Razzle Basil (Part 1)
Razzle Basil (Part 1)
Growing up, I always felt like the fat dorky little brother who couldn’t do anything right. My older brothers, Rolo and Orion, were both so cool and awesome. Rolo was a talented musician and Orion was literally a walking encyclopedia, not to mention he was part fricking alien! As for me, I could barely mix a simple drink after weeks of practicing. 
Flash forward a few years later.
Yeah, I blossomed, so to speak, particularly after discovering we had a gym at home.
Some of it was down to genetics as well. My birth father hadn’t been a bad looking guy, even in his elder years; it was a shame he died shortly after my seventeenth birthday.
Tia, my girlfriend since high school, was still with me for some reason. She was beautiful, but modest about it, preferring others to judge her based on her personality and talents.
She was a naturally great mixologist, but had ambitions to join the army after graduating from University.
Oh yeah, University, I almost forgot. Like Rolo and Niki, we decided to go to the same University and be the lovey-dovey couple everyone hates.
I chose to study business. It seemed like a more secure qualification than studying Communications or something.I was a natural born leader, so it seemed. Or bullshitter maybe. Whatever it was, people always seemed to hang on my every last word.
I was simply just a smart Alec. 
The lecturers weren’t as convinced. One in particular used to pick on me relentlessly, often stating I knew no better when I tried to pull him up on something he had literally just pulled out from his arse.
I tried my hardest not to get up and punch him by reassuring myself that he would be dead before long. 
‘You don’t think I’m being sensitive, do you? I mean, Professor Greenwood is known for being a bit of a dick, right?’
‘You want my honest opinion?’ Tia asked. I nodded, desperate for a true answer.
‘Ok then… You can be a bit obnoxious at times. You should let other people express their ideas once in a while. You’ll probably find that’s the reason why Professor Greenwood is being a dick to you.’ 
Admittedly, I didn’t take Tia’s honesty as well as I should have. I promptly discarded my fork and left the meal she had cooked me sitting on the table as I stormed off, muttering that I was no longer hungry.
Although we slept side by side that night, we didn’t speak a word to each other like we usually did. The following morning, we ended up in the study room together, once again in a heavy silence. 
Instead of coming up with a flawless business strategy for a candy store, I was mostly wondering how I could make things up to her.
Tia had only been looking out for me after all and I had rudely shunned her for it.
That evening, I made the most romantic gesture I could think of; ordering pizza. What sort of girl could turn away pizza? Certainly not the lovely Tia.
‘Does this make up for me being a jerk now?’
‘Hmm,’ Tia mused, ‘Almost.’ 
So, after that, we ended up at the Loading Bar and played video games to goodness knows what hour.
And then, to round up the evening, I made her feel special… 
…If you know what I mean.
I think she forgave me after all that, which was just as well because I didn’t honestly know what I would do if she wasn’t by my side.
This time, everyone was smart enough not to crash out in the kitchen and trap Twix in the dining room / block access to all the necessary cooking utilities.
She had turned out to be a bit of a genius and was excellent at chess and a majority of other logic based games.
Speaking of science, both Twix and Whitney were still attempting to reach their lifetime goals by pursuing success in the very same career path. In all honesty, it was not going well for either of them.
Naturally, it was decided that the best place to sleep was in the kitchen / dining room area – forget the massive living room on the other side of the house.
‘Sod off you little turd.’
Maple seemed to buy into this.
