~published on November 8th, 2018~

A/N:

Hi readers, how are you?

Don't hesitate to comment. I have a fragile heart but your comments mostly entertain me. Thank you.

Have a nice day and happy reading!

*

Forth blinks. None of his hazing team have a response on hearing his task for the FLAG DAY.

At the end of the SOTUS, before the GEAR GIVING Ceremony, the freshmen should be able to gain the FLAG on FLAG DAY, Friday afternoon, the next day. And, this late at night, the hazers are talking about the task.

Each year there will be five tasks. Riddled. But the Head Hazer in front of his four generals says they only need one.

"This year freshmen are special," Forth begins his explanation.

All four of his boys fold their arms instantly on their chest.

"Which one of them?" Park asks coldly.

Forth looks at Park. "All of them, of course. What are you talking about?"

Lam growls in distress.

"Let's hear your plan," Tul says.

"They understand what SOTUS is already.

Seniority—they are already obedient to all the tasks even the punishments, not once did they talk back at us."

"Wai and Posh did when you gave Beam his punishment," Max rebukes.

"They used the concept of Unity at that time," Forth argues.

Tul blinks. Okay, his boss has got it BAD.

"Order, done. Tradition, done. And with the Unity no longer needed to be questioned, there is only the Spirit left. And yet, they showed even that to us already. So there is this one task, not easy but something that defines all these five."

"Yeah? What is that?" Park ask coldly.

"Push-ups chain," Forth says.

"Pffft. That is...."

"All 1000 of them should do it," Forth adds, "And, they have to hold it for 10 seconds."

"You are crazy. That can't even be done with 20 people," Park says.

Forth smirks. "Now who's the fluffy one?"

"The girls probably can't go for 10 seconds," Tul says. "Make it into two groups. The boys and the girls."

"You agree on this?" Max looks at Tul in disbelief.

Tul looks back at Max. "Push-up chain is our signature. Doing it with 10 people holding for 10 seconds is already an almost impossible task. Doing it with 1000 people for 10 seconds? That's Mission Impossible X."

Max blinks. Tul has a point. "The girls should be doing the 5 seconds thing then?"

"3 seconds is doable... I don't know about doing it with 1000 people though," Lam says.

Forth looks at his boys. "So? Two groups? Boys will be doing their 10 seconds hold and then if they succeed, the girls will be doing another 5?"

The four generals nod.

"What if they fail? You have to prepare the plan B. They should have the FLAG for us to give them the GEAR," Park asks.

"Owh, P'Park na... are you doubting your juniors?" Forth teases him.

"Cut it, you sound like Beam and I don't like it."

Forth grins ear to ear.

***

10th day of the breakfast together.

Last day of SOTUS.

The FLAG DAY.

"Good morning, P'Forth." Beam greets Forth cheerfully and sits across him on their table at the Dimsum place.

Yup, they already have that specific table reserved for the two of them. Just by the front corner, near the window.

Forth smiles at Beam. "Good morning, I already ordered your usual."

"Oh, thanks." Beam smiles brightly. "So... finally the last day. Owh, we all are gonna miss this."

Forth laughs. "Yeah, especially when during the next week you have to face the ugly truth, real Engineering problem."

"Ouch." Beam cringes. "How about you? I heard third year of Engineering is the worst. Too many lab works, yeah?"

Forth nods.

"I'm a little bit nervous. There's no Phana to help me anymore," Beam says as he rakes his hair.

Forth blinks. Something stings his heart a little. He looks at Beam. "You have Wai."

Beam laughs. "Posh has Wai, P'Forth. And he won't share him with me."

Forth smiles.

"So, how's ParkLam and MaxTul?"

Forth frowns in such a funny way. "You call them that?"

Beam laughs. "The first years insist on ForthBeam even though you are not mine P'Forth. Why can't I decide on calling them ParkLam and MaxTul when in fact that is real?"

Forth laughs. "You intended to do it on the stage, huh? Suddenly bring up about them. Even Max wouldn't dare to do it."

"Well, someone has to," Beam says. "Because you decided not to do anything."

Forth sighs. He looks down. "I am not sure if it will be for the better or worst. I didn't want to break anything good enough."

Beam blinks. "You didn't want to take that risk?"

"Friends are drifting away because of love. I was just thinking that... I don't know... Friendship is brotherhood and that is more lasting. ... and hurts less."

"You sounds like a coward." Beam says.

Forth looks at Beam. "Yeah, maybe. There is too much at stake. Is it even worth it?"

"I thought you are the kind of the guy who believes in love more than I do."

"You don't believe in love?"

"Do you remember how you were before Wayo happened?" Beam returns the question.

Forth blinks.

"Why should we buy the cow if we can enjoy the milk for free?" Beam makes a rhetorical question. "Isn't it true, P'Forth?"

Forth just stares at Beam. His heart hurts and he even has to press on his left chest unconsciously to suppress it.

"I was just thinking about those four. They could have what Posh and Wai have," Beam says. "Love is not for everyone, but they can make it work."

Forth blinks. "You think?"

Beam nods.

Forth looks at his black coffee. "Yeah, you are right."

Beam laughs. "Of course I am. I am Beam-fucking-Baramee, P'Forth. I am always right."

"Bullshit." Forth laughs too.

Beam winks. "Even if I am wrong, just need to point out that the others' are wrong, no need to show that I am otherwise."

Forth grins. "Sneaky..."

*

There is a drama on SOTUS field from the morning to the late of afternoon.

The freshmen are trying to do the push-ups chain while connected to each other.

Push-ups chain is done by pressing up your palm while placing your feet on your friends' shoulder.

By holding it up means you are going to hold up all the connected bodies with just your two hands.

(A/N: this push-up is real. I did it during my SOTUS)

The boys try first.

They are still failing to holding up for 10 seconds. The first 10 trials they can't even get it up at all. And the next 20 trials later, they can only hold up for 3 seconds. And it weakens by the next try. Some can't even lift their arms.

They decide to have a break and lay on their back on the field.

Beam sits with Posh, Wai, Prae and Irin.

Posh is caressing Wai's arms worriedly. "This will make your arm get bruises," he says sadly.

"It's okay, Posh," Wai says softly. "I'm fine."

"I really want to have a boyfriend everytime I see you both acting this lovey-dovey. Give us a break, will you? We're single here!" Irin pouts.

Beam laughs.

Prae is thinking hard. "They just said that we have to hold the push-ups chain for 10 seconds for the boys and next 5 seconds for the girls, right?" she suddenly says.

The others nods.

"They didn't tell us not to give a hand, or help the boys," Prae continues.

"You mean... like..."

"The girls will hold up the boys by their legs when they are doing it, and later the boys can help the girls too!" Prae says. Her eyes sparkle with hope.

The others blink.

"That could work," Posh says. "Or could not. Depends on how the hazers take it."

"Worth trying," Irin says.

And then everyone looks at Posh.

"We have 300 girls and 700 boys," Wai says. "Doing the girls part first is easier. And the girls could help the boys later."

"How we can lift 700 boys with 300 girls?" Posh asks.

"Just help the ones that do not have enough strength. Some of us can do it by ourselves," Beam says.

Silence.

"Order, boss?" Prae asks.

Posh blinks. He slowly grins. "Let's do it! I'll talk to P'Lam that we are gonna do the girls part first. Four of you brief the others."

"Aye, boss!"

Forth is by the edge of the stage since the very beginning the juniors have been trying to complete their task. Lam leans on the stage, just some distance apart from Forth. He just approved on Posh's request to do the girl part first.

Park, Max and Tul sit on the grass just near where Forth is.

And then they saw how the boys help the girls to lift their body while yelling.

"... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ...!"

And then they drop down and laugh together.

Forth and the boys can see that Kongpob and his men are walking to get closer to the field.

Forth looks in the direction of Kongpob and meets his eyes.

Kongpob is having both hands in his pocket while his men are carefully paying attention to what the freshmen doing.

Forth just blinks at his seniors and then turns his attention back to the freshmen.

The 700 boys get on their stance. The girls are roaming around finding the ones who probably need help.

Prae is helping Wai.

"Don't be too happy that I let you touch him, Prae. If you intentionally try to touch his thigh more that it is needed, I'm gonna hunt you down," Posh hisses.

Prae shows a middle finger to him.

Holding on to the thighs of the boys almost kills the girls. They drop down dead between the boy's bodies. They can't help the way the boys did.

The boys' body weight is too much to handle, even if it is just the small boys.

"What kind of tigers are you?! You're weak!" Posh hisses to Prae.

Prae pouts.

Besides, the boys are too exhausted because they habe been already trying to do it without help since 9AM in the morning until this late afternoon.

And then Irin comes up with the position change idea. The girls will slide under the boys and hold the legs from under. The boys just have to lift their bodies.

"Prae, I am warning you! If you accidentally kiss my boyfriend, you are dead!" Posh warns Prae again.

Beam and Wai laughs.

Prae just rolls her eyes.

"Kyaaa!!!"

"Fuck!"

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!!!"

It becomes more chaotic. The boys drop onto the girls and some of them get hurt and bruise here and there.

Max grins. The kids are too funny in his eyes.

Tul smiles in understanding.

Park just scoffs.

Lam blinks with an un-readable expression.

Forth is just enjoying the afternoon breeze.

They try again and again, and fail to hold it for 10 seconds. They get to 7 seconds max, but...

By the 10th trial, the boys those who could initially do it by themselves are exhausted.

The boys who got help are too.

The girls are worn out.

So they take another break.

It was just an hour before 6, the deadline.

Suddenly Irin cries.

She is having tears running down her cheeks. She is not sobbing or making any sound.

Prae blinks. "Why are you crying?"

Irin just shakes her head.

Some girls near them are crying too.

"Why are people crying?" Prae looks at Beam.

Beam just smiles sadly.

Prae looks at Posh, but he is having Wai hide in the crook of his neck.

Wai is crying too, so Prae gets teary. "Why are you all crying?" she asks while wiping her tears.

Beam takes a long deep breath.

The disappointment in the freshmen could be felt in the depth of his heart. His chest feels heavy.

If they can't finish the task, they can't have the FLAG.

If they can't have the FLAG, it means the senior would not acknowledge them as their juniors.

Meaning, there would be no GEAR.

Meaning, no more GEAR GIVING Ceremony.

"Owh, shit, are you crying?" A second year girl comes closer to the group of girls next to Beam and his four friends. She is the girl that was once being shushed away by three of them because she tried to give a love letter to Forth.

The three freshman girls hurriedly wipe their tears. They glare at her.

She is smirking devilishly. "Failing, huh?"

***

A/N:

Didn't I say enough that karma is a bitch?

Proofread by @Darzls . God bless you and your time between your work shifts.