Normies call me a prodigy. Prodigies call me a normie. Potential is a fickle concept. What really is potential? Does true potential exist? Can one ever maximise potential? Does the meritocracy of society allow for the maximisation of potential? I never thought so. I always felt like there was more to do, but never worth it.
This was the thought stirring in Zander’s mind on a Tuesday night. Zander was never anything special. He was placed in gifted classes, earned spots among notable groups and sport teams. However, he never stood out. He was never congratulated, picked to be some amazing future professional at any occupancy. A drifter, that was Zander’s reputation. He never felt pushed, but never dragged down. Drifting along like a broken plank from a carefully constructed raft. A broken plank flowing down the river success, except this river had rocks of failure, mediocrity, and lack of motivation in his way. The strong boat made of several other planks flowed through easily. Tied together by a single rope which Xander never attached to. What was this rope?
 
More and more I meander away from the standards of society. Or do I? Maybe this is just the straightest path in the world. I am not exactly stupid, but I never reached a pinnacle of success like my friends do. Perhaps in the future that is to change, but for now I strut along this simple path.
 
While Zander believes his path is straight, and narrow, he’s stuck. A car in traffic eager to break out into the open highway. A runner congested in the pack desperate to shoot out into the lead. Held back by the doubts in his mind, and the successes of other people, Zander is running on a treadmill while everyone else has completed a circuit lap. Time ticks by, mediocrity continues to prevail. A ‘standout’ grade here and there, a miraculous play on the field occasionally. Nothing special though. The consistency of the inconsistency in Zander’s life is remarkable.
 
I don’t get life. Do I work hard? Do I let life flow naturally? What is the point of choosing different curriculums, trialing for different teams, earning money, or even helping others if destiny finds its way to victory? Are there meant to be emotions attached to achievements? Every Friday morning a name is called, and a wide grin follows.  A Monday night text crying about homework. A satisfied smile, hiding the grinding teeth. The sweat from the heat blending with the tears of anguish. The “It doesn’t matter it was just a practice” to mask the shame injecting into one’s blood flow. I have seen almost every emotion on a friend’s face, and I am yet to understand why. What is it that pushes these people to work hard? How are they so good at everything? Why does it seem so natural to them?

A random Thursday Lunchtime.

Unlike the other schools close by, the buildings within our school were quite small. Most of the buildings were the regular brick two story buildings, surrounding a round single-story office building where all the executive staff live.
However, in the corner of the school was the tallest building in the school, a modern style build, long diagonal pillars attached to the front, but the roof was flat, not triangular. Towards the back of the building was a circle staircase which Zander climbed to reach the roof. 

Thinking I was alone I dropped my bag towards the middle on top of a concrete layer. The view from this place was mesmerizing. The luminescent horizon in the distance lit up the school. The shadows of the buildings cast down towards the intertwining paths creating much needed shade for the summer heat. Admiring the view, I lay down on my bag, feet dangling off the rooftop, with all cares in the world left at the bottom. I closed my eyes expecting to hear a soft wind blow past my ears, but I was startled by a soft voice.
“Who are you?” 
I turned around and a petite girl was staring right at me. She had ginger hair, and round glasses which was way too big for her face. She slightly smiled revealing small dimples. She was wearing a blazer on top of her typical schoolgirl uniform indicating she was someone important.
“Uh… I’m Zander, and you are?”
“I’m Meredith, one of the school prefects. Hold on, are you Zander?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I’ve just heard around about you.”
She started to approach me and chucked her bag down next to mine. Instead of dangling her feet off like I did, she simply crossed them, and pulled out a bubble blower stick.  It was small, like one of those things you can buy at a local toy store.
“What brings you to the roof top of no rules?” Meredith asks as she releases a set of bubbles from her stick.
“Did you say the roof top of no rules? How’d you come up with that corny nickname?” I chuckled.
“Oh, you know, we aren’t meant to be up here in the first place, but when you do make your way up here, no one knows. A sense of freedom just encapsulates my soul, and I can do anything I want with the knowledge that I am not embarrassing myself. That was till I found you.” Replied Meredith as she dips her stick into the bubble liquid.
“That makes sense”
“You didn’t answer my question though. Why are you here?”
“I don’t know. Just thinking, I guess. Everything just seems easy in life but also hard you know. I don’t what the h*ll I am doing, but everyone else does. My friends are all slaving away to the system instilled in society to pursue their ‘dream career’ while I am still stuck figuring out the purpose behind all this.”
“Purpose what a simple, but complex word. A concept which drives you to success if you have discovered yours, but it leads to the empty actions to the person who feels they lack one.”
“Ok Miss Philosophy you can relax over there.”
She just chuckled back and released another set of bubbles, but this time they were bigger.  
“Sorry.” Meredith had a light smile on her face but was beaming a ray of optimism which Zander has never seen on a person before. “Take these bubbles for example. Let’s say these two bubbles that I just blew suddenly grew mouths and had a short conversation with each other.”
While this seemed so childish, a mixture of curiosity, and just pure laziness to reply I decided to give this girl a chance at enlightening my views.
 
Meredith puts her stick back into the mixture and starts to point out towards two distinctly looking bubbles. One was gargantuan but was sluggard moving by. The other was the opposite. Miniscule in size, nimble in movement.
“What if this huge bubble over there said to this tiny bubble over here,” as Meredith begins to mimic a child’s voice, “Why do you get to be so small and so fast. I wish I could be just like you.”
Deciding to play along I simply responded, “Um that sounds stupid, shouldn’t big Bert over there be happy that he is well…  big?”
“Hold on, now let’s say the smaller one replied with, “You want to be like me? I wish I was like you, big, strong, and tough.” Meredith continued to say.
“Well again, sorry but that sounds a bit stupid because you cannot change the shape of these bubbles just like that,” interrupted Zander.
“Yeah, but they don’t know that. Now watch as these bubbles start to shift closer together.”
The bubbles begin to collide together, the smaller one eager to merge with the bubble we named big Bert, but instead of them latching on to one another, POP!
“Look at that", they popped commented Zander. "I guess they should have just stayed on their own path.”
“So, shouldn’t that be what you’re doing then?" questioned Meredith.

"What do you mean?" asked Zander.

"Look, if you become so distracted with how your friends are doing, striving, achieving, no matter how large their trophy cabinet may be, or how quick they seem to develop, you can’t be them, and they can’t be you. As soon as you begin to try take over one another’s life or journey, you’re going to go ‘POP’ just like the bubbles did and hurt each other.”
“Yeah, that’s great and all, but that still doesn’t solve my dilemma completely, I still have no idea what to do.”
“Remember Big Bert, he was massive, but was slow like a tortoise. Remember that childhood story the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise was much slower than the Hare, but still won because he kept the track. I can assure you just stay your track and you will find your purpose, and begin flowing down that river of success.”

*Ring Ring Ring*

“Welp, that’s the bell, guess we better get back to class. See you around Zander!”
Meredith picked herself up, carefully placed her bubble blower back into her bag, and then made her way back to the stairs.
Zander left alone surrounded by the whistling of the birds, and glare of the sun, but only one thing occupied his mind. What type of bubble was he? An anxious, self insecure bubble like Big Bert, or an eager, zealous Zander ready to change the world.