77 Their Tale: Part 3

The time was a little over 4 p.m. The four students left in the classroom had all gotten up with their bags, except for Keegan and Koko who didn't pick up anything, and stood in an open space in the classroom near the door.

"Hey, guys," said Keegan, holding up his hand in a friendly gesture. "Koko and I are gonna stay a little while longer. We need to talk about a couple of things, so that's why. You can go home if you'd like. Or go wherever and I'll walk him back. Or you can just wait outside, it doesn't really matter."

"Nah, it doesn't really make much sense to go too far," said Kiyomi. "We'll just walk outside the school and wait for you two to show back up."

"Whatever you want."

Keegan leaned his rear against a desk in a casual manner as he watched the other three talk amongst themselves. They were somewhat huddled without wrapping their arms around one another. Kiyomi and Chiaki gave Koko a quiet little pep talk. The latter was extremely anxious in this situation, but it also looked like he'd never been more excited about something in his life. After all, this may have been the first time he'd ever genuinely liked someone, so it was the first time he'd be confessing as well. It was clear he didn't know if he could do it. When they wrapped up their private conversation, Chiaki looked over at Keegan.

"How long will you two be?" he asked firmly.

"Don't know," responded Keegan. "Could be a minute or 10."

"...Well, alright then." Chiaki furrowed his eyebrows out of discomfort and turned towards the door. "We'll be waiting outside, so don't take too long."

Koko waved sheepishly at his two best friends that exited the room. They courteously closed the door behind them as a means of giving the two a bit more privacy to speak, but they didn't lock it of course. Koko meekly put his hands in front of himself and held them down at his waist. He could barely muster the effort to turn around a face Keegan. He would've much rather faked not having a crush on the boy and left with his friends. Oh, how he regretted this embarrassing situation he currently found himself in.

Koko heard Keegan sigh and giggle slightly from behind.

"Well, they're nice enough to close the door to give us some privacy it seems," said Keegan. "Hm? You alright, Koko?"

Koko jumped. He knew he was probably weirding Keegan out by not saying or doing anything, but he was far too nervous to move.

"You gonna face me, or what?" he asked calmly. "Didn't you have something you wanted to say?"

"U-uhm…y-yes…I do."

Koko slowly turned around, his face completely drenched in bloody color. He took very small steps toward his love interest and stopped a couple of feet in front of him. He interlocked his fingers as if about to engage in prayer and, hesitantly, looked Keegan in the eyes. The sight of the two standing in front of each other was akin to that of a child standing in front of their parent. Their height difference was quite large, Keegan being about 5'10 to 5'11 while was Koko standing at about 4'8.

Keegan put on a sharp grin and placed a hand on top of Koko's head. "Well, there's no need for you to be so nervous. I'll go ahead and let you get what you need to say out of the way."

Koko gulped and nodded. He took a deep breath, shaky albeit, and tapped his shoe on the ground repeatedly. His hands shook subtly. His pink lips parted from one another as he inhaled to speak:

"K-Keegan…I…I have t-to tell you something…"

"..."

"...O-over the p-past few months…we've become r-really g-good friends and…we've gotten to know each other." Koko shut his eyes. His lips continued to move. "Y-you're really nice to me…and…y-you u-understand me when I try to speak b-but get n-nervous…just like right now. Even when you tease me…i-it's gentle. Y-you poke my cheek and it makes me all red…a-and…wh-when you rub my hair and play with it…i-it makes me feel r-really special. W-when I'm having a rough day…and y-you grab my hand…my heart just goes a m-million miles a minute…!" Koko crossed his legs and started squirming a little bit. "S-so that's why…!"

It appeared as though Koko's body was glowing. He finally opened his big blue eyes that contained a passion greater than life and looked straight up at Keegan. He put on a genuine smile so warm it'd cure the coldest man.

"That's why…I really like you!"

"..."

Koko looked back down but retained his smile. "I-I don't know if you could ever love someone like me in that way, but…I…I have hope. I-I feel like you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. B-but…regardless, I…

I still think I love you!" Koko's eyes shot right back up at Keegan.

"..."

Keegan didn't speak. His smile had faded into a half-hearted smirk as he looked down at the precious shortie in front of him. From the way he looked, it appeared as though he was seriously giving Koko's words some thought, which frightened the tomgirl a bit. It gave him anxiety. He didn't know if what he'd just said was going to ruin one of the greatest relationships he felt he'd ever had, but he knew there was no going back now.

"...Well…" Keegan began to speak.

Koko jumped but retained his hopeful smile.

"I'm flattered, Koko. That's for certain. In fact, I think luck just might be on my side today considering what you've just told me is…pretty similar to what I have to say."

Suddenly, Koko's heart started beating even faster than before and butterflies swelled up in his little stomach.

Keegan laughed a bit and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "You say you love me right as we're about to part ways. It's poetic in a way." He then looked back down at Koko. The trap still had on that joyful little smile. "You know, it's real fuckin' funny, because…"

"...?" Koko's smile began to fade slowly. The butterflies were massacred as his stomach dropped. What was once hope had started to die and turn into horror as he watched Keegan's face completely change.

It contorted into pure ugliness. The way his eerie smile ripped through his face from ear to ear and lifted his cheeks, compressing his eyes heavily widened. His forehead obtained so many wrinkles it was as if he was aging 20 years a second. And on top of all that, the tall boy who now looked like a monster cackled like some kind of maniac.

"You see…" Keegan's salivating smile gurgled hideously. "I don't like you at all."