8 Chapter Eight

There were only a few people inside the kitchen. Girls mostly. They squealed excitedly when they saw me walk in. Ignoring them, I opened the fridge, scanning the contents then decided on coke. By the looks of things, either me or Haruto might be the one driving them back home.

I took out the canned coke, opened it and poured it into a plastic red cup to pass as alcohol. I need to stay sober so I can find something. Anything at all.

“Hey Aito” one of the girls said, walking towards me with a smile. She was cute and the shorts she wore accentuated her long smooth legs. I haven’t slept with someone I didn’t hate for a while so I started considering ditching that game for some time with this girl and then go snooping.

She walked closer, placing her hand on my shoulder then leaned in to whisper; “Wanna ditch this party?”

I was surprised at how people were just reading my mind. I smiled, sweeping my eyes down to her cleavage. They were just the right size I like. I was about to say ‘sure’ when someone bumped into me, spilling something cold on my back. Furious, I turned to see Ryu, wearing an apologetic expression.

What’s with him and spilling stuff on me anyway?!

“Sorry man. I kinda slipped” he said, scratching the back of his head.

I scoffed then splashed my own cup of coke in his face then mimicked his deep voice in a mocking tone. “Sorry man. I kinda slipped” then stormed off, leaving a shocked Ryu and a confused girl.

I was almost back to the place where my friends were playing when I felt a big hand on my shoulder which turned me around and slammed me against the nearest wall.

Shit.

I groaned from the pain, gritting my teeth as I swung a fist towards his jaw but the person blocked it with his palm and held it down.

“What the hell is your problem!” Ryu snapped. “I apologized to you!”. His blue shirt was wet and his hair was dripping coke down his face. He looked livid. Dark eyes were colder than the arctic sea and honestly, I felt my heart skip a beat and goosebumps scale my arms.

That made me mad. I was mad that he was able to get a strong reaction out of me. “And what the fuck is yours! I don’t give a flying fuck about your dog shit apology! You fucking did that on purpose!”

My eyes were spitting fire and Ryu was stunned for a moment but he quickly composed himself. “I didn’t do it on purpose” he said calmly, releasing me. “I’m sorry”

I shoved him away with all my strength, surprised at how thick he was. “You better be. Get away from me, bastard” I spat.

I turned to leave when all of sudden, an object zoomed in on my face. I closed my eyes, thinking it was going to hit me but the next thing I felt were strong arms around my waist, pulling me away. I heard something like glass shatter on the ground.

My chest came in contact with something warm but solid. I opened my eyes to find myself flush against someone. A man. My face was buried in the crook of his neck and the sweet scent of cologne assaulted my senses.

With my heart beating faster than a jackhammer, I slowly untangled myself from his arms. My breath hitched and my eyes widened like saucers when I saw that the person who helped me was none other than Ryu!

I instantly put some space between us. Warmth crept up my cheeks. I felt so embarrassed.

“Are you insane?!” Ryu suddenly shouted. I gazed up to see that he wasn’t talking to me but someone behind me.

Ryu stalked towards him and jacked him by the collar. “What the hell was that? You could have seriously injured him!”

I recognized the guy as one of the basketball players in school though I couldn’t remember his name.

“Just chill man. It was a joke. We’re having fuuuuun” the guy said.

Ryu shook him angrily. “You threw a glass cup at him and you call that fun? What the hell is wrong with the people in this school? How can playing with people’s lives be fun to you guys?!”

I felt Ryu was wasting his time. The guy was completely wasted for he just kept on giggling like a fool. Ryu must have realized it too for he just threw him on the floor.

I sighed. Ryu really saved me back there. So that guy threw a glass cup. If it weren’t for Ryu, I would have been unconscious and bleeding by now. Damn. Now I had to thank him.

I summoned every bit of courage in me and walked towards him. “T-Thank you Ryu” I forced myself to say. Never did I think I’d have to thank him for anything.

“Save it” he replied.

I was shocked. What?

”You, him, and all the other guys in this school. You’re all the same” he continued. “You and your dumb friends exposed Hina’s secret all in the name of fun and this asshole threw a glass at you for the same reason. Tell me, how does it feel Aito?”

I was speechless.

“How does it feel to know that someone nearly seriously injured you all in the name of fun? How does it feel to know that someone toyed with your life because it was funny to him? If I didn’t save you, that pretty face you flaunt around all the time would have been scarred by now. How does it feel?”

His dark eyes bore into mine and it was so intense

that I had to look away. I balled my fists and clenched my jaw as anger bubbled up within me. Ryu knew nothing. It’s not like I actually do it for fun. I have my own reasons. Reasons I couldn’t share. Not with him.

“Tch. I think you should remember this the next time you decide to toy with another person’s life”

And with that, he walked away.