"Ne,ne. How do you think we'll get inside of there?" Kagura asked, her auburn hair suddenly peeking out and appearing in front of Xian's busy face as she tries to sit next to his cousin.
Both of them were currently seated in an old lumpy sofa placed inside of Shio's cheap apartment. Its greyish walls and dark wooden door reveals more of its owner's nature-dull, simple-minded, and strict kind of person. Everything was fully arranged into his own style, not missing an inch of negligence to his furnishings. Most of his pieces of furniture were all made of dark mahogany wood, and despite the fact, his apartment wasn't too big, he managed to set up a cozy home.
Only the two cousins were currently staying at their friend's house as some had needed to take care of a very important matter, which was, fried chicken. It was difficult to get ahold of their favorite fried chicken supplier in town, especially if it's usually crowded like the famous shawarma stall that was near the school's field. The school was lucky enough to get a sponsorship from them!
Even so, it has been already an hour since Shio and Kun had left to pick up their order and one of the two cousins were already bored to death because the other was too preoccupied with Shio's laptop, editing some sort of fake IDs for them to get into a pub nearby. They were already close to being a legal adult, why not let them in now?
"Ugh..." Kagura groaned as she suddenly rose to her feet and start to pace around the apartment's conjoined living room and kitchen. The apartment consisted of only three rooms which are the living room with the kitchen, the bedroom, and of course, the bathroom. It was the only apartment Shio could afford since he is barely a senior high school graduate and only have part-time jobs. Sure, he receives support from his living father but he doesn't really give him an allowance to spend for himself.
"When do you think they'll get back?" She asked, pacing around the carpet as her eyes suddenly landed on a framed picture on top of a small bookshelf next to the sofa. It was a picture of Shio, next to a woman that seems to be his deceased mother. Kagura gazed at the picture and saw how lively Shio was in it, together with his mother. He had never opened up about his mother, only once, when the gang had asked about his state of living alone here in the apartment.
She frowned at the thought of the times Shio was hurting and would not tell the others how he is struggling.
"I wish he could tell us about what's going on with him, sometimes." She thought. Kagura turned to look at Xian once again, this time, noticing that he had not answered any of her questions and had simply ignored them. She glared at the busy geek working his fingers and tapping endlessly on the laptop. She was about to approach him and try to mess him up a little, they both suddenly heard the doorbell chiming in from the outside.
"Oh! They're here!" She sang as she hurriedly reached out for the door, seeing the two males feverishly sweating with two boxes of chicken on their hands. She had also noticed the large bottle of soft drink on Shio's hand and it was his regular favorite—root beer.
"We have the chicken everyone!" Kun shouted, swinging the two boxes of chicken on his hands as he squeezes himself inside. Shio, meanwhile, stood outside for a while as Kagura stared at him awkwardly. She could feel her nervousness crawling through her veins as she let out a forced cough and went inside the apartment as he followed soon after, as well.
"Are you done with the fake IDs, Xian?" Kun asked excitingly, his eyes shining from the adrenaline he was feeling. After all, it was his first time drinking and first time going to a pub—which was the same for others, he was the only one who's this excited.
Shio only sighed as he placed his cold bottle of root beer on top of the small table, placed between the sofa and the kitchen. He ran his hands to his hair as he could feel the gel that had to harden his black strings of hair. It was sticky and slimy, with dried sweat adding up to the gel, thus creating this uncomfortable mixture on his hair. It had made him feel worse, "Are we really doing this?"
"What do you mean? Of course, we are!" Kun replied, with disappointment shadowed on his face. He could not let anyone ruin the plan to experience his first alcohol.
"But, what if—"
"Uh, uh. No buts." Kun replied, his index finger shaking from side to side.
"You do realize that this is a risky thing we're about to do, right?" Shio said slowly as if trying to let Kun understand what he's saying since he's blinded by his lust for alcohol.
"Of course, I do! In fact, I'm very prepared for it—"
"And I'm done." Xian suddenly said, after being so quiet and busy from everyone. He broke away the attention from Kun and onto him. Everyone looked at him as they all went beside him in unison to check out the fake IDs he had finished making.
"Wow, that looks kind of cool." Kagura praised as they all notice the amazing effects and edits Xian had made in creating each and everyone's ID. He had started this a week ago, but this was the only time he could finish it as he was always preoccupied with track practice and laziness.
"I have to say... I'm impressed." Shio said, giving a big thumbs up to his friend, Xian, whose head was filling up with their constant praise and compliments.
"Hell yeah! Xian's really the best!" Kun happily said as he tries to get all clingy and mooch on Xian, who was pushing him away with all his might. Little did they know, Xian was having some sort of problem with their fake IDs.
"Uhm..." He started, his fingers poking at each other as he tries to relieve his anxiety on telling the others the only problem for their plan. "I really don't know how to print IDs or make them into a real ID sort of thing—I just know how to edit it."
Everyone in the room, except Xian, gasped and broke into laughter as Kun's jaw remained hanged open wide, unknowing of what to say. His first-time experience of trying alcohol and hitting on with some girls at the pub, to at least try to get a girlfriend, had shattered into pieces. Kun gasped louder, it was like he was screeching, as he falls to the sofa and onto the laptop that was placed on Xian's thighs. The utter disappointment he had felt was beyond, it was like his soul had left his body until he suddenly felt a hand smacking the back of his head painfully.
"Don't be so dramatic!" Xian said, removing the head of his annoying friend from his lap. "Just go buy some bottles of liquor in a near convenience store or something!"
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Shio asked, his tone being rather sarcastic since none of them have a legal ID that says they are fully allowed to buy their own alcohol, except for Xian.
"Just place your picture on top of my ID and put it back in its shelf." He said, not being bothered as he was too lazy to move again—and yes, this happens from time to time.
"Seriously?" Shio asked, one of his eyebrows was held up higher than the other. He was doubting that this revised plan of theirs could work, plus it wouldn't be such a great thing if they were to be arrested at such an early age—he had plans for his future, too! And one of them was to not ruin your life very early.
"Oh come on, Shio. Don't be such a wuss." Kun replied, his hand was already holding a 1x1 ID picture of Shio that he had prepared for his next job interview.
"Hey! Don't touch that!"
"Too late!" Kun winked at Shio, who was fuming with anger and annoyance. He was, again, the selected participant for his mischief and this had terribly irritated him. Shio started to dash around the room, attempting to catch a certain photo thief who was running around as well.
"Look at those two, they look like cat and mice!" Kagura exclaimed, giggling at the sight of the two best friends who always liked to fool around with each other. They had been like that since they were just in middle school, the three of them, Xian not being a part of them yet. She smiled as she watches the two scamper around the tight room, while his cousin was busy reading manga in his hands. to