Chapter 6

It has been so long since I got a friend. What is a friend anyway? Would you call someone a friend if he or she is a classmate? Then, he or she is a classmate. Would you call someone a friend because you just happened to know him or her because of some incidents? Then, he or she is an acquaintance. Can you call someone a friend if you only know the person for only a week? How does friendship works? I don't know...

It's a Sunday. We don't have classes and I spend my time reading books in my room and sometimes reading articles in our entertainment area. Speaking of the entertainment area, I forgot to take the laptop from Eri. It was in her bag so maybe she didn't notice that she brought it home. Of course, I don't expect her to return the laptop this day so I believed that I'm going to spend my day peacefully. I didn't expect anyone to come. If I did, I might expect that it was Eri who was knocking on our gate. Wait. Did I mention that someone was knocking on our gate? Yes. There really was someone. I peeked at our window while my mom answered the gate. I was surprised to see two boys and a girl talked to my mom – and it seemed that my mom was happy.

"Ken! Your friends are here!"

Friends? I don't have any friends. Eri is still even in the process to be one so her current status for me is "almost friend". I checked them and I found my male classmates and Claire.

They went inside the house and sat on the sofa. My mom suddenly looked for something in the kitchen and then prepared a pitcher of iced tea.

"What are you doing here? It's a Sunday! And how did you know my house?"

"We came to visit you. Let's bond together" said Claire

"I asked, how did you know my house?!"

"Little research, boy." Said one of my male classmates – whose hair is like the young Beatles dyed red

I didn't know that Kelly was waving and pointing my room to my classmates. My mother also followed by saying, "Feel at home everyone. I'll be making some tasty snacks for you"

Suddenly, led by Claire, they followed Kelly and went to my room.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" I followed them inside.

"Wow! Your room really looks like you!" said one of my male classmates – whose hair is brushed up. If I am with an otaku right now, he will be tagged as a bishie. His hair is similar to mine. The difference is where our hair was brushed up, and I got some bangs on both sides.

"Looks like me, huh?!" I said, pissed off. They barged into my room without permission and he said something about its looks. "Why did you come here anyway? I have lots to do. You are just disturbing me."

"You're busy? Of what? Of reading? You are already in the final stage of your high school life. You don't need to be that serious." said the red haired.

"University life is too serious. If you let this time of your life pass without involving yourself in things like others do, you'll regret it in your adulthood." Said the one with the almost-the-same-hairstyle-as-me

"Excuse me? How would you know everything? You are just happy-go-lucky guys who barged into my privacy without permission. Who are you in my life to give some advice? You are not my family."

"But we are your friends, Ken" said Claire

"Friends? How did you become my friends? We just meet a week ago. You are just my classmates"

"You wouldn't know that because you don't have one but this kind of relationship – going to a friend's house to bond, is already called friendship."

"I don't even know your name!" I screamed. They laughed. "If you don't know, we just need to introduce ourselves to you. My name is Aaron." said my male classmate whose hair is almost the same as me. Now I can call him by his name.

I sighed. I didn't know what to say anymore. I happened to let the other guy introduced himself. I wasn't sure what kind of bonding they liked to do in my room. Eri wasn't there so... wait... I'm not looking for Eri, okay? But honestly, there was a little pain in my chest that Eri wasn't here. Now that it reminds me of her crying over something at the barnyard. It was like I want to know what happened to her.

I thought they didn't want to sit down so I thought I could guide them away from my room but suddenly, Claire sat down on the floor and rested her back on the bookshelf. Aaron and the other guy sat on my bed. I looked sharply on the other guy so that he will stand up and let me sit instead. As I wanted, he stood up but instead of going out of my room, he offered his hand and said, "by the way, my name is Colton". I didn't make a handshake. I was going to ask him to get out of my bed but before I did, my mother just arrived to the room holding a tray of snacks; a pitcher of iced tea, four empty glasses, and a violet cake roll with five strawberries lined on top – as if it should be divided into five parts.

"Strawberries" I whispered. I just remembered something that smelled like strawberries. Well, not something, but someone. I'm not thinking of Eri taking a bath in our bathroom. I'm not thinking of perverted things that time. Of course, I just remembered that girl because of the strawberries. Maybe she is washing this time, I wonder if that strawberry rolls on her shoulde- Ehem! I just remembered Eri. Period. I forgot what I was going to say. I lost my time on that. Well, back to my room, my mother told Colton to sit down so I can't do anything about it. Maybe she was very happy that I let three persons raped my room. Colton sat down and saw the top of his head. I thought of a zebra resting in a bloody forest. He might not maintain the red color of his hair or he is planning on cutting his red hair as it grows.

Claire was wearing lose white and pink stripes shirt, an up-to-the-knee black shorts and a gray rabbit socks. She was sitting Indian style as she stretched her arms to reach the tray that was near Colton's feet. I'm not a pervert, okay? It's the law of science who is at fault here. I have no intent to see from the angles of a triangle from my foot to my eyes to the red laced no strap cloth she had worn inside those striped. It was an accident. Suddenly, while on that position, Claire looked up to me and saw my reaction – my reaction which is I am not aware of. She put her tongue out in a cute way and said, "However you act, you are still a man, Ken"

Aaron and Colton who were looking at the cake suddenly looked at Claire like they were asking what she was talking about.

"What do you mean Ken is still a man, Claire?" asked Aaron

"You did that on purpose Claire! Are you trying to seduce me?! I'm sorry you failed because unlike the others I'm not a pervert" I said to myself

"That was just between me and Ken" she giggled.

It feels like my ears were very hot that time and my hormones were active again. I went to the bathroom to have wash away this feeling. I came back to my room. I found them reading my books. Colton was holding the encyclopedia reading the page which discusses music. I think Colton is a music man.

"Do you like music, Ken? What music do you like?" Colton asked

"Well, I listen to orchestra and other instrumentals while I study"

"That was a good choice. I believe that it's actually the beat and the tone of the music that makes us feel differently. I mean, sometimes even the lyrics is about happiness but the beat is slow, it would still feel sad or vice versa. But I still like music with lyrics because it's how the songwriter expresses himself or herself"

"That was quite an impressive belief, Colton" I said. It seems like I'm liking Colton's personality. He is not as loud as Aaron. Maybe he could be a harmless friend.

"Have you had any physical activities?" asked Aaron

"Well, basically, I walk to school every day, sometimes I jog in the morning"

"You have such a nice pair of legs and height. Why don't you join some sports club? You will feel better than spending your time inside your room without exposure to vitamin D" Aaron said

"He already joined everything you know. I was with him when a bunch of bikini girls from swim club ran after him." Claire laughed

"So it's really true that you are a chic magnet" Aaron laughed

I noticed that Colton was silent even though these two were laughing.

"What are you up to Colton?" I asked

"Oh sorry. While I was reading this book it's like the hymn of the song conquered my brain"

"You are such an emo Colton" said Aaron

"What's an emo?" I asked

"Just look at Colton. You will know exactly. Maybe emo was actually originated from him"

"Whatever Aaron, I'm not an emo. I don't do suicide. My future wife is waiting for me in the future. It's such a shame if I die in young age and I won't be able to meet her"

"Hahaha! Preparing for the future? That is nice" I said, laughing

Everyone looked at me.

"What? That was funny!" I said. A few seconds later, everyone laughed.

"I can't believe that such a serious emo thing can be humorous to you Ken!" said Aaron

"I told you it's not an emo thing. Hahaha!!!" Colton laughed. As if he wasn't mad that he was called an emo. If only Eri were here maybe she will say something funny and sarcastic to Colton. Maybe she will have fun with us soon since Claire is a common friend of them. Alright, I think I should accept this thing called friendship this time but I won't let my guard down so that my bad experience won't happen again.

I had a friend ever since we came to this neighborhood. We called him Woof. As in the dog bark's woof. His real name was Rolfe but he was bullied because he can't pronounce his own name well. When I was in kindergarten, I was very sociable. Every kid befriend me because they said I looked approachable. I wonder how cute I was back then. Well, I'm not saying that I feel confident with my looks but I mean that I was cute as a kid, maybe most of us did. Rolfe was always left out when everyone played with me. I tried to approach that boy in my school because it feels so sad that everyone was focused on you while a single person was left out because you got all the attention. He was looking at his paper. I left the others and went to him. "Hey, my name is Ken. What is yours?" "Woof (Rolfe)" "Woof, do you want to play with us?"

"Yes, if you allow me"

He started to be known to everybody until we became friends. We lived in the same neighborhood so we went to school together and went back home together – usually with mud on our shirts. We have been friends until second year of grade school. During grade school, I could say that I was always having fun after school not thinking about the lessons for the day anymore. I usually did my homework the very time the teacher gave it – unless it was a research or art homework. He wasn't good in school. I tried to approach him and teach him the lessons while we walk home. I was always the top student in school in academics. I never failed to be in top one. The teachers always told my parents to accelerate me to higher years but I didn't agree to it because I didn't want to leave Rolfe behind. He didn't have any other friends than me. Even as a child, my parents respect my decision.

It was on our third grade when Rolfe acted weird towards me. Every time I have my exams perfect, he greeted me with sarcasm, "Oh, you never failed to be on top, while I'm always at the bottom" I never intended to leave him that way – I mean leave him on the bottom of the class. I always teach him things he never gets, patiently. But as time goes by, every time I teach him, he was getting mad at me. One time he said this to me when I approached him to ask what he didn't understand that day, "Don't treat me like a fool, Ken! I am not a fool! I can survive by myself. You know how you should help me? Just give me the answers during the exams! You don't even let me see a part of your paper. Does that what a friend would do? Then you approach me to teach me?! Don't play like a good boy! I thought if I make you a friend, you could help me be like you! Not look like a fool!"

"I don't intend to make you look like a fool Woof. I just wanted you to learn not just give you everything you need!"

"And don't call me Woof! I can pronounce my own name now. Don't treat me like a child!"

"We are still children, Rolfe. I know you are aware of that."

That was our last one on one conversation together. I didn't know that he already joined a small gang of students who was led by a sixth grader. They were the gang who burned every exam paper of our class after exam while it wasn't checked and recorded. Teachers were investigating who were involved. Everyone in our class was worried because they studied a lot and exams were repeating because of its disposal before it was checked. That time, I wasn't aware that he was part of that gang. We just haven't talked for those times.

One day, our teacher called our parents and said that exam papers were always burned and their records of grades were stolen. My father, who was very confident of my brain, suggested that exams should be oral exam if they are objective although it will take a lot of time for the teacher and the students. It happened. When it was my time, I answered every question and got a score of one hundred percent. Rolfe, who was very mad didn't show up to the oral exam.

Ever since our last talk, I went home alone. That day of examination was the day I can't forget. I saw a bunch of sixth graders waiting in my way home. They beat me. I can't remember how much pain my body received because it was too much for my comprehension. The pain that I remembered was the pain in my heart seeing my friend looked at me smiling as I lose my consciousness little by little.

My family suffered so much. We didn't know that my older brother who was in high school back then held a grudge about what happened to me. He was kind and was always smiling so we didn't know how his mind works during times like that. One day, while I was still confined in the hospital, I heard my mother cried over the phone. I didn't know what happened that time but she looked really sad. My father took her place and she went somewhere. When it was my tenth day in the hospital, I was advised to ambulate so my father helped me walk around the hospital. At the hospital park, I saw him with bandages on his head and arms and something that wrapped his neck. That person was Rolfe. He was with his nursemaid back then and he sighted me. They approached us then the nursemaid said, "Look at what your brother has done to this child! It's a good thing that he will be rotten in prison!"

I was so surprised that time. No wonder why my mom was so sad. My father got mad and we went back to the room. Our family planned to bail my brother and hired a lawyer to free him and counter the case to Rolfe and his gang. Maybe about three months after I was discharged to the hospital, I heard news that we won the case. My brother was bailed out and Rolfe and his gang were under the supervision of a social worker in a rehabilitation house for children.

Then I learned that time that I cannot trust anyone aside from my family. I promised myself never to have friends again.

After those years, meeting these people, maybe I'll reconsider myself to have friends again but I won't let my guard down. Betrayal cannot be seen on surface.

"Ken! You look so serious. What are you thinking right now? Remembering what you saw earlier?" Claire said and then she gave a wink. I'm not sure if she is seducing me or something but she is kind of irritating.

"Huh? What I saw earlier? I don't know what you are talking about"

Claire crawled to me again just like earlier and intentionally lose her shirt. Of course I didn't look. If it's Eri I may reconsider it. I-I mean I reconsider forgiving her! It's not like I was thinking that it should be Eri. I am not a pervert.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?" then she sat again. "You're so helpless Ken. Ok. Can I use your bathroom for a while? I don't know where it is. Would you lead me to it?"

"Just go down and ask my mother or my sister."

"Yeah, Claire, you can do it yourself. Let us have a boy talk here. It's embarrassing to talk something if there is a girl around" Aaron said

Claire went downstairs and while she was away, we boys talked.

"Ken, how things are going with you and Eri?" Colton asked

"W-What do you mean? Of course nothing"

"There is something Ken. We know it. How do you feel about Eri?" Aaron asked

Of course I can't answer them clearly. I'm still confused myself. The only thing I know right now is...

"My academic focused highschool life is disturbed by my otaku seatmate!"