Secret Affinity

7

The school was holding a student council presentation today, and all of us had to gather at the assembly. I knew what it was about in two seconds, thanks to Crimson who was sitting beside me. She had red highlights today which matched her red t-shirt tucked and baggy pants. Her style confused me; she could go from punk to Cinderella to nerd effortlessly.

“No one knows how much s**t goes on in Juniper High,” Crimsons told me. “This meeting was supposed to be held a couple weeks later. It can only mean we’re doing the dance weeks before Halloween.”

I was bewildered, but I got my answers during the presentation. Like Crimson said, it was a meeting concerning Halloween. The student council members were putting up a sign-up sheet around the hallways to get volunteers to organize the Halloween dance because the date was rushed unexpectedly.

During lunch in the music room, I watched Crimson and her band practice songs for the dance. We didn’t see Arian at lunch this time, but I didn’t see him at all today.

“Hey Crimson,” I said. “Do you know about the mayor’s sons’ party?”

“Oh yeah, can’t miss it,” she said, tuning her guitar. “Only seniors students go, so I'm looking forward to it. Apparently, it's the best party of the year as long as you don’t pass out.”

“Pass out,” I repeated flatly.

“I mean, if you’re careful around some of the pedophiles. But don’t worry, it’s not as unsafe as you think. Stay by the noob area.”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m going,” I said, any traces of uncertainty vanished. Crimson laughed and patted my back.

“Dude I’m kidding. There are no pedophiles.” She pointed to her band members. “There are only egoistic horny guys like them.” They cursed at her and I smiled.

“Okay, but that’s not really helping me,” I said. Crimson told me not to worry about the party and focus on Halloween, or coming more closely, Thanksgiving.

The pre-Halloween food stand will close in five minutes. Hurry up and buy your goods. It will be closing in five minutes.

The announcement caused a wave of students to rush past the music room and into the cafeteria in the last minute. The band members were some of them, getting up and fleeing. Crimson told me she’d meet me in class.

I walked the empty hallways, but when I reached the commons, I was astonished at how long the Halloween food stand line was.

As I neared my classroom, I heard voices. As soon as I entered, I realized how empty it was. Mr. Charles and the only student in class, Arian, who was sitting at the back, both abruptly stopped talking and looked at me.

“What a surprise,” Mr. Charles said, checking his watch. “I thought no one would come back until ten minutes later.”

“I didn’t go to the food stand,” I told him and took my usual seat at the front of class.

“In that case, you can grab a package to get a head-start,” he said, nodding towards the big pile on his desk. “Like I was saying Mr. McCoy, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to drop out. You’re doing well in this class, and I’m sure other classes too.” I tried not to listen too deeply, but the words ‘dropping-out’ grabbed my attention.

“I’m asking for your help,” Arian said. “Not your advice.”

“Then tell me, what’s the point of stopping after more than three years? You’ll be graduating this school year.”

“And what’s the point of me getting an education here?” Arian said. Although I couldn’t believe how irresponsible Arian sounded, I felt like there was much more to the story. I lowered my eyes to pretend I was still working.

“Education is what you have to get,” Mr. Charles argued, folding his arms on his table. “No matter what your case might be, graduating will leave some sort of satisfaction. You have more potential than you think, but I understand.”

I heard shuffling as Arian stood and walked down the aisle. “Alright, but I’m not changing my mind.” Before he left, he added, “Next time, let’s not talk when somebody’s here.”

The other students started coming in promptly, and he disappeared into the crowd.

Crimson sat in her seat beside me and put a sweet goodie on her table. “It’s a brownie and s’mores put together. Warm and oozy deliciousness,” she described and pulled it apart into halves. “Only time I’ll be sharing with you, for a sample-taste.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the half-brownie.

After school, I took the bus home figuring it'd be best with cold days ahead. I took Andy to pick up Liara from school again. She was sitting on the fountain ledge like usual when we came to her, and like usual, her face lit up like the sun when she saw us.

I babysat the children for a while until it was slightly dark outside. Evin and Julianna hadn’t come home by seven, and I started to feel a bit drowsy. I was supposed to stay with Andy and Liara, but I ended up helping Elise in the kitchen.

“My dad was supposed to come early today,” I kept saying and checking the time. “I hope he comes soon.”

“I’m sure he’ll spare some time, honey,” Elise said. “Who wouldn’t want to spend time with you?” I couldn’t say anything to that. She continued chopping some of the vegetables. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“I, uh, well,” I said unsurely. Footsteps loudened in the living room, and I turned to see Arian enter the kitchen. When he saw me, he directly went to grab a Band-Aid from one of the cabinets and put it on the counter. He thought I was going to hurt him again. How despicable.

“Arian,” Elise said when he went to get a glass of water. “Dear, get me that container in the top shelf.” As Arian got her the container, she put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you going to eat dinner with us?”

“No,” he said, and with such a flat tone.

“Then at least stay until your mother comes home,” Elise said. “She’d love to see you at least once a day.”

“In that case,” Arian said with the same flat tone, “Double no.” My jaw dropped in disbelief.

Elise sighed. “You have to talk to other people in your family, Arian.”

“I do,” Arian replied. “I told Evin to get me a bag of chips last week.” Last week? Last week?

I stifled a laugh, and both looked at me. I covered my mouth instantly.

“This is how you look to other people,” Elise told him, using me as the obvious example.

Arian pulled out a water bottle from the plastic case. “If it’s her, I double don’t care.” At this point, I was ready to say something, but Elise beat me to it.

“Of course you don’t. But Arian, not everything will go your way all the time,” she warned him. “That attitude has to end someday.”

“I have to leave soon,” Arian said. “Save this conversation for another time."

“When?” I said before he left. He gave me a dark look. Mom would’ve given him a lecture on the spot if she was here. “Next month? Or maybe next year. Probably two years.”

“I don’t know, airy, but I don’t think you’ll last here when that happens,” he answered, his tone sending a chill down my spine. I hated it when he said my name like that.

“Arian, you have to leave for work, right?” Elise said tiredly. “Just go.”

“He said my name wrong,” I mumbled. She didn’t get what I was talking about, but I knew Arian did. There was no way he’d ever be nice to me. Ever.

When I went back to the living room, a bright light shone through the window and I knelt on the couch to see what it was. A car was pulling up on my driveway, and my drowsiness vanquished as I excitedly retrieved my backpack and told Elise my dad was here. She, with Andy, came outside to see me rush to the car.

“Someone’s happy to see me,” Dad joked when he came out. “Hello, Mrs. Tale.” Dad walked towards Elise and smiled at Andy. “Who have we got here?”

“Hello, Steve. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve seen you,” Elise said. “This is Andy. He likes your daughter very much.”

“Oh, really?” he said. “She loves to babysit.”

“She was waiting for you,” Elise said, chuckling at me. “She got so excited when she saw the car.”

“I was excited when I saw the house,” Dad said, and I laughed. They talked for so long that I wanted to sit on the driveway. Maybe even sleep on it. I'd forgotten how long adult talks stretched.

The garage door rattled and opened, startling us. Elise muttered something about bad manners as Arian appeared from the porch and paused, staring at us like he forgot how to walk for a second.

“Arian, meet Steve,” Elise said brightly.

“I know him,” Arian said, my dad and him locking eyes. “He was at the open house.” He said ‘open-house’ like it had a bitter taste.

“And he’s Ari’s father,” Elise added.

“Of course,” Arian said, but although it sounded sarcastic, it kind of wasn’t. Dad smiled slightly, in amuse if I wasn't mistaken.

Arian went into the garage to get his bike, and Dad and Elise prepared for goodbyes. “Big A is not mean, I promise,” Andy told me quietly. I held his hands, which were smooth and fragile.

Light blinded me, and I shielded my face from the headlights of Arian’s bike which were pointed straight at me. Dad and I were about to part ways when the motor sound erupted and I had the worst cringe in history.

Really? Was the so-called Big A really not mean?

“Oh my,” Elise said, laughing with my Dad. “You’re not too fond of motorcycles.” I didn’t mind, but it was an unlucky situation purposefully caused by that detestable person. Was he getting revenge on me for all the times I accidentally hurt him?

Arian left as Dad and I went back to our driveway. Dad told me he'd found a potential job for me at the city-centre, and we had to visit the workplace tonight. In the car, I watched the sky darken to a light navy, releasing my negative thoughts from earlier to the peaceful breeze coming from the open window.

In the city-centre, we drove through smaller roads of a neighbourhood, almost like the outskirts of the city. It was like a maze, an odd déjà vu moment.

“This feels like home when I was two years old,” I said, looking at the houses, tighter spaces, and small shops here and there.

“I know,” he said. “I wanted to take you here today because I felt the same way. You won't ever miss home when you're here.”

We reached an area that looked like a circle, an area tight with buildings and a single corner store. The lit-up board read ‘Bakery Town: Open 12 Hours a Day’.

“Cars don’t usually come here,” Dad told me. “Taking the bus and walking would be more appropriate. It’s not too far away.”

We got out the car, and I took another good look around. The buildings looked dull and full of broken shingles, but they were tall and very close together. It really reminded of a street corner.

The road stretched away from the close circle, and my eyes snagged on a taller building far into the distance, the only building that looked new. It seemed metal-like with tinted windows, but it was just a speck from where I stood.

“Hey Dad, what is that building?” I asked. He didn’t know, assuming it was the police department or something.

“Come on,” he said, taking me to the bakery. The bakery was like an open stall with only three walls. No front door. “Hey, Michelle,” he said to the red-haired lady organizing the displays.

“Oh, hey Steve!” she said, and looked at me. “Is this your daughter?” We talked about the job and working times, and everything was going well. I was pretty sure I would like this job. “You can come here and go whenever you want, but minimum is two hours. One-hour leeway if emergency. Lower if like, a real emergency.”

“Okay,” I said, smiling. I didn't expect a job to be this flexible.

“There are two more people you’ll be working with. Well, the first one comes earlier and leaves earlier, so…only one person I guess,” Michelle told me. “She’s here right now. I’ll introduce you to her.” Then she called for Crimson. Crimson. I was stunned.

Crimson’s head popped out from the staff room, and she was equally surprised when she saw me.

“You’ll be working here?” she said. I nodded, and she walked over to me, leaning across the counter. “Whoa. Talk about a great coincidence.”

“Do you know each other?” Dad asked. We nodded, and his face lit up. “Your friend?” Crimson and I shared a look and nodded. Dad shook hands with her, and I swore I’d never seen Dad this happy since we moved. It made my heart swell.

“You can start tomorrow,” Michelle said.

Crimson gave me a thumbs-up. “I'll see you then, partner.”

Before we left, I glimpsed at the metal building again, stationed far down the path.

I never saw something like it before. It was straight out of the movies, all mysterious like an undercover spy centre. Was it really that? My eyes travelled down and squinted at the small object parked against the building. Was that a bike?

“I tried to get a day off for some time after Thanksgiving,” Dad told me on the drive back home. I became fully alert, giving my undivided attention to him. “But with so many breaks, I have to work extra hard after October.” My stomach sunk in disappointment, but I didn't know what to say. He was a busy man. There was too much sacrifice, and it was an unbreakable cycle. “I’d do anything to spend time with you, though. So don’t worry about me, okay?”

Was that what Dad wanted? Not worry about him? Then I had to distract my mind and not think about him. He worked hard for me. I knew it was all for me. I had to do whatever I could to help him, because I knew it was wearing him out—okay, think about something else.

My eyes widened a little, remembering that metal building. Honestly, if that bike wasn’t Arian’s, then I didn’t whose it was.