Caught 1

Neil was running when he heard the commotion going on in the parking lot. Because before that happened he saw Faiz who walked here in a hurry.

"You bastard! I didn't ask for your comment." Faiz's sharp voice startled Neil. From a distance, he saw Faiz slam his fist into a person that Neil didn't know.

The man hit Faiz back hard until Neil came closer to separate them. Neil turned to the man in surprise when he found the Skylar he was trying to separate.

The hand that was still holding Skylar's arm was gently pushed away until Neil gasped and pulled his hand closer to his body.

Neil looked between Faiz and Skylar who looked breathless with bruises on each of their faces and stared at each other with hatred.

"What is it?" Neil opened his mouth breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

Skylar turned to Neil and pressed Neil's shoulder with the tip of his index finger. "Take care of yourself, you dirty bastard."

Neil froze with the truth that Skylar said, he automatically retreated from Skylar's reach. His chest seemed to be pinched. How could this Skylar know?

"God damn it!" The sound of a smack resonated in Neil's ears as Faiz's fist hit Skylar's cheek again.

Neil gasped he immediately pulled Faiz away. "What are you doing. Stop, Faiz!"

"He deserves it," growled Faiz which Neil struggled to keep from lunging at Skylar again.

Skylar chuckled as he raised his hand to wipe the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He once again glared at Faiz and Neil who seemed to sting Neil uncomfortably under that gaze.

Skylar finally turned away from them and got on his motorbike. He finally left the school with the sound of his motorbike that deliberately he made deafening.

"You don't think about what Skylar said." Faiz patted Neil's back lightly.

Neil smiled faintly in response, how the truth hurts sometimes. He had accepted it all, but when Neil again heard the taunts from other people even if only a few broken, it still managed to pull him back to remember his bad times.

"I never knew this Skylar would be so different." Faiz opened a voice that brought Neil out of his daydream.

Neil blinked lifting his head, looking at Faiz who was standing in front of him. "Me too."

"I've only been here a few days, I know that all people in this dimension are not good. Some are manipulative," Faiz explained with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Neil listened, he remembered his friends when he was accused of doing inappropriate things to Michelia. Skylar and his father, too. Different.

Neil nodded in agreement, he then said carefully, "What are you doing with Skylar?"

Faiz seemed to move restlessly in place, he didn't answer right away. However, Neil couldn't take his words back because they had made Faiz feel uncomfortable.

In the end, Faiz replied, "I'm gay, Skylar knows it. He made inappropriate comments in front of the class."

Neil was silent, digesting Faiz's words well. The man seemed to be waiting for a response from him, Neil himself didn't know how to respond.

"Gays?" asked Neil to confirm.

Faiz put his weight on one of his legs and stuffed his hands into his pockets pants. "Yeah, you feel uncomfortable about that?"

Neil shook his head quickly while rubbing the back of his neck, he didn't want to offend Faiz. "No, I just haven't met him and I'm surprised."

"I know that." Faiz smiled and straightened himself, then he continued, "The real Skylar doesn't know about this."

Ah, about the real Skylar, and in front of him, this is his best friend. "Does he know you're here too?"

"Yeah, he knows. He wants us all out of here."

"I know why he cares about you, but from the first time I got here, I didn't think that Skylar would want to get me out too and be the second person to care about me after dad. He hates me though, right?"

"How can you think like that?" asked Faiz.

"Isn't everything clear?"

Faiz shook his head slowly, his eyes narrowed at Neil's neck. He shuddered slightly when Faiz touched his neck while pointing it out. "What's with your neck?"

"What?" asked Neil cluelessly touching his neck looking for something wrong.

"There's a red spot there like a bruise, not just one."

"Maybe because of the insects, when I sleep. I don't know, I can't see in the mirror," he said.

Faiz frowned. "I don't think it's an insect. Who were you with yesterday or earlier?"

"Only Riksa. Sain means, you're him, right? He's just like us."

Faiz nodded quickly, then asked again. "You don't know what happened?"

"No."

Neil flinched when someone hugged his shoulder he turned and sighed in relief when it was Sain. "Riksa?"

"Let's go home," he said nonchalantly. Neil turned to Sain with a frown. Sain was looking at Faiz with disapproval.

Neil also glanced at Faiz who was watching Sain, with the corners of his eyes narrowed.

"Faiz, I'm home. You can call me right away if you need help." Neil had given his number when he was in the library that time. Faiz turned his gaze to Neil and then smiled in response, but Sain had pulled him away leaving Faiz alone.

"What's your problem, Riksa?" asked Neil, he felt it was rude to leave Faiz like that. He gave one of the helmets to Sain which he immediately put on, and put his, helmet on his head. Before going home Sain said that he didn't bring his vehicle because his motorbike was broken while Neil always carried a spare helmet in his trunk.

"The problem is of course you, why are you asking for such an obvious thing?" Neil was silent for a while hearing that, he's recently been somehow sensitive and irritable.

Neil sighed tiredly, he got on the motorbike and started the engine. "Come up!"

Sain followed Neil and sat on his piggyback. Neil tensed when Sain wrapped his arms around Neil's waist tightly.

"Riksa, there's no need to overdo it like this, I won't be speeding." Neil laughed, which only made Sain even closer to Neil.

"There's no guarantee, at least I anticipated," he said right on the back of Neil's neck.

Neil didn't respond he started his motorbike out of the deserted school parking lot and sauntered down the highway.

Sain asks to stop and gets off in front of Neil's house. The man took off his helmet and then gave it to Neil back.

"Then thank you." Sain quickly kissed Neil's lips and left.

Neil gasped processing what Sain did. He was still frozen digesting well, Neil shook his head and tried to think positively that it was a form of thanks for Neil for bringing him. However, why kiss?

"Wow." Neil gasped, suddenly he turned to the source of the voice.

In the yard Neil saw Skylar with his arms crossed over his chest, looking like he had seen it all.