I'm not sure where it all started.
All I know is that the two people in front of me, these damn couples, are so damn annoying.
Usually, I don't get irritated by anyone. I keep my emotions in control and don't feel any sensation of emotional flare regardless of what anyone does to me or to anyone around me.
But these two, these two individuals in front of me, cuddling with one another in public, makes me feel irritated.
My earliest memories of being associated with these two people were back when we were children.
This dates back when I was first brought towards the institution of my early education.
Walking hand in hand with my mother, I was strung along the road, carrying a bag on my back. We strolled towards a private, small education center suited for children below adulthood. The total amount of children enrolled at this place didn't exceed 40.
I believe the reason why I was in such a place was due to my family's income. Although I was little at the time, not knowing much, I could tell that my family had struggled.
All I know is, I was gleefully walking with my mother, then she paused, causing me to recoil and look up to her. She was greeting another woman, who also had a child in her hands with her. A son.
That was when I first met him, Tyler. That was the boy's name. And the start of my emotional flare.
At first, when I first met him, he was quite shy while I was bewildered. I had no social experience, I wasn't sure how to interact with someone else my age. All I knew was that there was no reason to fear someone.
The two mothers were talking while me and Tyler kept staring at one another, probably probing each other's intent. I wasn't sure how to interact with such a person. The best I could do was remain silent until my mother did something.
To my surprise, the two mothers had decided to become friends since they both had children enrolling in this new school. They had wanted their children to become friends with one another since friends were important.
Therefore, they told us to grow familiar with each other and be nice to one another while we're in school. That was how I randomly became friends with Tyler, and how I've grown to regret it later in life.
At first, our relationship was more or less give and take. If we wanted something from each other like notes, we'd do a trade for it. I wasn't sure what friends were at the time, all I knew was that if we were to be nice to each other, we should make exchanges that would be good for the both of us.
Maybe my perspective of the whole friend ordeal wasn't the best course of action, but Tyler didn't seem to care about my behavior towards our friendship, he seemed more than welcoming of it.
Regardless, this was how our friendship was in the first year of knowing each other. Progressively through that year, Tyler grew his friend circle larger and larger, eventually becoming friends with everyone in the class. Meanwhile, I was more or less the loner of the class. I didn't feel the urge to socialize at the time, maybe more opposed to talking with others.
All I knew at the time was that I enjoyed my peace and quiet. I enjoyed the comfort of the wind and the silence allowing me to think. Talking to others caused me to not think well and made me awkward in the perspective of others. I was like a stranger in that place that had grown familiar to others.
That's when I met my other friend, the third person to join my friend group. The girl that Tyler loves in the present time.
Just like the first year, I didn't expect much to happen in the second year. At most, I thought it'd be just more learning and more group activities to get along with my classmates. But the surprising thing was that the beginning of the second year had introduced a few new students. A mix of boys and girls and there was a singular girl that stood out to me.
Her hair color was blue, her eyes were silver and she immediately became the most unique person in my life. Compared to everyone else in the classroom, she seemed to not be from this world, I could've never imagined that she was also born in the same neighborhood as both me and Tyler.
Truthfully speaking, I believe I was the first person the girl talked to. I'm not sure why but maybe it's because I stood out as a loner that she approached me. Perhaps thinking that she could enjoy a comfortable conversation with someone without the interruption of others.
I was instructed by the teacher to guide her around our small school. And stuck with her during lessons to keep her up to date with our lectures. During our time together, that's when I found out her name was Jasmine. To be honest, I'm not sure why I opened up to her. Or if I actually told her anything about me. All I knew was that I felt calm and comfortable around her.
Jasmine: "I've told you what my name is, don't you think you should tell me yours?"
???: "Yeah, sorry about that. Past my mind for a second there."
After I told her my name, that was the beginning of my ill fate with both Tyler and Jasmine. Together, we were known as the group of prodigies. From the relationship between the three of us, both Tyler and Jasmine developed feelings for one another and I became the third-wheel, the bystander known as Kai.
The first few years of our group friendship wasn't anything special. We were reserved with our desires to talk to each other, and we chose to focus on our classes since the kind of school we were in was special.
The first time we started talking with one another was after the results of our test that revealed our powers. This turn of event was the change that twisted my friendship with these two.
Jasmine: "Hey Kai, what's your power?"
Kai: "Hmm, it said I got Enhanced Mental."
Jasmine: "Ohh, is that so?"
Tyler: "What about you Jasmine? What's your power?"
Jasmine: "Well, I got something called Weapon Master. What about you Tyler?"
Tyler: "It's a bit of a secret."
Jasmine: "What! But we told you our powers, why are you hiding it from us?"
Tyler: "I just want to, won't it be funny when you find it out later?"
Their conversation to me felt more lighthearted if anything. But now that I've grown older, maybe that's the beginning of closing the gap known as awkwardness. To create a bridge called familiarity and friendliness.
Perhaps it was during that moment that I witnessed the birth of a couple. One that'll become annoying in the future, one that the current me has grown to dislike.
In the third year of our primary education, we were meant to go to different institutions for more advanced education fitting of our age, but both of them had announced their intentions of wanting to go to the same school as me.
Although I didn't want to, they had both already told me that they told their mothers to enroll them in the same school as me, and hopefully the same class as me.
Hearing this, I was speechless at the time. We hadn't spent much time talking to one another let alone had much physical contact with each other. It was surprising to me at the time that they wanted to continue to be with me instead of their other friends that they had made and talked to.
This was how my middle school life went, I was persistently followed by Tyler and Jasmine, our relationship wasn't exactly close in comparison to their other friends, we remain in contact with one another while they had developed their friend circle once again in middle school.
Once again, I had grown to become a loner, everyone became friends with one another and grown familiar with each other. People only talked to me out of obligation during group assignments or needed something from me. It wasn't a sad situation or anything to be pitied for, it was just simply how I lived my life.
Similar to primary school, we once again came together as a group and talked about our newly updated powers.
Tyler: "Yo Kai, is your powers still Enhanced Mental?"
Kai: "No, it seemed to have evolved into Brain Overload."
Tyler: "I see... that's interesting."
Kai: "What about you Jasmine?"
Jasmine: "It's still Weapon Master."
Kai: "Maybe it's just me?"
Tyler: "Maybe."
This was my just a small change in my life with them. The random talks about how we're doing, the random discussions they would have with me. It seemed that I was growing more and more distant from the three of us, but it was always them that kept us connected. I wasn't sure why they still try to keep us together, even in the current time, I'm still not sure.
The shift in our relationship happened when we were graduating from middle school. Near the back where I was hanging out and hiding from all the celebratory atmosphere of parents and their children discussing their transfer to high school, I was calling my mom and talking to her about my high school options. Choosing the best high school in the country, I decided to make that my next goal.
I was relaxing while enjoying the breeze from an open window of a classroom. Truthfully, I was a bit nervous since this would be my first time telling my mother about my intentions about pursuing my own goals. I've never really told her out of my own incentive that I wanted to do something in life. I was used to a life of following the flow.
The best high school in the country was no joke either, it was relatively dangerous compared to all others as it was a school that was ruled and favored by those with money and power. As someone who had neither, it looked to be an option that would lead me to my death one day. But, you'd have to take risks to be rewarded.
Thus, that was my decided path. I'd challenge those with power and wealth. I'd put myself on the map and then see how I fare against them. But in the middle of my train of thought, I heard people talking from below me.
Glancing down, I saw Tyler and Jasmine talking to each other. They were neither too loud nor quiet.
I didn't bother hiding nor did I try to reach out towards them to ignite a conversation, I simply listened.
Tyler: "Jasmine... Thanks for coming out here."
Jasmine: "No problem, so what's up?"
Tyler: "Well, I know this might be sudden but, are you willing to come with me to the best high school in the country?"
Jasmine: "You didn't even need to bring me with you, I was already going."
Tyler: "Oh, well I wanted to keep going but it seems you're going."
Jasmine: "Well, it'd be a waste not to go with my power right?"
Tyler: "Yeah, you're right. But aside from going there, I wanted to ask you something else."
Jasmine: "What did you want to ask?"
Tyler: "I wanted to know if you're still single."
Jasmine: "Why yes I am, are you going to confess?"
Tyler: "I wouldn't confess to anyone but you."
Listening in on this behind the school love confession, I couldn't help but cringe but curious about what would happen. It's not everyday you get to see someone profess their love for someone, let alone it being about people you know.
Not too soon later, Jasmine had said yes to his confession and Tyler let out a soft smile and reached out towards her hand.
Jasmine noticing this action likewise, extended her hand and let him grasp her hand to guide her out.
Watching this from a third-party perspective, It felt both romantic and slightly cringey. Watching people being intimate in a relatively public space not realizing they were being watched was what made it off putting. Regardless, I felt nothing about the situation, I wasn't in love with Jasmine, and I wasn't really close enough to feel supportive of Tyler.
Thinking about the new relationship dynamic, I thought our friendship would break off and we'd go our separate ways. But as I was thinking that, the whole conversation about them going to the same high school as me past my mind and forgotten until I saw them again at the orientation.
When we had met again, I saw them sitting with one another at the orientation and they also saw me entering the building. When we saw each other, we didn't comment on the change of relationship, instead they ignored their earlier posture of cuddling with each other and approached me like we were friends.
It seemed that they still considered me friends even though we spent less and less time with one another. As expected, they treated me the same as back then, and this truthfully confused me. I wasn't sure why they chose to interact with me, I wasn't sure why they chose to talk to me. Perhaps it was out of familiarity or out of kindness, they strung me along in their friendship, as a third-wheel.