After lunch, as usual, Gabe and I went out to the garden to throw the ball.
"With the tuning pegs, you adjust the pitch of each string. The strings produce a note on their own when pyed open, but when you press them at certain points on the fretboard, which is the lo part of the guitar, this note ge. There are seven natural notes," said Gabe excitedly as we threw the ball, "but sihe guitar only has six strings, you have to press different strings on any of the frets, which are the divisions on the fretboard, to get the other two notes," he tinued with a big smile.
Smiling, I nodded and listeo what Gabe was saying. "What's up?" Gabe asked wheiced my silend smile.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just gd you're enjoying learning the guitar," I said as I threw the ball ba.
Gabe didn't say anything, but his broad smile told me he was happy.
We tinued pying for a few more minutes until Geia came out of the Cooper's house, looking annoyed, still wearing his backpack.
"What's up, Geie?" I asked, waving at him.
"My mom asked me to sit with Sheldon during lunorrow, so I escaped before she could force me," he said, tossing his backpack to the ground and asking Gabe for the ball.
"So that's why she were in the cafeteria today?" I asked, "She was worried because Sheldo have ao sit with," I tinued.
"Haha, your mom was in the cafeteria at your school? I'm only nine, and even I know how embarrassing that is," Gabe teased Geie, receiving the ball they threw at him.
We finished pying as it started getting dark. Gabe and I said goodbye to Geie before heading bato the house.
Gabe quickly went to the bathroom to take a shower, while I grabbed an apple from the kit and headed to my room. But before I could enter my room, I ulled into Mom and Bob's room.
"Shhh," Mom said, pressing her hand against my mouth, "you'll wake up your father if you make so muoise," she said, even though I hadn't made a sound, looking out of her room's door towards the living room and speaking as quietly as possible.
"What's going on, Mom?" I asked, removing her hand from my mouth. "I tried to tell your Dad about the pregnancy, but I couldn't do it. It's like the universe is spiring against me. I tried to tell him, but he started talking about termites in Uruguay and how they destroy entire buildings in a matter of months. He seemed so happy talking about those is that I couldn't say anything. PJ, help me," she said, gripping my shirt.
"I don't know what I do for you, Mom. Do you wao tell him?" I asked, taking her hand to prevent her from ruining my shirt.
"No! I have to tell him myself," Mom quickly replied in an agitated tone, "but I just 't find the right moment." She tinued, much calmer, "I don't think there's a perfeent, Mom. You just have to tell him, and he'll uand," I said, trying to calm her down even more.
Still a little agitated, Mom started to breathe more steadily. I guided her to the bed and sat her down carefully. "He already has three children; I don't think the news of a fourth will upset him too much," I said while patting her back.
With a long sigh and a deep breath, she said resolutely, "You're right, PJ. I'm just a bit anxious, that's all. I'll tell him tomorrow, without fear. I'll just tell him, and that's it." Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she said, "Even that doctor, House, knows about my pregnancy. I asked Dr. Richards if he had told him, but apparently, he didn't. I don't know how he found out. He said it was obvious, but no one else but you has figured it out." She said, intrigued.
"Maybe he guessed it," I replied, "wheold you that you were pregnant, what did you say to him?" I asked.
"Well, at first, I thought Dr. Richards had told him, so I got angry. When I asked him if Dr. Richards had told him, he just ughed and walked away without saying anything," Mom said, "then I went to ask Dr. Richards if he had told him, but he assured me that he hadn't. So I don't know how he could've guessed it."
"He probably noticed your symptoms. Today at lunch, you felt nauseous once, you go to the bathroom frequently, you try to hide your fatigue but it's evident, and most importantly, your mood has been ging," I ented, not paying much attention.
Notig Mom's silence, I quickly looked back at her.
"How do you know all that, PJ?" Mom asked, intrigued, with a furrowed brow.
"Well, there are books about pregnancies in the school library, which is not stra all, right?" I quickly lied, trying to ge the subject with a nervous ugh.
With a furrowed brow, Mom seemed to think for a few seds until her eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Oh, PJ," she said, pullio a hug, "you're so worried about me that you started reading a book about pregnancies." She tinued, squeeziightly in the already strong embrace, "you're such a good son," she said, tearfully on my shirt.
I gently patted her shoulder, trying to calm her.
We stayed like that for a few minutes until Mom calmed down, pulled away from me with a tear-stained face, and said, "You stink, go take a shower," as she chuckled a little, still with mucus on her face.
With a soft ugh, I said goodbye to Mom and headed to the bathroom that Gabe had vacated several minutes ago.
After my shower, ba our room like every night for the past week, Gabe ying one of the guitars. However, u week, he was now paying special attention to his left hand, which was holding the thi part of the guitar.
As for me, I was getting ready to practie suturing again, but this time, instead of using an e, I had grabbed a banana from the kit right after leaving the bathroom a few moments before.
"In theory, if I press these three strings at the same time and strum," said Gabe, his face full of tration.
I watched as he pressed the strings with great force, causing the tips of his fio turn white and tremble a bit. Wherummed the strings with his right hand, a muted and pletely out-of-tune sound came out, obviously not what he had hoped for. Disappointed, Gabe put the guitar aside and lowered his head i, gazing at the palms of his hands.
"I 't do it," I heard him say as he ched his hands in front of his face.
Setting aside my suturing tools on the desk, I approached the dejected child and sat down beside him.
"You know, when I lost my memory, I thought I couldn't be the brother that you and Teddy deserved, or the son that Mom and Dad raised. But even with the memory loss, I remembered that I couldn't just give up and not try. You might fail at first, yes, but if you keep trying, I promise you'll succeed," I said calmly as I hahe guitar ba and stood up.
Returning to my desk, I waited for him to give it another shot. I started with a simple suture when I heard it.
The clear sound of a note from the guitar.
With a little triumphant shout, Gabe said, "That's a C*," I gratuted him with a big smile, which he mirrored. After that, he tinued pying notes on the guitar, expining their o me while I tinued suturing. When there was no more room on the banana for another suture, I stored the tools and discarded the remaining parts after eating the fruit.
Gabe tinued practig with his guitar for several more minutes until it was time to sleep.
The day, just as I had bee aced to, my body woke up a couple of minutes before the arm. I dressed in sportswear, ced up my running shoes, did some quick warm-ups in the living room, and headed out for my daily run.
Returning after my strength exercises to the backyard, Mom and Bob were already awake. I took the gss of water that Mom had prepared for me, bid them farewell, and headed for a quick shower befrabbing a fruit for breakfast.
On the way to school, Bob handed me ten dolrs. "Here you go, PJ. Good lu css, son, and give it your best at practice," he said, patting my back as I got out of his rather old truck.
The first two periods were as usual, with Sheldon peting with me to answer questions and solve problems while I supported my cssmates who asked for my help.
During lunothing out of the ordinary happened. I chatted with my friends about pys we could try during practice or uping movies.
When the free period came, I went to the library where I had a study session pnned with Regina, Karen, and Gret.
The library had very few people, apart from the librarian, Miss Huts. "Good m," I greeted her as soon as I entered.
"Ah, PJ, how are you? Good m. Are you here for a book? As I recall, you returhe book you borrowed st week," she said, intrigued.
I had been visiting the library regurly as I o refresh some topics, so Miss Huts already reized me. "I'm doing well, Miss Huts. I'm just here to study with some friends. They should be here any minute," I replied with a smile.
"I've told you to call me Sheryl, PJ. You're my favorite student. You're one of the few people who treat me with ded look me in the eyes when talking to me, well, except for Sheldon, but you know how he is," she said.
"Yes, sometimes it's hard to like that kid. Well, I'll take a seat now. Thank you, Miss Huts," I said, ign her request; it felt weird to call her by her first name.
I took a mathematics book from the nearby shelves and sat down at a long table in the er of the library, starting to read while waiting for the girls to arrive.
"Oh, PJ, hi, you're studying mathematics, huh? I see. I'd be studying too if I hadn't missed 7% of the total questions this semester," Sheldon said, haughtily, taking a seat at a table not far from mine.
"Hello, Sheldon. Yes, I'm doing well, thanks for asking" I said ign his attempted attack. "What are you doing here? And why don't you sit with—" I was about to ask when Miss Huts interrupted me. "Try this," she said, leaving a yellow book oable in front of Sheldon. "It's been around a while, but it's still quite popur," she said with a smile, "unlike me, who's just been around a while," she tinued, losing her smile, "Oh, hi again, PJ, I didn't see you there," she said with a big smile as she walked away.
"What do you have there, Sheldon?" I asked, trying to get closer to see the cover of the book.
Taking the book and reading the title out loud, Sheldon replied, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," with a half-smile he said, "maybe this will help me."
"Sheldon, you know that I am—" I was saying until I was interrupted again.
"PJ, there you are!" Regina excimed. "We didn't know where the library was, so we had to ask for dires to get here," she tinued with a slight smile, batting her eyeshes.
"Hellina. Where are Karen and Gret?" I asked. "Oh, they were ing behind me," she said, surprised and intrigued as she turo look for her friends. "There they are! Girls, PJ is here," she shouted to her friends, who seemed lost in one of the library aisles.
"Agh, Regina, there are no magazines of any kind here, not even about shoes. Isn't this a library? Why are there only dumb books, and they don't even have pictures?" Karen excimed in frustration, a bit disgusted.
Hearing a chair being dragged, I saw Sheldoing up from his seat, muttering under his breath, "books with pictures," and quickly leaving the library.
Chug at the situation, I said, "So, shall we get started?"
Each of them took a seat and got their notepads ready. "What do you need help with? First-degree equations, factorization, notable products?" I asked as I ghrough the pages of the book.
"Well, I thought, why not? First, we'll start with some questions about you. Before you teach us anything, I'd like to know more about you, PJ. All we know is your name and that you're the quarterback," Regina said, holding onto my arm.
"And you smell really nice," Karen said suddenly.
"Yeah, that," Regina said, hugging my arm a little tighter.
"Okay..." I said, feeling somewhat unsure, "as you know, my name is PJ Dun. I have two siblings , my mom is a nurse, and my dad is aerminator. We used to live in Colorado, but dad got a great opportunity for his pany, so we moved here."
"Wow, you e from another try," Karen said, eyes wide in surprise.
"Karen, Colorado is in the Uates," Gret said, exasperated.
Still with my arm trapped in her hands, Regina leaned in closer to me. I could smell her perfume and the shampoo from her hair, which was too close to my face. "And what do you like to do in your free time, PJ from Colorado?" she asked, fluttering her eyeshes rapidly.
"I do some exercise in the ms and enjoy pying with my brabe," I said, a bit dazed by the st.
"Oh yes, some exercise," Regina said, pressing my arm aing even closer.
Feeling a bit unfortable in my pants, I was taken aback. Oh no, this is bad. It must be teenage hormones. I moved away slightly frina, but even with my arm still trapped, she followed and got even closer. I could feel her breasts against my arm, and I tried to hide the ere in my pants with a leg movement.
"So, PJ, is there anything else you like to do outside of school?" she asked in a low voice, sounding very seductive.
It's hard to think; I could feel Regina's breath on my neck, one of her hands caressing the side of my arm, and the other pressing against my bicep.
With my mouth a bit dry, I stammered, looking at her lips, "Well, Regina, I, I..." until I was interrupted again.
"Superstar!" Brock yelled as he appeared with my other three friends.
Regina quickly let go of my arm, and I took the opportunity to adjust myself and hide my ere.
"Hey, guys, you came! Take a seat; let me introduce you, although I think you already know each other. Regina, Gret, and Karen, these are my friends and teammates, Brock, An, David, and Geie," I said with relief, introdug them as they took their seats and greeted the girls with some shyness.
"Hi, guys," Regina said with a forced smile.
"Did you guys already start?" An asked mogly, raising an eyebrow at the short distaween Regina and me. "Studying, of course," he added after a moment.
"No, we were just about to," I said, opening the book again. "So, roblems are you having?" I tinued.
"Why do math problems suddenly have letters? They used to be only numbers," Karen said, looking at her notebook with clear signs of effort on her face.
And so, I began to expin to eae about the questions they had. We started with math doubts, then moved on to sd even English. Gret and Ahe ones with the most questions, seeming more serious about their studies thahers. Geie, David, and Brock seemed to pete for Karen's attention, and she happily chatted with them about anything they came up with.
Meanwhile, Regina took advantage of moments of sileweeions to ask me her own 'questions': "Did you have a girlfriend in Colorado?" "What type of cologne do you use?" "Do you like dogs or cats?" questions of that sort.
We tiudying until the bell for the peri. Gathering our things, we all walked together to the library's exit.
"Thank you so much for helping us study, PJ. I learned a lot today," Regina said again, with her hand on my arm.
"Yes, PJ, thank you so much," Gret added, along with Karen, who tinued chatting with my friends.
"You're wele. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask," I said, smiling at Regina.
"Alright! See you ter, PJ, guys," Regina said, giving me a kiss on the cheek and waving goodbye to my friends.
"See you. Have a good day," Miss Huts said as the girls passed by her desk. She received no response, only lowered her head i and tinued with her work.
"Karen is totally into me," Brock said suddenly, watg the girls walk away. "What? Are you blind, friend? It's clear she was talking more with me," Geie said, offended. "Guys, guys, you don't know what's in a dy's heart like Karen's. I do, and she clearly only had eyes for me," David said, raising his head proudly.
Laughing at my friends' antics, I began to walk out of the library, but Brock got in my way.
He stopped me and allowed the others to leave the room.
With seriousness, he said, "Brother, you have te audy session with the girls. I o talk to Karen again to prove to Geie and David that she was into me," with a fident expression on his face.
"Why don't you go and talk to her yourself, 'brother'?" I asked mogly.
The question seemed to catch him off guard, and he couldn't answer for a few seds.
Seeing him struggle, I felt sorry for him, so putting ao his suffering, I pced a hand on his shoulder and said, "Sure, man, I ihem to study together again tomorrow. How about that?"
Immediately, his expressihtened, and with enthusiasm, he said, "You're the best, superstar!"
"Yes, yes, you pay me back ter," I responded with a smile.
After the st period I collected my things and tried to go talk to Sheldon. But again, Brock cut me off. "What do you think I should ask Karen tomorrow, maybe what her favorite food is so I know where to invite her to eat, or maybe what she likes to do in her free time" he said stopping me.
"I don't know friend, maybe you want to know her more before asking her out, what if you don't like her?" I answered while giving room for the st cssmate to pass.
"I don't care how she is, she's hot, that's what matters most mate" he said with resolution on his face.
"We have to go or we'll be te for practice." I said ughing at his nonsense.
Fully equipped on the field, it was just the two of us missing again.
With a wicked grin on his face, Coach Cooper blew his whistle to get our attention. "Since your quarterback arrived te, as a gift, he'll make you do a few ps," he shouted after blowing his whistle again. "Run, dies!"
"Thank your quarterback for such a kind gift," Coach Wilkins said as he approached Coach Cooper to talk.
My teammates came up to me with annoyed faces, giving me a small pun the shoulder and muttering, "Thanks," as they passed.
Running along the edge of the field, we crossed paths with the cheerleadiraining. With a big smile, Regina yelled, "Let's go, PJ!" Her two friends joined in, and Brock, who was running beside me, waved enthusiastically in their dire, not really g if any of them waved back. Chug at my friend's behavior, I returhe greeting with a slight haure and, making an effort, started to pick up speed. I shouted, "Whoever overtakes me gets the right to ask me for help with any subject's homework."
This seemed to motivate several of my teammates, as they quickly followed, trying to pass me.
I mao beat everyone except David, who, in a final effort, surpassed me. Lying on the ground but with my arms up, I shouted, "Yes, I won't be helping you with math homework anymore!" Laughing at his surprise, I helped him to his feet. "Yes, yes, it was just one assig; I won't be doing all your math homework forever, my friend."
He stood there in amazement, saying, "What?" incredulously.
"Yeah, it was just one assig; I'm not doing all your homework forever," I said as I walked towards the coaches in the middle of the field ign his face of disbelief.
"I hope you warmed up well, dies. We're going to train for real," Coach Wilkins said, blowing his whistle.
"As you know, it's defeh Coach Wilkins, offeh me," Coach Cooper said as he walked to one side of the field.
The traini on as usual.
In the end, Coach Cooper asked us to wait in the locker rooms.
"As you know, week is the first game of the season. I want you to eat well a as much as you need after each training session this week. If we stick to our pys, we win," Coach Cooper said seriously.
"Now Coach Wilkins has a few words for you," he said, allowing the coach to speak. "The team we're fag has—"
He expined about the opposing team, their strengths and weaknesses, so we'd know what to focus on during the week's training. When he finished, we were allowed to leave. Since I was driving with Coach Cooper and Geie, I quickly took a shower to off the dirt and sweat and headed home.
At the Cooper's house, Teddy and Gabe were sitting at their kit table with Missy. Teddy seemed to be helping the two boys with their homework, so I joihem and provided more detailed expnations for the points that Teddy skipped over.
When they finished, my siblings picked up their stuff, said goodbye to Missy, and with a thank you to Mrs. Cooper, we left to go home. On our way out, we crossed paths with Mr. Cooper, who was reading the neer on the living room couch alongside Sheldon, who had the book Miss Huts had given him today in his hand.
It seemed like they had fialking, as Sheldon was leaving. "Gee," Sheldon said, pausing for a moment and turning to speak with his father. After that, he walked away without notig our presence.
"See you ter, Mr. Cooper. Thanks for drivioday," I said, receiving a wave iurn.
Ba our living room, I eacefully reading my book when Gabe burst in ughing hysterically. "Oh, you should've seen it, PJ. The little genius approached me and said he was genuinely ied in me, so I made up a lot of things, and he believed it all."
"You don't have to tease him so much, Gabe. He has trouble reting to people; I think he was trying to be your friend. You should give him a ce; he's ye, after all," I scolded him a bit.
"Yeah, I don't think so," Gabe said as he walked away, ughing. "Haha, I'm thirty in the body of a nine-year-old; how he fall for that?"
With a tired smile, I tinued reading my book.
After dioday I went up to mom and asked her if she had told bob, "no, but I promise I'll tell him tomorrow", she answered without much fidence.
The day at school, during lunchtime, at Brock's insistence, I approached the table that the three girls had cimed.
"Hi, girls, good m," I greeted them as I stood in front of their table.
"Hi, PJ, what's up?" Regina said, smiling widely and adjusting her hair.
"I was w if you'd like to study again today in the library, like yesterday," I said.
"Yes, I'd love tina responded quickly with a big smile, ign her friends who hadn't answered the question.
Without asking again, I looked at the other two girls, who simply nodded.
After saying goodbye to the girls, I returo my usual table.
"There you go, we'll see them in the library during the free period," I told my excited friend, who celebrated a bit.
During the free period, my friends and I were once again sitting at the table in the library.
Brock seemed very nervous, fidgeting in his seat with ched hands, and muttering things under his breath as if he was talking to himself.
"Are you okay, buddy?" I asked, making him lose his tration.
"Yeah, just a little nervous. I'm going to see Karen again, and I want to make a good impression," Brock said, adjusting his hair and straightening up in his seat.
Ign my friends' ughter, I gave him some reassuring taps on the shoulder.
"Hey, PJ," I heard Regina cheerfully behind me, "and guys," she tinued with less enthusiasm, "what are they doing here? I thought it would be just you ahis time," she asked me with intrigue.
"Oh, no, I also invited my friends, and Karen and Gret. Aren't they ing?" I asked, surprised.
Regina seemed in shock, remaining silent for a moment, and her face had only a half-smile. "Oh, yes, of course, they must have stayed outside the library," she quickly said, snapping out of her daze, and she hurriedly left the library.
Regiurned a few moments ter with her friends, and they took their seats. We started just like the day before, answering their questions. Gret tio ask many questions, and some of the questions she asked were repetitions from the previous day, but I didn't mind, and I answered any doubts she had.
Regina, who couldn't sit beside me this time, tinued asking me personal questions and addiails about her life.
She frequently tried to get her hand closer to mine oable, but wanting to avoid a repeat of yesterday's i, I avoided it.
When the bell signaling the end of the peri, the girls quickly left the library after a hasty goodbye.
My friends started discussing something again, and An wasn't involved.
"I'm telling you, she ughed at my joke, not your imitation," David said arrogantly to Geie.
Ign my friends and ughing a bit, I left the library after bidding farewell to Miss Huts.
The day went by smoothly; there was no training today, so I left with Geie and Mr. Cooper in his car.
At home, nothing special happened. I helped Teddy with his homework, pyed with Gabe for a few hours, and practiced my knowledge by iing patients in my head with different ditions.
Mom again promised to tell Bob the day, when i asked if she told him yet.
The day, after finishing my lunch at school, I went aloo the library to borrow a book. At the library's entrance, I saw Sheldon leaving. He stood still for a sed, and theurned baside.
I followed him into the library, and Sheldon was talking to a boy of Asian dest. "Hello, Sheldon," I interrupted.
"Ah, PJ, hi. This is my new friend, Tam. Tam, this is PJ; he's my neighbor," Sheldon said, introdug us.
"Hello, Tam, o meet you. It's good to see Sheldon making another friend," I said, shaking the boy's hand.
"PJ Dun, I know you. There are very few people who don't know you. You date Regina Gee, ae being the quarterback of the school, you're famous for helping people with their schoolwork," the boy said, shaking my hahusiastically.
"Another friend? Tam it's my first friend. You're mistaken," Sheldon said with a furrowed brow.
"I'm your friend too, Sheldon. I tried to talk to you about that in the library the day before yesterday, but you left before we could talk," I said, smiling at Sheldon.
"If you're PJ Dun's friend, that makes him my friend by association," Tam said excitedly, pointing at Sheldon. "I'm PJ Dun's friend," he repeated softly.
"I didn't know we could be sidered friends. I thought we were knowledge rivals. Are you tellihat all my search for friendships is futile? You were already my friend?" Sheldon excimed exasperatedly.
"Yes, Sheldon, we're already friends, and yes, we're 'knowledge rivals,' but that doesn't make us any less friends," I reassured him.
"Oh, that's niow I have two friends. Mom will be happy," Sheldon said with a big smile. "Well, see you in css, PJ. Goodbye, Tam," he suddenly bid farewell.
"So, PJ Dun, my friend," said Tam.
"Yes?" I asked, smiling.
Apparently, he had nothing else to say, and with a bnk face, he took the books that Miss Huts had just stamped and quickly left.
"I think you broke him," Miss Huts said with a smile. "Well, PJ, what I do for you?" she asked, returnitention to me.
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Glossary:
C*: Apparently, in the Uates, musiotes are represented by letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. In Mexico, we know them as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si.
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Author's Thoughts:
I am not Ameri.
End of this episode, this chapter serves to expin three important things. I had po make it shorter to quickly reach the iion with House and start the first subplot (Boom! spoilers of my own novel within my own novel), but then I thought about using this chapter as a respoo some questions that were asked in previous chapters.
1. The Mts to be a better person than in his past life, so the guitars he gave to Gabe are going to be Gabe's. At the moment he gave them to him, it was with the dition that he truly wahem. Seeing that Gabe is genuinely enjoying the process of learning music, the MC doesn't regret giving him the guitars.
2. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the MC was a plete antisocial in his past life. It wasn't explicitly written, but he had never had a romantic approach with a woman. Being in the body of a teenager, he physically reacts like one, but it bothers him mentally. He doesn't know how to flirt or be with a woman. If you're looking for a novel where the MC immediately bees a heartbreaker, a gigolo, this is not your story. The MC will evolve as he experiehings in his new life, so don't expect him to remain as dense as he is now. I ask you to bear with his current behavior to see how he develops as a character.
3. The MC is an ordinary person, smarter than the average, but still just an ordinary person. There's no system or special abilities. This novel will focus on hard work and effort as main themes. The M't be handed everything on a silver ptter.
Thank you very much for reading. Leave a review please.
And that's it, I believe that's all. As always, if you find an error, please ent so I fix it immediately.
P.S.: We are approag a very important moment in Mexico, the return to csses. I am a uy student and will be going back to csses in August. I won't have as much time to write, but I will still write every day. However, the chapters will be published less frequently. Right now, with these nine chapters, I have this schedule: some days it takes me two days to write, and others only one. You otice this iimes it takes me to publish.
There's still about a week with this schedule, but in the ing weeks, the pace will start to slow down.
P.S.2: Almost 5500 words.
:D