Bond Like Brothers

Ella huffed out, exhaling out a small breath. It's only evening and half an hour since she was back in the confinement of her quite room. She was tired and exhausted after hours of continuous studies. The classes made her extremely serious and tensed the entire morning and afternoon. She collapsed on the bed as soon as she entered the room, thoroughly drained from the activities and studies. The mental strain she experienced today had made her face pale and eyes droopy. She did not want to get up but she was starving.

She noticed  Emily had gone to washroom to wash up first. She recalled that they had decided to leave for canteen in an hour to get some snacks.

She heard her stomach grumble when she thought about food. She had lunch at noon and it is 5 in the evening now. The break was too short to grab a brunch therefore she could only force herself to tolerate her hunger that time. She decided she will eat after dropping her things off in her room later on. But she crashed on her bed the moment she arrived. She was so tired that she forgot about food as she needed a nap strongly. Her eyes were so tried that it was taking all of her remaining energy to keep them open. The books were thick and made her head hurt.

The assignments that were assigned by the teachers, were stressing her out as well. The assignments were designated to be submitted every week. Like classes weren't enough. She signed and closed her eyes.

While Ella was resting, Tylor was getting settled in his dorm. He was unpacking as couldn't because Mike took his own sweet time in packing and leaving his house yesterday.

Tylor had known Mike's parents since his school days. Mike's parents were used to having Tylor over at their house as the latter spends most of his time with Mike. They never treated Tylor different from their son and always acknowledge him as their second son. They were not family friends but Tylor has a stronger bond with Mike's father than his own and is more affected by him.

Mike's father is more of an outgoing and friendly person therefore Mike and Tylor treat him as their best friend and look for him at the time of need. He is their guardian and confider and a father figure to Tylor.

When Tylor left his home yesterday in order to fetch Mike, the latter was still fast asleep on his bed. It was hell of a task for Mike's mom to wake Mike up daily. He is a heavy sleeper and wouldn't even know if he is being called. Tylor has been his companion for a long while and he knows everything about his best friend including his sleeping habits, that's why he left his home early.

When Tylor barged into Mike's room, he saw Mike's messy room with everything still in its place just as it was before. Being his friend's partner in crime and sometimes his room partner also, Tylor was familiar with things and their position in Mike's room. The former held his temple and huffed out a long breathe. He could feel his head throbbing as he felt his head ache. He rubbed his forehead and moved past Mike. He returned soon after and removed the blanket off Mike.

Suddenly, the latter who was still in deep sleep, shrieked loudly and shot up from his bed. Mike's mother suddenly rushed in after hearing such a loud voice. Barging in, she saw Tylor standing at the end of the bed with a bucket in his hand and a very drenched Mike, sitting on his bed and with water dripping down his head.

After putting two and two together, she understood that Tylor has dumped bucket full of water on a sleeping Mike. Seeing that her son was fully awake, she muttered something thoughtfully under her breath.

"Why didn't she thought of this before? Things would have been easier for her, all those years."

She shook her head and went back to what she was doing. Seeing his own mother leaving amused, Mike felt unfair. He glared at Tylor but the latter had a poker face. He looked around the former's room with a raised eyebrow, conveying his unspoken questions. When Mike looked around, he realised that he was yet to pack. He sheepishly scratched his neck and looked up to Tylor while hiding his face. Tylor lightly hit the bottom of Mike's bed to make him speak at which Mike just chuckled and shrugged with an innocent face.

Tylor's solemn look made Mike quickly got off from his bed and rush to get ready. Even with Tylor's help, it took Mike a whole afternoon to get his things packed. Only after turning his whole room upside down then arranging everything as it was before, did Tylor felt satisfied.

Both Tylor and Mike left after bidding their farewell to Mike's parents. Although Mike's parents felt a little sentimental, they know that their son will be doing well with Tylor. They felt safe leaving Mike in Tylor's care. They know how the both of them dependent on each other and the bond between them is not any less than that between blood brothers. They had witnessed themselves how good Tylor is to Mike and how much they care about the each other and their friendship. They were relieved that Mike has a friend like Tylor who always was a big brother; smart, understanding and protective while their son, Mike is more like playful, mischievous and bubbly. They trust Tylor and knows that he will never let them and especially Mike down. They wished both of them good luck for their training and their new journey.

On their way, Mike was bouncing on his seat, excited about the new changes that will happen in his life from there on. He was so excited that he couldn't wait till they reach the Institute. Meanwhile Tylor was in deep thinking. His thoughts went deeper with every minute. It was like he was seating inside the cab but he was present in the thoughts that were going through the his mind. He was drowning in the ocean of the memories of his past, his sub consciousness lured him to his darkness. He was so immersed that he got startled when Mike called his attention to inform him that they have arrived at their destination.

The ride to the Institution took an hour. After getting done with the formalities, they checked in. It was already late evening as the sun had already set. They were informed that they will be sharing the dorm-room with two other students. And since it was their final calling day, the other two students had also arrived and had settled first.

Tylor originally planned to settle down that very day but due to whining of an excited Mike, they decided to look over the place first. They returned late around dinner time after strolling and visiting quite a number of places around the campus. Thoroughly tired, they decided to unpack later and both of them went to sleep after dinner. And since they had classes in the morning, they were unpacking now.

When Tylor wqs taking his clothes out, his phone rang. Seeing it was his mother, he put down the clothes and answered the call.

"Hello"

"Hello, Ty. How are you doing? How was your day? Did you have any problem settling down?"

" Mom, I am alright. My day was great and I am having no problem settling down. How are you? Have you eaten?"

"I am good, Ty and I have eaten. Your dad is home today. Do you want to talk to him? He is in his study right now."

"Mom, I am busy right now. I am unpacking now. I will talk later with you."

"Ty, take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yes, Mom. Take care of yourself and brother. I will call you later."

"Yes. Take care and eat healthy"

"Yes, Mom. Bye"

"Bye"

After ending the call, Tylor looked down at his phone. A sad glint passed through his eyes and his expression turned grim. His mood dampened incredibly after the call. He resumed his unpacking.

Mike was seated on one of the lower bunk. He looked up from his phone when he heard Tylor talking with his mom. As soon as the call ended, he noticed that Tylor was in bad mood. He thought of something and got up; putting on a smile, he approached his friend. He swung his arm around Tylor and shook him a little.

"Let's go out. I am hungry."

Tylor looked at him from the corner of his eyes and huffed out. The corner of his lip lifted upward slightly.

"When are you not?"