The sound of the clock ticking in the room was accompanied by the voice of the professor discussing their lesson while writing on the board. Leansei glanced at the window when he felt the cold breeze. He looked down and saw Xerchin and Beidhen wearing their jerseys while running in the wide grass field. There were a lot of girls surrounding them and cheering.
"Now, the activity for today is by partner. The person beside you will be your partner. Read the instructions carefully and to be passed today also. " Leansei immediately straightened his posture, and his spirit was woken up when he heard the prof's voice.
The arrangement is that there are four rows and five columns. Each column has three chair pairs, leaving Leansei and Revin dazedly looking at their notebooks as if they had been preoccupied all day.
' What's with revin? He wasn't being attentive these past few days, and now since this morning, he's like he isn't himself right now. What happened? ' Leansei said in his mind and gently tapped Revin's arm.
He flinched and said, "No! I was sick!" He shouted, which made their classmates look in their direction and the professor looked dismayed by what Revin had just said.
Revin realized that he had shouted unconsciously and looked at Leansei with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, What's happening?" Revin asked.
Leansei shook his head and pointed at the board since the instruction was written on the whiteboard.
"We have a task to do." Leansei said as he examined his written notes. Revin's spirit immediately awoke, and he shifted his gaze between the board and Leansei.
"When is the submission?" Revin asked.
"The end of her time."
"Whaat?!"
"Yes, here let's exchange information. You do this and I'll do this."
"O-ohh okay."
.
Leansei stretched his arms upwardly as he yawned. He fixed his things and glanced at Revin when he was preoccupied again. Leansei signed deeply and tapped his shoulder.
Revin flinched and looked at him. "It's lunch time. You want to come with me?" Leansei asked. Revin came back to reality and smiled as he nodded while getting his bag.
They walked together outside the room and to the hall.
"You finally decided to ask me to have lunch with you." Revin said with a smile on his face.
"Why? Did you wait for me to ask you?"
"Kind of. " Revin said and laughed histerically, like his troubles were fading away.
"Are you okay?" Leansei asked. "You looked troubled and messed. "
"Well, if you treat me at lunch, I might be okay. " a teasing tone from Revin.
When Revin is being his usual annoying self, Leansei hisses.
' I guess he is fine now. ' Leansei said in his mind.
They walked out of the building and walked to the other building where the main cafeteria was located.
"It looks like you're getting close to Vcheroi's?" Revin asked.
Leansei fixed his eyeglasses and was unable to respond when he remembered what Perial had told him the last two days.
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"He visited his girlfriend."
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Those two days, Leansei did all he could to avoid Xerchin at any cost, and that made him avoid Beidhen too. Leansei looked down when he remembered how Xerchin treated him and acted toward him. He couldn't get why Xerchin treats him differently when he has a girlfriend in the first place.
' Why do I feel like I'm frustrated? It's not like we have something! We were just friends, so why do I even avoid him? Damn self, what is happening to you?! '
"Troubled too?" Revin question made Leansei glance at him.
"No.. I'm not that close with him." Leansei said, while looking at the ground. Revin glanced at him with a confused look but diverted his gaze away from him and looked around instead.
.
After ordering their food, they take a seat at the clean and empty table near the glass wall. They stopped when someone sat beside Leansei.
It was Corshe, with his usual jovial face while putting his tray down on the table.
"Since when did you befriend Gavin?" Corshe asked Revin.
"He's my friend now, and you'll have to bear with it." Revin said and ate his food, which made his cheeks puff.
"As if! I'm his first friend! " Corshe said. Leansei shook his head in disbelief when he realized how childish these two were. He looked down at his food and chewed it with a smile on his face.
He never imagined having a friend in his life, never imagined being happy with friends, and now he knows what it's like to have a friend who isn't malicious behind your back.
"You two, stop it." Leansei said, after swallowing the chewed food in his mouth.
Leansei was unbelievable with these two. Corshe and Revin were bickering with each other when Leansei saw Xeillin was preoccupied walking past them with a tray in his hand.
"Xei." Leansei called him. Xeilin flinched and glanced in their direction. The gloomy face of Xeilin faded away when he saw Leansei's face. He walked towards them, put his food on the table, and sat beside Revin.
"President!" Corshe said with a smile on his face. Xeilin smiled at him and glanced beside him when he didn't know him at all.
"Oh, that's Revin, and this is Corshe. Revin, this is Xeilin, the President of the Council." Leansei said while introducing them to each other. Xeilin smiled at Revin, while Revin gave him a raw smile.
"What are you dazed about? Are you troubled too? " Leansei asked what that made Xeilin paused and gave them a smile.
" I just encountered something, but I'm fine. " Xeilin said, while looking at his tray and swirling his fork in the food. Leansei glances at Revin, who is preoccupied again while looking at his tray. He glanced beside him and saw Corshe, who puffed his lips while thinking deeply.
"I guess we are all troubled about something." Leansei said and continued eating.
While eating, Corshe said, "Oh right, the acquaintance party will be at the end of the month right?"
"Oh yeah, we, the SSC officers, will be busy this week preparing it for everyone. You will get what the event is all about or the theme of the event this week. " Xeilin said.
Revin looks to drink his juice after finishing his tray.
"Yay! You heard that?" Corshe said and turned to Leansei, who already knew what the plan and the event were all about. He wasn't really interested in these things, but since he was the vice president, he couldn't ditch the officers who worked hard for the event.
"Oh right, you're the vice president of the council." Corshe said, and laughed at his own stupidity. Everyone shook their heads and looked at Corshe with disbelief.
A group of friends sat beside the table while gossiping. It made the three stop and listen to it.
"I heard Seleigh's fiance has been confirmed."
"Are you serious? For real?"
"Yes! Look at the social media!"
"Then does Beidhen's fiance's confirmation too?"
"No way!"
"But wait, have you heard?"
"The new chef was handsome!"
"Seriously?"
"Some students saw him come inside the principal's office, and he was shown around by an administrative assistant."
"Omg!!"
"Rell is also said to be in a relationship."
"What the hell with the rumors? all at once? "
Xeilin looked down, and his smile changed in an instant. While Revin looked at the girl with a cold stare, Leansei drank water while thinking deeply that he had a bad feeling about it.
The bell rang as the lunchtime break ended. They headed to their own building and room. Leansei and Revin couldn't concentrate in the afternoon classes. They tried their best not to think about it, but when they looked at social media, there were tons of tweets and posts about it.
The classes ended, but Leansei was still thinking about what Perial said. He was walking down the long path towards the gate of the school when he saw Xerchin leaning against the wall of the gate, like he was waiting for someone to come out. Leansei immediately hides behind the wall of the building and looks at Xerchin secretly.
' What was he doing there? Is he waiting for someone? But why am I hiding in the first place? ' Leansei said, put his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He had no idea what was going on with him these days.
He looked again, and he saw Xerchin was talking to a girl. He tried to look at it closely, and he saw them walking towards the parking lot together. Leansei unconsciously runs towards the parking lot and hides in the car a few meters away from Xerchin's car.
He saw them walking together toward Xerchin's car. He was still in his usual poker face while the girl climbed into the passenger seat and looked at Xerchin.
"Thank you for walking me here." The sweet voice of the girl, Leansei, immediately walked away from the parking lot with a tear in his heart. He couldn't understand what he was feeling toward Xerchin. He had never felt this toward anyone or felt this kind of feeling inside his heart, like it was torn apart.
Leansei hurriedly walked towards the gate while Rell was just walking towards the parking lot, his hands in his pocket, and he saw Leansei, who was walking fast away from the parking lot.
He smiled, and he was about to call him when he saw the familiar face of Kean. It was the same the last time he saw him before the incident. Rell's smile faded away, and he slowly put his hand down in realization.
Leansei was running like an idiot. He was running like there was no tomorrow. He finally remembered this feeling; it was pain. It was the same when Tyvan abandoned him on the cold, rainy day. It was the same sensation, but this time it hurt more than anything else. It was the feeling that made Leansei confused.
He doesn't know why he feels this way; he feels weird, but he knows that it was the same feeling back then. Leansei sat in the waiting shed while gasping for air, looking preoccupied while holding his chest.
' So the girl he's inrelationship named Seleigh. Which is Xerchin's girlfriend? or, alternatively, his fiancée? But why should I avoid him? It's not like there's something to avoid at. ' Leansei looked down and clenched his fist.
' That bastard. leaving me with unexplained feelings. He has a fiancé after all. ' Leansei said it in his mind and hissed.
He rode the bus to commute to and from his condo. Luckily, he now knows how to commute to and from home as well as to school.
.
Leansei took his shoes off and his socks as he walked towards his room and changed his uniform before collapsing his body onto the bed and staring at the wall. He remembered how he met Xerchin and how he enjoyed the company of or being with Xerchin throughout the weeks he was with him.
He took his phone and saw a text message from Rell and Perial.
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FROM: RELLO VIN
Hey, is everything alright?
sent a few seconds ago.
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FROM: THE CRAZY PERIAL
Hey, sorry I left without saying goodbye. I need to go back to my parents' house. You know how my parents are. If anything happens, call me, okay??
4 hours ago, a message was sent.
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Leansei slightly smiled as he remembered that he had friends now, including Corshe, Xeilin, and Revin. But his smile faded away when he remembered that sooner or later he would need to go back to his own life.
Sometimes, Leansei wonder if this is the kind of life he has in his own body and life. He pondered that he might be saved from the dark pit.
But he has to say goodbye to the wonderful people he has met.
Leansei closed his eyes, imagining letting the problem fade away and just sleeping on it since many things happen just for a day.
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