Chapter 8 You son of a bitch
May wasn't strong, she stumbled a few steps and even worse, she accidentally collided with the coffee table, resulting in a painful exclamation. Her injury caused my heart to instantly clench, prompting me to reflexively race towards her and offer my support.
The countenance of May was evidently anguished and it appeared that she struck a severe blow; this caused me immense sorrow. As I was feeling angry, I spun around and shouted at my father, blaming him, "Happy now ?". My father expressed fury by raising his eyebrows, yet I remained unafraid and promptly assisted May in getting up.
Upon completing my yelling fit directed at my father, May intervened and reprimanded me, reminding me of my duty to be respectful and obedient towards my father. Rather than feeling resentful towards her scolding, I oddly found myself feeling content.
I emitted a noise but refrained from responding. Having familiarity with my father's temperament, I promptly apologized upon observing a change in his countenance by stating, "I'm sorry, Dad." I noted an improvement in his expression, though he tried to pretend that he was still mad. Seizing the opportunity, I appealed to him, saying, "Dad, I have no desire to relocate for schooling. I was happy living here. Why must I move?"
Dad's eyes narrowed once more upon the delicate matter. In a rush, I tugged on May's blouse and directed a beseeching expression her way. After a slight exhalation, she addressed my father with the words, "Don't give him a hard time, Uncle James. He is doing quite well here." Upon hearing her statement, my dad paused. Despite often shouting at me, he generally exhibited a more affable demeanor towards her and other relatives.
After contemplating for some time, he struggled to voice his concerns, "May. It's been evident that he's been behaving badly since childhood. It's not good for him to live here for an extended duration." He paused a while before adding, "Additionally, considering the complex dynamic between you and Patrick...". It was clear that dad implied that given the existing predicament concerning the familial ties, it would be imprudent for me to continue living there.
It was odd that May appeared more improved this time around. When Dad spoke, she interjected him, clarifying that we would not influence each other. "Don't be concerned, Uncle James. Finn will have no impact on me."
Eventually, Dad was left with no option but to acquiesce by nodding. The sight of my father's approving gesture filled me with immense joy, making me want to embrace and kiss May with affection. It confirmed that I could live with her once more.
In the afternoon, following a friendly conversation, May joined Mom and Dad for dinner before they departed. Prior to their departure, they advised me to avoid any troubles, to not hinder my educational pursuits, and made numerous remarks that I had become weary of uttering.
As I shut the door and pivoted, I came face-to-face with May whose countenance appeared troubled. I experienced a momentary pause in my heartbeat. I was within arm's reach of May, but I refrained from making any sudden movements as her intimidating gaze had me petrified. Despite not being aggressive, it exuded a strong sense of intimidation that seemed to penetrate into my deepest thoughts and emotions.
In a stuttering voice, I asked, "May, why are you...uh looking at me like that...?" After a brief pause, she confronted, "Why did your grades drop so much? " I attempted to come up with an explanation, but she didn't fall for my ruse and demanded the truth, "No lies".
Damn it. Do I need to be honest and admit that my feelings for you caused my grades to decline?
I couldn't risk telling her the truth, thus I suppressed my anxiety and fabricated the usual alibi that my grades had declined due to feeling ill and experiencing dizziness earlier. "Don't worry about that. I'm fine".
Her skeptical gaze was fixated on me, causing discomfort as I felt pressured to convince her. As I was preparing to depart by lying that I was going to the toilet, she unexpectedly adopted a complex tone and accused me of deceit just like my cousin had done to her.
To be frank, the look May gave me was my greatest concern, and I found it difficult to reject her once more due to my inability to toughen up emotionally. After a brief moment of contemplation, I shifted my gaze to May's eagerly anticipating countenance.
"Actually...", I muttered, "It was because of you".
As I had pictured, May was taken aback. She was left speechless, taken aback by what she heard, and had to ask again in disbelief, "Did you say it's because of me?" I then paused to take a deep breath before confirming my statement with a nod while gazing at her. May's expression turned to a frown as she took a hesitant step back with a perplexed expression on her face.
Although I observed an unfavorable expression in her heart, I was uncertain of the exact nature of its negativity. All of a sudden, I experienced a peculiar sensation of gratification, which appeared to stem from an unorthodox desire for payback. I grinned and shrugged my shoulders as I remarked, "It's all because to you."
Her expression grew more serious and she asked, "What was the reason behind this?" I responded, "It's because I have affection for you." When I confessed this, May's reaction was one of shock, resulting in a peculiar and unsettling facial expression.
Upon hearing this statement, May's behavior became increasingly peculiar as she began to stutter and questioned, "Finn, what, what, what... are you suggesting? A... After all, I, I am your sister-in-law!..." Although uncertain, it appeared as if May's gaze avoided mine and she even appeared to show signs of embarrassment.
It must be acknowledged that May's present look was quite appealing and captivating, causing me an irresistible desire to embrace her tightly. However, precisely at the moment when I could no longer resist, I had an overwhelming desire to embrace her. While walking briskly, she abruptly turned and evinced a sense of evasion as she exclaimed, "Do not think to much. I'm your sister-in-law! Focus on improving your grades."
Although initially hesitant, I eventually decided to confront May and boldly asked her, "Why did you come to my room that night?" To my surprise, she let out a panicked scream and quickly ran in the direction of the room.
"Hey, May!" I involuntarily exclaimed. Without turning around, she uttered hastily, "I'm feeling a bit tired. I need to take a break. Don't disturb me, please."
I immediately felt a slight pang of remorse as May, who didn't usually speak curtly to me, had issued a warning to not disturb her. May abruptly rushed into the room, leaving me standing alone in the hallway with a bewildered expression.
Regret would be an apt term, as May had refrained from conversing with me for multiple days now, giving off the impression of being genuinely displeased. Easy integration into May's relationship was something I remorse, as my impulsive actions were the root cause of the present predicament.
Over time, Patrick's absence became so prolonged that he slipped from my memory entirely. During my time in school, I had an exceedingly strict class teacher who would relentlessly grill me with questions during nearly every class, making it challenging for me to even consider be distracted in the class.
Initially, if that situation had not occurred, these uneventful days would have persisted for quite some time, but human abilities often cannot surpass the divine plan, and some inevitable occurrences cannot be prevented.
This was how it went. In our upcoming class, there was a student named Larry Anderson who had a negative reputation. He had exhibited unkind behavior, showed disinterest in academic pursuits, and had a history of getting into fights. Additionally, he had been expelled before and had gained a reputation that instilled fear in many of his peers. It was not of my concern that he had reverted to his previous behavior as I was a dedicated and accomplished student who specialized in academic excellence. Larry Anderson, on the other hand, was an under-performing student who did not meet the expectations of his academic responsibilities. We belonged to entirely different worlds and were unlikely to associate with each other. Due to a certain factor, he was on my back.
After finishing school that day, I stayed to complete a challenging homework assignment which took me considerable time. None the less, I finally completed it when suddenly I recognized that night had already fallen. Being the sole occupant of the classroom at that moment, I felt pangs of hunger and swiftly retrieved my school bag to make my way back home.
As I prepared to ascend the stairs, I was taken aback by the unexpected noise of speaking emanating from above. Despite the slight distance between myself and the sound, the absolute silence of the school allowed me to discern the words with remarkable clarity. The sound of disagreement, with participation from both genders, appeared to be recognizable. I came to a halt and paid close attention.
Within two sentences, I distinctly recognized their voices. The male speaker was Larry Anderson, an unsavory character who was enrolled in our neighboring course, and the female speaker was Tina White, a member of our class. Moreover, I clearly overheard their exchange, "You ain't no virgin anymore. I saw you hung out with Mark Lou the other day".
Tina expressed her anger in a sharp tone, addressing Larry Anderson as a derogatory term, "You son of bitch! Go to hell! What are you doing? Stop, stop! AHHHH help!!!". She warned him not to approach her and threatened to call for assistance.
Oh my goodness! He wasn't trying to force her!