6. Let's Trade

The night before, my father failed to come home again and I merely worked on my homework and went to bed. Now I was in school trying desperately to stay awake during lecture. I was exhausted. It wasn’t really easy to get any rest; I felt uneasy. I wanted to go home more than anything else. And Miya’s disinterest that immediately became her telling me to meet her at her home only added to my anxiety.

Professor Ackerman slammed a piece of paper on my desk, startling me awake. He peered down at me with a look of disgust and carried on to Taika’s desk.

“This is simply an IQ test, not unlike some of the other’s you’ve had to take. This will be the first in a series of tests that will help determine your eligibility for a special program. You’re all encouraged to take part in it. Attached is a personality test as well, just answer honestly.”

The test appeared uncomplicated until it got closer to the end. Really, it was just like any other IQ test I’d ever taken. Nothing was different about it. The personality test was just like the tests used to determine what future career might be perfect for you. The Myers/Briggs test, or whatever. If there was a point, I was far away enough in space not to see it. The school had already made us take similar tests, it just seemed redundant.

Walking out of class I bumped into Miya and asked her if I should come over, “Hey, so today would be good? I mean you said everyday, so that meant today also, right? I’m...having some trouble keeping up in math.”

“Sure. Why not?” She replied absently, her dark eyes staring off somewhere else.

“I just wanted to be sure. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. I’m just really lost on the material, maybe because I started a bit late.”

“Or maybe you’re just stupid,” Miya said bluntly. It hurt my feelings, but the worst part was she didn’t say it angrily. She didn’t sound bitter and even shrugged a bit at the end. As if it was simply a statement of fact for her. A conjecture based on my mental deficiencies, and not an insult.

“Uh, I guess…” I muttered, wishing I had some sort of retort.

“I’ll see you after school.”

She walked off after that. I couldn’t believe it. Or could I? I had only known her for two days but she was always blunt and rude. What kind of girl could be so beautiful yet a complete asshole? Either way, I needed help and I was lacking in options.

When our final class had finished, Miya disappeared. Instead of complaining about it I decided to look up the address and make my way to it after school. I figured she just went home and she did say four, so I had time to make my way there. I admit I was a bit apprehensive. I took the bus because although it wasn’t too far, it was farther than I felt like walking. When I finally arrived at the front gate I stared agape at the property. I could not believe my eyes. Nothing was real anymore. It seemed ridiculous. I figured this girl was rich, as most of the students at the school were, but this was like its own country. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how large the estate actually was but it was bordered by a large fence with plenty of security detail. The walls and adjoining gates must have cleared ten feet, maybe fifteen in some areas. Besides the front gate, the walls were solidly built up to ten feet high, with the upper half being adorned with a few feet of iron bars. It had a beautiful construction to it if I was being honest. It was hard to tell, but every so often there were those bubble shaped cameras that made it difficult to tell where it was looking at. I didn’t know if this was merely for protection, or if the estate was meant to be as imposing as Miya was herself.

I stared at the security box. There was a large man with a thick mustache, I looked at him timidly. I wasn’t feeling really confident. If anything I was starting to regret my decision of showing up, and I rechecked the address about four times.

“Excuse me, sir?”

The man looked down at me with scrutiny, “Who are you?”

“My name is Elias Mason, I go to school with Miya Weskaber, she told me to come to this address so she could help me with math.”

The man raised his eyebrow and seemed unconvinced. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Is this the right address?”

I was a bit frustrated. I already didn’t want to be here and now the security guard was ignoring me. Was it his job to harass me? Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past Miya to pull something like that.

“Could you maybe call her? Ask if it’s alright for me to be here?”

“Why should I?”

“It’s…” I paused, “it’s your job isn’t it?” I tried to sound nice but I didn’t understand what this guy was getting at. Was he not meant to tell them who was there?

“My job,” he stared at me kind of like how you stare at a nat that’s annoying you, “is to keep fuckers out.”

“Look, I’m sorry for bothering you, I don’t have her number. Could you please, just help me out here,” I pleaded.

He leaned back and grabbed the corded phone. He called and spoke for a few moments with a look of amusement on his face.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

He refused to answer immediately, and I was dumbfounded, “Can I go in?”

“Who are you?”

“I just…” I let out a gasp of exasperation and turned around. I couldn’t handle it any

Longer. I felt defeated. As I started walking away I heard a soft chuckling coming from behind the security box. I glanced at the security box and noticed that the guard was now laughing as well.I wandered around and peeked past the corner and spotted Miya crouched down, chuckling. She stood up and smirked at me boldly. She was a little devil. It also felt so out of character that it through me for a loop once again.

“What was that?” I asked, astounded.

“What was what?” Miya played dumb, “who are you?” Her expression was completely serious.

“You know who I am, cut it out!”

“You’re so easy.”

“Why are you messing with me?”

“Because your reaction is worth it. And, I have to see.”

I rubbed my temples, “You’re crazy. See what?”

“Indeed, I am. Dont worry about it, I said I needed to see, not that you needed to know.”

“Are you going to help me study? Or were you just kidding?”

Miya turned and started walking through the newly opened gate, “You coming?” She shot over her shoulder. I followed hesitantly.

“Nice place you got here…” I let out, but was still feeling bitter about being messed with. It was extremely bizarre. Yesterday she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Now she was playing around with me like it was a game.

“...” Miya made a sound of acknowledgement, but didn’t say much else.

“Have you lived here long?” I was just trying to make conversation. My nerves were kicking into overdrive, and I doubted I could handle many more surprises. Though, in hindsight, I should have realized that there would be plenty more of them.

“I won’t be tutoring you by the way,” Miya said as she opened up her front door. The estate was one thing, the yard was monstrous, but the mansion that I was walking into was all things grandiose. It gave me a headache just thinking about how much it might have cost to live there.

“Really? Then who?” My question was answered immediately as I was greeted by Juliet’s pleasant, smiling face. She was standing in the open marble hall. Her pale blonde hair which might have been dyed, but I doubted that, was laying in a cute ponytail and wrapped up in a ribbon. It made her look younger, but she was still quite stunning.

The hall was wide, and spacious, it had a staircase that led up to the second floor, but the mansion itself might have been four stories, I wasn’t sure. Miya led us to the living room and sat us down on the most comfortable couch I have ever had the pleasure to sit on.

“This is a surprise,” I commented.

“Oh really?” Juliet asked.

“A pleasant one!” I was quick to correct myself and felt my face get flushed.

Ayase entered the room at that point and Miya turned to me, “I’ll be in my office. You two do your studying.”

“Oh, uh...you’re going?” I felt ashamed being so obvious about my shyness but I was incapable of hiding it well. She was gonna leave me alone with Juliet. Juliet was sweet, and I knew she would not bully me like Miya, but she was so pretty and sweet it made me nervous. God I’m pathetic.

“Just, try not to bother me.” Miya walked off with that, and the two of us were left alone.

“So, math right?” Juliet smiled again.

“Uh, yeah.”

I pulled out my book, “I’m just totally lost.”

“Let’s just start with today’s homework, and we’ll work from there,” Juliet decided, then she took out her own book and began writing down the problems.

As we were getting ready I struck up a conversation because I didn’t know what else to do. Straight studying wasn’t what I was good at anyhow. “So, you and Miya are pretty close it seems. Have you been friends for long?”

“Quite a while,” she looked up, “it’s quite an embarrassing story.” She laughed.

“Not to get distracted, but can I hear it? I can tell you an embarrassing story first, if you’d like?”

Juliet giggled lightly. “Sure, let’s trade.”

“Okay...so,” I began as I started writing some problems down as well, “this one time, I was in my room, and my little sister was wandering around the house somewhere. I don't know what she was doing, my mom was there too.” I checked to see if she was listening and was greeted by her attentive gaze, and heart melting smile.

“I hear a loud scratching. And then my sister starts yelling. I got up, thinking something bad was happening,” I started laughing and tried hard to stop, “sorry, it's, I shouldn't laugh.”

I recomposed myself and started again as I worked on a problem but knew I was going to fail on it.

“I head out of my room, and I see my sister yelling at the window, there's a cat outside. She loves cats, and wants to pet it. She's really young by the way. She's seven now, she was five at the time. So I tell her, ‘should I see if the cat wants to play?’ God, I was stupid. It was raining. Because we live in Washington. Always raining. I go outside with my umbrella, because the cat is wet, and I try to grab it. It's quiet at first, and doesn't seem mad. And my sister runs outside with her raincoat and booties on.”

I pause and stare at the math problem, and glance over at Juliet. She reaches over and points to a spot in my book. I look at it, and it explains the rule that I’m obviously forgetting. It kind of made me like her just a bit. That she could pay so much attention to my story, and still realize I’m an idiot.

“I tell her to get back inside, she shouldn't be outside, but she wants to help. I pick up the cat and it's fine, or so I think. I start walking towards my sister and the cat hisses, It scratches me

and I dropped it. Then it runs away, my sister goes running after it, I tell her to stop but she doesn't want the cat to get hurt in the street. The cat crosses the street and I grab my sister. She's crying because the cat ran away, I tell her it's okay. I start walking, and let her down...and well…”

“Well?” Juliet says with a wonderful smirk.

“She was mad because I let the cat get away. She kicks me right in the shin, then runs for the house. I don't know why she was so angry that day. I chase after her, but she locks the door.”

Juliet is laughing now. “Let me guess, you didn’t have keys?”

“Nope.”

“Smooth.”

“Now, remember how I said my mom was home? Turns out she left a note that she was going out for groceries, I didn't see it. But I did notice the car was gone. So I wander around the outside of the house in the rain, she stole my umbrella, and she's just following me in the windows laughing at me, and calling me Mr. Soggy pants. It wouldn't have been that bad, but well.” I started to cringe, “my neighbor was, well, she was a pretty uh,” I spattered.

“Pretty girl?”

“Yeah, and she comes out, and notices me, asks why I'm out in the rain, I tell her what happened, she chuckles and asks my sister to let me in. I even apologize. But my sister starts yelling, saying I think the girl’s cute instead. I was so embarrassed, I denied it and she just laughed. Think that'd be over, but she goes to let me use her phone so I can call my mom. I don't really wanna leave my sis unattended though, so she leaves to get her phone. I stalk the house again and the damn cat shows up. It hisses at me, and I'm thinking it's a demon right now so I back up, and trip...land right in mud. The girl comes back, and I've pretty much given up on life at that point. Long story short, I called my mom, and my sis got in trouble, but I've been a mud butt ever since.”

“That’s, wow…” Juliet is still laughing.

“I know.” I don’t know why I told her that story. To be honest, I think I was just lonely. I wanted to reach out to someone because I missed my home. And even back there I didn’t have any real friends. Not that I wasn’t sociable, I just…found it hard to open up. But without my mom and sister, and with my dad always gone, I just wanted to talk to someone.

“Well, guess I should be fair and tell you my story then.” Juliet nods. “Well anyway, my story: So it was after school and I had just finished my homework while at school that day because my mom was running late, so I went and got some ice cream and watched some clubs and stuff. After watching the swim team and an accident with a water hose, I ended up having to change, so I headed to the gym locker rooms to get my gym uniform and I figured while I was at it, I would take a shower, so I did. When I came out, my clothes were gone, both my gym clothes and my regular clothes…”

“What the heck?” I sputtered. I gotta admit, I was thinking about what that sight might have been like. Damn it, I hated being a teenage boy.

“I was panicking! I ran around the locker room in just a towel for a good twenty minutes and then I heard the door open. I hid in a nearby locker that was unlocked. I still don’t know why I did that.”

Juliet fixed her hair and seemed a bit embarrassed telling the story, her delicate white cheeks glowing a faint pink. “Turns out Miya and Ayase had just finished doing something, and needed to change. I hid in Miya's locker.”

“That’s something…” I muttered, but found myself lost in thought again, thinking about the possibility of not only witnessing a bare Juliet, but Miya changing as well? God, something’s wrong with me. Repent Kyle, Repent.This girl is opening up to you, you loser.

“As she opened the door my towel got caught on the door and it was ripped off and I fell right out on top of her. She was so confused, and I started crying and then Ayase calmed me down enough to explain what happened. So Miya offered me a set of her clothes but they uh…” Juliet trailed off and her face got brighter, “did not fit, in all the departments.”

Juliet. Please. Why do you have to tell the story like this? Am I going to hell, God? Probably.

Juliet continued, “Since we're pretty different, and this got her in a real huff. She spent an hour tracking down my clothes and eventually she did find them, and brought them to me. I was so thankful I started crying again and she panicked and all, she ran out really fast and came back with ice cream and practically shoved it into my mouth. She flip-flops so suddenly, it's very funny.”

“That’s an amusing story,” I commented, and oddly dreamy.

“We just kinda hit it off from there,” Juliet set her pen down, she seemed lost in thought, “although when she came back with ice cream, she seemed really distressed, but not really in the same way, kinda weird.”

I thought about it, and didn’t find that too out of place, Miya was different, that much I could tell already. “She is pretty weird.”

“She just tends to drift off a lot, so it's okay. It’s really cute. Especially when she comes back all lost going ‘H~U~H~’” Juliet laughed a heavenly sound and this point and my heart melted. I needed a freezer, calm down, she’s a human not an angel!

Thinking about it, it was difficult to imagine Miya being so kind and generous to a girl she just met. Then again, Miya was helping me now, wasn’t she? Or was it Juliet that gets the credit for this one? “I don’t know how I feel about Miya. I got the impression that she was just standoffish and hard to get along with. But she did play a joke on me earlier…”

“I guess,” Juliet hesitated, “but she acts normal around me, so I don’t really see it. You’re not the only one that says that though.”

We took a break from talking at that point as I worked my way, unsuccessfully through a few problems. I was uncertain that these tutoring sessions would be much help. If anything, it was just nice to be able to spend time with Juliet. She helped me out as I was struggling, and I found myself extremely grateful that Juliet was one of those gifted people that had both beauty and brains. It didn’t hurt that she was also nicer than anyone I had ever met.

“Ayase and Miya have been friend’s the longest then?” I asked casually as I decided I needed a break from the mundane numbers.

“Yes, I think they met back when... Miya was discharged from the hospital during her middle school years, after a small accident. They were leaving the hospital at the same time. But honestly, the way they talk, it's like boss to worker,” Juliet responded happily. She seemed to let her thoughts settle for a second before adding, “and it's kinda weird but cute when Miya tries to puff up with authority and stuff. Then Ayase gives her little trademark scoff with just that ever so slight smirk, and Miya gets so flustered.”

I smiled. Even the way Juliet told the story, it was interesting just listening to her speak. Miya though, huh? What kind of person was she really? A large estate, obviously not hers, her dad’s, but still. Definitely an anomaly of a girl.

“They’re the best.” Juliet looked truly happy.