"Ugh, my head." What happened?
I sit up slowly, I don't want my dizziness and headache to become worse.
I look around my surroundings. It's... my bedroom, huh? So cold! I look down and see myself naked?!
Huhhh? What is happening?!
I heard the door being open, I see Adrian holding a glass of water and a medicine. He walks towards me and put the glass of water in the side table.
"Ari? I... What happened? Why am I naked? Why are we here back home? We are supposed to be in Riri's house, right? Partying?"
"You're drunk last night, you said that you're feeling hot so you demanded to not put your clothes on." Drunk? But I never—...is it the juice?
"Wait, last night? Oh no! Papa! Where's papa?" Papa is supposed to be here last night... but I'm drunk and can't see him because of that stupid juice! No alcohol!
"Master's downstairs, he's waiting for you for you to wake up."
"Really?!" When I was about to get off the bed, Ari stop me.
"You need to take the medicine for your headache." he said giving me the medicine that is in his hand. I take it and pop it into my mouth then I drink the glass of water that's beside me.
"Cooper, master didn't know what happened last night. Norvyn gave an excuse that you're sleeping that's why master didn't bother you. We didn't told master about the party because we want you to tell him what happened... Do you not remember what happened last night?" Ari asked.
I tried to remember something but... it's foggy. I can't remember the bits and pieces. I just know that when I drank the... alcohol, I became dizzy. My body became hot that I have the urge to take off my clothes. Other than that, I don't remember anything.
"I don't remember anything except drinking that... juice."
"What about the guy? Do you know that guy?" Guy? Ohhhh, I remember him.
"Oh, do you mean Brian? He's a good guy! He helped me carried my plate to a table then when I became dizzy because I drank the juice that I use to remove the spiciness of the fried chicken, he help me find you. Is he the one who gave me to you?"
".....sigh." Why sigh?
"Calvin was the one who take you to me." Huh? Why Calvin?
"Huh? But I remember..." Now I'm confused. I need answers.
"What really happened Adrian?" I said.
"That... Brian, tried to... do something bad to you."
....bad?
"Bad? Like kidnap me?"
"No, he tried to r*pe you. Now tell me, is he still a good guy?"
.... I... W-what?
"...He, he what?"
"It's okay now, don't worry. Just don't talk to anybody you didn't know, okay?"
"...." I... If Calvin...I... I'm scared.
"You're okay now, it's okay don't worry." Ari is continuously trying to comfort me. He hugs me and patting my head...I'm not as shaken and afraid anymore...
"Thanks Ari."
"No problem. I will do everything to not let that happen again." He's so serious that his voice is lower than normal.
"Adrian, please don't tell papa what happened. I don't want him to lock me up in the house again."
"...I understand, young master." he said, albeit a little hesitant.
I smiled. "Should we go down now? Papa is probably wondering why we are so slow, hahaha!" Even just one day, I don't want to remember anything that happened last night.
He smiled too. "Let's go down now young master."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cooper, my boy!" He smiles at me and stands up, his arms are open wide.
"Papa!" I run, hugging him like there's no tomorrow.
"Tch. What did the doctors tell you? You can't run." reprimand papa.
"Hmph! If you're always here in the house and I always see you, maybe I'm not like this excited to see you."
"Now now, don't be angry at the old man. I have some gifts for you." Tss. This is papa's way of saying sorry for not always here by my side. Even though I don't like some gifts that he is giving me, I always treasure it because it's papa's gift.
He took the bags that is on the floor. He rummages it and looks inside. If he didn't find the one he's looking, he will toss it aside and look in another bag.
He should've just give it to me...
"Aha! I found it!" He holds a small black case. Hmmm, I'm curious as to what's inside it.
Maybe papa saw me intrigued and curious about it so he laughed. "Curious, eh?"
Don't look so smug...
He gives me the case, in which I hurriedly take. I open it and uhhh, it's an eyeglass. What am I gonna do with it? My eyesight is still good.
"An eyeglass?" I look at it with a lot of question marks in my face, figuratively.
"It's not just an ordinary eyeglass. This eyeglass, can be eaten."
"Ehhh? Why?"
"You may think that it is a real eyeglass but it's not. It is made of dark chocolate. This kind of chocolate design is really popular in Acamthelenia."
"Thanks papa!" Dark chocolate is my favorite chocolate! I like how it can be bitter and sweet at the same time.
"Kuhum. How's school?"
"It's good! I made a friend, her name is Kristine but I call her Riri then I saw my—...we went to a mall to—go shopping! Yeah..." It's best to left out some things that might make papa worried.
"Cooper, I know when your lying. What really happened? No more lies." Tch. Fine.
"I made a friend, she's Riri. I saw someone being bullied, it's my classmate, Calvin. Me and Ari told Ms. H, our homeroom teacher. Then Riri invited me to a party and I agreed so we went to go shopping some clothes, that's why my closet is full." I mumbled the last few words.
He look at my face for a second. Is there something on my face?
After that he nodded. "Is your first party fun? Is that why you sleep and did not wait for me, because you're tired?"
"Yes." Well, it's not all truth but almost all of it are. Sooo, if we estimate it, the result is truth. I'm not lying.
"Tomorrow, you have a class right?"
"Yes papa, so we should really enjoyed our day today! We should watch some movies and eat popcorn!"
"Sigh... I'm sorry, my boy, but I need to go back to work in an hour."
"Aww, not even a movie night?"
"I wish to have watch movies with you, but I regret that I need to work."
"Can't your employees do the work instead of you?"
"Cooper, you know that I need to be there because if not, how can the company runs without it's boss?"
"You can just do your work here." I stubbornly said.
"What if there's an emergency in the company that needs my presence? It will be too late to drive back to the company."
Sigh. Papa's right. You shouldn't be selfish Cooper.
"I understand."
He pat my back and said, "Don't be gloomy, I'm still here. Let's make the most of the time we spend together. How about you tell me your little adventures this last week, eh?"
"Ok!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Papa left after breakfast. We had little time spent bonding but I enjoyed it. I told Norvyn about my decision to not tell papa anything until the school year ends. He disagreed about my plan but he agreed after a bit of pleading and coaxing. Sigh, Norvyn is a kid at heart.
It's now Monday, another day of school.
Honestly, my mind can't forget about what Ari told me, about what happened that night. I'm scared that he's just there, waiting for me to lower my awareness so that he can just bam! Caught me.
I just got out of the car when I heard Riri calling my name. "Cooper!" her voice is loud, as always, but it have a hint of worry and concern.
"Riri!" I smile and wave at her. She runs towards me and then hugs me tightly...I can't breathe.
"Cooper, I am soo sorry! I didn't know that something happened to you! I shouldn't have just invited any random person here in our school. Heck, he's not even a student. He just come along his friends in our school so that he's there. Don't worry, that son of a b*tch is in jail now." Riri must be really worried...
"Thank you Riri, I'm fine now. Don't worry about me."
"What? Don't worry? Of course I am worried! You're almost been—mmph!" I quickly cover her mouth. Aish this woman.
"Riri! Shh!"
When she realize why I am covering her mouth, she too covers her mouth.
"Riri, I love you but I really hate your mouth."
She glares at me and remove the hands that is covering her mouth.
"It's because of you! Ugh! I will old early because of stress!"
"Thank God that Calvin was there because if he wasn't there, you're dead meat."
If not for Calvin, maybe I'm not here. Even if I live, maybe I'm not the same anymore...Speaking of Calvin...
"Riri."
"Yes?"
"Did you see Calvin anywhere? I want to thank him."
"Maybe he's in the room now. After all, the class will start in like... five minutes." she said, looking at her phone.
"We should hurry up if we don't want to be late." Ari said. Sometimes, I forgot that Ari is with us because he's so quiet! He just talks if I ask him a question or something irritating happens and he wants to fend it off.
We go to the classroom. Ari opens the door and let me and Riri go first.
After getting inside, I searched for a hoodie, which I find easily because he's the only one who's wearing a hoodie.
I smiled, walking towards Calvin. His arms are crossed, pillowing his head. He still have his earphones in his ears, his eyes are close.
I tap his shoulder. He opens his eyes and look up. When he sees that I'm the one who wakes him up, he sighs, removes his earphones away from his ears, sits up and looks at me with his bored eyes.
His greetings to me is always sigh. He's like always tired... seeing me.
"What?" he said.
"I just want to say thank you for saving me from that guy."
"..." silence. Just silence.
"....yeah." I said. This is getting awkward...
"....." SPEAK! Don't just stare at me!
"....oh." Just that?!
Sigh. At least he spoke one word.
"Anyway, thanks! As a sign of thank you, I want to buy—"
"No."
"Don't worry it's just a food. Soo, what's your favo—"
"I said no." he said, Putting back his earphones again in his ears. This guy... so stubborn. It's just a food!
When I was about to talk to him again, Ms. H goes inside and makes us sit in our corresponding chairs.
Sigh. Hmmm, I can still buy him food without him knowing then, give it to him and threatened—no threatened is a strong word. Hmmm, I'll just forcefully give it to him. Yeah, that seems right!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Riri, help me carry these!" I said, giving her the thirds of what I bought and to Ari too.
"Sooo, why are you buying so many snacks?" Riri asked me. She is surprised buy the amount of foods that I bought. You can't blame her because I always just bought food that I can eat and sometimes, Norvyn packed me foods so that I will not buy things in the cafeteria.
"Is it for us? Are you finally going to buy us some foods? Cooper, you're too kind today. But it's not bad, it's actually good!"
"It's not for you two. It's for Calvin, this is a thank you gift from me. I don't know his favorite food so I bought all I deemed delicious."
"All these? But these is so many!"
"Yeah, he did save me so buying him foods is all I can do."
"So you're saying that, All of these foods that I AM CARRYING is only for Calvin and I can't even have one?!"
"Riri, tone down your voice, many people are looking at us. We are still in the line." I said. People look at us like we're annoying. Not gonna blame them, Riri's mouth is really annoying.
"I don't wanna carry these anymore, here!" she gives it to me but I didn't accept it. Why would I?
I continue to walk until we reach the exit. Now, I just only need to find Cal.