Vol 3 Ch 10

“Hah….”

 

The boy sighed as he stood in front of his locker, a tired look on his face. He had laid down to sleep last night, but the incident in the car had kept him awake all night.

 

Upon entering the house, he checked his teeth in the mirror. There was nothing on them.

 

Why did he do that?

 

He thought hard, but couldn’t come up with an answer. Even as he pondered, he pressed his lips to the spot where Phillip’s finger had been, out of habit. Each time, an unidentifiable heat spread around his lips, making his face burn.

 

[Are you free next weekend?]

 

He heard a soft voice ask in his ear.

 

No one would believe him if he told them he’d been invited to Phillip Levin’s birthday party, not even himself.

 

In fact, he was so worried about it that he asked his brother, Aaron. Of course, he didn’t tell him that he was invited, but that a friend of his was invited to the party because of this or that. Before he could finish, Aaron’s face hardened and he said, “Don’t go.” He tried to explain that it wasn’t about him. He tried to explain that he wasn’t talking about himself, but his response was the same.

 

“Don’t go anyway.”

 

He was not a good liar, so he promised Aaron he wouldn’t go.

 

…He was sure he was just teasing.

 

It was the most plausible conclusion, and the one he didn’t want to admit.

 

He felt pathetic as he tossed and turned all night with these thoughts. He sighed in exasperation and began to gather his books from his bag and organize them in his locker.

 

Closing the locker door behind him, he huffed and cleared his throat.

 

“Hello.”

 

Phillip, who was leaning against the locker, smiled and greeted him.

 

“Oh, hi.”

 

The boy smiled back, awkwardly. His heart thudded in his chest.

 

“I said hi back there.”

 

Phillip said, pointing in the direction of the basketball court.

 

“I…, I didn’t see you.”

 

The boy lowered his head. He wasn’t good at lying. Not even to his face.

 

“Really?”

 

Phillip hummed, then pulled his lips into a smile.

 

“…I have class, so I’m going to go first.”

 

The boy said without even looking up.

 

“What class are you in?”

 

“History, Mr. Gavin.”

 

“Aha, Mr. Gavin. Did you get a good night’s sleep last night?”

 

Mr. Gavin’s history classes were notoriously boring. His slow, mumbling pronunciation was enough to send more than half the class to sleep on their stomachs. Even though he knew it was a joke, he blushed as if the boy had caught him tossing and turning all night.

 

“…Oh, yeah. I slept well…. I’ll be off now….”

 

He hugged his books and started to walk into the classroom, but Phillip stopped him.

 

“I don’t think I heard your answer.”

 

“What answer?”

 

“Whether to come to the party or not.”

 

“Oh, right…. That’s….”

 

The boy stuttered, unsure of what to say.

 

Unlike him, Aaron was smart, athletic, and had a lot of friends. His advice about school was usually right. This time, of course, he listened to him.

 

Just then, someone spoke.

 

“Trying to copy it won’t help.”

 

A hand reached out from behind and snatched the notebook from Fred and continued.

 

“Mr. Gavin’s a stickler for homework, if nothing else, and he’ll know it’s not yours.”

 

Fred grumbled and returned the notebook to the boy. The boy quickly put the notebook in his bag and hugged the bag.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Fred looked at Phillip and asked in surprise.

 

“I have some business.”

 

Phillip gestured at the boy.

 

“With him?”

 

Fred asked back with a sneer.

 

“Yeah. Why, I can’t?”

 

“No, nothing like that. Because I thought it was unexpected. Is there some kind of bond between Koreans? Ha ha ha ha ha.”

 

It seemed like he was just joking. Phillip didn’t laugh at all. He asked back with an expressionless face.

 

“I didn’t know either. When did my nationality change?”

 

“Oh, well, I mean… .”

 

“Did you change your nationality recently too?”

 

Phillip asked the boy. The boy quickly shook his head.

 

“He said it hasn’t changed.”

 

“… Ahaha. Just kidding. It’s a joke. The two of you didn’t know each other, but since you were together, I thought it was just that. Ha ha ha.”

 

Fred laughed awkwardly, scratched his head, and then turned his attention to the boy.

 

“You two are not close. Right?”

 

The conversation turned towards the easy-going boy.

 

“Uh, yeah… . We’re not. Not at all.”

 

Having been treated like a stranger in public once before, the boy was quick to respond. He glanced at Phillip as if to reassure him not to worry. Their eyes met and his heart sank. Phillip was staring down at him with cold, sunken eyes.

 

Oh, no. Had he said something wrong again?

 

The boy broke out in a cold sweat.

 

“Hahaha. I know. I don’t see how a guy like you could be friends with Phillip, Peter Rabbit.”

 

Fred sneered, putting his arm on Peter’s shoulder and putting his weight on it.

 

“So what are you going to do?”

 

Phillip suddenly asked the boy.

 

“Yes?”

 

“What time are you coming to the party?”

 

The question changed from whether or not he would come to what time he would come. While the boy was confused, Fred asked, “What kind of party?” and joined the conversation.

 

“Next week, my party.”

 

“You’re inviting him there?”

 

Fred asked, stunned. Phillip nodded, and Fred stifled a giggle.

 

“That’s gotta be a party. Every dog and cow is invited.”

 

The boy’s fingertips, as he held the bag, trembled.

 

“Ha ha ha.”

 

Phillip laughed lightly and tilted his head.

 

“Then you can come too.”

 

“Who? Me? Really?”

 

Fred asked, his eyes lighting up. They were on the same football team, but there was a world of difference between Phillip, the starting quarterback, and Fred, the second-stringer. Even though they were now friendly, Phillip and Fred normally didn’t speak to each other.

 

The party next week was one that everyone wanted to go to, to the point where being invited was considered an honor in itself.

 

“Can I go there too?”

 

“It’s not a place you can’t come to. It’s a place where both dogs and cows come.”

 

“Hahaha. So what time do I have to be there? F**k, that’s awesome.”

 

Fred, not smart enough to hear the sarcasm, excitedly pumped his fist in the air.

 

“It starts at 8 o’clock, so come anytime.”

 

Fred waved and disappeared, his nostrils flaring in excitement.

 

When they were alone again, Phillip smiled brightly and looked behind him.

 

“All right, then. What time are you coming?”