Chapter 7 - JEST

Sometimes all Jest wants is to be that friend that disappears out of nowhere instead of being the friend that's always the one trying to figure out where his other friends went.

The boy ran his fingers through his hair, messing up his hair that one of his female classmates styled into a bun. Jest thinks he should probably cut his hair now as it can even be tied into a ponytail, but he might lose some girls (and boys) who liked him better with long hair.

He decides to leave it be and look for his two friends again. No sign of the two. Jest swore he saw the two talking just now at one of the tables and suddenly there's no sign of them. The boy rolls his eyes. They disappeared quicker than my previous relationship ended, he thinks.

Jest flinched when a soft-looking boy suddenly appeared by his side. The boy's hair was obviously dyed blonde and he was wearing a blue headband on top of it. Jest noted how the boy looked prettier than most girls, but there was something off about the boy. He tries to remember if he knew the boy, or even at least knew the boy's name but he could not even come up with a single memory that's associated with the boy.

Jest thinks to himself once again that he should definitely start taking those memory-enhancing pills that Enya recommended to him as a joke.

"When are you available this week?" The boy beside Jest suddenly asks in a soft, velvet-like tone that somehow fits his image.

Jest wished that his memory would cooperate with him even once in his life just enough for him to remember anything about this beautiful boy in front of him.

However, his brain absolutely refused by giving him nothing. Jest blames how he accepted the alcohol that his ex-girlfriend offered him yesterday before he decided to end things with her. Maybe she put pills on it, or something.

Jest inhaled deeply and settled to just grin at the boy beside him playfully. "My schedule's a little packed this week honey. What about next week?"

The boy's friendly aura suddenly disappeared and he scowls at Jest. However, in Jest's eyes, the boy still looked like a cute pomeranian. An angry, but a cute one. "What do you mean next week? The group project's deadline is this Friday, idiot!"

Group project? Deadline? Idiot?!

"Who the hell are you calling an idiot?"

The boy's eyes widened for a second and lets out a laugh that Jest swore is as beautiful as he is. "Our group project's deadline is on Friday and you're angry about me calling you an idiot? You really are something, Jest."

The taller of the two boys decided that he liked the way the other boy says his name.

"Sorry," Jest could only reply sheepishly. "I had a lot in mind,"

The boy rolls his eyes, urging Jest to sit down at a nearby table. Jest decided that his search for the two idiots he calls his best friends would have to be postponed. "Don't you mean you have a lot of people in mind?"

"How'd you know?" Jest asked, feigning excitement. He leaned close to the other boy, enough for him to hear the gasp of the boy beside him from their sudden close proximity. "Can you read my mind? Guess what I'm thinking of,"

Jest thought of the boy sitting down in his bed as they started to make the so-called group project. The taller boy would offer the other boy to stay for the night and when the beautiful boy enters the shower to take a bath Jest will come in and--

"Nothing appropriate based on the disgusting expression on your face," The blonde-haired boy retorts, as he opens his bag to grab a book. Jest frowns at the history book that the boy placed on the table. Of course, this project just had to be Jest's most disliked subject. "We have to make a report based on ancient Greek Gods. First, we have to decide which God are we going to research on. It can be anyone of the Olympians, but I much prefer if we choose to tackle an event instead of just one God. How about the Great Titan War? I've already researched a bit about it yesterday--"

"Wait, wait, wait. Babe, I don't even know your name yet,"

The boy rolled his eyes at Jest. "Really? You don't even know your groupmate's name but you can memorize all the people you'll be fucking this week?"

Jest momentarily froze at how harsh the other boy's statement was. Jest thinks again if he had sex with this boy before, but to no avail, as his brain absolutely refuses to make him remember anything.

The other boy immediately noticed Jest's silence but ignores it. "As I was saying, I think we should focus more on the historical events that occurred back. What do you think of the Great Titan War? Or should we just choose a God?"

"Don't we have any other groupmates to tackle this with?" The long-haired boy asked, looking around for anyone who's on their way to our table.

The boy beside him sighs. "No. Just us. You obviously didn't listen to our professor,"

He opens yet another book. This time, the book looked even thicker. "How about the birth of Apollo and Artemis? Or Hermes? Or what about we tackle more on how many kids Poseidon had with other women--"

Jest raised his hands to stop the other boy from talking about these individuals the taller of the two boys had absolutely no knowledge of. Jest knew he was to blame for his lack of interest in the subject which led to him sleeping for the entire period, but can anyone honestly blame him? Their professor sucks at teaching!

"Stop, stop," Jest placed his hand on the other boy's mouth. The boy's eyes widened at this but Jest kept it there despite the boy's rather cute attempts of getting his hand off. "Babe, I literally have no idea what you're talking about. I don't even have the slightest idea who are the Olympians," The boy glares at Jest as if the taller boy offended him with his lack of knowledge. "Sorry, sorry. But can you blame me? If our professor only had at least a little bit of spirit on her while she teaches I would've listened, you know? Technically, it's not my fault."

The boy finally succeeded in removing Jest's hand from covering his mouth. "You could've just read the books,"

"Babe, do I seriously look like someone who would read?" Jest's green eyes suddenly gleamed at a sudden dirty idea. "But I can read your body--"

The blonde-haired boy smacked Jest with the book on his shoulder. "Don't even think about finishing that sentence or this book will be hitting your face next."

Jest immediately defended himself with the other book the boy beside him put on the table earlier. "Honey, not the face! It's my only asset!"

The boy unexpectedly laughs at Jest's silliness. Jest internally thanked the gods for the way they made him. Not only is he hot, but he's also funny. What more can anyone honestly ask for?

After the boy laughs for a bit he suddenly stares at Jest with an unscrutizable look on his face. It's almost as if he's studying the taller boy through his eyes.

Silence filled the space between the two. Jest wanted to say something and of course, he opened his mouth without thinking whether his next words were appropriate or not. Spoiler alert, they weren't.

"Do you wear lipstick or are your lips naturally red?"

Jest's words made the boy flush up to his ears and he once again hits the taller boy with the book. Jest did not mind it as long as the boy beside him would not hit him in the face. Not his major asset!

"Seriously though," Jest decided to start the conversation in a serious manner. The boy beside him looked up from reading the book which was about the topics the two were supposed to make a report on. "What's your name?"

A pained expression crossed the boy's face for a split second but he hid it with a smirk. "I thought you know everyone in this school. Apparently, you were lying,"

"I prefer the term exaggerating," Jest shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like I can memorize everyone's names you know? I can't even remember what my third cousin's name is!"

The boy chuckled as he finally decided to stop trying to read again every time Jest finished saying something. "I don't think that's something you should be proud of," The boy removed his headband and put it inside his bag. "You should start remembering their names or there might be awkwardness when you can't seem to remember their names in a reunion."

The concern on the boy's voice made Jest smile.

"Are you worried about me embarrassing myself, babe?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at the other boy. "In the contrary, I'm looking forward to it," He spontaneously stands up from his seat and puts his books back inside his bag.

"You're leaving?" Jest could only ask, flabbergasted.

The boy with blonde hair merely grins and waves.

"You didn't even tell me your name or your number, how am I supposed to contact you for this project?!"

However, the boy did not even turn back. It was as if what happened was just a figment of Jest's wild fantasies. A beautiful boy with an attitude that makes Jest want to kiss him and do bad things to him at the same time.

Licking his lips, Jest stood up from the table and walks towards one of the girls he knew. The girl's friends gaze at her with envy as Jest holds her hand, leading her away from them after biding them a polite farewell.

The girl raised an eyebrow at him coyly the moment they arrived at the parking area of the vehicles of the students but kisses him anyway.

Jest would obviously not be in his next classes. Hopefully, Enya would lend him her notes.