My poor brother, He has had it hard and it’s my entire fault. One day after he came home from his crappy job at the record shop, he caught me playing video games in the basement instead of going to school. “What are you doing home so early Iszac?” His voice was as rough as sandpaper and it seemed to scratch the whole room. I did not like his tone either, he should have been at work or maybe he could cough up enough money to go to university but Sam just had to drop out of high school to take care of my sorry butt. To be honest, I don’t deserve his care; I’m an unruly kid at the least! I skip classes, I spend all of my brother’s money and all I do is make him run around on a wild goose chase so he can capture me when I want to go and smoke with my buddies.
“Oh, u-uh.... Teach didn’t show up so it was a free break...” I lied. “Iszac....” Sam rubbed the inside corners of his eyes and shook his head in disappointment, “It’s only 11 o’clock, you should be starting lunch by now and I know for a fact that your teacher was there, I talked to her.” Oh. Crap. He knew. “Kay...” I muttered, clicking the pause button on my controller and grabbing my bag from the end of the couch. I slung it over my shoulder and dragged myself out the door. I glared at our car, it was rusty, full of dents and the colour looked like road kill that has been scrapped off the highway. I was really ticked, now I bet Sam will put me into some kind of private school or send me to the military. I slammed the door and slipped my headphones over my ears. Blocking out Sam’s nagging was my favourite part about music. Turn the volume up, close your eyes and maybe sing along to it just to annoy your enemy.
‘Para-para-paradise!’ I listened to my all time favourite song of the week. I felt the car shake as Sam slammed the back trunk shut and sat down in the driver’s seat. I knew his lips were moving but I completely ignored his failed attempts at getting my attention, even though it was as short as a goldfish’s. After a few moments of driving there was a sharp tug at my head and the music I once was listening to was transformed into my brother’s furious voice. He ripped my earphones off my head of bleached hair and I swear he must have blown one of the speakers. “Iszac Flint!!” he croaked, “I expect you to be a lot better than that! You’re 16 years old; get a grip on your rotten attitude!” He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he turned the corner but he pounded his hands furiously on the wheel. “I’m doing the best I can Sam! What in God’s name do you expect me to do!? I have lived my life like this for the past 14 years and you have been fine with it until now! Why are you biting my sorry butt anyways, I’m just being myself!” I snapped back and it felt great to finally get that off my chest. “Iszac, you are going to be sent away to a better home for a few months and I expect you to make a good impression.” As my brother confessed this absurd idea, I still could figure out if he was serious or not so I decided to give him one last tongue lashing before deciding what to think of this...thing. “I’m Fine with that! I’d like to be anywhere but here at the moment! Pack me up! Send me away! I’ll spend the rest of the school year, ‘thinking about’ what I have done wrong!”
I opened the door to the car a tad too early than Sam expected. “Hey! Hold it, you’re coming with me!” He said pulling the key out and slipped it into his pocket before grabbing me by the scruff of my hoodie and half dragging me into the school. I liked this brick building, it had a certain feel to it that said ‘You can learn as much as you want and feel free to be social and skip your classes’. He let go of my hoodie and pressed his hand against my lower-back, leading me into the front office where I found another boy my age sitting in the chair across the room from the giant wooden desk that loomed over every seat in the whole room. He looked nothing like me or any guy I have ever hung out with. He had jet black hair that was shorter and swooped across his forehead and stayed perfectly out of his eyes. Mine was messy, straight and lay over my right eye. He had his shirt tucked in as if he was some kind of student teacher! Dude! In this place, if you look like that you will get labelled ‘Nerd’, which will get you slammed into a locker until they feel like telling the janitor there is another lock to cut. “Hello! You must be Iszac, I am Kim.” He reached out his hand. I guess he expected me to shake it or something but that truly wasn’t the way I liked things. I grabbed his hand and ‘bro hugged him’ reaching my other arm around his shoulders, “Hey man!” I greeted with a satisfied smile “So... could you give me a hint on what exactly is going on here? I’m lost.” Kim looked at me funny and placed his hand back down at his side. “We are trading places for a few months. No need to worry.” He spoke simply, enunciating every word and every one of them danced with an Asian accent. “Wait, What?! So where will I be sent to!?” I freaked out a little bit more than I should have. “You will be going to Tokyo, Japan.” He replied. I have always dreamed of going to Japan but I never really knew something like this would happen.
Sam hugged me, standing on his tip-toes. His neck fit like a puzzle piece to my shoulder. I squeezed him tightly, kissing his cheek as he pulled away. “Love you Sam.” The words rolled off my tongue, they haven’t been said for quite some time. Sam raised his eyes and they met with mine, “See you in a few weeks little brother.” He nodded and grabbed one of Kim’s bags, turning out the door, he didn’t dare to look back, and I knew my brother was on the verge of crying. Kim followed my brother and gingerly waved back at me with a toothy grin. I smiled quickly and looked away. My school bag felt like a 100 pound weight of loss on my shoulder.
A tall, lanky man stood in the barren doorway. He looked like Kim, only older and his hair was buzzed short. He looked about 40 years old. Wearing a smile on his thin face, he spoke “Hello, you must be Iszac!” he sounded so cheery like there wasn’t anything wrong in this world. “Yeah, you’re Kim’s dad?” “Yes, please come with me.” He lead me out the door, I looked back at the old brick school for the last time before starting my journey from Maryland USA, to Tokyo.
“Oh, u-uh.... Teach didn’t show up so it was a free break...” I lied. “Iszac....” Sam rubbed the inside corners of his eyes and shook his head in disappointment, “It’s only 11 o’clock, you should be starting lunch by now and I know for a fact that your teacher was there, I talked to her.” Oh. Crap. He knew. “Kay...” I muttered, clicking the pause button on my controller and grabbing my bag from the end of the couch. I slung it over my shoulder and dragged myself out the door. I glared at our car, it was rusty, full of dents and the colour looked like road kill that has been scrapped off the highway. I was really ticked, now I bet Sam will put me into some kind of private school or send me to the military. I slammed the door and slipped my headphones over my ears. Blocking out Sam’s nagging was my favourite part about music. Turn the volume up, close your eyes and maybe sing along to it just to annoy your enemy.
‘Para-para-paradise!’ I listened to my all time favourite song of the week. I felt the car shake as Sam slammed the back trunk shut and sat down in the driver’s seat. I knew his lips were moving but I completely ignored his failed attempts at getting my attention, even though it was as short as a goldfish’s. After a few moments of driving there was a sharp tug at my head and the music I once was listening to was transformed into my brother’s furious voice. He ripped my earphones off my head of bleached hair and I swear he must have blown one of the speakers. “Iszac Flint!!” he croaked, “I expect you to be a lot better than that! You’re 16 years old; get a grip on your rotten attitude!” He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he turned the corner but he pounded his hands furiously on the wheel. “I’m doing the best I can Sam! What in God’s name do you expect me to do!? I have lived my life like this for the past 14 years and you have been fine with it until now! Why are you biting my sorry butt anyways, I’m just being myself!” I snapped back and it felt great to finally get that off my chest. “Iszac, you are going to be sent away to a better home for a few months and I expect you to make a good impression.” As my brother confessed this absurd idea, I still could figure out if he was serious or not so I decided to give him one last tongue lashing before deciding what to think of this...thing. “I’m Fine with that! I’d like to be anywhere but here at the moment! Pack me up! Send me away! I’ll spend the rest of the school year, ‘thinking about’ what I have done wrong!”
I opened the door to the car a tad too early than Sam expected. “Hey! Hold it, you’re coming with me!” He said pulling the key out and slipped it into his pocket before grabbing me by the scruff of my hoodie and half dragging me into the school. I liked this brick building, it had a certain feel to it that said ‘You can learn as much as you want and feel free to be social and skip your classes’. He let go of my hoodie and pressed his hand against my lower-back, leading me into the front office where I found another boy my age sitting in the chair across the room from the giant wooden desk that loomed over every seat in the whole room. He looked nothing like me or any guy I have ever hung out with. He had jet black hair that was shorter and swooped across his forehead and stayed perfectly out of his eyes. Mine was messy, straight and lay over my right eye. He had his shirt tucked in as if he was some kind of student teacher! Dude! In this place, if you look like that you will get labelled ‘Nerd’, which will get you slammed into a locker until they feel like telling the janitor there is another lock to cut. “Hello! You must be Iszac, I am Kim.” He reached out his hand. I guess he expected me to shake it or something but that truly wasn’t the way I liked things. I grabbed his hand and ‘bro hugged him’ reaching my other arm around his shoulders, “Hey man!” I greeted with a satisfied smile “So... could you give me a hint on what exactly is going on here? I’m lost.” Kim looked at me funny and placed his hand back down at his side. “We are trading places for a few months. No need to worry.” He spoke simply, enunciating every word and every one of them danced with an Asian accent. “Wait, What?! So where will I be sent to!?” I freaked out a little bit more than I should have. “You will be going to Tokyo, Japan.” He replied. I have always dreamed of going to Japan but I never really knew something like this would happen.
Sam hugged me, standing on his tip-toes. His neck fit like a puzzle piece to my shoulder. I squeezed him tightly, kissing his cheek as he pulled away. “Love you Sam.” The words rolled off my tongue, they haven’t been said for quite some time. Sam raised his eyes and they met with mine, “See you in a few weeks little brother.” He nodded and grabbed one of Kim’s bags, turning out the door, he didn’t dare to look back, and I knew my brother was on the verge of crying. Kim followed my brother and gingerly waved back at me with a toothy grin. I smiled quickly and looked away. My school bag felt like a 100 pound weight of loss on my shoulder.
A tall, lanky man stood in the barren doorway. He looked like Kim, only older and his hair was buzzed short. He looked about 40 years old. Wearing a smile on his thin face, he spoke “Hello, you must be Iszac!” he sounded so cheery like there wasn’t anything wrong in this world. “Yeah, you’re Kim’s dad?” “Yes, please come with me.” He lead me out the door, I looked back at the old brick school for the last time before starting my journey from Maryland USA, to Tokyo.
