Heavy Metal High School

Chapter 3

One thing I will never get used to is my parents moving me while i'm asleep. I understand them doing it when I was six and weighed 50 pounds but when I'm fifteen 135 it is just kinda weird.

Speaking of weird the kid who lived across the street was playing with sticks again. Mom had tried to get me to become friend with him when he moved here ten years ago but he didn't know any English. All he could say in English was something about those small oranges he called them mandarins.

He was outside playing guitar on his stick. I had nothing better to do so I went out to talk to him.

I walked up to him, he stopped playing and looked at me. I talked slow and simple so he could understand.

“Me have real guitar” I used hand motions so he could keep up. “Come with me we play guitar together.”

He look confused so I restarted.

“Me have real-” He started laughing.

“What I didn't say anything funny.” He kept laughing.

I gave up so I started to walk away.

“You know I can probably speak the English language better than you.”

I turned in disbelief.“You looked really stupid trying to dumb down an already simple language for me.” He scoffed “By the way the name is Peter, Peter Ni, and yeah I would love to come over and play with you.”

Peter was and extremely talented guitar player. He told me about how it took him a really long time to understand English and even longer to speak it so he was always an outcast. Being lonely for all that time he started to get familiar with the guitar because apparently us Americans worshipped anyone who could play it even mediocrely.

I showed him that I could play the bass and how I had just kinda picked it up over the years because my dad played it all the time.

“I've lived here for ten years and you're probably the first real friend I've had.” He said in a low voice.“If you have wanted to be friends for so long why didn't you ever come over and talk to me?”

“Well, Rex, I never really had a motive till today. That's why I drew you out of your house like I did.”

“What do you mean ‘drew me out’ I came out all on my own free will.”

“True, but I had the whole thing planned.

“Okay, elaborate.”

“Yes”

“What?”

“I'm just messing with you.” Peter giggled “I have math with you. You probably never noticed because you’re too busy drawing. I have been watching you and possibly correcting your math worksheets. Anyway I knew you were into rock and I knew you would come out if you saw me playing guitar stick.”

“Okay makes sense, but what was your motive?”

“I want to rock just like you but I want to rock for a different reason. My dad took a new job in Tokyo so we're moving at the end of this school year. I want to make as many American memories as I can.”

“Dang man. That stinks. Well you can come over and rock with me anytime. That sounded super wrong. I just meant you can come over and play the guitar.”

He laughed “I know what you meant. Anyway it's pretty late. I'm gonna head home and start working on my Japanese.”

“Alright man, see you in math.”