CHAPTER 14: ??
"I can't believe you fucking did this. You're still mad at me for what I did when we were washing my bike, aren't you?" I grumble at him as I wring the water out of my soaked shirt. Even though the weather is hot, I'm feeling pretty cold since I'm drenched in water. In the end, I had no choice but to take off my shirt and allow it to dry.
"And who the hell asked you to sleep in that spot? How on earth was I supposed to know some jerk would be there?" There is no such thing as a compromise with this troublemaker. His retorts are never-ending. Still, he hands me a towel from the student council office.
"Was that dirty mop water?"
"What? No! It was distilled water. I was changing the water and they were at the bottom so I wanted to throw it out.
I really hope he's telling the truth. I accept the small towel from him and hastily pat myself dry. I intend to allow my topless body to dry naturally by letting the air conditioner in the student council office do all the work. Meanwhile, Ohm had already fled back to class. But before he left, he did give me a long lecture about how I chose a bad spot and I'm the reason he couldn't enjoy ditching classes. So I'm the one in the responsible for all this somehow?
As I continue to complain about Ohm inside my head, I can feel a large towel being thrown my way. "Use that to cover yourself." Phun tells me.
I hold it up, still puzzled. "I can just use this one, it's enough for me."
"Use that one too. Use it...and cover yourself." What the hell is he on about? Why do I need to cover myself up?
It seems he can read me from the befuddled looks in my eyes. "You might get cold." Oh, I see. I nod before I throw the towel over my shoulders and go back to drying my hair. Fortunately, my pants didn't get wet otherwise it would've sucked.
As time passes by, there is only the sound of the A/C filling the office. It's starting to get awkward.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" I decide to be the one breaking the silence.
"I'm waiting until after you're all dry first."
"Did your fever come back?"
"No..."
"So why have you been ignoring me today?"
"......." That question wasn't something I let slip from my lips by accident. I really wanted to ask him. I stare into his eyes. I want him to know that it isn't like this situation hasn't been gnawing at me.
Phun glances my way for a moment before he turns around to pick up a notebook on a desk.
"...can you lock up after you're done? I should get to class." This is his answer.
He's telling me that he no longer wants someone like me as a friend.
In reality, most of other high school kids probably love to spend their time doing this after school. I'm just not one of them. I get paranoid whether someone would call me and invite me somewhere.
They say the more you're afraid of something, the more you're likely to run into them. So is Yuri a real person or a ghost? Whenever I get a chill down my spine, that's the day she calls me to go somewhere together.
I'm back at Siam again today, with Yuri holding onto my arm this time around. She's still chatting away happily as if she's in a competition with the music that is playing in the store. However, none of those noises are getting through to me at all.
I'm still thinking about what Phun said and the way he acted, which has been bothering me all day long. I'm doing this even though I know no good can come from it."
"Noh, don't you think this is cute? I wish it'd come in pink, but orange is still pretty. Should we buy these two? You can have the blue one. Noh? Noh? Noh?!" The last loud noise, which mentions my name, finally snaps me out of my trance. I actually didn't hear a single thing Yuri was saying to me. I only heard her when she called my name the third time."
"Y-yes?"
My clear lack of interest causes the girl who called my name to puff up her cheeks, revealing her unhappiness. But then it turns into a smile. "I'll get the orange and you get the blue, okay?"
"Oh, sure. How much are they?" I try to give the person who has never really has gotten upset with me a smile. I reach for my wallet intending to pay, just like any other good boyfriends would do."
"I'll pay for them. I'm buying this for you, Noh."
"That's okay. You can pay when we buy more expensive stuff. I'll pay for the cheaper stuff myself." I tell her jokingly, but these idiotic looking keychains from Loft aren't exactly on the cheaper side.
Yuri laughs, "Sure!" She gives me a delighted smile before she takes me to pay at the counter.
After we receive our keychains which are in a yellow bag from Loft, Yuri immediately puts them on our school bags. I stand there in amazement as I watch her focusing all her energy on hooking up these keychains. After a short moment, she looks up at me with smile and shows off her handiwork. "Don't lose this, okay?"
"Yeah."
We walk arm in arm around the department store for a while before Yuri complains that she is hungry. She playfully begs me to walk from Siam Discovery to Siam Center so we can find something to eat. And like always, I never decline her requests.
We chat along the way until we arrive at a bookstore between the walkway. Yuri stops in her track and waves at someone.
It's Aim and Phun?!
For years and years, I would never run into these two by chance. I don't know how we keep running into each other as of late.
"Let's go say hi!" Yuri doesn't wait for an answer and she starts half dragging and half pulling me inside the bookstore. She ignores the fact that I'm trying hard not to budge. "I don't think we should bother them" She's still ignoring me.
"Aw, what a coincidence. I saw you rushing out of the school, I just knew you made plans with Noh." Aim tells her friend in jest the moment Yuri and I get there. Phun is standing there staring at a magazine in silence. I don't really know what to say either."
"Only once in a while." The girl next to me grins widely before she grabs the two school bags that I was holding to show off to her friend."
"Look, look, look! Aren't these so cute? Noh bought them for me just now."
"They're so cute! Phun, will you buy one for us too?" This disease where girls need to one up each other is probably an epidemic. The second Aim sees the keychains (which I find to be completely idiotic) on our school bags, she tugs on Phun's sleeve while he is still reading the magazine right away.
This forces Phun to look up curiously. "Hm?"
Those sharp eyes pause at the keychains for a moment before he looks up for a split second and turns to Aim with a smile. "Oh, sure."
"Let's buy a couple one just like Yu and Noh?"
"Sure..."
"Wah! Copycats! So what are you guys reading anyway?" Yuri interrupts the conversation between Aim and Phun before she gives herself permission to turn the magazine cover over. "Eh?! What is this?! Wedding Plan magazine?! You two haven't even finished high school yet!" This causes me to quickly turn my head and look.
Phun pretends to look away so he doesn't need to meet my eyes before he picks up a different magazine to flip through. (Now he has a magazine featuring Formula 1 in his hands.) There's a soft chuckle coming from Aim. "Just flipping through them 'cause I thought the dresses looked pretty."
"Jeez, aren't you two in such a rush? Noh, should we look through some too?" Yuri asks me in a high pitch voice before she turns to face me which startles me.
"Are...are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Hahahaha." Aim breaks out in laughter after she hears my reply. Yuri's cheeks are puffing up again.
"You could've went along with the joke, Noh. I'm so sad now." How was I supposed to know she was joking?! We may have agreed to be a couple in a blur, we make plans to go on a date in a blur, but there's nothing blurry about getting married. I can think for myself too, you know. -_-" Yuri hits me twice on my arm as a punishment.
"We won't bug you now, we're gonna go grab something to eat. See you at school tomorrow, okay?" We decide to leave after we had our chat. Yuri waves goodbye at the two, which are still holding magazines in their hands. I decide to wave too and follow Yuri to the exit.
I would've gotten there if someone hadn't grabbed my arm.
I flinch a bit as I turn to see the hand that I recognize very well. That hand is slowly moving down and intertwines its fingers with mine. What is he doing?! I stare at that hand and then at Phun's face. Phun's girlfriend seems to be oblivious to what is going on.
A small smile curls from his lips just for a short moment. He squeezes my hand tightly before he lets go...
I don't understand what Phun is trying to tell me...
