Unmatchable

Unmatchable (Plastic Tree) Chp. 01 / 06

It is the same odious day like every day. The birds making the same annoying sounds, the light hurting my eyes and my mother nagging at me as soon as I leave my room. I can already hear her ranting about me. God knows why I'm still living at home. Guess because no one else would take me in and secondly because I've got no money. Fact was that right now I should be at Senior High School but since I had difficulties getting up early today I just let it be... but my mother unfortunately doesn't. I can't count how many times the school called home and not having a father made her only more strict. Not that I care...

"Tadashi! Look at you! Not again with this hair! And for goodness sake! How often do I have to tell you to get rid of these disgusting piercings!"

"Good morning mum." I simply answer and take a seat at the small kitchen table. Breakfast time. My leather jacket makes sounds with each move I take, the metal belt around my hips and jewellery on my arms only add to the noise in the kitchen. I got an undercut and the rest of my blond hair usually hangs into my eyes. I stopped counting the rings in my ears and the only piercings I clearly recall are the one ring through my nose and the other one right side of my bottom lip.... Thank goodness she doesn't know of the nipple piercings. That's what you get for having a punk as a son.

OF COURSE no school allows such an appearance and believe me I would be the happiest person on earth if school would eternally expel me but they let me be because the principles are happy when I attend school and I only attend the way I am. That's it.

She puts down a plate with one slice of toast in front of me and stops. I'm not looking at her because I'm still too tired and not in the mood for another nagging.

"Tadashi," she says this time with a calm voice. "Please, at least leave with your school uniform. Can you at least do me that favour?"

You know, I maybe a rebel but I'm no asshole. I know whose money buys me food. So reluctantly I change jackets before leaving the house. Thank god the jacket is black too.

It's too bright outside and the air too clean. I put on my sunglasses and earphones in; punk rock, of course. At least I sneaked out with my Doc Martens on. And since the first lesson is almost over I take my time to the subway station. Tokyo. I hate the traffic and its noise. Well at least we're living far outside. In a suburb area of a suburb if you want to call it like that. My high school is nothing fancy, ordinary people and people like me, poor and without perspective. I'm 18 years old and already repeated two classes because I admit I'm too lazy to learn. For what anyway? I've got difficulties with disciplinarians and an ordinary pays-the-rent-job is an absolute no go for me. Something unusual would be great... I tried to persuade my mother to pay for music lessons. Don't know, playing bass or drums but she blocked it right away because of the money. So that's it. That's how my days look like, weeks, months. I cannot recall if it was ever any different.

I arrived at the station which is still too full at 10 am. I'm leaning against the wall of the underground station... I love that song. That bass together with these drums. I'm tapping the beat with my boots, looking down to the ground. I'm hanging more on my shoulder bag than my shoulder bag hangs on me. The wind plays with the long golden strand of my hair. Bored I'm looking to the display panel, checking when then next train is due. My gaze wanders over all these disguised people, puppets in the name of state. All so bored of life and work... I could puke only by looking at them. And no one dares to say a word, to protest or do something different. All are beautifully swimming with the current so why don't they all get over with life and kill themselves? The children which they do put into this world only have to live through the same shit as well.... I will never understand society.

Tadashi looked down to his mp3-player to turn the music louder. He looked up when a heavy wind from the incoming train tosseled his hair and he pushed himself away from the wall. Again he looked down to ignore all these starring people but something in between this moving blackness of people got his attention. Something white. There was really somebody wearing something white in between all this darkness. Must be a religious freak or something. Tadashi took one empty seat and dozed the way to his destination.