Chapter 2

~ Kail’s Misfortune ~

SW/SW/SW

They made it in time before the teacher arrived. Calming down his breathing, Kail quickly sat on his chair. Alisa was already there on his right, all fine and beautiful. As expected of a track and field runner, she didn’t break a sweat.

He didn’t expect her to answer his glance. She winked as she mouthed something, “That was a good workout.”

He held the urge to laugh. A good workout? Ha! As if running from the club building, through the stairs, and to the classroom counted as a workout!

A bespectacled teacher went inside the class not too long after. He held a World History book in his hand.

“Morning, students,” he greeted out of habit and opened a document when they answered. It was more like an automatic chorus. After checking the attendance list, three students were missing his class but the teacher didn’t make a fuss about it.

“Okay, now open your book at page—”

0000

The lecture was boring. Kail didn’t know if the problem lay with the teacher being too damn genius that he couldn’t teach properly or if World History was just a boring subject in the first place. Maybe it was a bit of both.

The teacher was knowledgeable, sure, but the lesson was so intense that Kail couldn’t keep up with him. He was shocked to hear that there was going to be a quiz on the next meeting.

There was no lesson in the third and fourth period because their Math teacher was hospitalized due to food poisoning. They were free to do whatever they wanted, as long as they didn’t act like rabid monkeys and disrupt their neighboring classes.

Alisa shifted her chair to face him, “Did you get what the World History teacher was saying? He totally lost me.”

He shrugged, “He must’ve been practicing the language of the extraterrestrial beings.”

Then Alisa laughed. He grew up with her laughs, yet never once did they bore him. Alisa’s laughter was like a gentle breeze, comforting, light, and brought happiness to those who felt it.

“Oh, Kail! You’re so mean!”

He snickered, “Did you listen to him? Did you even take notes? If you did, then I was wrong.”

She was shaking, trying so hard not to laugh. A minute later, she stuck out her tongue. Kail pointed a hand at her face as an exclamation of surprise escaped his lips, “Aha!”

“Aha, what?”

“Don’t try to fool me! You accused me of being a meanie but you yourself are no better than me!”

Alisa pouted, trying to appear hostile but she couldn’t with that cute face of hers, “I didn’t say anything. I’m innocent.”

“Lies! Sticking out your tongue and holding your laughter prove you guilty enough! You didn’t take notes, did you? You sneaky, little fox!”

“I plead the Fifth,” was solemnly spoken.

“This isn’t America!” Kail instantly spewed out a comeback.

To ordinary people, the way they argued about unimportant little things might be disgusting, but they didn’t care and kept talking. The teacher’s explanation wasn’t that important and there was no use gossiping about him.

It was the exam that was the most important, yet it was easily forgotten. Jokes, friendly banters, and comebacks quickly took control of their minds. It was easily proven how close they were, perhaps even closer than they both realized themselves.

0000

After boring lessons, the long awaited break had finally come. Kail stretched his body, feeling the weight on his shoulders and back slowly disappearing. Then he shuddered.

He needed to pee.

“Uh... I have to go to the toilet,” he scratched the right side of his neck and whispered to Alisa, “can you go ahead? I’ll be in there just a second.”

Alisa nodded, “Alright. Don’t be long.”

He waited for her to disappear before exited the classroom hurriedly. The hallway was kind of deserted. The students must’ve been in the cafeteria fighting for food or in their own classes, enjoying lunch with their classmates.

Kail wasted no time and went to the toilet on the first floor. Opening the door, it was empty. Quickly he took a leak and he sighed. Thank god he made it.

He washed his hands and wetted his bangs, running his fingers through to make it tidier.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Kail. Fancy seeing you here,” a voice echoed in the restroom.

Kail froze. He knew this voice. He knew it well enough.

Run...

Run away...

He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t scream.

In the blink of an eye, his happy-go-lucky attitude changed. His hands trembled and pupils dilated as the owner of the voice came closer.

Run away...

If miracle truly existed, Kail wanted this person beside him dead. Yes, Kail wanted the person dead so he could have a normal two years school life. Much to his annoyance and grief, there was no such thing as miracles.

Since they didn’t exist in the first place.

Kail flinched when a hand came into his view, resting near the sink. An arm snaked itself around his neck. The position soon turned into a headlock. It wasn’t tight, but the closeness robbed him of his ability to breathe.

“Kail, would ya lend me some money?” the stranger said.

Kail kept his gaze locked on the sink, not to the mirror. He didn’t dare to. He didn’t have the guts to.

Why didn’t anyone come inside the toilet? Why wouldn’t anyone save him? He was scared. He wanted to be saved.

Save me.

But no one was coming.

Sick of Kail’s silence, the stranger tightened his grip on his neck, “Hey, are ya deaf or something? I said lend me your money, man. Aren’t we friends?”

Trembling beyond belief, Kail’s hand went to his pocket, taking out a few notes, and handed them to the stranger.

He snatched it and laughed, “Thanks, man.”

Kail was quickly being left alone. He gritted his teeth in anger and shame. Since he was a boy, he should’ve fought back, but he just stood there the entire time trembling like a fool.

He couldn’t do anything. When that person was here, his mind blanked. There was nothing to think about and there was no use thinking since the result would be the same. He would either be beaten up or extorted.

There was no use fighting back. He was weak and stupid. He didn’t have any knowledge in martial arts. Even if he did and fought back, everyone would label him as a punk.

However, he did fight back several weeks ago and the result wasn’t all that satisfying. He came home with bruises and cuts, and his mother acted like he was the one who had bullied others. Instead of asking why and being supportive, he received insults.

Kail leaned down, fists tightened. He was helpless, he was weak. There was no way out of this. Maybe if he jumped from the second floor, everything would be fine.

But no.

He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t do something as cowardly as suicide when there were Alisa and Nia by his side. Their laughter held him together and mended his half-broken heart. For their sakes, he wouldn’t do it.

He had to somehow endure this bullying and look for another way to escape this harsh reality.

0000

“You’re late.”

Alisa was upset, he knew it. He apologized profusely while taking a seat beside her.

“Fine, I forgive you this time,” she huffed and gave him his lunchbox, “don’t do it again.”

“Yes, Ma’am...” Kail scratched his head in guilt.

The lunch was quiet as usual. Alisa wasn’t the type to talk all the times during a meal and Kail preferred to be engrossed in his food instead. That way, he could taste them better.

“Kail, what’s wrong?” he looked up to meet Alisa’s emerald eyes. “Has something happened? You’re acting a bit strange.”

Alisa, who was just a childhood friend, sensed his distress effortlessly, but his own mother, with whom he had been living for so long, couldn’t. Maybe the two had their souls switched?

He bluffed, “I was just thinking about my mom.”

Alisa’s gaze softened at his answer. She knew what kind of circumstances Kail was in. The boy was living in a pressure from his parents. His mother was constantly in a state of dissatisfaction with the way he was. This led her to continually compare Kail to someone else.

And his dad was far worse. To him, scores were everything. Kail was a normal teenager with no outstanding brain functions. He didn’t excel much at his studies and his scores were average, but he had a kind heart.

Apparently that wasn’t enough for his dad.

“I don’t know, it seems that she blames everything on me lately,” Kail munched on his omelet and then stuffed rice into his mouth angrily. “And always tell me to become like my nephew. Why didn’t she adopt him instead?”

“I guess daily chores stress her out.”

“Please,” Kail rolled his eyes, “I’m the one who sweep and clean the house. She’s just, like, lazing around reading magazines.”

“You’d be a great wife, Kail,” Alisa laughed.

Kail’s face went red, “Hey, don’t you make fun of me!”

The lunchtime returned to its usual silence. It was relaxing to be able to eat with friends.

Kail tilted his head when he saw Alisa. She was playing with her cell phone as she ate. It irked him.

“Hey, no texting during meals.”

“Eh? But I’m not texting, just reading news,” Alisa showed him the phone, as if wanted to prove that she was innocent.

Kail leaned closer to read. It was some kind of casual web, hosting different kinds of news. The one Alisa was reading was about the release of some new online virtual reality game. It dated four days ago.

“GeaOnline? What kinda name is that? It sounds like GayOnline! Hmm, online, huh?”

“This website called it VR MMORPG, Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Wow, that’s quite a mouthful,” Alisa scrolled down the page, “It offers possibilities that regular games can’t ever dream of achieving, one of the quotes says.”

“Virtual reality? Does it mean that we see what’s inside the game with our eyes?”

“I’m... not really sure, but it would seem so,” the news glued Alisa’ eyes to her cell phone. “Do you want to play it? Most of our classmates play this game.”

“Really?” he arched his brows.

“And by the way, ta-da! Look at this!”Alisa pulled out something from her skirt pocket. They were two small packets of micrSDs, made in a cute design. The label read ‘GeaOnline’.

“Don’t tell me you too?” he asked incredulously. Alisa wasn’t the type to indulge herself in games.

“My mother bought several kilos of red meat for yesterday’s dinner and she was given these.”

He gawked at his childhood friend. Red meat was expensive and she said her mother was...

“I don’t really like games, so you can have one. Maybe I’ll give the other one to my friend.”

“Thanks, I guess. How do you play this, anyway? Isn’t this a micrSD like the one you put inside your cell phone?”

Alisa nodded, while making a sound of agreement, “You just need to insert it somewhere inside the visor, said the web. By the way, you have to buy it yourself.”

“I see. I’ll save up money, then.”

Honestly Kail wouldn’t play the game. Although it was a perfect means to escape reality, it wasn’t worth it when he played it alone. Also, he needed money to buy the visor. It must be very expensive.

No way.

He would keep this microSD for now...