Lucas did not stay too long in the dining room. After they bid each other good nights and love yous, Lucas strolled towards his bedroom. He shuts his door and pulls out his neck tie from the collar. Ruffling his hair, he sighs frustratedly out loud.
Throwing himself on his fluffy bed, he relishes the soft texture of his blanket. A moment of silence descended inside, only the sound of his breathing can be heard.
Shifting his body weight into a more comfortable position, he pulls out his phone from his pockets. As he turned on his phone with his finger, the screen was bombarded with notifications coming from the class group chats. He unlocks it.
Gabriel (Class Monitor): Wuwuwuwuw, I will miss you guys. It was fun being classmates to you all.
Owen: Shut it class monitor. Stop being so sentimental after you ditch cleaning the classroom last week. Smoking. Jpeg.
Multiple classmates had reacted with a haha emoji. The messages kept on coming that Lucas cannot follow the flow anymore. He leaves the group chat and prompts to scroll in the school forum.
To his surprise, what he sees first is his stolen picture. Him. Carrying Adrian bridal style. What the hell??? The post was newly posted and not many had seen it just yet however, the anonymous owner of the account is famous. Surely, after a few minutes, many will see this outrageous picture.
The angle was far away from them yet it still captured his face. He pinches the picture to zoom in, making sure it was not his hallucination. Yep, it really was not his hallucination.
Lucas scrolls down, ignoring what he had seen. Out of sight, out of mind. He scrolls down aimlessly until the chat head of Owen pops up with messages.
Owen: Tf man?? Did you carry someone in a bridal style position? Picture. Jpeg.
Owen: Jesus. Is this who I think it is???
Owen: Fucker. Answer me!!!
Owen: I am freaking hella out here!!!
Annoyance bubbles inside Lucas. He reads the messages and snorts.
Lucas: ….
Lucas: Why are you being so dramatic?
After sending it, replies were sent back immediately.
Owen: ??? Wtf you mean by that?
Owen: Helloo??? Am not being dramatic. Jesus Christ, have you seen this??
Owen: /Picture jpeg./
Lucas clicks on it and is not surprised by the surge of comments present in the comment section.
Anonymous 1: Aren't these two the leading students of our grade? Or I am just drunk and could not see it clearly?
Gabriel: What the???
Owen: They look ridiculous together.
Anonymous 2: *Eye emoji*
Anonymous 3: I can smell something fishy here.
Lucas did not continue reading the messy comments. It might spiral into something he does not want.
Lucas: Ignore it.
His phone began to vibrate after he sent it, showing an incoming call from his friend. He throws the object on the other side of his bed, ignoring its existence. Lucas pulled himself to stand up and stretched his arms. He then marches towards the bathroom, intending to wash himself up and go to sleep after.
Unperturbed by the outside chaos for the first month, he hops inside the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Adrian has just gotten home from his aunt's cafe. He stayed there for a while and helped in the shop. Tiring however, the sense of accomplishment swirling inside of him makes him satisfied.
''I'm home.'' He utters somewhere under his breath.
He switches on the switch and is not surprised by the presence of no one inside. Being used to such scenarios, Adrian is not expecting anything anymore.
For the first few months of starting high school, his younger self does always forget that no one is expecting him at home. He had delivered his concern towards his parents about this yet the response he received is nothing. Like air.
The younger self of him was hurt badly that he became rebellious. Step by step, his relationship with his family drifts away as they spend their time on their family business. It's not like Adrian can fault them. After all, isn't this the norm?
With their busy schedule every single minute, taking the time they should have spent with him. Adrian understands really. He really does. Since they had explained to him piece by piece. Laying everything out on the table. No secrets whatsoever that he does not know.
Still, it stings.
Adrian rapidly blinks his eyes. A soulless laugh escaping out his lips. The thought of his parents passing through his mind is akin to a knife stabbing his chest.
Throat clogging with something he does not understand. He swallows his saliva. His Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Shaking his head to get rid of such thoughts, he removes the jacket he had worn. Unbuttoning the two buttons of his school uniform so the air can pass through his lungs. The momentary lapse of feelings suffocated him.
Not wanting to die just yet as he was too young for that, he ended up ignoring such emotions. Getting rid and placing those messy things behind his mind. Tossing the jacket on the couch, he walks to the kitchen and then to the fridge.
Opening it, he nods to himself seeing the ingredients he needs are inside. He stretches out reaching for it and cradling it all in his arms. Luckily enough, he had a tight gripped lest it fell down spilling it everything on the floor.
Placing the ingredients on the counter, he turns around to turn on the stove. He gets a pan from the cupboard and places it on top of the stove. Splashing out the oil on the pan, he pours the vegetables that have been cutted in the morning and continues on cooking.
Being left alone with no supervision, he had learned how to cook. Learned to navigate and know what to do inside the kitchen. He had no choice, after all, he only had himself.
In terms of money, his parents and even his siblings deposit money in his bank account. He has a lot. A lot that he could buy a house and lot.
Though it was like this, Adrian chose to learn by himself. So that he could feel he has control over other things.
Cooking became the epitome of displaying dominance. In the kitchen, this is his court. His base.
Other than the control, the pleasure and tranquility it gives to Adrian. Rather than mopping and being so down, he had to pull himself together. Because, Adrian thinks. No one would pull him from the mud he was stuck in.
Adrian has only himself.