5

He needed to stay focused.

He sat up suddenly and quickly jumped out of his bed.

"Alright!" he yelled, "Time for school!!"

Chapter 5

Ayoub was in his bedroom putting his shoes on. It had become routine for him over the years, to get ready at least an hour earlier so that he could leave before noon. That way, he always had time to get to school. But today he was a lot more restless than he usually was. In fact, he wasn't even trying to put on his shoes. Instead he simply laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. Why was it that everything he did seemed to cause Nagisa stress lately? And why did he even care in the first place?

He huffed to himself and ran a hand through his hair, trying to get rid of the headache he was feeling. He decided to give up, figuring that it's probably best just to let nature take its course and stop worrying about it. Besides, his mom would probably scold him later for being such a worrywart. Then he'd have to lie to her and say that he actually planned to be better behaved that day. Yeah, it was definitely time for some relaxing and forgetting.

With those thoughts running through his head, he threw open his door and grabbed his bag. He turned back around to look at his room. The walls were covered in pictures of him and his mother, ranging from small ones from when she used to visit to bigger ones he took while in middle school, as well as pictures he had taken of both of them together when he was younger. Even though he was starting high school and moving closer to his mother's house, he was still a bit afraid that something horrible might happen to her. Seeing that picture made him feel happy. He smiled to himself sadly for a second and then looked around one last time to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Once he was satisfied that everything was in order, he closed his bedroom door behind himself and hurried downstairs.

"Good morning sweetie," his mom greeted as soon as Ayoub reached the kitchen. "Did you sleep okay? Did you eat? Are you sure you don't need anything to drink?" she continued talking while she poured him a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him on the counter.

"Mom, I'm alright," he replied calmly. "And I ate breakfast already, thank you. And no, I slept fine, everything is okay," he added as an afterthought.

His mom stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. She had always been a great believer in believing your son and keeping his promises. Her husband was the exact same way. Ayoub couldn't help but smile a little, even though he wanted nothing more than to get away from here. It reminded him too much of everything bad that had happened to them in the past. He shuddered at the reminder and quickly pushed it out of his mind. He was going on this trip to forget about all that. To be away from everything that reminded him of that horrible memory. This trip would help him to forget about that and get some perspective and peace of mind.

As they stood at the stove waiting for the coffee to finish making, Ayoub looked around the kitchen, taking in everything that was familiar about it and everything new. He was glad that everything had been changed, that his life had changed in many ways. Things wouldn't have gotten any better for him if they stayed the same. Sure, he would never get to experience everything his mom had, but he still hoped that things would improve. That he could find someone who would accept him and accept him, who wouldn't expect him to change, who wouldn't hold anything against him. Someone like his mom.

He smiled at his thought. His mom was amazing. And she deserved so much more than what she was getting. He should really start working harder to make sure he got what she wanted and deserved. Afterall, she would want what he wants… right?

Aishitani's eyes opened widely and he looked up in shock, causing his glasses to slide down his nose slightly. He didn't notice, but he must have fallen asleep. How long had it been since he fell asleep? He stretched and yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes lazily. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he glanced around the room, wondering where his parents were. He saw them sleeping peacefully in their beds. Huh. Weird. Normally they woke him up when they got home. Maybe today's trip has exhausted them, he decided as he climbed off the chair he'd been sitting on. He moved towards his father's side, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Dad... Dad wake up..." he whispered, shaking his shoulders lightly again until he heard a groan from beside him. He chuckled quietly as his dad rubbed at his eyes. When he finally opened his eyes, he looked at Aishitani confusedly.

"Ah. Good morning. How long have we been asleep?" he asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

Aishitani shrugged.

"Not too long I think. We were pretty tired from the journey yesterday."

His father nodded.

"Yeah, you seem to be very energetic today. Must be the fresh air," he joked.

Aishitani rolled his eyes.

"I wish I could do whatever I wanted today," he said dramatically, "But you know how much homework I get. I can barely do anything on my own!"

His father laughed slightly.

"If I remember correctly, that's exactly why I teach you," he commented dryly as he stood up and walked over to the sink to start the coffee machine.

Aishitani chuckled slightly, knowing that his dad was right. He really didn't pay attention in class and his grades were awful. So if his parents could see that he was wasting their time and money, they probably would fire him. Or worse yet, kick him out.

He watched his father pour them both mugs full of coffee and bring them over to the table. As his dad slid into his seat Aishitani leaned forward slightly.

"So uh…. Where are the boys? Have they gone already?" he asked.

"No," his father answered "They're still sleeping upstairs. You know how Nagisa wakes up early to study."

Aishitani nodded slightly. Of course, he knew, and he also knew how much Nagisa hated mornings. They had agreed to try and get him to stay in bed for longer than five minutes each night. He didn't always succeed, but he was trying his best. However, most of the time he only stayed in bed for an hour tops. Usually they could drag him out by force, but it was obvious that this time was different. Today seemed to be special.

Just then his father's phone rang, startling them both. The boy stared at his father questioningly and he sighed softly before picking up his phone.

"Hello?" he said, frowning slightly. "Yes… no… yes… No. Wait there, I'll be right there." He hung up immediately, dropping his phone onto the table in defeat. Aishitani raised an eyebrow, curious. He hadn't expected it would end that badly. Maybe he should have known though. After all, his mother often acted the same way.

"