The second round of the English competition was held without further success in May. Although M High stopped at the preliminaries, Pan Rita was satisfied. She didn’t want to put much pressure on anyone. Older students fared well in other competitions too. All in all, everyone did what they ought to.
After his time of recuperation, Deil whined about revisions, saying the schoolwork he had to catch up with was no joke. With the excuse of I’ve missed too many lessons he roped Sae into accompanying him and Emi to the library for their tutoring session.
Deil said the two of them could study while Emi did practise papers. That proposition made no sense. They weren’t even in the same class, and Deil sure as hell didn’t need a study partner to help him understand his coursework. Regardless, Sae agreed, lest his brain turned to mush due to the other’s excessive nagging.
“Baby beavers are born furry, well sighted and very mobile. Look at their bodies. They are drop-shaped but their skulls are massive–– Oh, hi Sae!” Emi waved at Sae.
“Hi,” Sae greeted back, arriving at their table in the library. He looked down at the books laid out before them, asking, “Biology?”
Emi shook her head, “Nope. We were just chatting.”
There was no space on Emi’s side of the table, but a seat got reserved next to Deil. Sae sat there. He inclined his head at the person beside him and asked Emi, “You’re paying him to chat with you?”
Deil cocked an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like I got denounced to an escort?”
Sae eyed him. “Watch your mouth, okay? If Teo were here, he’d be covering Emi’s ears right now.”
“I didn’t say anything bad, though,” Deil objected. “Filthy people with filthy minds will think filthy things. I’m not to blame for it.”
“You didn’t say anything good either. And who has a filthy mind?” Sae took a few books out of his bag, giving a final jab, “Just shut up.”
Emi looked back and forth between the two arguing boys. She said with finality, “Both of you shut up. You’re annoying people.”
Sae looked around. No one did as much as glanced in their direction. “Annoying what people?”
Emi gave a smile that wasn’t a smile. She didn’t like getting left out or handled like a kid. However true what Sae had said about Teo was, it still annoyed her. She pointed at her chest. “Me.”
Everyone settled down. They were in the library, after all. Deil explained some things to Emi then left her to her own devices. He handed over a dozen practice questions to solve.
Sae listened for the first few minutes and turned to read one of his books. He couldn’t do any cramming in a place like this, but solving test papers or reading was a doable feat.
He felt a jab at his elbow but turned a page with infinite calm, not minding the little nuisance. Shortly after, a second jab followed.
Before the third jab could land, Sae looked askance at Deil. He mouthed, What?
Deil scrunched up his nose. “I have to write a composition essay.”
Sae opened his eyes wide with mocking. “So? Write it.”
“But I’m not sure how to start,” Deil admitted. “It’s something the teacher explained when I missed school because of my leg.”
Here we go again, Sae thought. “Can’t you ask someone about it?”
“Am I not asking?”
“I meant your classmates...”
“I’m the smartest person in our class,” Deil deadpanned.
The muscle in Sae’s jaw ticked while the corner of his mouth twitched. He asked in a low voice, “Then why can’t you start working on it?”
The glint in Deil’s eyes was anything but sincere. He blinked in an exaggerated way. “You’re a humanities student.”
“What about maths?” Sae asked.
Deil pulled his eyebrows together. “What about it?”
“Well, you all caught up on that one, right?”
“Yea,” Deil nodded.
Sae angled his body a little to the side. “Chem? Physics? Geography?”
“We did a mock test in chemistry this week,” Deil said, “It was a piece of cake.”
“Congrats on that.” Sae’s tone was as flat as a sheet of paper fallen to the ground. “What about other subjects? Literature, history, ethics?”
“I don’t have ethics.”
Sae wanted to laugh. Deil could infuriate him like no other. “What do you have then?”
“Statistics.” Deil grinned.
“I thought that’s a second year class.” Sae looked at Deil with a ripple of surprise passing through his expression. “They let you take that?”
“It’s an elective,” Deil said, “I can sit in on the classes when I’m free.”
Electives were off-limits for first years, yet this nutcase in front of him said he took an elective class. It seemed the school had a whole side to it that Sae had never heard about. How could they allow Deil to do this so casually? How many students were allowed to do it in the first place?
“But then you miss your other lessons.” Sae shook his head. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s only a few times a week. Like, two classes. One of them is phys ed.” Deil nudged the paper closer to Sae. “You’ll help me, right?”
Sae knew he couldn’t win this argument. He thought, Why is it that you can catch up with anything but still bother me, not even trying to hide your intention? Who would believe you?
He closed his book with resignation and reached out his hand accompanied by a stinky look in his eyes. Deil, however, didn’t put the paper in his outstretched palm but slipped the question sheet underneath it.
Reaching over, he circled a part of the question at the top. The skin of their bare forearms brushed over one another, warm and smooth. “This, this is the main culprit,” Deil said.
“You are the main culprit,” Sae mumbled. He ran his eyes over the question, taking in two lines with one glance. His tone was flat as he said, “This is our English homework.”
Deil twirled his pen between his fingers. “I’m good with tests, but this is a composition… Can you help?”
Sae wrote down a quick outline: a few dotted phrases here, an underlined sentence there. “Here you go.”
While he worked, a certain little rascal picked up one of his books, opened it, and started solving its questions. Maybe said little rascal got bored that Sae actually gave in and worked on his assignment, so the fun of incessantly coaxing and teasing vanished.
Sae looked over and realised that under Deil’s paws was his physics homework. Watching him solve question after question in an easy and concise manner, Sae realised that he had never seen Deil act so focused.
He closed his mouth, thumbed the English homework back and started to write the composition. He couldn’t imitate Deil’s chicken scratch of penmanship for life, so simply gave up trying and opted to write with his own style.
It wasn’t like he couldn’t solve his own homework or Deil couldn’t do his composition paper. One was a genius slacker and the other was a hard-working honour student; both were intelligent.
They were able to do their own work. It wasn’t a challenge or a burden. But a few stolen glances at the concentrated look with which Deil answered questions designed for Sae, and his resolve took a detour. He liked this new and serious side of the test paper god. It was something he couldn’t witness otherwise. As long as they stayed like this, he could take a few extra peeks at him.
Following that time, Sae and Deil exchanged English and Physics books, notebooks and papers given out as homework. They went through the other’s work more efficiently than they did with their own then swapped the materials back by tacit understanding. Sometimes Sae opened his book and had to take another look at the plum numbers written all over the page. As the initial surprise passed, he looked over the methods Deil used, sometimes with a quirk of his brow, in rare occasions, a shadow of a smile.
By the end of May, Teo had become uncontrollable. First he cancelled their plans during the week, then tricked them into an outing to the neighbouring town by bike for that same weekend.
It had been some time since Sae cycled for such a long distance. Neither he nor Kaikai knew where their final destination lay.
Kaikai had been outside when Teo called him. A fair amount of back and forth later, they arranged to meet up by the bridge just outside of town.
Sae met Teo first and they waited for Kaikai together. When the boy arrived, he brought an additional guest.
“This is Pat,” Kaikai introduced the newcomer. He pointed at the duo opposite himself. “Sae and Teo, my classmates. We are all the same age.”
Teo scoffed. “I’ve known you since pre-school but we’re only classmates?”
Kaikai gave a lopsided grin. “They’re my friends.” He repeated, “Friends, we’re all friends. Everyone is everyone’s friend. I said ‘friend’ enough for the next two months, so you can all shut up. Don’t be weird or distant.”
They all greeted each other before setting off. Meeting new people wasn’t a big thing to begin with – they were also peers. Sae asked Pat what school he attended and it turned out the boy went to the one that Daniel did. “With Niel? You know him then?”
“Yea,” Pat nodded. He had to squint because of the sun.
Pat had prominent brow bones and dark eyebrows. They bunched up while he squinted. “I had a class with him last semester.”
Kaikai stepped forward and touched the back of his neck, his raised arm bending at the elbow. He balanced the bike between his legs, his tall frame casting a shadow on Pat beside him. “Why didn’t you call him?” he addressed Teo.
Whenever they went out, Teo invited everyone. Now he shook his head. “He’s busy with Vic. Said he couldn’t leave Susu alone.”
“That’s what happens when you’re a big brother,” said Kaikai.
Teo kicked at his pedals. “Okay. Good to go?”
The town they headed to had a separate bike path built to connect it with the city. Teo pedalled at the front, a few metres ahead of everyone else. Sae followed next, and the duo made up for the rear. After cycling for almost an hour, they stopped at a rest stop near the town’s edge.
Kaikai was parched, plopping down on the stone table under a tree. The stop had a convenience store, so Pat went to buy water for everyone.
“Teo,” Sae called out, squatting near his bike. He fanned himself with the collar of his shirt. It was scorching outside, a dry and cruel kind of hotness. He probed, “Where are we going?”
Inexplicably, Teo didn’t answer. He went to squat with Sae, smiling without a word.
“Why’d you send Pat to buy drinks?” Kaikai rolled his shirt sleeves up and sprawled on the table like a starfish.
“Who sent him?” Teo raised his voice. “I didn’t send him!”
Sae tore a handful of dry grass from the ground. He barely used any strength; the grass had burned to crisp these past weeks. He looked up at Kaikai. “Didn’t you say don’t act weird or distant? It’s not like that’s your money anyway.”
“I think it’s rude to do that when you only met an hour ago.” The way Kaikai said it, someone would think he was the picture of good manners.
“Aren’t we all friends?” Sae teased. “But now you manage Pat’s money like your own?”
Not minding him, Kiakia turned on Teo. “You’ll owe me that, then.”
“Yeah,” Teo kept nodding, “I lent you ten thousand for new wheels before the break, and you still haven’t paid me back, so. You’re the one owning me.”
For a moment, Kaikai zoned out, thinking back. “Ah, yeah. Yeah, you did. Well...”
Teo grinned. “Well, what?”
“Well, I’ll pay you back––”
“Damn right, rich boy. Pay up.”
“…Minus today’s spending for dragging me out here.” Kaikai propped himself up, giving Teo a look. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Teo was still smiling. “I wanted to hike to the tv-tower.”
“Ha?!” Kaikai couldn’t close his mouth. “Couldn’t you pick a better day? It’s too hot to hike anywhere.”
Nowadays, Teo behaved too out of character. Sae grabbed his hard head and wobbled it with his palm. “What is it, really?”
“I just want to move around. Get out of the neighbourhood.”
“That could be true, but it’s not.” Sae shook his head helplessly. Teo only ever shut up if there was something important he wanted to share but couldn’t figure out how to say it.
“Come on.” Sae tapped Teo’s head. “There has to be something, or you wouldn’t come out of your way and announce it by acting so weird.”
“I’m acting weird?” Teo asked.
“Decidedly so,” both boys said at the same time.
“Okay. So, you know. My parents...”
“Yes, Teo,” Kaikai said, “We know you have parents.”
“They uh,” Teo stopped and cleared his throat, “My parents are having another child.”
“Fuck?!” Kaikai burst out. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You surprised me.”
“Yeah, imagine how surprised I was.” Teo let out a breath.
Sae stopped wobbling his head but left his hand on it. Teo didn’t shake him off. He continued, “They told me about it last week like they’d tell me about renovating the bathroom or something. Like, it’s all chill, no big deal, and I stood there and thought, Why would they want a child after all these years? Are they rebelling?”
“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have another child solely to satisfy their mid-life rebellion,” Sae said.
Teo sighed again, this time louder and more drawn out. He wasn’t someone prone to sigh. Sae thought he didn’t even know how to, or gave it all away, making the people around him sigh instead.
And now this guy was rendered to sigh with all his soul.
“Hey,” Kaikai called out. “Don’t make it all about you. I’m pretty sure it isn’t. They would’ve had another child years ago if you were the problem.”
“Fuck you, Kai,” Teo fake-spat at the ground, “You and your damn mouth! Did I say anything like that?”
“Do you know anything about babies?” Sae asked.
“Do I have to?” Teo turned to him. “It’s not my job.”
“Alright, but do you know any children?”
“Pft. I occasionally see one on my way, okay?” Teo looked at them both, “By taking public transport.”
Sae snickered.
“You’re fucked then,” Kaikai said. “My cousin is three this year. He won’t shut up. Screaming, then crying because he got told off for screaming. It’s a tough job for the parents.”
Teo fleered at him, “Thanks. Now I feel so much better.”
“At least you’ll be the big brother. You don’t know what I’d give to not be the younger sibling. Sae,” Kaikai called out.
“Hm?” Sae raised his brows.
“You never got it either. All these years, you couldn’t get it at all.” Kaikai chuckled. “Maybe it’ll be a cute little girl like Emi.”
Under the tree’s mottled shade, Sae burst into laughter. “Wait and see how cute you’ll find her when she’s as old as Emi.”
Teo laughed as well, shaking his head under Sae’s palm. “I’ll be over thirty by that time.”
“Oh, shit,” Kaikai couldn’t stop chuckling. “That’s true for all of us. We’ll be uncles.”
A collective groan sounded. Teo also turned more animated now that the boulder was off his chest.
“How far along is your mum?” Sae asked. He had already pushed Teo away, unable to handle him anymore.
“I don’t know exactly. She said she’s due by the end of the year.”
Kaikai sat up. “Wow, then that means––”
“Don’t!” Teo cut him off, throwing a stone at him. “Don’t calculate it, you ass!”
Kaikai jumped down from the table, pretending to count out loud. Teo chased him around until Pat came back.
Pat put the drinks on the table.
“Thanks,” Sae said, uncapping one. “Teo wants to go to the tv-tower. You up for a hike?”
Pat glanced at the two boys running around, unsure of what had happened in the five minutes he’d been away. He took a drink and nodded. “Okay.”
They chatted for some time before Teo and Kaikai finally stopped, both drenched in sweat. Pat gave his half-empty bottle to Kaikai, “Here.”
The boys cycled up the hill as far as their strength allowed them to. They ditched their bikes around midday and started hiking. Strangely enough Sae had the notion that if Deil were here with them, he’d probably hike in slippers. The thought made him chuckle.
The boys took stupid pictures and played games to piggyback one another as they ascended. It was a good day, and Teo seemed to feel better. Sae hoped he did.
Fortunately, there were restaurants and shops near the peak. Teenage boys were always ravenous, even more so after a good workout. The four of them stopped to eat and replenish their energy before continuing up to the tower.
Halfway up, Teo started swearing as he took three steps at a time. “Where did the rain come from?”
The other three shortly trailed behind. Most people, however few there were, tried to come down. They were the only ones ascending to the top.
“It’s probably a shower. A few minutes and it will be gone.” Sae shook rainwater from his face. His hair flopped down. Even though his bangs were short and mostly stuck to his forehead, those short hairs guided water excellently.
It was still raining by the time they made it to the top. Kaikai drew back under the thin awnings, tugging Pat away by the wrist. “I didn’t think we’d get drenched. Don’t mind anything I said about feeling too hot just now. First I was sweating, and now I’m wet from head to toe. Teo, you sure can choose a day for an outing.”
A couple of minutes later, the rain stopped as suddenly as it came. Since the sun continued to shine while it rained, a fat and faint rainbow coloured the sky.
“Cool,” Pat praised. He stepped to the ledge and took pictures of the view. “Kai, come here.”
While those two took pictures, Sae leaned back to the wall next to Teo. He jabbed the boy with an elbow. “Mood’s better?”
Teo chuckled, “Better. I feel stupid now, making this out to be a thing somehow.”
Sae stayed quiet, waiting for Teo to continue if he felt like it. When Teo didn’t, he said, “It is a thing, though. It’s important for you and your family."
"Mnm," Teo hummed in agreement.
"Did things turn weird since then?”
“You mean, did I ponder out loud about why my parents want a child after they could almost say I finally raised you, or about the possibility of it being an accident they decided to keep?” Teo stared at the sky, eyes narrowed. A strange smile hid at the corner of his lips. “The rest of the family’s going to flip once my mum tells them.”
They kept watching Pat and Kaikai fool around. It was one of those few occasions when Teo stayed out of fun’s way, observing at a distance.
“What about the shop?” Sae asked. He waited for his glasses to dry before putting them back on.
Teo shrugged. “Don’t know. Dad could take over, although Mum would rather move into the restaurant than let the reins over to him.”
Sae snorted. “That’d be some publicity.”
“Yeah, dumbass.” Teo turned and pushed Sae, “Leave the losers behind and race down the hill?”
Sae blinked at him.
Teo called out, “Ey, ey! Look here, everyone.” He pulled out his phone and turned on its front camera, raising the device over his head. “Kai, don’t you dare jump. Your head’s almost out of the frame.”
“Only because your arm is too short,” Kaikai shot back.
Teo grinned. “Then take the stick out of your ass so we can use it. Problem solved.” He tapped his phone while everyone looked back to gauge Kaikai’s reaction. The only person facing the camera in that photo was Teo. He bolted right after finishing his sentence, the others chasing him like lunatics all the way down the hill.
