Valedictorian | Armin Arlert

motion

The quiet tapping of rain scattered on the roof of your car as you struggled to find a parking spot in the bustle of downtown. Your city had a beautiful library there which of course Armin chose because of its famous attractions. Such as its enormous aquarium in the kids' section.

He's been kicked out multiple times after Reiner and Colt's younger siblings and their friends entered middle school. Leaving Armin no children to accompany him as children over eleven were not granted access with their accompanists.

Armin was so devastated, he worked double on weekends to buy his own aquarium. It was all he could talk about for a week. Nonstop, he rambled about the fish he had, the special pH paper he kept, the food and even heater he bought. It wasn't unusual for Armin to rant about his special interests, especially before the week he went to see Angkor Wat during the peak of his geography phase.

Luckily, they installed a second Aquarium upstairs. Hopefully not inspired by Armin. You already imagined having to climb to the second floor to find him.

You saw that Armin's baby blue PT Cruiser was parked in the library parking lot. It was a hideous car to see, but it fit his personality. His car was empty, which only meant he was inside already.

The Library had a brisk atmosphere as you wandered in, climbing the stairs after wiping your feet on the carpet. You gazed around the quiet area, looking for a sign of Armin. You spot a boy, waving at you from behind a glass tank. You rolled your eyes at his selection: a seat near the aquarium.

You entered the room and quietly spoke, "Why not a private room?"

"Because marine life is great! Plus, it's pretty secluded, this is the only table nearby."

You shrug, "Fine, did you get the books."

He nods, "Yeah, I've read Country of the Blind, so-"

You cringed, "It doesn't hurt to re-read a story."

He smiled a bit irritatedly, "You took the words right of my mouth."

"Unfortunately, not all of them," you scoffed, "let's read chapter one of Flatland and we can take notes, I don't wanna spend too much time on it.

Armin rolled his eyes and agreed. By the time you were halfway done with a chapter, Armin closed the book and waited. You narrowed your eyes and closed your book as well.

"Do you read a lot?" he asked. He intently gestured to the immense arrays of shelves.

At first, you took caution answering him. It puzzled you why he would be curious, but you had to admit, you likely were just as curious about him, as he was about you. It came to your attention, while you and Armin were familiar with each other– just by mentioning each other's name, it was clear you and Armin were very, almost too aware of each other's existence. But despite that, you hadn't known each other very well.

You nodded, flipping the pages carefully, "Sure, I read classics, if that's what you're asking."

He hummed in response, his head swiviled in the direction of the aquarium, getting lost in the wildlife. He slipped out his own book, looking back and forth at the pages. He wasn't even paying attention to the objective.

"You're finished?" he asked.

"Yeah," you lied. This was feeling unbearable by the second.

"Finally," he puffed his cheeks. You wrinkled your nose. You leaned back in your chair, staring at the ceiling as Armin began scribbling down some notes.

"Any thoughts? Commentary?" You asked. He ran his thumb over the glass, careful not to smudge it. His eyes scanned the creatures that squirmed inside. Rainbow collages of fish freely, swam in complete serenity. Only the calming song of bubbles accompanied. He looked so content, just observing them living their life.