Chapter 5

Love... how wonderful to hear it in words and how fulfilling it is to receive it through actions.

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Once you enter college, the life of being a student becomes so much different. All of the happy-go-lucky individuals would start to focus on their studies with some of them working night shifts just to support their education. How blessed are those who do not have to support their own education? Those who are blessed with wealth and those who do not have to worry about their educational finances.

A better-off student would wake up in the morning to prepare and go to school while a hardworking, self-reliant, impoverished student would prepare to go to sleep after their graveyard shift. It is sad that this is happening in our day-to-day lives, but everything happens for a reason. It is not our fault for being born into a poverty-stricken household, but it will definitely be our fault for dying as a poor person. Imagine giving the time to become better, and you still chose to be broke.

"Homeless children are loitering everywhere, pestering passersby for spare changes. Jeez, the government should really start focusing on family planning. Every day our population grows, and more children are being born in less fortunate households. They should start educating these poor people about family planning. Also, the government should implement a new law that prevents low-income households from having more than children. That every couple's number of children they could bring to this world should match their income— if they are able to provide and finance a child."

Inside an air-conditioned room where students are politely and quietly seated on their plastic chairs made from recycled materials, the projector screen displayed the short documentation about a third-world country that was facing poverty and its growing population.

Shortly after, the documentation ended, and the professor turned off the projector. For a while, the students were stunned by watching the documentation. Even some of them were teary-eyed about it while others were rethinking their decisions.

"I want all of you to write an essay about the documentation. List key points that you think can help with the current problem of our society. And... students, strictly no to AI!"

Class ended after. Students packed up their things and headed out of their classroom with each of them having a different agenda.

In the hallway, Wil was silently walking while holding his backpack with one hand. He immediately noticed students following behind, so he picked up his pace without ever being conspicuous about it.

Because Wil knew that by looking back, the group behind him would instantly run after him, therefore, his course of action was to hasten down the aisle to the stairs. As soon as he hit the turning point, Wil didn't take the normal route but rather hopped over the stairs' railing and lengthened the gap between them.

"Shit! The bastard's doing parkour, Neil!"

"After that bastard!"

Neil's group of bullies stopped dilly-dallying and just started running towards Wil, who was already on the second floor of the building. Being the lightfoot that Wil was, it made even more gap between him and the group.

"How is that jerk so fast?!"

Through the swarm of students leaving their classrooms, Neil's group was desperately chasing Wil with sheer anger.

"He's already reached the stairs!"

Hastily, Neil went full throttle despite the slippery mopped floor and managed not to slip on his way. He peeked through the stairs leading below but saw no signs of Wil.

"Hey, you! Where did he go?"

Afraid of Neil's status at the school, the student was forced to sell out where Wil had gone.

"He went u-up!"

"Up?! Haha! Bastard thought he could play tricks on me!"

Alone, Neil stepped towards the same path as Wil took, hurriedly traversing the stairs back to the third floor. At this point, Neil could already feel himself getting slightly tired, but he still kept going.

"The rooftop?! Boy, you're dead meat once I get to you!"

In Neil's perspective, Wil has no more place to go. However, the thought of Wil being able to do parkour and crazy stunts never crossed Neil's mind. He just kept on following Wil towards the rooftop until the setting sun momentarily got to his eyes.

Undeniably, the sunset was mesmerizing at this time, but he just could not stop running after Wil at this point.

"Get back here, you freak!"

Slowly, Neil came to a realization that Wil had no intention of slowing down. In fact, he even became faster than his current speed. That was when Neil witnessed the man who jumped over the sunset.

The moment was so stunning that Neil lost all the energy to run and just admired how Wil was gradually walking through the air towards the near building of the main building of the university.

Eventually, Neil's friends reached the rooftop, heaving for air while the awestruck Neil pointed at the flying Wil upon getting asked.

"Where is the bastard?!"

"W-Whoa!"

"What a fearless dude!"

They would not want to admit it, but the stunt amazed them. They rushed to the edge of the rooftop after Wil had reached the nearby building, thinking that he had not landed well and had died. However, Wil survived and escaped. They didn't bother running after him because no one had the guts to do what Wil did.

"I didn't know that lame-ass weakling could do such a terrifying thing."

"Can we really call him lame considering what he's done?"

"Yeah, he was fucking amazing for a moment!"

***

On a night out, Neil's group went to a karaoke with his group along with his girlfriend Mary.

Smoking and drinking while singing were their activities inside the karaoke room while those that do not have a partner would flirt with the girls. Of course, the girls would do the same if someone was handsome enough.

"Neil, what did I tell you about smoking when I am with you?!"

Mary has had enough of Neil's smoking habit and rushed out of the karaoke room. His friends just ignored it, but Neil followed her to bring her back inside.

"Hey," Neil grabbed Mary's wrist, stopping her in her tracks in the hallway. "I'm sorry. You know my circumstance, my reason for smoking."

"And didn't we already talk about this? This is like the tenth time, Neil! And we're always hanging with those friends of yours."

Behind Mary's words, Neil caught the meaning from it.

"What? Losers? People that do not care about their college?"

"I thought I could change you, Neil."

His heart sank upon seeing Mary's teary-eyed expression on her face. He wanted to hold her, but she pushed him on his chest. Her tiny hands were so strong that his urge to embrace her could not reach her.

"I'm going home," cried Mary.

In Neil's mind, he didn't foresee what he deemed to be a small mistake to be such a deal breaker to Mary. It escalated so quickly that Neil could not come up with words to say but still ran after Mary.

The weeping Mary hurried out of the karaoke building. When she got out, she desperately tried to cross the road to avoid having Neil catching onto her. She was so eager that she had ignored the red light on the crossing, and when she realized that there was an incoming truck driving at full speed on an empty road with its buzz honking loudly at her, Mary froze, and the last she heard was Neil's incorrigibly magnifying scream.

Screeeeeech!

The screeching sound of the stubby tires terrorized the quiet night.

In the driver's flushed expression and horrid vision, Mary disappeared in the middle of the night as bone-crushing sounds reverberated underneath the truck.

"Mary!"

Neil weakly collapsed on both knees, his palms on his hands as he felt helpless in front of the countless reappearing civilians who were trying to see what had happened on the empty road.

~