of this situation.
List of Cons:
Dealing with the public. Socializing. Dealing with the public. My obnoxious ass group of friends who'll more than likely show up. Dealing with the public.
List Of Pros:
Not Applicable (NA)
Yeah, it's clear what option I should be choosing here.
Sighing with defeat, I reply as I rub my face tiredly, "Fine. I'll go."
But I tend to have a hard time when it comes to Peanut. She's my little sister after all, and we've been through hell and back over the years.
The least I can do is try to keep her happy.
Instantly, her eyes light up, her tears disappearing as fast as they came. Without warning, she wraps her arms around my legs, and I grunt; tensing up, "YAY!!! THANK YOU, SAWYER!!!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." I say through gritted teeth, awkwardly patting her head, "I'll go if it means you'll quit bugging me. Also, you can let me go now..."
Later...
I look around the store covered in glitter, unicorns, princesses, and of course people. People all around stare at me, Mothers in particular, as Peanut takes fingernail polish and examines them.
Being in here hurts my pride...
And my eyes...
I stand in silence, feeling mildly uncomfortable, but mostly irritated. "Look how pretty, Sawyer!!" She suddenly chirps, turning to face me. I look down at her as she holds up a bottle of blue/glittery polish. "It's pretty, isn't it??" She asks, and I sigh.
"Sure."
"You think I should get it?"
"Yeah. You should." I reply flatly, growing more and more agitated as people stare at me, "Now c'mon so we can get the hell out of here."
"But we gotta get my tutus!!" She whines brows furrowing, "You promised you'd help me pick!!" Grabbing my arm, as she drags me through the conglomerate of eye sores and headaches. I grunt, stumbling as I follow, "Goddamnit, Peanut, slow down."
"C'mon!! The tutus are over here!!!" She chirps, and I stifle a groan.
Lakeview Square Mall.
The only mall Dad and Peanut will ever visit here in Battle Creek Michigan. They might as well live here. Plus, it doesn't help that I live, like, 2 miles away.
Anyway, once we got into the mall, Donovan and Dad decided to go to the food court while Peanut and I went to her favorite store.
"Glitter 'N Sass".
Yeah. Even the name of this place is a fucking headache...
I tried to protest to the best of my ability, but as stated before, when it comes to Peanut, I like to keep her happy.
After walking around this hideous place and helping Peanut pick out her tutus and various other non-necessities, we're finally able to check out and go.
"Here." I state, handing her a bag of basically glitter, "You can hold your own shit."
"Yay!! Thank you!!" She sings, holding it tightly in her hands. Glancing up at me, she raises a brow, "You said a bad word."
"I did." I nod, as she gazes up at me, "What about it?" Thinking for a moment, she suddenly asks, "Does that mean I can say it too??"
"No." I state flatly.
"But why??"
"Cause I said so."
"But that's not fair."
"So's life."
Sighing, I add, frowning, "And don't tell dad I said a bad word, okay?"
He'd be pissed I said that in front of Peanut.
She repeats anything she hears. Whether it's from me or Donovan since she us the most.
"Hm...okay!!" She shrugs, looking back at her bag as she opens it. I watch as she looks through the bag of items, pulling off the pink tiara on her head and replacing it with a silver and gold one.
She places it on top of her head, and looks up at me with wide eyes, "What do you think??"
"It looks good."
Holding out my hand, I state, "Let's go find where Dad and Donovan ran off to." Immediately, she grabs my hand, holding it tightly in hers, "Okay!!!"
We walk out and make our way to the food court. I grip Peanut's hand in mine and keep her close seeing as there are so many people here and she's tiny for an 8-year-old.
"Yay!!! Look who made it back in one piece!!!" Dad sings happily, eating a soft pretzel as he watches us walk over. Grabbing his napkin, he wipes his hands, "That wasn't so bad now was it, Sawyer?"
"You're right, it wasn't bad. Worse than that. It was horrible." I reply bluntly, letting go of Peanut's hand. Grunting, I sit down, and Dad chuckles.
"But because I was there, I made it better, right??" Peanut suddenly asks, sitting next to Dad as she leaves her bag lying on the floor. I shift my gaze at her, noting the hopefulness in her eyes.
"Sure." I respond, shrugging, and she smiles. Leaning down, I pick up her bag and hang it off the back of her chair.
"Don't leave your bag on the floor. You could lose it that way." I state, and she nods, chipper.
I look around for a brief moment and I take a second to look at the table; there's food scattered on top of it. Some chicken tenders, fries, a plate of nachos, Dad's soft pretzel, and 4 drinks. There's a smaller cup out of the 4 that I'm assuming is Peanut's.
Grabbing the cup in front of me, I bring the straw to my lips and sip it, tasting orange Sunkist. I look around once again, wondering where that jackass Donovan ran off to.
"Where's Donovan??" I ask aloud, looking back at Dad. Motioning behind me, Dad says, chewing softly, "Right there."
I look behind me, my cup still in hand, and spot Donovan walking over with Elias by his side. They laugh and chitchat, playfully shoving one another as they make their way over.
Great.
Dumb and Dumber have just reunited.
And we're in public.
It's going to be a long day...
Sighing, I stand up from my seat, mentally preparing myself.
"SAWYER!!! LOOK WHO I FOUND WANDERING THE MALL?!!" Donovan beams, grabbing and shaking Elias's shoulders, "The asshole didn't even tell us he was back in town!!!!"
"It was supposed to be a surprise!!" Elias chuckles, as the two stop and stand in front of me.
Elias Nelson is another person who I've found myself associated with. He and Donovan are like 2 peas in a pod, aka 2 pains in my ass who I've learned to tolerate over the years. And oddly enough, I've kept him around since 5th grade for whatever.
He was gone for about a week to visit family in California. The guys were all torn up about it, and as much as I hate to admit it, it was weird without him in our mess of a group.
"You still could've told us!!!" Donovan chirps excitedly as they begin doing their handshake. I frown, watching and listening as they do sound effects too.
Of course they are...
"BROMIES FOR LIFE!!!" They chant, laughing. I glance around, people looking at us with strange expressions.
"Elias!!!" Peanut yelps, jumping up from her seat and darting toward him. He laughs softly, as she hugs his leg.
Elias is Peanut's favorite out of the guys. He lets her paint his nails, do his makeup, and give her piggyback rides. She even put a dress on him once for a dance she wanted to do and he was more than happy to.
Leaning down, he rubs Peanut's head, "Hey, hey, hey, Peewee!!"
"It's Peanut!!!" She rebuttals, giggling. "Oh!! Really?? I must've forgotten somehow." Elias smirks, before suddenly picking her up. She laughs loudly, as he carefully sits her on his shoulders.
"Wow!!!" She gasps, grabbing his head as he holds on to her legs. She marvels at her surroundings, wide-eyed, and jaw dropped.
"Pretty cool up there, isn't it?" Elias mumbles, and she nods, speechless, "You comfortable??"
"Yeah!!" She chirps, still looking around at everything.
"Good!!"
Shifting his attention to me, Elias then nudges my shoulder, and I grimace. I look over at him, a disapproving look on my face as he sings, wiggling his brows, "Hey, Sawyer!! How's it going, broski?"
"Don't touch me." I state, stepping away from him.
He laughs, his dark red, wavy hair falling in his face, "God, I've missed you, you know that?? Out of all of the guys, it was you I missed the most."
"Who wouldn't miss good ole Sawyer? He's great!!"
We all look to our left and spot another member of our group. Except he's a lot more tolerable than the other 2.
"Zachary!!!' Donovan and Elias sing happy looks on their faces. I stuff my hands into my pockets and nod in his direction. He returns it, smirking as he looks amongst us, "Hey, my fellow idiots!! What is up?!"
Zachary Douglas is probably the only one, aside from myself, who has any damn common sense and isn't a complete headache. He's smart and pretty chill. However, he does have his moments when I can't stand him due to him being a dumbass like the other 2.
"Hi, Zach!!!'" Peanut waves from above him. He looks up, his curly blonde hair falling into his dark blue eyes. He smiles, "Hey, Peanut!!! You having fun?"
"Yeah!! I can see everything up here!!!" Peanut laughs, eyes twinkling.
"Yes!! All of the guys are here!!!" Elias grins excitedly and Donovan agrees. They both exchange a look, plotting only God knows what behind those eyes.
"We're not doing any stupid shi-STUFF today. Don't even think about it." I state, and the two instantly shoot me innocent grins.
"Wouldn't dream of it!!!"
"We promise!!!"
Stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets, Zachary smirks, "I didn't think Sawyer would be leaving the house anytime soon until school started back."
"It took some convincing, but he finally gave in after Peanut begged him to!!!" Donovan chuckles, and I shoot him a look, "Bro changed his mind so fast!! Haha!! Damn softie!!!"
Sighing, I hit him upside the head, and he flinches. Grumbling, I glare at him, "Hush." Rubbing his head, he whines, "Ow!!! Hey!!!!"
"I barely touched you, you're fine."
"Hey Elias, can I repaint your nails??" Peanut suddenly blurts, and Elias grins. She motions to his chipped, sparkly red nails, "The polish is starting to come off."
"Yeah!! When I come over to visit again, I'll let you paint my nails!! Promise!!"
"Now that the gang is all here, what's the plan??" Donovan asks, raising a brow as he looks between the 4 of us. "We hang out obviously!!!" Elias adds, bouncing a little, and Peanut giggles, "We could go to the jump place here!!! I hear it's fun as hell!!!"
"What about the arcade?? That's our usual hang-out spot." Zachary asks, and Elias and Donovan both gasp. "The arcade." They say in unison, exchanging a look.
"Here we go..." I mutter, stuffing my hands into my jean's pockets.
The Arcade...
"Dude, I'm totally kicking your ass at this game right now!!!" Donovan laughs maniacally, and Zachary frowns, stirring his wheel frantically.
"Bro!! Don't let him win!!! Get him!!!" Elias says frantically, pointing at the screen.
I watch too, seeing that Donovan is definitely in the lead of Zachary and way better in comparison. Reaching the finish line, Donovan pumps his fists in the air, and Zachary huffs with annoyance.
"FIRST PLACE!!! BOOYAH!!!" Donovan cheers, grinning toothily. Looking over at Zachary, he chides cockily, "Suck it, Zach!!!"
After departing from Peanut and Dad, the guys and I made our way here. The Arcade.
That's the name of this place. A very generic ass name.
As of currently, the guys are playing race car games and shit, and I'm just watching.
"Ha!! You got left in the dust!!!" Elias snorts, patting Zachary on the back, "My turn!!! Let me teach this asshole a lesson for ya!!!"
"Please!! As if!!" Donovan scoffs. I shake my head at them as Zachary and Elias swap places. The next game begins, and I suddenly find myself becoming thirsty.
"I'm going to get a drink." I announce, and of course, no one acknowledges. Too immersed in the game to notice. I roll my eyes, turn, and walk off.
I find my way to the concession stand and explore my options as I tug my wallet from my pocket. As I'm thinking, a faint sound far off abruptly begins. I pause, hearing what sounds like a piano; light keys being pressed. My brows furrow, listening to this soft melody playing in the distance, echoing a little despite how loud this arcade is.
What is that???
"You ready to order??" The cashier asks, and I don't respond at first. "Do you hear that??" I ask, raising a brow as I meet her gaze.
"The piano?? Yeah!! There's a little thrift shop across the hall that has a piano. There's a girl who comes here every day to play it." The cashier explains, shrugging as she pushes up her glasses.
"Across the hall??"
"Yeah. At 'Philocalist."
Philocalist??
What kind of name is that??
I nod and find myself listening very closely to that piano.
It's muffled but it doesn't sound like any piano music I've heard before. Something entirely different. I find myself turning away from the concession stand, walking off and towards the sound.
"Hey!! You're not going to order??" The cashier calls out, but I simply ignore her. I exit the arcade, and the sound of the piano becomes louder. People all around pause, listening to this song play.
Pleasantly surprised looks paint their faces, some seeming as if they're in a trance by this song. This very strange but pretty song. It's still somewhat quiet though, making me more and more interested to find it.
I spot the store titled "Philocalist" and make my way toward it. I enter the somewhat empty, small shop, and the music becomes clear as day.
A soft, dainty tune. Upbeat and full of emotion. The keys play so meticulously but create such an authentic and lively melody. A chill shoots down my spine as the keys play a nice sharp harmony, and I can't help but become curious.
Who's playing this??
Glancing at the counter, I spot a little, older woman sitting at the register; just nodding away with the sound of the piano as she taps her pen on the counter.
Softly, she opens her vibrant, green eyes, and smiles at me, "Hello there, Young Man!! Need help finding anything today??"
"Who's playing that piano??" I ask, and she nods. She laughs a little, her long, silky gray hair sliding down her shoulder, "She's in the back there."
She?
The older woman gestures to the other half of the eccentric shop, and I turn my attention to it. Inching my way to the sound, I hear the keys gradually begin to slow down. I look around the shop some more, and finally, behind a cracked door, I spot a girl.
I stop in my tracks, as the piano quits, and catch a glimpse of the girl grabbing a notepad and writing down something. I continue to watch as she quickly scribbles and scribbles into this notepad.
I can't see her face all that well...
"That's perfect..." She whispers to herself, grinning as she finishes writing. I tense up, her voice taking me off guard.
It sounds very...Warm.
Sweet and Kind.
I didn't someone's voice could sound that...
Pleasant.
Tossing the notepad back onto the piano, she sits in thought before resuming; her hands in ready position. The melody starts slow, and gradually the song begins.
A somber and longing piece, but inspiring, nonetheless.
I push open the door softly and immediately go stiff. My whole face burns up as I get a clear view of her.
Shit.
She's pretty. Like, really fucking pretty.