Chapter 6: First Steps

            After a back and forth discussion among all of the housemates, it was decided that the dish to be prepared for dinner was going to be bulgogi, a beef-based dish. With this decision out of the way, everyone was already pumped for the meal to come, even though they wouldn’t be eating for a few hours from now.

            “Aiden. Hey. Aiden.” Evan called to get his attention as Aiden was busy expressing his excitement to Jin about the meal. Why is he so obnoxious about it? They just ate almost two hours ago; how could he even think about how good food might be right now?  It seemed as though it was hard to grab Aiden’s attention when he was this riled up… How bothersome.

            “Hey! Maknae!” Andy exclaimed with great enthusiasm as he practically jumped Aiden from behind and shook his shoulder, gesturing in Evan’s direction. Evan wasn’t being aggressive enough to grab his attention, so he decided to assist his new acquaintance. “Evan’s calling you.”

            Aiden was a little confused as to why he was being called Maknae, but he quickly remembered Jin’s informative vocabulary lesson at Papaleno’s and turned to face Evan with an apologetic smile, “Sorry, I’m really enjoying having so much cultural food for once! What’s up?” he asked, curious as to what Evan wanted to speak with him about.

            Evan nodded to Andy to show his appreciation and then returned his eyes to Aiden to finally pose his question, “You mentioned a piano while we were at Papaleno’s… can I go check it out?” He hadn’t played on a piano for nearly a year now, and he really missed everything about the instrument. The gentle, yet powerful sound that resounded from it, the smoothness of the keys, and the relief he always felt after playing-- he missed it all.

            “Oh, right. I completely forgot you were interested in seeing it. Follow me.” Aiden gestured for Evan to follow him to the door that stood between the television and the wall to the next room. He opened the door to reveal the garage and walked down two steps onto the cement floor only to turn to his right towards another door, which was evidently the basement as said by the sign that hung by a nail in the center of the wood. Once this door was opened, Aiden flipped a light switch to turn on the light in the stairwell and as they approached the bottom of the steps, he switched on another light that lit up the entire space. The basement was slightly bigger than the master bedroom, but it seemed to be larger than in reality  because of how empty the space was. Only the grand piano occupied the room, sitting near the center of the far wall. “There it is. As I said earlier, this is my grandmother’s grand piano. She loves this thing, but she didn’t have room at her place and I was supposed to be taking lessons… It’d be nice if someone put it to use.”

            The sight of the basement was slightly disappointing in Evan’s eyes because he hadn’t expected the room to feel so cold and bare, but his spirits lifted at the sight of the beautifully polished, black piano. It didn’t even look as worn out as he had imagined… “How long has it been down here?”

            “A couple years. It still looks brand new though, doesn’t it?” Aiden asked as a smile appeared on his lips. He carefully lifted the fallboard to reveal the glossy white and black keys only to glide his left hand over the buttons just enough to feel the smooth surface without making a sound, “It’s funny… I don’t play, but I still feel an attachment to this piano. I’ve watched my grandmother play many times on this… If you play, you have to promise to be careful with it.” He had memories with this piano, and the last thing he wanted was for it to be damaged.

            Evan’s green eyes flickered with happiness as he watched Aiden’s hand trail along the keys. “Trust me, I have experience with pianos. There is just one thing I’m uncertain about though…” he remarked as he reached out to press the middle C of the keyboard. Shocked by the purity of the sound, Evan’s eyes lifted to meet with Aiden’s as his eyebrows knit together to express his confusion, “How is it still in tune? You said it’s been down here for years in this basement. I assume you had someone tune it recently?”

            “Ah, yeah… My grandmother sends someone every month to tune it. He’s a great guy, too. He likes to play a few songs when he’s finished with his work, and he’s a pretty good player.” Aiden replied, happy to have thought of his memories with the tuning man.

            He is kidding right? Tuning is expensive as hell! It could cost anywhere between $100-$200 in some cases, depending on the condition of the piano of course. Aiden’s grandmother had to be rich to be paying for all these funds, and considering this house, his parents had to be as well… Right? Of course, this is just speculation… Evan eyed Aiden for a moment, but he soon returned his attention to the piano and took a seat on the stool, “I’m a little rusty, so…” he trailed off, uncertain as to whether or not his playing would be any good. He hesitantly lifted his hands to the piano’s keyboard, allowed his fingers to brush over the keys just to get a feel for them, and then finally began playing. His hands were shaky at first, but the more he played, the more he eased into the song, which was a piece called “Maybe” by Yiruma. This was always one of his favorites to play, and because he was so accustomed to it, he didn’t even hesitate in any of the notes, though it had been such a long time. The song just flowed from his fingertips with almost no effort at all.

            Aiden actually was not surprised by Evan’s piano skills now that he was finally hearing him play… Once he was told he had experience with the piano and all of Evan’s excitement came out about it, he expected his playing to be quite superb. And he wasn’t wrong. He watched quietly to Evan’s right, though he gave him some space. When he noticed Jin, Damien, and Andy coming down the basement stairs, he raised his right index finger to his lips to request silence for the duration of the song but also gestured for them to approach and join their company. ---

As the others followed Aiden down to the basement, Rapmon pulled Rhodon aside and gestured for him to follow him to the back bedroom for a chat. He closed the door once Rhodon entered and then gently offered him a pat on the shoulder, scanning him over to make sure that his gut was telling him the right thing. Once his eyes returned to Rhodon’s questioning face, he finally posed the question that had been lingering in his mind since Rhodon had returned from his phone call, “What’s going on? That phone call wasn’t just someone calling to talk about good times, was it?”

            Rhodon was confused at first as to why Rapmon was leading him away from the others, but now it most certainly made sense… How did he know the phone call was so serious? He had tried his best to resume being himself, but perhaps he didn’t do as good a job at it as he thought he had… His confused smile faltered into a frown as he exhaled a deep sigh and allowed his back to rest against the wall adjacent to the door, “Nothing gets past you, huh?” he allowed a scoff to escape his lips and just a glimpse of a smile to appear until it returned to his frown, “It was just my dad. You know, the usual stuff that people deal with-- parents fighting, being stuck in the middle of it all. It’s no big deal… Of course, it’s not the greatest thing to hear, but it’s nothing new. I’m sure you’ve experienced it a lot yourself,” he replied, avoiding going into too much detail about the matter. He and Rapmon were close, but he didn’t feel ready to explain a great amount of his personal life with him. Rapmon was much more open than he was about his life, “Speaking of which, did everything back home work out well over the summer? You had said something about working for the break…”

            Rapmon leaned against the wall beside him as he listened to him speak, but he wasn’t surprised by how little he decided to share with him. Rhodon didn’t talk about his problems; he’d rather pretend that the problems didn’t exist. While that was helpful in some ways, Rhodon also needed to know that keeping it inside his mind without venting was not healthy. Maybe he knew that, and he just wasn’t ready to say anymore on the matter just yet… Hesitantly, Rapmon allowed Rhodon to drop the topic about himself and decided to discuss his own life without hesitation. He wasn’t ashamed of who he was, even if he wished for more in his family. He only hoped that when he shared his life with Rhodon, one day he would understand that he was ready to listen to his life as well. “Yeah, I did end up working as a tutor over the summer, but I really just wanted to quit and allow myself free time to figure out my calling or whatever, you know? My parents were completely against it, saying that my siblings never took time off so selfishly, or that they didn’t need time off to figure out what they were going to do in life. They weren’t happy that I was trying to change the plan they have for me, you know? Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the path they’ve laid out for me, but I want control over my own life. The fact that I have to adhere to their standards and my siblings’ successes is just… well, you know. It’s bullsh*t, that’s what it is. Plain and simple. Where they see my success, I see someone I don’t want to be. I guess that’s why when I come here, I do what I want. I’ll dye my hair, I’ll wear my own style, I’ll even become a couch potato if I want to. Thing is, I’m not going to spend 24 hours a day studying when I find something else more important. I’m going to follow my own dream, not some dream that my parents, siblings, friends, or this college are going to throw on me. So, take that as my advice as well. You’re obviously dealing with something at home that you really can’t do anything about. So find a way to make a difference and focus on whatever your dream is, but don’t lock yourself in a cage because of whatever’s on your mind. Spend your time worrying about something you can actually change and make a difference in.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Rhodon’s lips by the time Rapmon finished his little spiel, and though he was appreciative of his advice, he couldn’t help but make a remark about something that was far from serious, “Even after a year, I still have no idea how you speak the way you do. I can’t believe you said you could be a couch potato!” he laughed, “I don’t understand why you sound more American than some Americans I’ve met!”

Rapmon glanced in Rhodon’s direction and offered a disappointed stare of sorts, “Seriously? Out of all that, you’re questioning how I speak?” He shook his head and looked away as he did so, “I’ve done a lot of research on English and American slang, and I have many American friends. I practiced a lot, is all… Did you even listen to what I said?”  

“Of course I listened! And I definitely agree with you. Always put work into what’s most important to you. That’s the general theme of your message, right? I got it. Trust me, I’m not spending any of my time wasting away on a major I don’t find interest in. I know with your family situation you may not see a way to be who you really are, but you know what, Hiroshi… I have a good feeling about our housemates. Even with as awkward as you are, you’ll fit in just fine.” He joked a little as he nudged Rapmon’s arm with his elbow. “Thanks for checking up on me, though. You’re right… I shouldn’t blame myself for what’s going on between my parents, and that’s been keeping me caged up for a while, so to speak. Let’s just be ourselves, shall we?” he grinned as he pulled himself away from the wall and placed his hand on the door handle, “Oh, and uh… why don’t you try talking more with the others? We’re all awkward here at the moment, so before everyone beats you to it, you might want to make yourself as comfortable as possible.” he suggested as he opened the door at last and gestured for Rapmon to exit the room first.

----

After nearly an hour of playing the piano, Evan finally allowed himself to part from the instrument. With his attention turned to his housemates now, he noticed that all of them were on the floor nearby simply listening to him play, which honestly surprised him. He expected for them to get bored and to leave him here in the basement, and he barely even noticed their presence at all. Most of them clapped for him once he was done, but Damien didn’t even move a muscle. The poor kid was slumped against the nearby wall, leaning on his backpack fast asleep. Evan wasn’t sure as to whether or not he should take offense by this or not…

“Bravo! You were so awesome! Teach me!” Aiden piped up from his spot on the floor as they clapped for him.

“You already quit your lessons, Aiden. You can’t just ask him to teach you when you gave up in the first place. How does he know you won’t just give up again?” Andy remarked with a grin as he playfully nudged his friend. His eyes averted towards Evan, and with a thumbs up, he thanked him for the performance, “He’s right; you play very well. I’m sure Damien didn’t mean to fall asleep, so I wouldn’t worry about that.”

Jin nodded in agreement with Andy as he looked over at Damien, “He’s still adjusting to the time difference, which is probably another reason as to why he was up so late last night and slept in. He’s a few hours ahead in England.” he stated as he stood up and brushed off his shorts, “How long have you been playing, Evan?” he asked as he approached Damien.

Evan frowned anxiously, uncertain as to how to take all of this praise; he definitely wasn’t use to it. He had also completely forgotten about the time difference in Damien’s country, so he could let it go just this once perhaps. “I’ve been playing on and off for nearly 8 years now. I taught myself and stuck to it for a few years, but stuff got in the way a lot of the time…” he replied as he watched Jin shake Damien’s shoulder.

Damien didn’t respond for a few seconds, but after a couple more shakes, he slowly came to and opened his eyes, allowing his face to distort into a confused expression. Why was Jin bothering him? Was he asleep? He couldn’t remember what was going on at this moment… He observed his surroundings only to realize he was still in the basement with the others, which actually explained a lot! He didn’t remember going to bed, so this should have been where he woke up! Phew, he wasn’t completely losing it…“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep…” he yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He moved to stand up, aided by Jin’s hand. “Your playing is quite beautiful,” Damien commented, looking to Evan finally.

“That’s all right; I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.” Evan replied as he followed Aiden and Andy up the stairs to return to the living room. “In fact, I could use a nap right about now…” he muttered to himself as they passed through the garage.

“Do you have narcolepsy?” Aiden asked, overhearing him due to how close in front of him he was. He couldn’t help but ask because of how many times he’d seen him take a nap. He slept before Andy and his family came, during The Lion King, and now he wanted to do it again! He hoped it wasn’t something serious…

Evan chuckled at Aiden’s remark, finding his concern slightly humorous because his napping had nothing to do with any illness at all! “No, I don’t have narcolepsy. I just enjoy sleep,” he answered simply as they joined Rapmon and Rhodon on the couch once more. Why didn’t they come down with them? For some reason, he couldn’t help but take their decision to remain upstairs a little personally. Maybe they didn’t care too much for piano, though… Who knows.

“If you say so…” Aiden responded uncertainly, though he mostly believed him. He was glad to hear that he was obsessed with sleep rather than being sick or something. He’d never seen someone sleep so much honestly. “You break out of that habit during school, right? I mean, I’m sure teachers would notice you sleeping all the time…”

“Aiden, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’ve already been going to this college for a year now; I know how to work around my schedule.” Evan replied as his eyes fixed their attention on Rhodon. Earlier during Lion King he had left with a phone call, and when he returned, something seemed slightly off once he sat down on the couch. It was only for a few seconds, but Rhodon acted strangely compared to how he had seen him these past two days. He decided not to worry about it and just brush it off, however, because now he seemed just fine. It might have been nothing at all, and if not, well… It wasn’t exactly his business.

“Speaking of habits…” Jin remarked as he nudged Damien’s arm, “You have to be in that ceremony tomorrow right? You know, walking the British flag around with all of the other countries’ flags?”

Damien felt content just listening to the conversation, but Jin’s transition over to him made him confused… What did walking the flag have to do with habits? “Uh, yeah… I think so. I received an email about that. Why do you ask?”

“Well… I’m pretty sure that all of us have noticed that you haven’t separated from that backpack of yours since your arrival. I mean… you can’t take it with you during the ceremony. So you’ll have to leave it here at the house or at least leave it with us while the ceremony proceeds.” Jin commented as he pointed at the backpack that remained strapped around his shoulders.

Damien’s lips fell into a frown when Jin informed him that he was unable to take his backpack with him. He hadn’t even considered that! He didn’t want to leave his backpack alone… Someone could steal it or take any of its contents. This is all I have! No way could he just leave it sitting around or in the hands of mere acquaintances! His eyes fell to the ground in front of him as he nervously gripped the straps of his backpack. He really did not want to separate from it…

Jin didn’t understand why Damien was so attached to his backpack, but he could probably make a few wild guesses… Considering the foreign country and the strangers he was surrounded by, it was definitely possible he thought his belongings would be stolen by someone if he let it out of his sight or out of touch. Perhaps it was like a safety net for him; he was attached to it because it was the only thing he had from back home. Either way, Damien needed to separate from it; he couldn’t always have it with him, and he was certain he was aware of that even before he mentioned the ceremony. An individual just cannot always bring such things with them. Wait a minute… did he even have his textbooks yet? If so, where were they? They couldn’t all be in his backpack! Well… that was a question for later. “Listen… Let me carry your backpack with me. Just for the remainder of the night. You can keep an eye on me if you’d like, but I think this will help you get use to not having it with you. You can trust me.” he suggested, hoping to make it easier on him.

“What? All night?” Damien repeated, not particularly liking the sound of the idea. He was beginning to like Jin, but could he really trust him for that long?

“We can keep him in check for you as well. If we see him do anything fishy, we’ll let you know. There’s six of us living here with you; one of us is bound to be trustworthy, if not all of us. Give it a try.” Rapmon added in to assist Jin in the matter.

As much as he hated to admit it, Rapmon was right… He needed to put a little trust in at least one of them, and he had no choice but to get use to leaving his backpack at home or leaving it with someone. With a deep sigh, he finally nodded in response and pulled his arms out of the straps of the backpack only to hand it over to Jin and watched as he lifted the bag onto his own back. It was honestly a relief to rid himself of the weight on his back, but it also made him anxious to see someone else with his possessions.

Jin stood up and adjusted the straps on his shoulders before turning to look at Damien once more, “This is heavier than it looks. I mean, it’s light for me, but not as light as I had expected. Anyway, I’m going to start on dinner, so I’ll be in the kitchen.” Without another word on the matter, he left the company of the housemates and made his way to the kitchen where he began setting up to cook the meal.

Damien’s eyes followed Jin out of the living room, and for a while, he didn’t once look away because he was able to see him from where he sat on the couch. As a sixteen-year-old, he felt childish acting like this… He was positive the others didn’t understand why he was so attached to his backpack like some kid and his blanket. Perhaps he really was like a child in that way, but he couldn’t help it. Since before he could remember, the line always seemed to be blurred between what was his and what wasn’t. Often things would be given to him but then taken away not long after. The only things he knew were actually his was everything in that backpack, which consisted mostly of clothing and other necessities.

“Damien.” Rapmon shook his shoulder to grab his attention, “Do you like skateboarding? If so, why don’t we go around the neighborhood a bit? Rhodon’s been keeping my skateboard here while I’ve been in Japan, so you can try mine out. Don’t you have your own as well, Rhodon?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I do. I actually left them in the trunk of my car, so I’ll go grab them real quick.” Rhodon replied as he jumped from his seat and hurried out to the garage.

“You skateboard, too? Yeeees!” Aiden said excitedly as he also jumped from his spot on the couch and rushed to his room to grab his own skateboard. He hadn’t gone skateboarding in so long!

“It’s too bad I don’t have mine from home, otherwise I would join in.” Evan commented with a slight frown. He liked skateboarding enough, but it’s not like he loved it or anything. It was just something to do to pass the time or to get around town faster, but with a group of people, it could probably be more fun.

“The three of you can share our boards, no problem. Come on, let’s go.” Rapmon insisted with a grin and headed for the door, waving for the others to join him. “Andy, Damien, have you ever skateboarded before?” he asked as he held the door open for all of them to exit the house.

Damien took one last look over at Jin, who offered him a smile and a gesture to leave with them, and then he stepped out of the door after Andy and Evan, “No, I’ve never tried it, but I’ve wanted to. I’ve seen a few people ride on them in Liverpool, but most people ride bicycles.”

Andy nodded as though he agreed with what Damien said, “I’ve never skateboarded before either. I’m really excited to try it out though!” he responded as he watched Rhodon swerve into the driveway. Apparently he had had enough time to ride a few seconds on the board before they exited the house.

“Here’s yours.” Rhodon said as he came to a stop, placed one foot onto the pavement, and then handed Rapmon his skateboard that he had carried in his arm. “Let’s get started then, huh? Who wants to go first?” he asked Andy and Damien. He wanted to give them the first chance so they could experience it.

Andy looked to Damien, who gestured for him to be the first, so he went ahead and stepped up to Rhodon to indicate that he would be going first, “We’re not going to get ourselves hit by a car right?” he joked nervously as he glanced at the street to make sure no automobiles were in sight.

Rhodon laughed at his comment and patted his shoulder to give him some comfort and then offered his arm for support in case he needed it, “Hold onto my arm or shoulder if you think you’re going to fall.” he said as he watched him place his feet on the board, “Okay, so both of your feet are facing towards me… Right position, yeah… Uh… Place your left foot a little farther towards the front of the board… yeah, like that. Okay, Chim Chim, so this is how you stand on your board.”

Jimin eyed Rhodon with confusion as he stood carefully on the board and used Rhodon’s left shoulder to help keep himself balanced. “Chim Chim?” Did he really just call him that? He was mostly confused because he wasn’t sure where he was getting the name from, but also because they just met and all of a sudden he had a nickname for him! Is that… normal? He wasn’t certain…

“You’re okay if I call you that now and then, right? Honestly that’s the first name that pops into my head sometimes when I try and remember your name. It’s because when Aiden was first telling us about you, he couldn’t pronounce your last name and ended up just saying ‘Chimchim,’ so it kind of just stuck.” Rhodon explained just as Aiden joined their presence.

“It wasn’t intentional; I just really couldn’t pronounce it.” he added in to defend himself. It was an Italian name that he had never seen before, so of course he wouldn’t know how to pronounce it!

Andy laughed in response as he came to an understanding, finding the nickname to be quite amusing anyways, “Call me whatever you want; just know that I can’t promise to respond to it.” It wasn’t a big deal to him having strange nicknames, just as long as they weren’t insults. Then again, people who usually gave him insulting nicknames weren’t the type to ask if he was okay with them. He appreciated the fact that Rhodon asked him for permission, though he was positive most people didn’t ask such a thing. “Okay, so I just push off right?” he asked, returning his attention back to the skateboarding.

“Yeah sort of… First, make sure your dominant foot is in the front, slightly diagonal and facing forward. Figure out what stance is most comfortable to you, but you’ll find that the more you practice. So how about this… I’ll run next to you once you push off, just in case you fall. To stop,  position your front foot sideways and then put pressure on the back of the skateboard with your other foot until you come to a stop. Oh, and to turn, also put pressure on the back to lift up the front and use your upper body to create momentum and complete the turn.” Rhodon instructed him. “All right, so you ready?”

Andy nodded and released Rhodon’s shoulder when he was ready to start. He positioned himself as explained by Rhodon and then finally pushed off. At first, he was wobbling on the board a little, but with Rhodon at his side to make sure he didn’t fall, he felt a little more confident than he would otherwise and began to control his direction a little better.

“Nice! Just keep it steady!” Aiden exclaimed before he turned to Evan, “I don’t suppose you’d want to run after anybody right? Here, take my board. I’ll just watch.” he offered as he handed the skateboard to him and then stepped to the side.

“You’re sure? All right then. Thanks,” Evan replied as he took it gratefully. He didn’t move just yet though… He wanted to see how Damien was going to do on his first try.

“All right, so you listened to Rhodon’s explanation, right?” Rapmon asked Damien as he placed his skateboard down on the ground for Damien to place his foot on. Once he received a nod, he watched as Damien adjusted his dominant foot into position and then pushed off without any hesitation. He was obviously eager to ride, but Rapmon wasn’t ready to run after him just yet! “Hey, you might fall you know!” he exclaimed as he rushed after him, nearly tripping over his own feet as he did so.

Damien knew he was being a little reckless for someone who had never ridden a skateboard before, but watching Andy ride it made him even more excited to try it out. Similar to Andy, he fumbled at first as he tried to catch his balance, but the more he thought about Rhodon’s instructions, the more he allowed himself to test things out. Rapmon eventually caught up, but he didn’t completely feel the need to have him at his side. He was enjoying himself!

“Watch out, watch out, watch out!!!” Rhodon exclaimed to Andy when he noticed his footing was getting off and the curb was coming up.

Unfortunately, Andy wasn’t able to correct himself before the curb, and instead of allowing something to happen, he jumped off and slowed himself down quickly before going after the skateboard. With the board in hand, he took a few deep breaths to slow his breathing because his adrenaline had been triggered slightly. “Whoops.” he laughed a little as he turned to Rhodon whose breathing was also more labored due to his running and his fear for Aiden, “I couldn’t figure out how to fix it in time, sorry.” he apologized as he rubbed the back of his head and handed the board back, “Here, I’d like to watch you for a bit to see what you do.”

“You sure? Okay, if you say so. Honestly, you really just needed to turn your front foot a little straighter when you were trying to speed up.” Rhodon replied as he set the skateboard down and hopped on without a problem, “I’m actually not very good at skateboarding yet. I’ve only learned the basics, nothing really more.” he said before pushing off slowly to allow Andy to jog beside him.

Meanwhile, Evan had already hopped onto Aiden’s board after watching Damien’s start, and he was calmly traveling behind him and Rapmon, though he didn’t pay all that much attention to them. His eyes were lifted to the sky as he allowed the wind to freely blow through his blonde hair, making him feel practically weightless. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he finally glanced over at Damien who had finally come to a stop to allow Rapmon a turn on his board. Out of curiosity to see Rapmon skateboard, he came to a stop, picked up his board, and then looked on as Damien happily handed the board to its owner.

“I’m a little rusty, so don’t expect much from me. I’m not really much of a skateboarding person.” Rapmon said as he stepped onto the board and pushed off. He sped up as the street began to straighten out and easily maneuvered himself onto the sidewalk before allowing himself to jump off of the curb for some air time. As soon as he landed, however, one of his wheels began to wobble, and he was quick to hop off the board before he fell off involuntarily, “Man, is this thing screwing up again?” he asked himself as he picked the board up and inspected the front wheels.

“Are you breaking it again already? You just had that fixed before you left for Japan!” Rhodon complained as he came to a stop just beside Rapmon, “I swear you aren’t meant to own anything.” he joked as he looked over at Andy and Damien, “You guys can trade off on my board if you’d like. Let’s ride around the neighborhood a little longer so the two of you have more of a chance at it.” he suggested.

Damien eagerly nodded, but Andy seemed to be a little uncertain, “I dunno, I think I’ll watch how they skateboard and try again later.” he decided as he stepped aside to gesture for Damien to go ahead and use the skateboard. He hoped Rhodon’s wheel wouldn’t falter like Rapmon’s did…

“I had it fixed a week before I left, so it’s had plenty of time for it to act up. The wheel is probably falling off because you used it so much this summer.” Rapmon defended himself against Rhodon even though he had already moved past the conversation.

“Why would he use your skateboard when he’s got his own?” Evan asked with a raised eyebrow, rather amused by the situation.

“Point exactly.” Rhodon pointed towards Evan and gave Rapmon a nod, “Even he knows that makes no sense.” he grinned before turning back to Damien, “Alright, go ahead and-- Oh, he’s already started.” he said as he watched Damien skateboard down the remainder of the street. “Well, I’m gonna go catch up with him in case he hits something or falls.” And with that, he hurried off after Damien and his skateboard.

45 minutes or so passed and the boys returned to the house to see if dinner was finally ready. They had accidentally been gone longer than expected because they had even left the neighborhood for more skateboarding practice, and now that their minds were no longer so distracted, they were starving! Jin had only just finished cooking by the time they had gotten back, so luckily for them they didn’t have to wait long for their meal at all. The rest of the night was then spent playing video games or speaking to one another.

The following morning, the entire household basically slept in until 10:30 a.m. and would have slept in even more if it wasn’t for Andy’s parents’ expected arrival. Andy was to spend the remainder of the day with his parents up until the freshman orientation activities began. Most of the freshman were moving into their dorms by now, but because Aiden, Andy, and Damien were already set on their place to live, all they had to do was receive the P.O. box information from C.P.O, where mail is delivered and received, and then retrieve their school-provided laptops from the library. Everything had to be done by 1:30, which was when freshman would be introduced to their advisors and GSTR classmates at the quad, a wide open space in front of the library. After saying goodbye to Andy and his parents, the others accompanied Damien in attending the practice ceremony, which was for participating faculty and students representing different countries to find where they retrieve their flags and what position and order they stand in (of course the group just stood outside the building to wait for him so as not to be awkward).

After the practice, the group walked the freshman next door to the library to receive their computers, which took nearly an hour due to lines and tutorials given by student workers. Once that deed was done, they all walked across the campus to Woods-Penn, which stood practically right next to the Alumni building. The group descended the stairs to the bottom floor of Woods-Penn to reach CPO and retrieve the freshmen’s PO boxes and lock combinations. By now it was reaching 1:15 p.m., so they hurried back to the quad where several people were already gathering among the lawn chairs, positioned in circles to encourage socialization among students with the same assigned advisors and GSTR professors.

“Alright, here’s where you separate and find your advisors. We’ll--” Jin cut himself off when Aiden’s hand went up to signal that he had something to say. Was he not ready to leave yet or something? All this time he thought Aiden was a really outgoing person who enjoyed meeting new people and making friends…

“Wait. Before we separate, you guys have got to meet my mom. She’s over there!” Aiden insisted as he pointed to the steps of the library past all of the people. “Come on, I’m sure she’s excited to meet all of you. It’s too bad Andy’s not with us to meet her, but he’ll meet her eventually.” he said as he led the group through the crowded area until they joined his mother’s company. Aiden looked as though he was ready to hug her as soon as they came into a close proximity, but before he could, her arms were already being thrown around him.

“Hi, pumpkin~! It’s so good to see you! Are you enjoying your time at the house with your new friends?” Aiden’s mother asked as she beamed with joy at the sight of her son. She was 5’5” tall, which made her shorter than Aiden by three inches, and her brown hair only barely touched her shoulders. She was of an average body weight, and the signs of age were only barely creeping into her face.

“I’ve missed you, and it’s only been three days! I’m really having fun though. These are some of my new housemates!” Aiden replied as he stepped aside to point at each of them and inform her of their names. Each of them nodded in her direction and shook her hand once their names were called, some of them more thrilled looking than others.

“They all look so nice and dressed up… What fine young men. Especially you, in your suit! I didn’t expect anyone to be so fancy to this ceremony; did I underdress?” She asked as she eyed Damien, who was surprised and anxious to be the most outstanding as far as outfits goes in the group. Ms. Valentine was wearing a black dress that wasn’t particularly fancy at all but was suitable for an occasion such as this, or so she thought.

“Mom, you look fine. He’s just dressed like that because he’s representing his country by walking the British flag in the ceremony.” Aiden replied with a laugh, “I mean, the rest of us are even less underdressed than you are compared to Damien.” All of the rest of the boys were wearing polo shirts and jeans once again to appear nice enough for the occasion but not to where they were uncomfortable.

“Really? What a relief!” Ms. Valentine commented as she returned her eyes to Damien, “So you’re from England, huh? What’s it like over there compared to America?” she asked him curiously, all too pleased to be meeting all of  Aiden’s new friends.

Damien gulped and took a step back in response, obviously nervous from being questioned all of a sudden. What was she even asking him? He couldn’t focus on her words because he was too focused on keeping away from her. She was so… so outgoing and friendly that he had no idea how to react! Aiden didn’t even come across this way when they first met. “Um…” He couldn’t get any words out!

“Mom, mom, he’s… he’s not really good with people. He’s a little shy, you know?” Aiden informed her once he saw the shocked look upon Damien’s face. He rubbed the back of his head and offered his housemate an apologetic look, but all too soon, his mother was grabbing Damien’s cheek!

“How adorable~! Sorry about that, hon. I’m a bit too much of a people person, I suppose.” She apologized before pulling away from him cheerfully.

Damien tried to avoid her hand as she reached for him, but because he hadn’t expected it, she was able to get a hold of his left cheek and play with it before his dodge was complete. What was she doing? He could feel the heat rising in his face…

Evan winced as he watched Ms. Valentine pinch Damien’s cheek, and he even cast a sour glance in their direction. The poor guy… he was shy enough without her touching his face! He hated it when people pinched his cheeks, too, so he could only imagine how he felt!

Rapmon waited for her to pull away before offering Damien a pat on his upper back to offer his condolences for the situation, but his attention was pulled away once he too was addressed.

“Hiroshi, is it? You must be… the one from South Korea? Or is it Japan?” she asked. Aiden had told her a little bit of information about his housemates, but she didn’t exactly have faces to fit the information…

“Uh, not Korea. Japan.” Rapmon replied. It’s not that he had an issue with Korea and its people or anything… He just had a bit of pride as a Japanese individual-- pride in his country. He didn’t think he was better, but for some reason, he was brought up being taught that Japanese and Koreans simply don’t get along. He didn’t agree this, but at the same time, sometimes it was hard for him to climb over that barrier between the cultures. Meeting Jin and holding conversations with him was definitely opening his eyes, which he was grateful for; he was actually beginning to speak of the differences between the countries as a sort of joke now and then to bug Jin.

“Oh, I see… Sorry about that. What’s Japan like?”

“Mom, sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got to go. You can stand near my group, but I have to sit with my new classmates and my advisor.” Aiden interrupted hesitantly. His mother was so interested in meeting his new friends, and he understood that. The thing is… they were hurting for time! “You can talk to them while we’re waiting for the ceremony to start later.”

“Oh, all right. It was nice meeting you boys!” Ms. Valentine bid them farewell before following after Aiden to find his advisor.

Once they were out of earshot, the remaining members of the group all released a sigh of relief. “Man, oh man… I see where Aiden gets it from. He’s like the spitting personality of his mother.” Rapmon commented with a small chuckle.

“Yeah… scary.” Evan remarked with a shudder. He had to admit though… she seemed nice-- like a good mother. Perhaps she came off a little strong, but more than likely she wasn’t all that bad. Sort of like Aiden… He himself just wasn’t use to such enthusiasm.

“I agree that she and Aiden are similar, but I like her. She was very peppy.” Rhodon commented with a smile as he watched the two of them leave. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so comfortable with an adult.

Jin grinned at their remarks and looked over at Damien, “You ready to meet even more people now?” he knew that Aiden’s mother sort of crossed his boundaries, but he had plenty more uncomfortable situations to get through today.

Damien quickly shook his head in response, but he knew he had no choice. He had to join the huge crowd of people… Who was his advisor again? His eyes glanced over the sea of people uncertainly, hoping the name would come to his mind as soon as possible.

“Come on, I’ll go with you to find your advisor. Do you remember who it is?” Rhodon asked as he gestured for Damien to join him in the search. The two of them maneuvered through the chairs, trees, and people in search for the signs with the names of the advisors on them.

“I’m not… really sure. I think I remember it starting with an A…” Damien replied as he spotted a few signs here and there with none of the names ringing a bell.

“Ouch… This is going to be tough then. Okay… is it that one? … No? Okay, that one? No? Hmm… I don’t see another-- oh! How about that one?” Rhodon was pointing out every sign he could see to try and help Damien recall the name to his memory, but it took him at least five tries before Damien recalled the name.

“Ah! Arther Mathis. That was his name.” Damien said as he pointed at the sign that stood out of the ground several yards away. He honestly had almost wished that he hadn’t found the name so that he wouldn’t have to socialize, but at the same time, he wouldn’t want to be in that kind of a sticky situation either. He and Rhodon made their way over to the circle of students that sat around the sign, and as soon as they reached the area, Rhodon pulled Damien aside one last time to give him a bit of advice.

“Okay, so this is it. All you need to do is smile and greet people. Be confident. Hold eye contact if possible. It’s always best to stay on the cheery side; people are less likely to talk to you if you don’t give off the right vibe. You’ve got this.” Rhodon said before giving him a thumbs up and abandoning his housemate in the circle.

“W-Wait--” Damien frowned as he watched Rhodon leave. He was quick to realize that there were already a few people watching him because Rhodon had left him directly in the middle of that circle. Smile? Greet people? No way! People won’t talk to him if he doesn’t give off the right vibe? Great! That’s exactly what he wanted. Avoiding all of the eyes that seemed to follow him, he sat himself down in one of the vacant lawn chairs that had no one occupying the neighboring seats. He kept his gaze lowered and nervously tapped his fingers on his knees as he awaited further instructions from his advisor, who he had yet to see. Several minutes passed, which seemed like hours to him as he listened to the many conversations surrounding him. Most people around him were introducing themselves, their intended major, and their interests, but he was grateful that he was being left out of it. It was nice that the exact opposite of Rhodon’s advice was working in his favor…

Hesitantly, Damien lifted his eyes to finally allow himself to take a look around the area and see the different students in other circles-- of course he didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone in his own. Not too far away in another circle of students, he spotted many individuals holding a conversation together, some standing and some sitting. However, one student stood out to him; some guy with reddish-brown, short hair whose gaze at the ground showed no implication that he wanted to be involved at all. He seemed to be just as uncomfortable as Damien himself was, and for some reason, that made a small smile make its way onto Damien’s lips. Of course he didn’t like the idea of someone else feeling uncomfortable or anxious, but he felt more at ease by the fact that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“Hey, my name is Ashley! It’s nice to meet you; what’s your name?” A girl came out of nowhere and completely disrupted Damien’s thoughts, his eyes widening at the sight of her. He stood up with a jolt and tried to back away from her, only to stumble over the same chair he had been sitting in. He probably would have fallen if Andy hadn’t hurried over to help him back up.

“Whoa, hey, what’s going on? You all right?” Andy promptly questioned his housemate. He was making his way over just as the situation had begun, and frankly, he was confused… All the girl did was say ‘hi’. He studied Damien’s facial expression for a moment before looking back at the girl apologetically, “Sorry, he uh… he’s kind of had a bad day, and I don’t think social interactions are the best for him right now. He’s a bit on edge because… lack of sleep. Yeah.” he nodded as if to confirm his own statement, but he actually had no idea why Damien acted in such a way.

“Oh, sorry. Introductions can always be done later then; we are in the same class after all.” The brunette replied as she offered Damien and Andy a small wave so she could return to her seat and meet other classmates.

Damien waited for her to sit down before heaving a sigh of relief and sitting down again, all to thankful to Andy for interrupting them and basically saving his life. As Andy took a seat beside him, he glanced in his direction, “Thanks… I’m not very good at socializing so…” he trailed off as he caught Andy’s facial expression. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“What? I can’t smile? Does my smiling make you nervous?” Andy laughed as he nudged his arm gently, “I’m just messing with you. I’m honestly just glad that we’re in the same class. You may not be good at socializing with people, but I think you will be eventually. It takes time if you’re not use to it.” he assured him, “So why don’t we practice? So pretend I’m a stranger. I mean, a complete stranger.” he suggested as he held out his hand for a handshake, “You introduce yourself first.”

Damien knit his eyebrows together as he hesitantly took hold of his hand and shook it. What was he suppose to say? “Um… It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am majoring in chemistry. I think… I enjoy art and Pokemon as well.” he said uncertainly. He had no idea what else to say, so he just sputtered the last bit out, “It’s um… a pleasure.”

Andy remained serious for as long as possible, but he seriously couldn’t hold in his laughter. “Yeah, yeah, that’s good!” he cackled as he released the handshake and hit his own knee to express how funny he found the situation, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, it’s just… You left out the most important part! It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I still don’t know your name.” he continued to laugh, even though he was trying his best to suppress it. After a few deep breaths, he finally calmed down and grinned in Damien’s direction, “Geez… also, people don’t really talk like you did. Usually they start with a subtle hello, say their name, and say ‘it’s nice to meet you,’ or something like that. It sounds like they are also introducing their majors during the introduction, but with the people I’ve spoken with, they don’t usually say their interests unless they are interested in carrying on the conversation with you. If you don’t want a conversation, just end it with your major.” he suggested. “Speaking of which… I’m going to start talking to our classmates now. Why don’t you join me?” Before even receiving an answer, he grabbed hold of Damien’s hand to pull him out of the chair and then patted him on the back for encouragement. He knew Damien probably wouldn’t ever get to know his classmates if he wasn’t forced into it.

Meanwhile, the four upperclassmen that were only there to support their three freshman housemates were gathered at the refreshment table, where the only drink options were either lemonade or water. With Evan being the only one of the four grabbing lemonade, they all made their way across the quad to sit on the library steps and watch all of the freshmen interact with each other. Evan’s facial expression revealed his disgust for his drink once he had taken a sip, and he couldn’t help but comment on it as his eyes continued to search the quad for something entertaining, “Ah… Why is this so tart and sweet? A more important question… why do I always choose the lemonade when I know I’m always going to have the same reaction?” he shook his head and sighed as if he was annoyed himself.

“That’s called insanity, according to Einstein--doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Rapmon commented as he chuckled at Evan’s complaints.

Evan gave Rapmon an unamused glance and then returned his eyes to the quad, having no interest in discussing science at the moment. “...Why are we here again? I didn’t even want to attend this last year when I was actually a freshman…”

Jin smiled only slightly in response to Evan’s question as he tried to find a way of explaining his reasoning to him. Once he was ready to speak, he cleared his throat and eyed all three of them for a moment before looking to the many circles of freshmen and pointing at the area, “Obviously, you see all the freshmen and remember quite well being in their shoes and wondering where you were suppose to go. Because all of you live so far away, I assume none of you had your parents with you to support you during this event, just as I didn’t. As much as I’m sure you don’t want to admit  it, it must have hurt, right? A big moment like this… entering a college where you might discover who you are, a college that is so far away from home that you may go an entire year before seeing your family again, if not longer. This day is the day parents say farewell to their sons and daughters and tell them how proud they are of them to be making such a big decision and tell them they will be missed and loved. When freshmen have their parents and friends here, they feel supported, uplifted, excited, and sometimes sad to be separating. But… what about those who have no one to be there for them? You all know how it felt… Even if your parents said farewell at the airport, I’m sure you still felt empty inside during the ceremony, didn’t you? Some obviously feel worse than others depending on household affairs, but I’m sure most of us wish that our parents would have been at this ceremony. While you may have been taking a big step by attending this college, you probably wondered if your parents cared, if they were proud, if this was the best decision… People who don’t have anyone to support them tend to be more doubtful and negative about themselves. They turn this exciting moment into a bad experience.” he explained at length, obviously feeling deeply about the matter. He himself held no resentment towards his parents for their inability to be at the opening ceremony; he was very aware that if they could have attended it, they would have.

Rhodon’s expression fell the longer Jin spoke and once his piece was done, he nodded in agreement, “Yeah… I remember when I left home that my dad was the only one who took me to the aiport to say goodbye. My family was going through a hard time, and none of them felt up to saying anything to me about leaving. No congratulations or anything. The entire plane ride and even the ceremony left me kind of depressed to be honest. I didn’t feel as though I was accomplishing anything. I would have given anything to have felt supported at that time.” he admitted.

Rapmon sighed as he searched the freshmen for Aiden, Andy, and Damien. His eyes caught sight of Aiden’s mother taking pictures from a distance of Aiden, who was talking to some of the other students with that optimistic attitude of his. After searching a little more, he spotted Andy, who was interacting with fellow classmates as well, and then Damien, who was sitting down watching Andy at this point as if to learn something from his socializing. “Well… I see what you’re trying to say, but the thing is… we don’t know each other. How can they feel supported by us when we’ve only known each other for a day or two?”

“He’s got a point… We may be here in an attempt to make them feel even more support than they already have, but they probably won’t receive it at this point.” Evan agreed with Rapmon. Jin’s thoughts on the matter made sense, though… He recalled two nights ago when Damien stayed up for a majority of the night because of homesickness, and he wondered how he must be feeling even now… How could they do anything about it?

“You’re right. We don’t know each other very well right now. But, you never know what kind of impact you can make by doing something as simple as attending a ceremony for someone. If we all become good friends, don’t you want them to be able to look back and remember that we were there supporting them all along?” Jin asked as he rested his elbows above his kneecaps so he could lean over just slightly. He knew all too well what loneliness felt like, and with his past experiences, he also knew how to ease it in some cases.

Rhodon was left amazed by Jin’s comments… His goal was to be a counselor of sorts, and the fact that Jin was able to put himself in other people’s shoes to try and better other people’s lives made him excited and determined to be more mindful of such things as well. He was beginning to look up to Jin in a way…

Nearly 30 minutes passed before the freshmen took a picture together on the steps of the library and then were released back to their parents to spend their last hour and a half or so with them. After the ceremony was over, they wouldn’t be allowed to see them again, so time was precious for many of the students. Damien watched from afar as Andy left the crowd to meet up with his parents, as many others did around him. He even spotted Aiden, whose smile couldn’t even be missed from a mile away it seemed because he was so excited to speak to his mother about the people he’s met. Damien’s lips tugged into a small smile of its own simply because he was glad to see his new housemates happy, but inside he could feel his heart throbbing with pain that was all too familiar to him. He’s felt this many times throughout his life, and every time he longed to be in someone else’s shoes. He’d give anything for just one word of encouragement, one hug, anything from HIS parents, even if it was practically impossible. He didn’t want to be here amongst these people, he didn’t want to see any of this, and he didn’t need to take part in it either. This opening ceremony was for families and friends…

With a sigh, Damien turned his back to the library and began his walk towards Phelps Stokes, the building diagonally to the right of the library where the ceremony would be held. He desperately wanted to walk this feeling off and was quite tempted to do just that and skip the ceremony altogether. College was suppose to be full of new experiences and opportunities, but he felt separated from it all. With Aiden and Andy occupied with their families, he was under the assumption that he was alone in all of this because even though the upperclassmen had discussed going to the event, he wasn’t sure they actually would. With his hands stuffed into the pockets of the slacks Aiden let him borrow, he entered Phelps Stokes and promptly turned left to arrive in the main seating area.

“Damien! Hey!” Rhodon called out from behind him as he rushed into the room after him with the others close behind him, “Geez, what are you doing running off on your own? We were calling for you, did you not hear us?” he asked, obviously concerned.

Damien turned around as soon as he heard his name, confusion evident upon his face as all of the upperclassmen housemates came into view, “Uh… no. I didn’t. I was just…” he shrugged, “Coming in here to wait for the ceremony to begin I guess. What are you guys doing here?”

“We told you we were coming, didn’t we? We’re here to watch you guys take your first steps as college freshmen.” Jin replied cheerfully. Watching how Damien carried himself to the building was confirmation to him that he definitely didn’t want to take part in any of this, which made him glad that he had stayed with the others. “Where are you sitting? The flag bearers have assigned seating, right?”

Damien nodded in response and pointed to the front rows of chairs in the left section of the sitting area, “I’m in the third row back, which is the last row on this side for the required seating. The others are set up on the other side.” he replied. He still didn’t quite understand why they were attending the ceremony, but somehow he felt kind of grateful. It couldn’t just be because he was able to see his backpack again, right? He felt bad that Jin was carrying it everywhere today once the events started…

“Okay, then we’ll sit right behind you.” Evan informed him as he already moved to take his seat in the third row back and furthest right seat near the wall; he liked easy access to the exit. He gestured for them to join him and pointed for Damien to sit in front of him.

“Make sure we save enough seats for everyone; we’ll probably take up almost the entire row, won’t we? Six of us and three parents… That leaves maybe four seats left in the row?” Rapmon remarked as he removed the jacket he was wearing and placed it in the last chair they needed. The others helped in removing accessories of theirs to save seats and then sat themselves down to await the start of the ceremony. “By the way, Damien… I thought you should know, I was in the same spot you are right now when I was a freshman. I walked the flag of Japan, you know? And man, did I ruin everything. I accidentally tripped and fell on someone in front of me while we were lining up with our flags, and bam-- three of us were on the ground trying to get up as fast as possible to avoid the inevitable embarrassment.” Rapmon shook his head, “I don’t think those two people forgave me either, now that I think about it…” he laughed a little.

Jin flashed the evil eye in Rapmon’s direction, finding this information to be inappropriate at the moment. Couldn’t he have saved this story for afterwards? “Was that really necessary?” a small laugh escaped his lips as he imagined the scenario, even though he tried to be serious. “Damien, you’re not going to trip and fall like Rapmon did. I think it’s becoming evident that he’s a little accident prone.” he assured him.

Damien nodded and offered a nervous smile in response while Rhodon and Evan laughed at the memory. “I totally forgot about that! That was hilarious! Actually, it was the only part of the ceremony that wasn’t boring; you should do it on purpose Damien!” Rhodon commented.

“No, no, for real, you should try your best to concentrate and not fall on other people to spare yourself and others from the embarrassment.” Rapmon laughed. “Jin’s right, you’ll be fine. I just wanted to share that story because there’s no way anyone can do worse. It should make you feel better.” he encouraged him.

More and more people began to file into the room, filling the seats quickly the closer the clock approached the starting time. Aiden, Andy, and their parents joined the boys just before the ceremony was to begin, and it seemed by this time that Aiden and Andy were very eager to get through the whole thing, even though they would more than likely miss their parents at least a little bit…

The ceremony began with several faculty members speaking about Berea College and its history of racial integration, the motto, etc. The president of the college spoke on about what Berea strives to do for students, what opportunities lie ahead for the freshmen, and basically everything that would assure parents that this college was going to serve their sons and daughters well. Because most of the speeches twenty minutes or so into it were speaking about parents and their connections with the students and how proud they should be, etc., Damien was quick to fall asleep where he sat with his head dangling down loosely; he had no desire to sit through something that would make ponder upon matters that would bring him down even more. Directly behind him, Evan began to snooze as well, striving to get his well-deserved, award-winning amount of sleep-- well, perhaps he was just sleeping because it would make time go by faster. Jin shook his head once he noticed both of them were fast asleep, and he was half-tempted to wake them both up. In fact, he really considered doing so, but one thing held him back… Damien really didn’t need to hear this whole spiel they were giving, and Evan had already heard it before. Why not let it be? Soon enough he, Aiden, Andy, Rhodon were the only ones awake out of all of the housemates. When it came close to time for the flag bearers to retrieve their countries’ flags, Jin was quick to poke the back of Damien’s head several times until he finally awoke, and he proceeded to wake up Evan and Rapmon as well. It was nearing the end anyways…

No mistakes were to be seen out of the entire ceremony, to Damien’s great relief, and with everything finally out of the way, it was time for the parents and students to finally separate. Many tears were shed, mainly by Aiden and his mother, but it was an exciting moment for them all. At last, the students were all setting off on their own without any parental supervision, and the college experience was about to begin for all of the freshmen.