10 ✒ Chapter 5 : Unhold

"Hey Center, where will you play tonight?" a bunch of girls were forming a crowd inside a classroom.

"Hmm, let me see. Can we play in your house tonight?" Center said with a grin on his face.

"I heard you have a lot of cats in your house is it true?" one of his classmates asked and leaned in closer to Center's face. Rumors spread easily.

"Hmm, yeah. I can even adopt you" Center loves to chat with girls and flirts with them. But he never dated anyone for some reason. He enjoyed being owned by beautiful girls in their dreams. He believed that if he ever had a girlfriend, the girl would end up having a bad high school experience for being bullied just because she was dating the guy loved by everyone. Center noticed that their class president was crying silently on the corner. Her shoulders were shaking and soon their classmates began to worry. Who would dare to make their good president cry? Center sighed heavily and asked one of the girls what was wrong.

Center leaned backwards to his chair and crossed his arms on his broad solid chest.

"Who made our Pres cry?" Center asked with his brows furrowed. Center maybe a flirt but he never forgives a guy who makes a girl cry.

"She said it was Khein from the third floor" the class secretary answered Center. The president and the secretary were close friends. And the Vice President? He was doing fine in the corner.

"Class 4-A" one of the girls said. Center shrugged his shoulders and made his way outside the classroom. He headed towards the classroom filled with normal high school students. As Center walked in the hallway, girls greeted him with a 'Hey' and he replied them with a wink. He even made scrunching up his nose and a sour smile. Center could be funny and attractive at the same time. He would never became the class' prince if he wasn't.

He went inside the classroom that has a signboard hanged above the door frame  written with a bold commercial text '4-A'.

"Alright Khein! come out from mommy's shirt" Center said loudly as the whole 4-A class looked at him. Khein was sleeping soundly at the back and Rei felt the urge to protect Khein from this rampant guy.

"Hey toddler! let's have a nice chat, shall we?" Center smirked at the sleeping boy but before Khein could protest and face Center, Rei appeared in front of Center. Cold stares darting towards each others eyes.

"Get lost, boy" Center warned Rei but Rei never seemed to be intimidated.

"What do you want from Khein?" Rei asked Center. Center rubbed a palm across his face as he scrunched up his nose and looked at Rei.

"That stupid brat just dumped one of the goddesses in my section. I can never forgive a jerk like him! Girls are precious, they must be treated like a queen, not a crying slug" Center explained with his palm above his forehead and the other supporting his whole body leaning on a table. Center looked cool with his position as he stared back at Rei who never failed to stare at him badly.

"My grandma speaks better than you, idiot" Rei said with a bored look. Center's chest was rampaging as he heard Rei's insult. In his mind he was already killing this taller guy with a creepy smile on his face. They only had a little difference in height but Rei was taller.

"This motherfucker!" Center cursed as he was about to punch Rei in the face. Unfortunately, Ethan arrived.

"Hey! What is going on here?!" Ethan asked while storming towards the two tall beasts trying to kill each other with their raging stares. Ethan then realized that it was the school's famous basketball player he was facing.

"Hey?" Ethan greeted Center with a forced yet shy smile.

"Can we settle things down smoothly? Let's not be violent, aokay?" Ethan continued while standing in between the two giants. He felt so small in between them that he immediately took a step back.

"He's the one making a fuss" Rei snorted like a child. Center as hot tempered as he was began reaching for Rei's neck and give him a headbutt, but he failed since Ethan never let that happened. Center managed to avoid having eye contact with Ethan every now and then.

"I don't need this idiot here! Hey Khein! you talk to me!" Center shouted wildly and Ethan finally decided to take full action.

"Center, listen to me" Ethan said seriously and held Center's wrist. He dragged Center out of the room and brought him in a corner where only few people could see them. Center's heart was beating like crazy as he felt Ethan's warm palm wrapped around his wrist. He stared at it for a moment and Ethan noticed it so he let Center's hand go.

"Why do you always love making a scene?" Ethan asked, slightly troubled and annoyed. Center frowned and looked away.

"Why do you care?" Center asked Ethan with a question which made the smaller boy frowned.

"Because you were once my friend, stop treating me like a stranger" Ethan said. Ethan and Center were childhood friends and they used to be inseparable. One day, Center changed in an instant. He started avoiding Ethan for no particular reason. That hurt Ethan a lot, it even made him cry for countless nights. He used to chase Center in the crowd or did his very best to talk to Center and ask him what have he done wrong but he always never had a chance. Center was popular and was always surrounded with people, especially the girls. Ethan just watched Center from a far who was smiling towards other people but never did receive any glance from his former friend.

"You still don't want to tell me, Cent?" Ethan asked with his head bowed.

"About abandoning me suddenly?"

ABANDON. SUDDENLY.

The words strucked Center right through his chest and he decided to answer him.

"Just because." Center answered and shrugged his shoulders.

Ethan thought 'What did I ever do to make Center avoid me?'

His eyes started forming tears as he tried to held them back. Boys don't cry in front of a guy.

"I don't know what did I do to make you hate me, Cent. Still, I'm sorry" Ethan said with a bitter smile and let out a heavy sigh.

"My father always says...'If you're innocent, then smile and prove it" Ethan said hopelessly. Center sneered and chuckled.

"Yeah whatever" The taller guy turned his back and tilted his head, enough to see Ethan's dumped face.

"We're not going back like before, Ethan" Center said and left Ethan in the corner puzzled. Ethan's heart felt heavy and empty.

'Why does everyone love abandoning me? Even though I've been trying my best to be a good person?' Ethan thought and clutched his chest. Luckily he was able to hold back his tears until Center was gone.

But not long enough until he decided to unhold them.