Another day had come by and Ruan just got out of his bed in the morning. He looked at the special phone as a new quest had begun. He sighed before he laid to rest on the floor in his room. With his forearms and toes as the only way to keep him from kissing the ground, he heard every second from the clock on the wall.
Time seemed to slow down as his legs shook slightly. His breath began to pant as his abdomen felt a strain. Yet, the seconds showed no mercy and moved on. He could feel his sweat under his forearms as he started to slide forward. His belly soon narrowed the distance to the floor before he put a force on his toes to regain his balance. The strain was unbelievably painful and his eyes couldn't be opened due to the flood of sweat on his face.
*ding
His body immediately fell down with a thud. He couldn't even roll over as his mouth opened catching whatever air was in front of his face. The thumping heart was beating against the floor as he reached out the special phone from his pocket. With his nose inhaling and exhaling against the screen, he was satisfied that he managed to complete the quest. Though the reward was not much.
He made his way with his berating breaths to the mysterious box inside the phone. With his forty life points, he could pull eight times.
"Heh, alright then, let's see what fate is going to bring me," muttered Ruan as he tapped the single pull option.
A nut.
It was those three letters that filled his mind. He sarcastically laughed before he pulled another.
A nut.
He furrowed his eyebrows before he pulled another.
A nut.
The veins in his thumb popped as he pulled another.
A nut.
He finally gritted his teeth as he looked at the phone dead on the screen. He sat down before he repeatedly pressed the button in anger. The phone read his inputs until the pull option was grayed out.
A nut.
Another nut.
Another nut.
Nut x5.
He acquired twelve nuts to his disbelief. His mouth gaped both because he was exhausted and how bad his luck was. He ended up sighing before he put the phone down and head for the shower.
The cold water did nothing to his soul as his eyes half-opened. The dripping filled his void heart as he stared blankly against the tiles. The blurry reflection of his face was on it, his eyes were again, unhappy.
(Why am I so fragile, it's just another disappointment) thought Ruan before he picked up the soap.
*ding dong.
The doorbell of his house rang before Ruan's mother shouted, "Coming!"
Suan Tey chuckled, "That's what you said in the hos—"
*bang
His head was hit by thousands of force from her knuckle, leaving him passed out with his eyes opened.
Ruan's mother opened the door to reveal a cute girl that was about Ruan's age. She was not as tall as her but the demeanor that coming out from her was almost the same. She had a golden chain necklace with an 'S' pendant that probably worth a secondhand car. Her ruby bracelet was hanging on her right wrist while there was a thin golden ring on her ring finger. She wore a brown leather jacket with jeans and heels.
"Hello, aunty Svie!" said the girl.
"Eh? Pharaoh? Oh my, you've grown... hm... older?" said Ruan's mother innocently.
(It's Sarah...) thought the girl as her mouth twitched. (This bitch didn't hold back at all). She shook her head before she handed out an invitation card to Ruan's mother.
"Here, aunty, this one is for you and..." before she could finish her word.
Ruan was walking down the stairs while drying his hair with his yellow towel. He stopped in the middle of the way before his body froze as he saw the girl that stood outside his home. He felt his heart thumping as cold sweat briefly jerked out of his body. He swallowed his saliva before he approached her beside his mom.
"Sarah..." muttered Ruan with his wet hair that was still dripping with water.
Svie smirked at her boy before she quietly left them alone.
"Ruan..." muttered the girl with a smile that looked really heavy.
The two of them stood against each other before Ruan closed the door behind him. The shimmering light of the sun didn't faze them as they looked at each other's eyes.
Sarah gulped before she handout an invitation card to him.
Ruan didn't receive it with his hand and looked at the cover which she handed out. He closed his eyes before he asked, "When?"
"Tch... aren't you going to ask who?" said Sarah with her irritated tone.
Ruan smiled as he shook his head. He looked at the fancy car behind her that was shinier than his house. The style she was wearing was also lavish.
"When?" asked Ruan once more.
She crossed her arms, "It's next week."
"I see," Ruan smiled wryly.
"Is that all? Is that all you are going to say?" asked Sarah.
Ruan stayed silent but his eyes turned glassy before he asked, "Did he treat you well?"
The question made her opened her eyes wide before she looked down. She buried her fingers inside her palm before she nodded, "En, he did."
Ruan nodded, "I see."
He took the invitation card from her hand before he turned around. She pinched his shirt before she said, "You will come, right?"
Ruan slightly shook before he answered with a nod, "En."
He didn't notice Sarah's shaking thumb as it pinching his shirt.
"I'll see you next week," said Ruan before he entered his house, leaving her alone outside.
Sarah retracted her hand back to her side before she turned around and rushed toward her car before she left the place. Under the sun, the floor on which they were standing against each other, there was a patch of shadow like a splash of liquid that was trailing outside to the empty road.