Chapter 11 - The Sky

“There will be a time for you to protect something which you treasured, the time where you need to stand up and fight for it, sonny”

It’s was the famous quote from my grandpa when he is still alive. A quote full of chivalry was told to me when I was young. A quote which always made me laughed when he said that to me when I was in primary school.

I used to believe that I got nothing much to protect, in fact there is still a long way to go before I could find something worth protecting for. But right now, its does seems like grandpa was right. The same quote which made me laugh had filled me with chivalrous spirits.

With his words, I faced them, without any fears or doubt in me even though I was outnumbered

Like what you saw in movies and dramas, where the hero fought against a group of baddies, blocking off one’s attack and countered back with a kick on his chin while giving a hard punch onto another’s stomach, giving a kick onto his face even though he was lying down and crying for mercy.

Of course, these are illusions that merely exist in movies and dramas. Everything was faked except on the part where I was really outnumbered and was lying down there as they kicked me. It was pathetic.

Kobe, who was beside me, didn’t get off any better. In fact he was worse than me as his hand was badly bruised when he tried to cover his face against their attacks.

Both of us were lying down side by side, like fallen warriors. Our pants echoed through the silence park as we were trying to catch our breath and I couldn’t even think of what had happened earlier. It’s more like I do not even want to remember it.

The shade of the trees was covering us up, as if hiding our faces from the crowd. I couldn’t mind, at least I was still alive. Without thinking any much, I closed my eye and took in a deep breath, hoping that it will relieved my exhausted body.

Something trickles down on my face, something that is cold that made my eye opened.

Sheryl was kneeling down beside me crying, as if that I’m about to die. Of course I wouldn’t die, not from these injuries. The only thing I could do in that moment was to smile back at her, something which I ought to do as the pain that I’m feeling is nothing as compared to those Sheryl is having.

Yes, I failed as a gentleman. I made this maiden cried again, twice within a day.

She is not the only one who is crying, as there is another girl hugging onto Kobe and cried. That tough looking Kobe looks completely different now. He no longer has that uncaring looks in his eye, in fact he remains silence even though someone was crying beside him. Normally he would just ask them to shut up or even beat them up.

He noticed that I was looking at him, but he didn’t turn away. In fact he smiled back, as if thanking me for the help. Like what a men’ talks is, we understood each other’s intention without using words.

I looked up the sky.

The same azure sky looks even more beautiful, as if the heavy storm was finally cleared at last. The sun which was high up in the sky, lighten up the whole city, bringing colors to the surrounding.

Brightening up the beginning of today…

Chapter 10 - The Sun

I felt something soft, brushing gently through my cheek. It was ticklish, but somehow i liked this feeling

Turning my head, only to find Sheryl who was smiling while using her finger to wipe away the cream which is on my face.

My left hand was holding onto a golden crepe, filled with cherries simmered in Kijafa sauce, with bite mark from Sheryl and me.
Guess what? The bigger bite mark actually belongs to Sheryl, who was trying to show how much she can eat in one bite.

We stopped at the creperies earlier, since Sheryl wants it badly, so badly that she behaved like a young girl, throwing tantrum as if she lost her toy.
Yes. I’m weak to these attacks.

My right hand was holding onto Sheryl, filled with nothing but her cheerful personality. Not forgetting how she dragged me to various shops along the way.

“Are girls like that?” I thought to myself as I normally took less than 15 minutes to reach school. Yet with her, we already took more than 30minutes. At this rate, I’m pretty sure that we’ll be late.

Yet, whenever I brought the question about how much time we left, Sheryl would replied like a spoiled child, telling me that she was never late for school before.

I understand, but still it doesn’t relieve me from feeling nervous.

“Are you tired?” I asked Sheryl as I saw sign of fatigue in her, as she was sweating a little under the sun.

Sheryl nodded energetically, which contradict to what she was feeling. I couldn’t help but to laugh at her reply.

Taking her to the nearby park, which seems so quiet and empty even though it’s the busiest hour where people are busily getting off to work and students rushing to school.

Yet, here we are, together in this serene park with a hustling sound of the water from the fountain in front of us. My heart was filled with joy and peace, while my burdens were as light as feather, drifting away like the wind.

“STOP!”

A scream pierced through the silence in the park. It’s belongs to a girl.

With that piercing scream, I turned my head.

There is a girl, wearing a school uniform. On a closer look, I realized that she from the same school as us. A group of guys were beside her, kicking someone who was lying down on the floor. She was trying to stop them, but they just ignore her completely, as if she was transparent.

The sun was too glaring, making it hard to see who is lying down there. I moved closer to where they are, trying to catch a sneak of the guy who was lying down there.

I identified him immediately. He was someone which I couldn’t forget, someone which I swore that I could beat the crap out of him if I had the chance. He was none other than Kobe, the culprit who caused everything yesterday.

There he was, pinned down by those guys who took turns, kicking him from the side. He was moaning in pain. But yet, I actually feels satisfied, satisfied at how much he deserved it.

“Stop!”

I heard the same piercing scream, this time it sound softer. She was crying, and yet she keeps telling to stop. She was desperate.

Right now, I no longer feel the joy from seeing Kobe getting kicked, his cries no longer sound pleasant to me. In fact, the more he moans, the worse I felt.

It felt like that I am the one lying down there, receiving blows after blows. Losing the ability to fight back, feeling really helpless. The cries from her, is really making my mind crazy. I couldn’t bear to look at it anymore.

I stepped forward.

Something was holding onto me, preventing me from going. It was Sheryl, holding my hand tightly. She looked at me, as if telling me not to go. But it’s more to it, her eyes are telling me that I should be with her together.

“No…” She said it softly while dragging onto my hand.

I was reluctant, but I had to let go of her hand.

Under the glaring sun, I could see her teary eye, beaming under the sunlight...

Chapter 9 - Him

Sitting down on the stone slab, I put on my favorite black socks together with the lovely red pair of canvas shoes.

While doing that, I looked at the azure sky

The cloudless sky was like an ocean, stretching endlessly. So vast that it seems like we are so tiny, so insignificant. But still, I want to reach out for it. It is a place for us, a place where Ken and I both wished for.

With that in mind, I hope that today will be as beautiful as this day. I locked the door and left my house.

“Sheryl…”

The moment I left the house, someone from behind called me. It’s wasn’t my parents or my brother since they were not at home. Or else why could I lock the door for.

I turned my head, only to find Ken, leaning onto the street pole, along the street. He was in his school uniform, but without his bag. I was surprised at how he managed to know where I stayed, however I realized that he sent me back home yesterday night.

“Mind if I walked together with you to school?” Ken asked me politely, it was what he rarely does. It’s more like he rarely even speaks to anyone.

I nodded and there he was, walking beside me, walking down the road.

I was happy, happy that someone who waited for me outside all the while. Someone who consoled me last night, someone who helps me block the glaring sunlight with his body. I was happy, except for the fact which I’m short enough for him to block glaring sun.

I looked at him, making sure he doesn’t noticed.

“He was tall, much taller than me, obviously.” I thought to myself, probably all guys are much taller than me.

I looked at his head he got a short but messy hair, as if he just woke up. But it’s look good on him, especially the front, whereby his forehead is shown.

Suddenly, he turned and looked at me, and he turned away reflexively. I was surprised that he caught me observing him.

Apart from the greeting earlier on, there is no conversation between us for the past 10 minutes. Probably he was too shy, but I don’t mind.

I walked closer to him, covering the distance between us. Now I am just beside him.

I feel something held onto my hand. It was Ken’s hand, holding onto mine, holding onto it perfectly. Not that strong that it’s hurt, neither it was that weak that it’s feel loose. It was just perfectly.

I looked at him, without showing him how happy I felt deep inside me. It was embarrassing to even show it out. Of course, he was too shy to even look at me at this situation.

“Holding onto this hand means you will not be able to let it go easily... are you sure you still want to hold it?” I joked with him, but in a somehow serious tone.

I guess I was stupid at that moment, saying things which could even makes him more embarrassed.

But what happened later was something that surprised me.

“Sure…” He looked at me and smiled.

This word alones, enough to makes me feel happy from the bottom of my heart. For which this simple word held so much meaning into it.

Holding onto each other’s hand, we walked down the road, a path where our future lies…

Chapter 8 - The Message

“♪~”

The lovely piano ringtone, echoing through the room, awaked me up from my sleep.

It’s was one of my favorite piece, taken from a certain drama. It’s tranquilly melody, unwinding me of those stress and problem. However, it doesn’t change the facts of what that had happened on me.

Feeling sleepy, I reached for the phone, by shoving away papers which buried it deep underneath, as if my phone got trapped under a landslide.

My hand feels a bit of dampness from the paper which I have been shoving. I could feel the papers were crumpled, with some strange plastic feels and some are wet.

I opened my eyes and looking at what I’m shoving at.

It’s was those tattered notes, full of tapes pasted around it, as if I am trying to piece back a broken vase. The wetness of those notes which smuggled the words on it, making them illegible, actually came from my tears. I was crying until I was too tired and fell asleep.

“Why..? Why all these bad things happened to me?” I cried silently inside me, trying to think of the reason.

I remembered about my phone, wondering who could send me a message at this time.

I flipped my phone and read.

“I’m sorry about today, but tomorrow will be different…
For which both day and night happened at the same time, but at different hemisphere of the world. So are happiness and sadness, today you traded your sadness, but you earned yourself a token of happiness in the future

- Ken”

I couldn’t know what to react. But I smiled a little, thinking of how Ken was trying to cheer me up, using those dramatic yet sweet words of his.

Of course, I took his word.

The phone in my hand is no longer an electronic device, but a token of happiness. Closing my eye, holding onto it tightly as if I do not want to lose it ever again…