Haruki wiped the sweat that formed on his forehead from running back to class from the snack vending machine. He looked down at his wrist watch and he had only thirty seconds to get to the third floor and he was only on the second floor.
He groaned and continued running. One of the snacks fell and he had to run down leading to the others he held dropping one after the other like they were weary of being held in his hand.
"Oi Please," he begged as he was forced to bend to pick them up. Pulling his shirt, he used it as a pouch for the snacks. He did not look at the time since he had no time to.
When he pushed open the door to the rooftop, he looked at the boys looking at him amused like they were watching their favorite anime.
He swallowed and dragged his tired legs toward them. He did not reach the leader to deliver the snacks when his leg was kicked sending him flying to the ground. He winced and groaned but he stood up and hurried to the boss.
He placed all the snacks on the chair beside him and knelt knowing what was going to follow. His friend told him to always protect his stomach and his head when getting beaten up and he was getting ready to defend those two vital spots.
Before he raised his hand to cover his head, a sharp pain visited that spot. He clenched his teeth and curled up as several parts of his body were visited with blows that hurt so badly.
They might not be spots that could leave scars visible outside his cloth but they were spots that will leave him bent forward in pain for the whole day.
"Stop," the leader commanded causing his obedient dogs to stop. "Stand up," that order was for him and without delay, he hurried up. The pain slowed him down a little and he could not stand up straight due to the pain he felt in his back.
He clenched his teeth to hold a cry of pain and agony. He met the leader's gaze when he raised his head. He saw that happiness to see his pathetic state in the youth's eyes and he clenched his fist in hatred and bottled anger.
"His hand is clenched," the leader laughed. "Do you want to hit me?" the leader asked as he slapped him light enough to not leave scars.
He swallowed and shook his head before opening his hand.
"Now, that is a good boy, leave," the leader ordered feeling bored.
Haruki nodded before hurrying away before they change their minds. He stopped when he got to the steps that led to the floor his class was on. He leaned on the handrail as tears poured down his face.
"Ruki!" his friend ran over and held him up.
"Aki . . ." he muttered as his lower lips trembled.
"Do you wish to drink water?" Aki asked him as he pushed a bottle of water toward him.
He took the bottle from his friend and gulped down half of the content in the bottle. "Thank you, I feel better now. Do you put nerve-calming pills in this water?" he was forced to ask the same question he always asks his friend.
"When will you ever stop asking me that?" his friend murmured as he supported him down the stairs.
"The day you stop giving me water?" Haruki asked his best friend.
"I will never stop," Aki replied warmly. "Are you sure you don't feel any excess pain?"
"Hmm," he muttered tiredly. He knew he will spend the rest of the class sleeping and the teachers will once again confirm that he was a very unserious student.
It was just this time, he tried so hard to sleep but the sleep did not come to ease the biting pain he felt in the left part of his stomach. He tried his best to protect his head and his stomach suffered more this time.
He mopped the cold sweat that formed on his brow and he moaned softly. One day years ago, he believed he was the happiest child in the world with a mother who smiled so often and his father who wanted to teach him anything fun.
He was overly pampered and loved. An accident changed the lives of several people. His parents died in the accident and his aunt took him in. The leader of the gang of delinquents he had to serve every lunchtime, was his cousin.
They were not blood-related since it was not a secret that his father was adopted into his aunt's family when he was young. They had a good bond but he did not share any of that bond with his cousins.
This was a little better when his parents were alive but when he had to live under the same roof with them, he was looked upon as a burden.
He knew his aunt had the insurance money from both of his parents and he was well taken care of with that money but his cousins thought his aunt was spending all her hard-earned money on him.
He understood their pain that was why he never told his aunt what he suffered and he also did not want to be too much of a burden. His aunt's husband was already tired of his presence in the house.
He was disciplined severely by the drunken man and his aunt who was hardly at home due to her busy schedule knew nothing of what was happening while she was away.
He was still happy; he had the sincere love and concern of his best friend and his aunt.
"Haruki, let's go home," he had only succeeded in falling asleep when he was tapped awake by his best friend.
He was called a girl by all the boys in the class because of his almost total resemblance to his mother who was the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
The persecution he got from the boys was too much for him to notice the girls staring at him like he was trying hard to be as pretty as they are. It was not his fault.