Starting Over (Tadashi x Reader)

Chapter 34

The flurry at which that week passed by alarmed me. And I wasn't having fun.

Aunt Cass contacted my parents after she gave us dinner and they flew here in a rush at the last minute.

When they found us they were trailed by police officers and news cameras. I hated all the attention. But I was happy to be in my mom's arms. Even if she wasn't the real one.

I hated to remind myself that she wasn't my mother, my real mother wasn't cruel or mean. She was my mother.

But she was left to die.

Jason told Aunt Cass that he didn't want to be seen by any news cameras or policemen so we let him hide upstairs in Tadashi and Hiro's room during the reunion.

No one knew except the three of us that he was my brother. And none of us understood why he had to leave.

I felt helpless when he finally began looking for places to go. And when he picked up a job at the café I wanted to tear up his first paycheck.

He was going to move into an apartment. And it shocked me that he wanted to be so close, and I questioned his motives.

When he finally had enough money he invested into an apartment and began looking for a better job. And now three months had passed and Jason was still working at the café telling me he was barely making the monthly rent.

We didn't talk a lot but we did. And I wish we could talk more. He busied himself with work and money. Adult responsibilities. He'd lied and said he was 19 to get the apartment.

No one knew he was real and his fake ID worked anywhere.

"Guess you're not really moving on." I said. The London trip was cut short and with the few days I had left before school would begin for me I would go to the café everyday trying to talk to him. Before his shifts, after them. In between when I asked for water specifically from him.

He hated how I wanted his attention but he obliged each time. And I was happy.

Tadashi would sit with me and sometimes Haru and Makoto would come by. But after the London trip their parents wanted to begin the healing process for the scars from...the accident.

That was also partially my doing.

Tadashi would bring me cream puffs when I came over. And we'd share a pitcher of water as I would sit in a corner table with him for hours. He didn't know who Jason was, all he knew was that I wanted to be friends with him.

And I hated keeping it from him. But I knew Jason would leave if I screwed around with his identity.

"Excited for school?" I shrugged. He had already started along with the twins. I was behind.

"I don't know, do you think they are okay with letting me go?" I said referring to my parents. Tadashi and Hiro had not been home when we arrived, they were spending their last days at a summer camp. Tadashi had told me he hated every second knowing I wasn't safe.

"I'm sure they will, you've been fine." He said. He knew I would try and talk to Jason but he didn't know why. And thankfully he never asked.

"Guess so..." I said drinking my water.

"After your first week of school lets go rollerskating again." He said. This was his third attempt at a rollerskating outing and I smiled at his efforts.

"Yeah, that'll be fun." I said.

~~~

First day of school they pulled me out of class and I took a math test. It was difficult math and it made me happy whenever I checked each answer and found it to be correct.

After that second day they pulled me out of regular math and put me in Pre-Calculus. All my other classes were the same after that. But Pre-Calc was a mixture of daze and confusion. Everyone was more than just a year or two years. These people were eleventh graders.

I felt so alone in that class until some people began talking to me. I had helped them with a math problem and they recognized my smarts.

I guess that was what got me to be so popular. They said I was mature and more on level than them. I loved their compliments.

I gained a friend group in that class and it made me love math even more.

Haru was in my science class. Makoto was in English. And Tadashi was in history.

Every time we had a small lab Haru would be busy talking with his seat partner to hear the directions. And unlike elementary school the rules and instructions weren't repeated.

And that's how we ended up talking.

At lunch Haru being quite a socialite and was with a new friend group, cracking jokes and making smiles.

I sat with Tadashi and Makoto. Makoto would be reading a novel and I would end up discussing almost anything to everything with Tadashi.

"It's Friday!" Tadashi exclaimed. I nodded smiling. Our lunch spot was under a canopy of trees near the front of the school. I liked the shade it brought especially since the sun would still be blazing at lunch.

"Yes, what time should we meet tomorrow?" He asked.

"What are you guys doing?" Makoto asked closing his book.

"Me and Tadashi were thinking of going out and rollerskating tomorrow."

"Can I come?"

"Sure!" Tadashi exclaimed.

"Yeah, it'll be fun." I said smiling. I was scared that when we did go that I'd get hurt or something bad would happen because of me.

But I smiled and agreed. Nodding my head as Makoto told us of the few times he and Haru were on skates.

"Can Haru come?" I asked that morning through the phone.

"No, he said he's going out with some new friends." Guess everyone does move on.

We met up at Tadashi's place and he had skates for me while Makoto brought his own. I began un-lacing my shoes and proceeded to put on the skates.

"You think you'll be fine?" Tadashi asked. He was probably remembering the last two times we tried skating. A hospital visit, and a crying party.

I prayed nothing like that would happen. I held on to Tadashi because I remember I hadn't been that good alone at skating the last time.

I soon got the hang of it occasionally clinging onto solid objects for long periods of time.

As we skated down the hill I began to look around and observe the surroundings. There were tiny shops similar in size to Aunt Cass' own café. I'd never been in them. I glanced into one that we passed and it was filled with books.

I really wanted to go to that one.