5 ● Xavier

The huge stomping sounds as I rushed down the stairs must have alerted mother as she peeped up at me from down the stairs while I smiled at her trying to put on my second shoe.

"Morning ma"

"Be careful my boy lest you fall-"

"Shit!" I stumbled also falling down as I held tight unto the stairs barriers as mom gave me the I told you so look making me to chuckles finally landing at the foot of the stairs, standing in front of her.

"Good morning." I sent her a cheeky smile.

Mom smiled shaking her head as she walks towards the mini dinning table in the livingroom as she picked up a toast giving it to me while she started helping with my school tie.

"You are late this morning."

"Sorry, I chatted late into the night with my friends and forgot to set the alarm." I replied as I started eating the toast.

"It's your first time so I guess I shouldn't be worried." Mom replied finished styling my tie as I nod picking up my bag I had earlier dropped on the floor.

"Bye" I said rushing towards the door.

"Should I drop you off, it's faster with the car than your bicycle."

I stopped as I turned to her backing my backpack. "Nah, don't stress it, I believe I will still be able to meet up with the first class."

"Alright then, bye" I nod rushing out of the house. "I love you." I heard her yelled after me as I smiled picking up my bicycle as I mount on it cycling out of the driveway towards my school.

I love you too, mom.

I don't know why I haven't said that to her before, I love you and mom. I had never mentioned those words to her face before.

Maybe it's due to the face that I still can't believe she had decided to adopt me even though I had only brought bad omen to her family. Her most favorite things, her husband and dog had passed away two months apart, four months into when she had decided to foster a wrecked orphan like me. Those first two months I had stayed with her, I couldn't help but noticed how happy she was with her husband, how lovey-dovey they do behave round the house. And just like that he was gone, and the dog too, two months after, four months into when I started staying with her. The awkwardness that enveloped me afterwards couldn't be explained.

I almost wanted to run away at a point.

I remembered the day she had called me for a talk at the livingroom, I thought she had finally made up her mind and see that I can no longer be around her if she wanted to keep herself alive too but I was surprised when she talked about adopting me. I thought it was all dream and I will finally wake up to reality but here I am. Five years into living with her and she was still the sweetest human being I have ever met in my entire life.

She never allowed our race or diversity to separate us, despite the fact that I had never called her mom ever since I was adopted, not even once, she never once asked me to, none did she stopped trying her best for me, she treated me like her real son, sent me to one of the best school in the town and feed me all the good meal I would ever taste in my entire life.

Her food? Oh goodness, she really is the best at it. I give her double thumbs up for that.



I quickly locked my bicycle beside the others at the rails as I rushed up towards the stairs hoping I will still meet up with my first class. I almost got to my class when I bumped into someone almost falling as the person held unto me preventing me from doing so.

"Hey be careful"

"I froze a bit on recognizing who it was as I moved away from him staring at his face."

Why does he have to be him I bumped into this early Thursday morning out of almost one thousand people in the school is not more?

Coincidence much?

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard him said again as I got a grip of myself about to walk away but stopped as I felt his grip on my wrist. Jerking my hand away, I glared at him.

"Hey, I was just trying to be friendly. Can I know your name?"

First of all, what is he doing out here when he was supposed to be in class attending to lectures. No one else was in the hallway except from us. He was here asking for my name when every other students were in the class attending lectures.

Shit, my first class!

I groaned as I rushed away from him towards my class. Snapping the door open as I rushed in, all the pairs of eyes in the room turned to me as I felt uncomfortable all of the sudden.

"You are thirty minutes late, young man" My history teacher said pulling down his spectaculars to get a full view of me.

I might not really care about people but I hate been in an awkward situation like this. I cleared my throat softly, shifting my weight to my left leg as I clinged to my bag. "Sorry for coming late." I mumbles.

"Well, I don't think I have seen you coming late before so you are pardon. Not next time though."

I give a weak smile as I rushed towards my seat taking a glance at Tobi whose seat was across mine. He wriggled his thick eyebrows at me as I smirked turning to sit down.

"Okay then, what was I saying before the brief distraction?"

The teacher asked as I sighed taking off my bag, getting ready for the days class. "Oh, I remember. I was talking about you guys getting ready for your final year exam, and-"



"So why are you late today?" Tobi asked on getting to my seat almost immediately the teacher walks out of the class.

"Asked someone who was the reason I was up into late midnight because they were asking me which is more stronger between Lion, Gorilla, Rhinoceros and Polar bear." I replied with a glare as Tobi chuckles sitting on my table.

"I only asked because I was curious. You were the one who took it serious and argued with me late into the night. Even Blake left us to sleep because they couldn't keep up with us any longer."

I scoffed putting my books into my locker. "I actually forgot to set the alarm. It's not like this is the first time I will be sleeping very late."

"Yeah, figured." I nod bringing out my book in anticipation for the next class. "Let's all hang out after school-after your work at the basketball court."

"Sure why not."

"Alright guys, settle down and keep away your notes and textbooks. We are having a very simple mock test." Mrs. Cane, the biology teacher said as she entered the class, placing down the test questions in front of her as Tobi stood up with a chuckles as the other students started grumbling.

"Best of luck." I smiled as I watched him walked back to his seat.



"How was it?"

"Well I would referred to it as a classwork instead of test. It was so easy."

I scoffed, "that was because we read through the whole syllabus already."

"Yeah, I hope it warms us about an additional ten marks or so."

"Yeah, probably, she is known for giving impromptu test like this to make up extra marks for her students."

"That's awesome then" Tobi stops turning to me as we both got to the front door of the basketball court. "I will wait for you with Blake at the cafeteria."

I nod. "Okay."

"Alright then, bye. Break a leg."

I scoffed, "I don't remember being one of the players so why should I break a leg?"

"Well, I was just saying. See ya." He replied as he walked away.

I shaked my head as I opened the door entering. I should quickly finished up my first work before the players starts arriving. Talking with Tobi had slowed down my arrival today.

"So it was true you do come earlier than everyone else"

I turned to see him sitting on the lower bleachers typing into his phone. He looked up to me with a smile as I frown.

What was he doing here? Second time I'd be seeing him today and I had no idea why I am annoyed about that fact. I watched him stood up pocketing his phone as he walks closer to me. "Hi."

Deciding it's better I ignored him, I did just that walking away from him towards the store room to get the ball racks. I could feel him walking after.

Seriously, what does he want? I stopped turning to see him also stopped right on time before we get to collide into eachother. "Can I help you with anything?" I frown annoyed with that smug look on his face.

"So you can talk?" He smiled slipping his hands into his school trouser. "I thought you can't since you won't talk to me earlier too."

I frowned, that wasn't the question I asked him though. "If you have nothing to do here, please leave." I mubbles turning away as I pulled the ball racks out of the store room driving it to the court.

"I actually needed your help on something." I wasn't give him any attention as I started taking away things I found as threat of the court. "Be my tutor" that did seem to caught my attention as I stopped what I was doing. What does he meant by that? Be is tutor in what?

"I heard you are good at calculus. I was pretty much lagging behind in it, so..." I turned to him,"can you tutor me in calculus?"

It was like he had grown two heads, I wondered who told him I was good at calculus. Not like I wasn't good at it, just was not expecting him to knew that piece of information. "What are you-" I stopped on sighting some of the players entering the court as I sighed walking away from him.



"Hey" I felt someone tapped me as I looked up to see him standing in front of me. I frowned wondering what he was doing up here as I looked down from the bleachers to realised the practice ended already. I had put on my headset listening to music to wave away the distraction while I tried my best to study that I had no idea the practice had ended.

"The practice ended, guess you had no idea."

I turned my attention back to him. Is that why he came up here? Just to tell me that?

I didn't reply as I stood up shoving my books back into my bag before walking down the bleachers to get to work. I started picking up the used balls putting them back into the racks. I looked up to saw him picking up one of the balls throwing it towards the racks from a long distance. My gaze followed the ball as it enters.

Well that's awesome. Not expecting him to make it from that distance. I turned back to him to see him smirking, he must had known I was amazed by his shooting skills. I frown turning away from him to pick the rest of the balls.

"Have you thought of my offer? To tutor me in calculus."

Is he being serious about that? Why will he want me to tutor him? I just can't help but believe there is actually more to him being all the nice and friendly towards me all of the sudden. And he want me to tutor him also.

I ignored him pushing the ball racks back towards the store room.

"What's your answer?" I heard him following me and I frown stopping as I turned to him. "What do you want?"

He took a glance at me, more like scanning me from head to toe in a split seconds before focusing fully on my face. I couldn't help but feel conscious of his look on me. I wondered what he was thinking about me. I hate feeling this way. I hate when people look at me this way.

"No" I replied pushing the rack into the store room closing the door as I made to leave. "Wait."

I stopped turning to him. "..."

"I'm Paxton, you?"

I wondered why he was telling me is name. I doubt if no one knows his name. He was pretty popular for different reasons in the school anyway. I ignored his questions as I walked out of the court room.

I don't know why but the uneasiness feeling I felt wash over me made me worried something more complex than this might happen soon.

I really wish it's just me overthinking things like I used to though because I really don't want to be tangled in any drama for the rest of the time I had left before I graduate highschool.

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