Chapter 10: Little Quarrels

Blood.

Nothing but the daunting red color of blood stained the pale hands of Oliver as his head spun faster and faster.

The smell was horrendous and absolutely terrifying as the pain that it brought rushed through all parts of his weak body.

Ears ringing but not of bullets, his hands shaking as he looked at his current state. His eyes started to pitch out into the dark abyss of his own eyelids.

"Alright seems were done."

The room cleared. The blood was gone and so was its agony.

What had just happened?

"All I can hope now is that you learned something and that you actually pass." Summer laughed.

Oliver looked up to see Summer and noticed that she was wearing modern clothing once more. A blue shirt, a pink pair of shorts, and the playful yet comfortable attitude that she dragged along with her. No more was her restricted formality or her evident professionalism nor the complex dress that he had seen her wear. He began to wonder if he had just fallen asleep.

"Did I die?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

As Oliver walked away from the room, his feet stopped moving once he reached a familiar distance.

"Ah, it's back."

"Hasn't it been like this all week by now?"

"Yes, yes it has."

Summer looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Let's go study the other subjects."

---Tomorrow---

Every Sunday, Oliver would take some time to visit his relatives' homes for an update. During such visits, Oliver would usually find himself eating lunch with them and maybe even staying the night. But as his situation goes, he had to bring Summer with him.

"It's getting foggy."

"We should pick up the pace I suppose."

Step by step, the two of them climbed the steep hill that led to the house.

"Why did they choose a house so far up the mountain?" Summer spoke as her breathing paced.

"Don't ask me. They bought this house before I was born."

The cold breeze and the gravity pushed and pulled against them respectively as if nature didn't want them to reach their destination.

Moving slowly but surely, the two continued to put one foot in front of the other.

"I'm here,"

"Put your shoes in the shoe compartment. You're just in time for lunch." Oliver's grandma greeted.

Oliver's scruffy appearing cousin spoke from the couch she was seated on. "Oh, seems you brought your girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah."

Summer laughed. "Let's go eat, babe."

"I'd rather die."

---After Lunch---

"See you guys next time!"

"Make sure you bring Summer again." Oliver's cousin laughed.

Walking down the hill they had just conquered, the two made sure to calculate every step they took to make sure they don't trip.

"Alright, let's get back to studying." Summer stretched her arms.

"Again? But didn't we just finish studying?"

"We studied a few subjects. You still need to study a couple of others."

"We were only supposed to study one subject yesterday. Instead, we studied two. I don't want to study for a bit."

"But the exams start tomorrow. You've only studied the exams for tomorrow."

"Well, I'm tired."

Summer kicked the concrete sidewalk. "You? Tired? All you've done is read and answer the worksheets I took hours to make for you."

"So you're saying that they were easy?"

"For someone that actually studies, yes."

Oliver snickered. "Isn't that a bit inconsiderate?"

"Inconsiderate? You're being inconsiderate." Summer mockingly laughed.

"What's so funny? Do you really think this is funny?"

"What's funny is how lazy you are."

Oliver looked down to see the flatter portion of the steep road. He slowed his walking pace.

"Lazy? I've been providing nothing but effort since yesterday."

"You call that effort? If it was someone else other than you we could have probably studied everything last night."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not Superman."

"You don't have to be Superman to be able to study the Philippine grade 10 curriculum."

"So you're calling me stupid?" Oliver sneered.

"Yep." Summer laughed again in the same mocking expression.

"You know, this isn't helping."

Summer began to raise her voice, almost screaming. "Not helping? How much of a thoughtless person can you be? I've been trying to help you study. We even went out on your "date" with the new transferee when we could have been studying."

"It wasn't a date. We went to buy materials if you weren't paying attention."

Summer didn't respond with words. Instead, she resorted to a short but loud scream of annoyance which Oliver ignored.

They didn't exchange a single word after that.

---Next Day---

"So you two got into a fight, huh?"

The first exam was Social Science. In Oliver's take, most of the questions that would have seemed impossible for him to answer became manageable and tolerable. The studying from a few days back seemed to have been effective. Nonetheless, he hadn't spoken to Summer during breakfast or the walk to school.

"Must be hard having a fight when she's literally right next to you all the time." Miguel chuckled.

Oliver ignored Miguel's comments. Instead, he took a bite into the egg sandwich which had been packed by Summer.

"I'm going to take a guess that Summer made that sandwich for you."

Summer was seated on the opposite corner of the table. As much as she wanted to distance herself, she couldn't.

Snow chugged down a big portion of her water bottle. "Must be tough getting into a fight when you can't even get away from that person."

"I don't want to talk about it." Summer shrugged.

"Why? I have a feeling you want to but don't because you want to look cool." Snow laughed.

"He's not going to make the next exams with his attitude. I could see him failing the next papers."

"Well, it's his choice."

Summer took out her wallet. "Can you get me something by the stalls?" She handed Snow some cash.

"Why?" Her mouth was full. "Can't you do it yourself?"

"You know I have to tell Oliver first to move. And I don't want to."

"Well, good luck getting that snack."

"You really do suck, you know that?"

---Next Day---

The journey to school was as tense and awkward as yesterday. Not a single word was exchanged between the two of them.

"Okay class, bags on the corner again. I don't want to see anything but stationary on your desks."

The second test of the day was English. Oliver had believed he did not need to reserve time on this subject for he had decent grades in it. As he took a copy, however, he realized how much his ego had blurred his vision.

I did not study this.

Going through the test, he took a considerably large amount of guesses. Different words and terms he did not understand were the contents of the exam. From the first page to the last, he could only recognize a few questions. Maybe his current state would be different if he had pushed a little harder.

---An Hour Later---

"So, how'd it go?"

"Terribly. I guessed most of the questions."

"Well good luck on the Science exam."

"Don't remind me." Oliver put his head down.

---Back at Home---

I didn't understand a single question.

The air in the room felt stiff somehow. Such a little issue made so big. The faint water drops coming from the faucet in the kitchen, the curtain the swayed in the calm afternoon breeze. Everything else but the nonchalant conversing substituted for the occasional noise.

Even as the two had been friends for quite some time, the two never really understood their relationship. Their daily causality had become routine, but rarely did they raise the bar to any new goals. There were no targets, no objectives to reach but the simple and childish dreams of a reachable yet unreachable crush.

So when the concept of fighting, something so foreign, so alien to the two of them arise as a problem, the two know not how to react.

The two never fought. One could easily blame that upon a stable friendship, but in reality, it was because the two weren't as close as they had presented themselves to be. They shared the struggles, but never the pain. They shared the happy moments, but never its fulfillment. As close as they were, they were just as far away.

---Next Day---

At this point, the two had practically forgiven each other. It was a stupid fight, if not, an immature quarrel. To imagine such hostility amongst good friends from the simplest of matters.

I tried studying last night but I still don't understand anything. Oliver erased another answer.

How hard was it to forgive? You'd think it would be easy for people like Oliver and Summer. But why hasn't it been done yet? A dark cloud of ignorance and pride stood between reconciliation.

---Later at lunch---

"Still fighting?" Miguel handed Oliver an ice cream.

"What's this for?"

"So no thank you? I can see why you two are fighting."

"Yeah sure, thanks."

"Be honest with me, how did you two even get into a fight."

Oliver took a deep breath as he looked up. "Actually, I kind of don't remember."

"Then why are you still fighting?"

"I-" Oliver's eyes went blank. "I don't know."

---After School---

The day felt like an eternity. The sound of a hundred pencils landing simultaneously on wooden desks, the sweat and hours poured unto the papers of the most diligent individuals. You could almost feel the weight of stress slowly being removed from the school grounds. This time and hour marked the beginning of the summer break.

"Well, have a good summer, Summer." Snow waved.

"Yeah, you too."

One by one, cars, buses, and jeepneys alike pulled up and left as quick as they came. The campus was emptying itself of its enrollees.

"Let's go." Oliver exchanged the first words in over 2 days.

"Okay."

Just as the two stepped out of the gate, two people came running as if they were being chased. As they got closer, the two recognized their faces.

"We got news." Group A's leader spoke up as his hands were on his knees.

Miguel laughed heartily. "Big news!"

"What is it?"

A strong gust of wind burst into the area carrying fallen leaves from the nearby trees.

"The previous couple reached out to us."