Jokers

Extra (short)

Extra:

Paris Santiago sat at the table across from his youngest brother. He let out a large sigh as he watched his brother stare at the paper with tear filling his eyes. 

Cardan Santiago sat across the table from his 2n'd oldest brother, looking down at the paper, which he had now blurred the print with his tears, all of the letters confused him endlessly. 

Why the hell would you mix numbers and letters and call it maths? 

He helplessly looked to his side where the mediator of the whole situation sat. Calithea Santiago. His brothers wife. 

"It's ok Cardy. Just think about it carefully." She gently spoke upon seeing him desperately looking at her. 

"Cardan. LIKE TERMS. Ok? If I have 2x and then another 4x, how many would that be?" Paris gritted through his teeth. 

A tear fell down his face as he whipped his head up at Paris. He knew this one. He had remembered Keiji going over this. 

"8x!" He answered confidently. 

Paris let out a half groan, half shout. "Fucking-" 

Cali immediately clapped a hand over Paris's mouth. "Don't." She warned. 

Paris rolled his eyes and looked the other way. But relief spread over him. 

It was the whole reason he had bought Cali here. He knew he'd loose his temper having to tutor his brother and the only person that could keep him sane and stop him from murdering anyone was Cali. 

"Cardy, you were really close. You shouldn't times it, you add them together, Yeah?" She filled in for her husband. 

"Add? B-but Keiji told me to times." He complained. 

"Yeah well Keiji is a fucking-" Paris paused, due to the glare that Cali sent him. "What I mean to say is that, Keiji is wrong." He amended. 

"Ok do the next one Cardy, remember, add like terms together, ok?" Cali clapped her hands together trying to be as positive as she could. 

Cardan gave a determined nod and swiped at his face, to get rid of the tears. 

"22n+12y+8n+10y" Cali read out for him. 

Cardan looked down at the paper and clutched his pencil tightly. Like terms? 

"I add the Y and the Y?" He swallowed as he looked up at his older brother. 

Paris could have sworn he smiled. Finally. The last 2 hours were not in vain. 

He nodded. "Yes. Yes you add them." 

Cardan grinned. "So would it be.." 

He stopped trying to calculate 12+10 in his head. 

"18?" He asked hopefully. 

Paris said nothing. He wasn't even surprised at this point. 

"Close!" Cali gave a strained smile as she eyed Paris out of the corner of her eye. She had no idea when he would stop being so quiet and instead start screaming. 

But she knew that if this lesson carried on the way it was going, Cardan was perhaps under great danger. 

"It's 10+12. so remember only the tens digit changes. So whats 1+1?" She asked. 

"2." Cardan confusedly asked but he wasn't that dumb. He knew what 1+1 was. 

"Yes!" Cali sighed. "So now look at the question again, we know that 2+0 is just 2, so do the question again."