Diary of the Mellow Kids

The Introduction Chapter

It was the last day of school. I felt excited, bursting with energy. I walked out of class chatting with my cousin Owen. We were discussing our plans for the holidays.
"So what are the plans for the holidays? You're coming with me to watch Avengers, aren't you?" asked Owen.
"Only if you bring Makaira along, might I think of it, "I replied with a smirk on my face.
Owen wasn't impressed with my response, he had this look on his face like he wanted to choke slam me through a table, but he just sighed and gave off a little smile. "Yeah, Makaira. That girl there, I don't know, she... I don't know man. I don't like her anymore"
"Why not?" I asked, muddled because throughout the whole term all I heard was Owen blathering about a girl named Makaira.
"She doesn't want a relationship now. She said she has a rule to only start dating at 21. So that's like 3 years or more down the drain for me."
"But she's dated before, so I don't understand why she's applying that rule now and especially to you! At least you'll save some more money and buy her a better gift then."
"Yes but that guy made her feel like she's always wrong. He was a complete A-hole. So I get where she's coming from. And NO I'm sticking to my word. I'm buying her a gift now."
"Did you tell her that you're buying her a gift?
"Mhmmm"
"But yeah she must move on...to you," I said with a grin developing across my face.
"Shot guy, but I've moved on. I'm just glad she's not like you know who."
"Who?"
"You know who."
"Who's that?"
At this point Owen facepalms himself. "Jesus, you have such a bad memory. Her name starts with an A."
"Who? Akira?"
"What?! No!" Owen runs over and covers my mouth. Like it would change the fact that I already said it out loud. A tall girl standing not so far away looks over at us, gives us a suspicious look and starts walking over to us.
"Yeah. So you see, I wanna get the Nintendo switch, but it's so expensive," I quickly say changing the topic to make us seem less conspicuous.
"No man, get a PS4. It's much better. I compelled my parents to do so," says Owen gaping over his shoulder.
"You compelled? What are you calling forth demons?"
"Shut up. I can't think of better words right now."
The tall girl stops in front of us with a glaring death stare in her eyes. "Hey guys. I heard my name being said. What you'll be talking about?" Akira is a very shy and a huge introvert. It is surprising she is actually talking at all and especially to us.
"Oh, we were just talking about what console I should buy. As for you, I don't think we have even mentioned your name. You must be hallucinating," I say.

Akira is tense. She stares at both Owen and I. She has nothing to say even if she did, she is scared to say it. She seemed a bit vexed. I exchange glances with Owen who is also a tad bit uncomfortable.
"I-i-i think I'll go now. My mom's probably here," says Akira and she walks off.
"Really, Yashil. Of all names, you say Akira! And she was standing right freaking there," says Owen.
"Well forgive me for having a loud voice okay."
"I feel bad for her," says Owen as he stared at Akira, who maneuvered herself back to the spot where she always stood awaiting for her mother.
"Why?" I asked.
"She's always standing alone, and when she heard her name being called. She sort of looked angry. Then again she always looks angry, even in class. That's why I'm scared to talk to her."
"Yeah, she scares me at times. Is Akira Chinese?"
"No, why would you think that?" says Owen looking at Akira and back at me.
"You know what, I think I'll go ask her that."
I ran to Akira with my bag on my back. I looked like a little baby that started running for the first time. It looked weird and embarrassing. I came to a stop as I reached her side. She shifted her gaze and our eyes met.
"Hi there Yashil," she says.
"Hi-i-i. I notice you stand here alone every day with no one but yourself to talk to," I say without trying to stutter, but utterly failed at that.
"From that line, it sounds like you stalk me. Are you stalking me?
In my mind I thought, even if someone was stalking her, obviously they would not admit it and say yes, I do stalk you. "No, why I would stalk you? Not that I like you or something," I quickly shut up and contrived a laugh to make it seem natural and believable.
"Uh, okay," she said. "Did you just say you like me?" moving closer, scrutinizing me.
"No! I said I don't like you, but since we talking about you tell me, are you from China?"
"NO! Why do I look Chinese?" she said, moving back with aghast.
"A little bit, yeah, but I mean obviously if you have an Indian name, Akira, you have to be an Indian," I said, jabbering whatever I could think of because I was beginning to feel awkward. Mainly because she was so much taller than me and always had this look on her face as if she did not eat in a long time. Hungry girls are the worst to talk to, they always look at you as if you are some sort of food they can just bite into.

"Actually, Akira is a Japanese name, so that would still portray me as a Chinese if I was, not that i am," she said and laughed. Obviously she was overly nervous as well and I can say that confidently because Akira is intelligent enough to know that Chinese and Japanese are not even the same thing. They are completely different nationalities. This was the first time I had heard her laugh though and even if I knew it was not a fully realistic laugh, it was the first time I have seen her smile or heard her laugh.
She looked more dazzling up close. Her alluring hazelnut colored eyes, her perfectly symmetrical facial bones, her curvaceous figure, and her statuesque posture. She appropriated my breath and altered my heart beat.
"Are you okay, you have been staring at me for the last minute without saying a word. It is kind of weird and creepy?" she said looking at me with her head cocked to the side.
"Yeah-hh-h. Eh yeah I'm fine, all good with me, all good with you?"
What are you saying? Stop it!
Akira frows her eyebrows and looks at me with a mixture of emotions. "Stop what? Are you talking to me?"

Steph (full name Stephanie Maharaj). She thinks she seems much cooler if people called her Steph for some reason. She is a short girl, petite in shape. She walks by and sees me talking to Akira. "If her mother sees you talking to Akira, she will throw a tantrum, better not annoy Akira," she says.
"Annoy? I don't annoy anyone, I'm so chilled," I say. 

Owen comes to join in the conversation. He must have gotten bored standing on his own. "This is not Facebook for all your lies, my prom date you talking to like that, what is wrong with you, Yashil?"
"What?!" exclaims Steph. Stunned, she just stood rooted to the ground and stared at Owen with her mouth open. "Wait, go back Owen, what did you just say?" Akira looked confused but before she could say anything, her mother arrived and she left instantaneously, without even saying a goodbye. 

"Well that was sad," I mumbled to myself.
Owen and Steph continued as if Akira was not there in the first place, "Eish, uhm. Will you go out to prom with me?"
I burst into laughter and snorted. "This must be the worst way to ask her out dude!"
Owen was in a grave mood now. He was looking confident, his body shivered but he managed to maintain his balance, his hands laying freely at his side. He looks over at me and says, "Wait! Let her answer." He looks back over to Steph. "So Steph, will you?"
Steph is horrified. "Ummm. I'm not ready for a relationship right now."
Her mother arrives and she walks off to her mother. Her velocity increasing with every step she took. Owen is speechless for a brief period of time. "AYYY, what I asked her and what answer she gave me," he says with a look of dismay.
I, on the other hand, was enjoying every single second of this. "I am so going to put this in the book," I say with tears rolling down my cheeks because I was laughing so intensely. "Laugh! Laugh as much as you want, but one day she will be mine." He seemed pretty confident that he would get her one day. I don't doubt him to be honest. Owen can be really charming with the ladies.

"Okay Romeo, if you say so. For now, let's go home. I can see your father pulling up in the parking lot, and I can hear my sister blasting her Bollywood music. Oh look, there she is," I said waving at my sister. "There's a lot of things I need to talk to you about now that exams are over. I can utilize all the time effectively. Also, you have to tell me about your so called smooth moves you were trying to pull with your crush just now, since when has that been going on?"
"Yeah, definitely, Well let's just say for a while now. I will tell you all about when I get home. Check you Yashil. Until next term," says Owen who gives me a tight hug and runs off towards his dad's car, which was parked there for the past 15 minutes, but Owen never bothered to go. Well, that's Owen for you. He never leaves his friends alone. He's really sweet.