Chapter 45: An angry mom
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the quiet neighborhood, painting the world in shades of orange and red. The Sun High School stood at the center of the community, a big brick building with ivy climbing up its old walls.
The school's clock tower showed the time, its hands moving closer to the end of the school day.
Around the school, tree-lined streets had neat lawns and white fences. Occasionally, a dog barked as people took evening walks, and the sound of school buses grew louder as they got ready to take students home.
The camera moved over the school's large football field, its lines barely visible in the fading light, and the parking lot, slowly emptying as students left.
It then glided toward the entrance, past the large sign that read "The sun High School - Home of the Brightest," and through the open double doors into the busy hallways.
Inside, the halls were filled with the chatter of students eager to leave, lockers slamming shut, and the occasional call of a teacher reminding students about homework.
Posters for the upcoming homecoming dance and various club activities covered the walls, adding splashes of color to the otherwise plain building.
The camera moved past groups of friends saying their goodbyes, the clamor of the cafeteria staff cleaning up, and the quiet sanctuaries of the library and study halls. It turned a corner and approached two senior students who were the focus today.
Both were the same height, standing at six feet tall, towering above the same students in their grade.
The first senior was pale and of average build, with his hair tied back in a ponytail and a bored expression. If this description sounds familiar, dear reader, it's because we are describing Noah in his younger days!
The other student, his friend Hugo, was tanned fella with a muscular build and a fade haircut. His eyes were a deep green, and his features were well-defined in all the right places.
It was as if one of them was a majestic lion shining brightly and the other a bored raccoon picking it nose.
Despite their differences in appearance, these two were really good friends. They had known each other since childhood, and both of their families were close.
So why, in God's name, were these two in a heated argument?
So heated, in fact, that both of them looked ready to throw punches at any moment.
Were they fighting over a girl they both liked? Or was it because of money one owed to the other?
Let's get closer and listen in to what they're arguing about.
"The whole idea of Ultra Instinct is stupid! It's so idiotic that I bet even Toriyama was against adding it into the manga!" Noah said angrily, putting his bag on the ground and getting ready to fight.
"You take that back before I give you the beating of a lifetime! Ultra Instinct is the coolest thing since SS4 Gogeta!" Hugo exclaimed, full of anger as he rolled up his sleeves and lunged at Noah with his palms trying to grab him.
"Oh, you did not just compare the peak of all fusion to a 'clear your mind and you get unimaginable a power-up' kind of thing?" Noah replied, catching Hugo's palms with his and trying to overpower him with strength.
The camera then shifted from them to two random students at the end of the hall, watching Noah and Hugo with tired expressions.
"Are those two at it again?"
"What do you think? They've been doing this for the past three years."
"And no one told them to stop?"
"Some teachers and even the dean told them to cut it out, but nothing changed."
"What the hell? Why?"
"Well, Noah's parents work at a top law firm in the country, and Hugo's dad owns a multimillion-dollar company. He donates regularly to the school, so you can thank him for the football field and a lot of other facilities so the school don't do anything other than verbal warning when it comes to those two."
"Damn, must be really nice being rich."
"Yeah, dude, tell me about it. Anyway, let's get out of here before thee buse leave us behind."
"Oh fuck! Wait for me dude."
As the two students moves away the camera yet again moves back to Noah and Hugo, who are still trying to overpower each other.
"Peak of all fusions? Don't make me laugh! Vegito Blue could eat your SS4 fusion for breakfast. Also, Ultra Instinct doesn't have to make sense; it just needs to be cool and fun!"
Hugo yanked his hand out of Noah's clutches and swiftly put him in a headlock.
"Oh yeah, it's so fun when the writer pulls something out of his ass without explaining anything at all. The idea of Ultra Instinct is flawed from the start. If anyone who unlocks Ultra Instinct can attain a power level in the billions, it means, in theory, even a damn Saibaman could go toe-to-toe with Beerus if it unlocked that power you love so much!"
Noah slipped out of Hugo's headlock and, with a strength that didn't match his build, grabbed Hugo by the back and lifted him over his head.
"Yo, yo, yo, chill, hijo de puta! Let's calm down and be civilized about this, vale? I know we said some hurtful things to each other, but I have a date after school, and I wouldn't be able to meet her if you break my back like Bane did to Batman!"
"Too late, you wall-hopping motherfucker! Today is the day I break your back for all the bullshit you've been saying!"
"For the last time, I'm not Mexican, your mom is! I'm from Spain, you pale bastardo!"
"How about you get this 'Spain' without the P, you—"
Ring, ring, ring.
Noah's phone began ringing out of nowhere, making him freeze in place for a moment. The ringtone was Darth Vader's theme, which meant Noah was getting a call from his mother.
Thud!
"Puta!" Hugo cursed
His hands immediately dropped Hugo, and he hurried to his pockets to pull out his phone. As he stood over the poor Hugo, who was writhing in pain on the ground, holding the back of his head, Noah answered the phone with an angelic smile and voice.
"Hola, mi gran y tranquila madre que nunca me lanza su pantufla."
(Hello, my great and calm mother who never throws her slipper at me.)
In response to his greeting, a muffled yet angry feminine voice could be heard from the other end, speaking rapidly.
Noah's replies were a mix of "Ajá, sí, por supuesto, lo recogeré de camino a casa, mhm, está bien, te quiero, adiós."
(Aha, yes, of course, I'll grab it on my way home, mhm, alright, love you, bye)
Noah ended the call, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "My mom wants me to pick up something from the store on my way home," he said, letting out a sigh.
Hugo stood up, patting the dust off his clothes. "Why did your mom sound angrier than usual?"
Noah shrugged, a tired look appeared in his eyes. "I sat down with my parents yesterday and told them I wasn't planning on going to college. My loving mother exploded, saying I was wasting my future and all that. My dad was more open to the idea, as long as I didn't do anything illegal."
Hugo raised an eyebrow, curiosity replacing his earlier pained look. "Why did she get so mad? Don't tell me you didn't show her how much you've earned from winning all those fighting game tournaments last year! You literally have $223,000 from placing first in all of them!"
"I tried," Noah said with a weary smile. "But before I could bring out the bank statement, my mother threw her slipper at me and stormed out. My dad went after her to calm her down, so I didn't get the chance."
Noah felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Hugo patting his shoulder with one hand while giving him a thumbs-up with the other.
Noah felt moved. His eyes softened, glistening with unshed tears as a genuine smile spread across his face. He wanted to thank Hugo for being the best childhood friend anyone could ask for, but before he could do so, Hugo's demeanor shifted.
The thumbs-up changed into a middle finger, and the caring Hugo transformed into a smug person with a wide, evil grin.
"Well, sucks to be you, buddy. Good luck on your way back home where you're going to get targeted by your master sniper mother. As for me, I'm going to enjoy my date with the goth girl from Mr. Johnson's class."
Noah anger flared up and tried jab at Hugo but he avoided it easily and started sprinting toward the school exist while laughing maniacally.
Noah tried to chase after him but by the time he took a step Hugo was already at the exit door while smiling ear to ear.
"Don't think about it too much dude i'm sure everything will sort itself soon enough so just give it some time. Anyway, see ya after the weekend you fucker!"
Bam
He slammed the door behind him and ran straight toward the parking lot and into his sport car and then sped off into the sunset.
". . . . . . ."
"Damn that speedy gonzales imma get him another time"
Noah muttered under his breath as he grabbed his bag and started walking toward the exit as well.
* * * * *
Noah stepped out of the grocery store with a few bags in his hands. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the quiet streets.
As he started walking back home, the store owner called out from the doorway, "Tell your father I said hello, Noah!"
Noah waved back with a nod, adjusting the bags in his right hand.
The cool evening breeze rustled the leaves of the trees lining the sidewalk, and the distant sound of cars passing by added to the calm atmosphere.
As he walked, the sad thoughts that had been assaulting him since yesterday came back to haunt him yet again.
His mother's teary eyes, filled with anger, fear, and anxiety for her only child's future, flashed in his mind.
He remembered her tears sliding down her face as she ran out of the living room. His father's tired face from hours and hours of work as he chased after her.
He felt like a selfish asshole for doing this to his loving parents; after all, they only wanted what was best for him in life.
Especially his mother, who came from a country where crimes and evildoers lurked on every corner, ready to lead anyone astray or take their lives altogether.
That's why she moved to the USA—to secure a better life for herself and her future children.
And now, her one and only child was telling her that he was dropping out—an event all too common in the place where she was raised, where kids often dropped out and started working for gangs and other illegal activities.
In hindsight, if he had pulled out the bank statement with all of that money in it, he was pretty sure his mom would have just fainted on the spot, thinking it was drug money or something of that sort.
Sigh.
He really felt bad about all of this, but in the end, he would still do what he must do, and that was to escape boredom.
Boredom that had haunted him for as long as he could remember.
He thanks whatever god that he was born to a loving yet strict family because otherwise he knew he would've ended up being a psychotic villain who is favorite pastime is to inflict pain upon other people and other kind of crazy shit to cure this boredom that he has
Every day was the same goddamn thing: do this, finish that. There was nothing challenging or exciting about his life, and he would be damned if he was going to spend another four years in some fucking university just to get a paper that said he attended and was now allowed to hold a better-paying job because of it.
He will go crazy for sure if this kept on going on so he will find something call his own and doesn't make him want to run over people with a car
So If push came to shove with his parents, he would apply to a university and pretend that he was attending, but he would do his own thing.
He strived to make something for himself and himself only! He didn't know what it was right now, but he would figure something out eventually.
For now, he was planning to start playing this game he heard some classmates talking about called "League of Legends."
He told Hugo about it, and Hugo warned him that people who play that game either end up depressed, with anger issues, or just end up dying young.
Well, for starters, he didn't believe a game was capable of doing that to a person.
(Poor thing doesn't know the horrors, A/N)
Secondly, Noah was planning to live happily and calmly until he was 80, with his family and loved ones around him, and by God, not even a monster chasing him in the street was going to stop him.
Before he knew it Noah has already reached home, his thoughts still swirling with the conflict between his parents' expectations and his own desires and as he stepped inside, a small, black ball of fur came darting towards him
Noche, his beloved cat, bounded over with a soft meow, her shining eyes gleaming with affection. Her fur was sleek and dark, a stark contrast to the beige carpet she eagerly moved a across. She circled his legs, her tail flicking up to brush against his knees.
"Hey, Noche," Noah murmured, bending down to scoop her up with his left hand while still holding the grocery bag with his right.
He carried both the cat and the groceries into the living room. After placing the bag on the table and setting Noche gently on the floor and patting it few times , he collapsed onto the sofa, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
As Noah lay on the sofa, the rhythmic sound of the clock's tick-tock filled the quiet room.
The steady beat seemed to sync with his own breathing, creating a calming, almost hypnotic effect.
He felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him from nowhere, heavy and unexpected, as if something or someone trying to pull him out of his psychical body and into somewhere else.
"Man, why the hell am I feeling tired all of a sudden?" Noah muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
He yawned, stretching out on the sofa. "Well, I guess it should be fine if I rest my eyes for a bit till dinner..."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes, the sound of the clock's ticking fading into the background as he drifted into a light, restful slumber.
And just like that, Noah's first recovered memory finished playing. He woke up, staring at the familiar wooden ceiling he always saw when he woke up.
Back at his room in the mystical land of Kamar-Taj.
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(Me make chapter so me go sleep now, good night A/N)