THE POPULARITY TALES

XVII- The Beginning

Ash: So basically, what you're saying is that they're trying to settle themselves and this is the best way to do so?
Maria: Yes.
Ash: Wow, isn't that kind of wrong considering they're adults and that there's always a better option.
Maria: Well they're not fighting, are they?
Ash: Well, I think in some scenarios it's safe to assume that not talking to each other counts as a fight.
Maria: Sometimes I hate that you're so smart, Chase.
Maria: Blessing and a curse, Aunt Mia.

That was how most of our conversations were, talking about the stupid fights my parents had, or arguing whose right or not based on some fun random debates we find online, or even politics. But Aunt Maria was my favorite aunt and my best friend. We connected well and we had that genius persona in us and an argumentative kind of behavior so I could guess that was the side of the family where I got my brains from. But that day she was acting differently. It was like she wasn't even the same person. I first saw the worried look when my mom brought me to her house. She told me it was necessary and that she'd explain everything when she got back so I didn't ask her anything. When I went in, I heard a little mutter from aunt Maria saying "Don't do this, Liliana. You can mess up the boy." And an answer going like "Don't worry hermana, I know what I'm doing." Now even a dumb person could tell that my mom was trying to run away from my dad and it made me wonder why. The fights were bad, yes, but it wasn't that bad. After all, it didn't last too long until she'd hug him and even kiss him as well. So why was I hearing all that? Well I didn't know.  I waited for mom to leave and I asked aunt Maria, but she didn't gimme a straight answer. Again, Maria Russo is the smartest and one of the most courageous person I've ever seen when it comes to speaking, but that time, she was stammering.  I'd never in my life heard her stammer so I knew immediately something was wrong about that day. But I decided to ignore all the signs. I hated cartoons because I thought at that point that it was boring so I only watched the news. Well, along with sports and some movies obviously, I'm still human. Anyways, I was watching the news when I saw a breaking news pop up about a train that derailed and crashed around the city and the terminal wasn't too far so I called aunt Maria to see it. And her reaction gave the impression of trouble. Except the words 'Oh my God' coming off her lips in Spanish, her silence and hands holding her mouth gave me a weird vibe and when I found out why, it didn't surprise me. 
Year's had passed and I remembered just finishing my seventh grade when I was called up to the hospital only to see that my aunt was admitted. Tears had rolled out my eyes never more than that day, not even about the death of my parents. I asked the doctor what the problem was, but he said that they didn't know as well. I remember how I would wake up in the morning really early and immediately after breakfast, go to the hospital everyday. My summer vacation was sacrificed to stay beside aunt Maria. But it didn't change anything and she died right before eighth grade started. I was alone. No siblings, family or even friends. I couldn't even feed myself and my own life was coming to an end. But I didn't give up. What flew pass my mind was the only way I could survive except going to the orphanage and that was earning money. Now I knew it wasn't the easiest option I had, but that was the only one that could give me the life I wanted. I first thought the best way of earning by this time was electronic wise and what came into my mind to getting quick money was hacking. I'm not proud of it but I did it. I hacked businesses that wouldn't even notice even though the firewalls were claimed impenetrable. I used it to pay all the bills and for everything my aunt owed. I couldn't use it for anything else like school considering I dropped out because I couldn't handle the pain and waste my time since I knew it all. After endless guilt from stealing money, I decided to pursue something, like a goal, for the first time in my life. So I went online and started writing articles of what I knew. I felt it was a way to share my most accurate criticism. But one stood out from the others and that was the article about how the English dictionary had a lot of unused words and words that meant the same thing. In fact it became too popular that the queen of England herself paid all the expenses to bringing me to London because she was convinced at my points and decided no better person should rewrite it but me. Even after declining, I was still made public by her to prove my article was the best she'd read. Not even a month had passed and I was featured in a game show called Genius Mode and there on live television, I was crowned the smartest boy in the world. With that came a nobel prize later on when I donated all the money won from the show to charity. But before I went back to my normal life, I was visited by a special group of the government. They wanted to strike a deal with me on my popularity considering it was a lot for them since they couldn't explain why I was smart. To change myself and let Chase Springfield become a legend. At first I declined but after considering the fact that my life wasn't going great, I decided to change to another one. I took the name Clay Summers and made my blonde hair go dark gray. Apparently they had a pill for that where when you take it and shave off the old hair, the new one grows as a different color. Weird. Anyways, I was well sheltered and fed. But not the way you'd think. I wasn't just earning money, I had a mansion all to myself and the ability to ask and be given anything in the world be it a pair of scissors or a yatch. Now from experience I'll tell you that no teenager would want that life. There was no reason to live for anymore. I had no goal and I wasn't allowed to even make friends. So I did what was left. Not suicide. I ran away. I just shut down all the electronics in the house so I couldn't get tracked early and I traveled to the farthest orphanage I could get to since it had reached my last resort. Eventually, when they found out, I told them that I didn't plan to live the previous life I did in the first place and then struck another deal of keeping Chase Springfield dead for me to live a free life. They accepted and I stayed in the orphanage. And that was where I was adopted by a rich family and once more, brought back to the famous life. Cliche right? Well I guess that explains why I didn't want to live that life again. Now I have to go through tough decisions and choices in my life, even though I'm living a life I didn't ask for😔.