The Genius Next Door

Skylar Vaeg was never normal. By Canadian standards she was a genius; but they were all idiots in her opinion. 19 year old Skylar lived near downtown Vancouver, Canada. She had blonde hair with the bottom half a deep red. Her hazel eyes were deep set in her tan skin. She was not very tall but made up for that in brains. Her little brother Daniel was 16 and was starting his first year of college. He was also incredibly smart but not quite as much as his sister. No matter how hard she tried to blend into other kids, it wouldn't work. 19 and already done with college and working at a local diner made it particularly hard to befriend people her own age as they were all unintelligent and immature, only focused on their social and romantic lives. Skylar could not stand being around people like that and did her best to avoid people in general whenever possible, but that was hard when working at a diner.

"Hey Danny, " Skylar looked up from the table she was wiping to watch her little brother walk into the diner, disrupting the bell that hung over the door.

"Hey, how's work?" Daniel settled himself at the bar.

"Fine, people are boring and predictable," Skylar moved behind the counter.

"Okay, you have got to say something different next time I come in," Daniel sighed.

"Why? It's true," Skylar cocked her head.

"Because I come in here every day and ask you about work and every day you tell me the exact same thing, it's getting a little boring and predictable," Daniel grinned at her.

"I hate you," Skylar smiled back, "How was your first week of college?"

"It was fine, technology is relatively simple. I have to design a computer game this week," Daniel placed an empty water bottle on the counter.

"Do you need help?" She took the bottle and filled it back up with cold water.

"Of course not, but yes, I will ask you if I do need help, thanks Sky."

"Coffee?"

"I think I'll go with some orange pop today, and a burger with no pickles."

"Orange pop? That's quite adventurous for you!"

"I'm trying to not become a caffeine addict so I'm avoiding it this week."

"Become? I think it's a little late for that, Dan." Skylar chuckled.

"Well that's encouraging," Daniel muttered sarcastically.

"Here's your orange pop," Skylar placed a tall glass of fizzy, orange liquid on the bar.

"Oh, thanks!" Daniel seized a bendy straw from the dispenser beside him and drained half the glass in an instant.

Skylar watched in amusement as Daniel's eyes widened and he made several different faces as the pop burned down his throat.

"That's what you get for drinking it too fast," Skylar grabbed the cup and refilled it.

Daniel stuck out his tongue at her and began taking small sips from the glass Skylar returned to him. She busied herself with wiping down tables and refilling salt and pepper shakers while Daniel explained what he was doing in his calculus class. He was just in the middle of complaining about a girl he had to sit next to and how she was always dropping things around him for no reason when a large group of people crowded into the diner and walked up to the bar. Skylar flashed him a skeptical and exasperated look before poking her head through a window behind the bar to shout at someone.