Coincidences, Coincidences

Part 1 - Routine

Published November First, 2020
Word Count: 1996

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Ah, yes. School. A wonderful place built on educating students for the world...and showing them how easily life will crush you at the first instance. Lovely, no? Yup! School is a literal torture chamber designed by board member fat-suits to give you a taste of "what the outside world is really like". In that context, high school is nothing but a social experiment, so there shouldn't be a point in even attending, but these fat-suits decided to make it so that you can't really do much important stuff without completing the damn thing so here we are.... Honestly, I just say that to myself so that I have an excuse to not try very hard. Yes, hi. My name is Eren Jaeger, and I was awoken from my wonderful, food dream just to go back to the "social experiment" building again.

I got up from the comfort of my bed, glancing back at it with the same pitiful expression I give it every morning. "Routine..." I muttered to myself as I began to get ready for school. After showering and brushing my teeth, I put on a plain black hoodie with some skinny jeans, slipped on some old converse, and popped off to school.

Just as I barely opened my bedroom door, ready to head off, my sister called me from downstairs. "Eren! Get your ass out of the room and eat before I drag you down myself!!" What a loving person.

I walked downstairs toward the kitchen, which was to the right of the stairwell exit. "I'm coming!" I yelled back, then muttered quietly, "Geez, I didn't even do anything yet...", but I shut up as I got there. She was holding a paper with my high school's logo in her hand. Oh shit... "I can explain, Mika! I promise, if you just hear me out, you won't be mad at all..." I tried explaining, but then I got a good look at her face. Oh no...she looks so...disappointed!

"Another detention, Eren? Seriously? I thought we promised each other no more fights. What happened this time?" She asked, sounding glum and bored almost, like this situation reoccurred way too often (which it did NOT!). She pulled up a chair, indicating we talk about this extensively. God damn it! Now I have to talk about...ugh, feelings.

I sat down in the kitchen chair adjacent to her. As I prepared to plead my case, I sighed, then perhaps a little too aggressively, I said, "It was all Jean! He started picking a fight with me again, and I didn't even wanna give it to him this time! But the fucking BASTARD threw the first punch, I had to fight back Mikasa!!"

She sat there, considering the scenario. "If I ask Jean, will I get the same response?" she asked.

I yelled, "No! Don't do that!" She looked at me, eyebrows raised at the fact that I yelled at her, and so suddenly too.

She then asked, "why not?"

"Because...one, Jean might say no because he's scared of you. Two, if Jean says yes, you're going to go beat him shitless. Three, he's gonna think I was blabbering about our fight to you like some kind of wimp. So, uh...don't." I said to Mika, trying to breathe after saying so much on one breath.

She sighed. "Fine", she said, "but we both promised each other and our parents that we wouldn't get into anymore fights, remember?" How could I forget...we sat there in the grass in front of our parents' headstones for almost two hours just complaining about our problems like we do every Thursday. I think it helps our parents know what's going on in our lives since they can't see it for themselves.

"I know our promises, but I can't help more than half the school taking shots at me for my...past experiences" Mika and I both shift uncomfortably in our chairs as we enter the subject, and the air around us turns depressing and awkward.

"Alright well, we don't want you to be late for school. Let me take you today." Mika leads me out of the house, grabbing her backpack and car keys before leaving.