An electric spark ran through Spence's body when Bond's cold, wet body touched his dry one. It was like a touch of an awaited cold breeze on a warm summer's night. The kind which is haunting and can send chills down one's spine.
"Move aside!" Spence yelled into his ear, partially deafening him.
Bond was now outraged by Spence's behaviour. He repulsed back and pushed him to the side. For him, it was the worst way in which he could get humiliated. He walked away from Spence and looked at Pin, who didn't seem to understand the situation.
"Pin, let's go to the dorms." He said as he glanced at Spence. "Let loners remain lonely."
Pin shot a brief glance at Spence's soulless eyes. "I guess we need to give him some space." He muttered.
At that moment, there was an announcement on the P.A system:
"All students are requested to head back to their corresponding rooms immediately."
As directed, the students headed back to the main building and went back to their corresponding dorm rooms. For some reason, the corridors were filled with a distinct aroma.
"What is this smell?" Spence muttered under his breath.
He walked over to his room and waited for Bond as he had lost the spare keys. Bond came along with Pin and headed towards the room where he saw Spence standing. He unlocked the door and went into the room without looking at him.
Spence rushed to the end of the room and sat at a corner near the window sill. He picked up his back pack and began to hunt for something. One by one, he threw out everything from his bag. A pair of socks, few t-shirts, some pairs of jeans, a phone charger and a pair of headphones.
'It must be somewhere around here.'
After scavenging for fifteen minutes, he yielded the fruits of his labor. He found the item in the corner of a front pocket and took at out. His lips curved into a smile.
'What is this guy doing?' Bond stared at him in amazement.
Bond saw Spence holding the object in his hand. It was glistening when light struck upon it. Its structure suggested it was a pair of metal rings interwined.
"What are those?" Bond questioned but did not get any response.
Spence did not seem to care about anyone. He proceeded to pierce those metal rings through his ear lobe forcefully and locked them in place. His ears began to bleed but he could not care less. He turned his head towards the window and began to stare at the dusk sky.
There was a prolonged gap of silence.
"Why did he do this?" Spence finally spoke up. His voice was deep and cracked occasionally.
"Spence, listen. I am sorry." Bond gave a blank reply.
"Huh?"
"I am sorry." He repeated his statement.
Spence did not react at all. He just kept on staring at the dusk sky and his eyes followed the sun as it went below the horizon.
At that moment, there was a sharp knock at the door.
Bond walked to the door and peeped through the eye hole. It was a person holding a tray full of food. He cautiously opened the door.
"Excuse me, sir. The school has decided to provide everyone with warm food as a compensation for what happened today." He said as he handed the tray to Bond.
"I see. Thank you so much." He gave a formal reply and shut the door.
He walked over to the side table and kept the food on it. "Spence, come and have your food."
"Are you asking me to eat the food which has been made over my friend's dead body?" He questioned. "Compensation, my foot!"
Bond could somehow resonate with Spence's condition and could not get mad at him. Instead, he felt pity for the boy who had just lost his friend. He sat down near the window next to him and held his hand.
"Spence, please eat the food." He stared into his deep, soul less eyes.
"I don't want to." His voice cracked.
"Look, if you want to cry, you can. Let all the pain out and then think with a clear mind. There is nothing wrong with crying."
With that, tears began to form in the corner of Spence's eyes and they began to drip. Eventually, he began to bawl like a baby. A baby who had just become an orphan.
After ten minutes of excessive crying, Spence's condition stabilised and picked up the bowl of food, which was a hearty chicken soup now cold as ice. Even so, it was the best meal he had eaten in ages. He picked up a spoonful of the soup and held to Bond's mouth, who was constantly staring at him.
"Eat it." He ordered. For some reason, Bond could not object. Spence noticed his wet shoulder and ran his hand through his hair.
"Why is your hair wet?" He questioned with a frown on his face.
"I don't know how to dry it." He gave a blank reply.
Spence grabbed a towel from the mess around and began to wipe Bond's head. He rubbed the towel harshly on his head but Bond had no reaction. He touched his hair again and saw that it had dried. He took off the towel and spread it on the floor to dry.
Bond could do nothing but stare at him in amazement, with his deep brown eyes now filled with tears.
'What is wrong with me?'