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Bas Asavapatr; Student Council President
Stifling a yawn while standing at attention three steps away from the principal, this wasn't the first time Bas regretted his choice to be the student council president. The summer sun was scorching hot, it burned his nape and fried his feet through the black shoes he wore.
Monday was never his favorite day of the week, and when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he was woken up with a call at the crack of dawn, exactly one minute before his alarm rang. The principal had successfully ruined his day when it was barely even starting.
"Ruining the school's property is an act of vandalism! And you know where it'll get you? Jail." That was the seventh time the principal had said the word 'vandalism', not that Bas had been counting.
If he were to be honest with himself, Bas saw this as a waste of time. The principal chose to punish all the students by lining them under the sun like dried fish instead of fixing the problem to its root—firing the history teacher who had taken students' money in the name of school. This V for Vendetta act had not been the first and also not the second. But the previous two weren't this bad, both only a drawing on the wall magazine. Not a whole ass graffiti on the entrance wall.
The balding 50-year-old man also had given him and other student council members a mission, a very important mission to quote his exact words. And that was to find the perpetrator. Bas immediately felt the migraine coming and it wasn't because Bas didn't know whom to arrest. In fact, he was pretty aware who the culprit was, or culprits in this case.
This morning when he was doing his student council task by the school gate, he saw them coming together, inseparable since the first time he saw them. The pair was deep in their conversation, like the world was only theirs alone and the rest were just passing by. When they got near, one of them nodded at him in greetings, while the other whistled in admiration at the sight of the graffiti behind him.
How could Bas make the principal believe that the brain of the operation was the school's golden student who rewrote the school's hymn and his executioner was none other than their brightest student who brought them a handful of trophies? The school might as well get shut down.
Bas heaved a deep sigh, "I want to go home."
Milk Pansa; Bible's current girlfriend
The bell rang, marking the end of school hours for the day. Her peers around her stuffed their things inside their bags and almost broke into a run to leave the classroom. Unlike everyone else, Milk was barely even touching her pencil and notebook to tidy up. Her forefinger tapped her desk in a steady rhythm and her gaze was empty as she was drowned in her thoughts.
"Hey, you okay?" Janhae asked. This seatmate of hers was barely in the class today, the student council had kept her busy throughout the day.
Milk's finger stopped midair, "hmm?"
"You need to go hunting today, right?" With nimble hands, Janhae helped Milk tidy up her desk, placing her notebook and pencil case as a mirror of her own. "Do you want me to go with you?"
She turned to her friend, wanting so much to say yes but immediately sent away that thought upon seeing how tired Janhae looked. "No, it's okay. I think you should go home and have a rest."
Janhae groaned, "home my ass. Bas still demands my presence after this. He wants to share his migraine with the rest of us."
"Really fun being the vice president, eh?" Milk joked.
The other girl scoffed and threw her things into her bag without so much consideration. "I just hope the principal would just fire the damn teacher and be done with it."
Milk nodded in agreement. She, too, didn't like the way the principal handled this matter. She didn't think any of the students did anyway. And she also enjoyed art, the drawing style of the history teacher looked somehow familiar to her.
"So you'll go with your boyfriend?"
Milk hesitated. It had been almost a year since they dated. All started because of their closeness in the first year of the school when they just joined the photography club. Milk, who cannot tell the difference between SLR and DSLR, got paired with Bible who had more experiences with cameras. And when a girl and a boy got along very well, somehow entering a romantic relationship was the only choice.
So here they were, 'the school sweethearts'.
But there was a catch, right after they moved to the eleventh grade, Bible left the photography club to focus more on his physics competitions. And as Bible no longer put photography club on his priority list, it also marked the end of their conversations. And it was only four months after they started dating. They spent the rest of their relationship going on dates almost once in a blue moon because Milk preferred to be at home and Bible preferred to watch indie music concerts with his best friend.
Milk knew Bible would always prioritized his best friend above anything else, including her. And Milk also knew that her boyfriend loved his best friend more than anyone in this world—either brotherly love or the kind of love he and Milk were supposed to have, she knew it wasn't her business.
"You're thinking too much." Janhae snapped her back to reality.
"I don't know, he seems busy."
"He is always busy, but will it kill you to ask? It's not like you always ask something from him." The shorter girl said frustratingly. "Which is weird, might as well just break up."
"We don't even talk lately." Milk said, her desk starting to get empty as she put all of her belongings into her backpack.
"Exactly, girl! What's the point of dating if you don't even say hi to each other? His classroom is literally just two doors away."
Milk shrugged, Bible never brought it up, so she simply ignored the elephant in the room too. "Fine, I'll ask." But, I doubt he'll be free .
She almost missed him had she got up from her seat a second later. Bible was already on his motorbike with Jeff on the passenger seat. Milk was about to just go when Janhae pushed her and said, "who knows he will ditch Jeff for you?" Milk doubted so.
"Hi, Milk!" It was Jeff who noticed her first.
His smile was contagious, no way Milk didn't smile back. "Hi, Jeff. Mind if I talk to Bible for a bit?"
Jeff laughed, "of course, he's yours to begin with."
"Do you need something, Milk?" Bible asked. There was no longing in his eyes likethere wasn't any in hers despite them not talking for almost a month.
Milk laughed inwardly, this is so stupid . "I was about to ask if you're free to go with me for pictures. But I guess no."
"Ah, sorry. I already made a promise with Jeff today." Thought so .
Jeff gasped, "we can change it to another day."
"But you said your sister will have an exam tomorrow."
"No worries, she can just fail another one."
Milk couldn't help but laugh at the situation. "It's okay, I can go by myself. Have fun, guys."
"Be careful on your way." Bible said, which Milk answered with a nod and a smile. While Jeff threw her an apologetic smile.
Milk sighed in relief as she watched them go, maybe a break up was finally on the way. Her heart had never felt so light before.
Rebecca Patricia; Jeff's little sister
It started with her pathetic attempt in eliminating the evidence in the trash bin. Her mom had found it and brought it up during dinner time. And her dad gazed emptily at her math exam paper that had a big bright red F on the top right.
"Jeff, you help your sister." Her dad said. His brother comically stopped chewing his chicken wing upon hearing that.
Becky knew, just like her, her brother was far from the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to math. And being in the eleventh grade didn't make him miraculously understand the tenth grade's materials.
"What about I ask Bible instead?" Jeff offered.
Her mother beamed at the mention of Bible's name, "right! Let's ask him instead! But is he busy, though? The provincial competition will be next month right?"
"Uhm, yeah, it is." Her brother then shrugged and continued, "I'll still ask anyway."
Turned out, her brother's friend still had time to teach her for her math remedial exam next week. But Becky knew it was because he was a yes-man when it came to her brother.
Sitting in the living room with her friend, Becky stared emptily at the scribble on the whiteboard. Irin, too, scratched her head in confusion. Bible laughed seeing their reactions and finally gave them a five-minute rest before continuing sacrificing their brain cells.
As if on cue, her brother came, bringing a bottle of soda for the one-time tutor. Becky was adept at observing, she rarely missed a thing. So it wasn't hard to catch the light touch of her brother's fingers and his friend's when the bottle was being transferred from one hand to another. And the intimate smiles they shared as if Taylor Swift was at the back singing ' passing notes in secrecy ' with flower petals raining down from the sky.
Irin nudged her arm. Apparently she, too, witnessed the whole ordeal and wondered, "are they…you know…"
Becky shook her head slowly, eyes still on the pair of best friends who were currently joking around. "Honestly? I don't know either."
Unfurling singing star; witness of the night
The evening breeze was strangely calming as they zoomed into an empty road under the moonlight. The one on the passenger seat had changed his uniform to a comfortable hoodie and basketball shorts, while the one taking the handle of the motorbike was still donned in his uniform since morning.
"Is this the place?" Bible asked, his voice loud to fight against the wind and engines.
"Yes!" The answer also came in a loud volume.
Bible parked his motorbike on the side of the street and killed the engines. He received the helmet Jeff wore earlier and watched as the latter ran and plopped himself on the ground. This particular spot of the hill behind Jeff's house was popular for lovers, they would fill this area during Saturday nights. But as it was only Monday, it had become an exclusive place for the two best friends.
"I see why this is popular." Jeff said as he leaned back on his arms and gazed up at the sky. The city lights looked so far away that the stars were visibly twinkling in the dark of the night.
Bible sat down beside his friend, shoulders bumped against each other. "You've never been here before?"
"Nope." Jeff grinned. "Anyway, thank you for teaching Becky and her friend."
"Anytime."
Contrary to popular beliefs, this pair of friends didn't always spend their time hunching their backs and diving into a deep conversation. Sometimes one would strum his guitar and the other would have his book opened. Some other times, though, they would spend it just like this—basked in a comfortable silence.
Bible turned to his friend whom he had known since five years ago. Seeing his side profile from such a close distance always made him pause. Those bushy eyebrows, deep eyes, high nose bridge, and plump lips. Had Bible was a girl, he probably would have developed a crush on his best friend. But as another boy, the closest thing he could feel was probably some kind of jealousy of those European features that got girls squealing about.
"We should have just stayed like this forever." Jeff said.
Bible scoffed at that, "you just don't wanna go to school."
"You know damn well I don't." Jeff grinned widely.
Maybe it was the stars echoing the magic from the moon. Maybe it was the light breeze whispering a soft encouragement. Or maybe because he was simply bewitched and his body moved by an undetectable force. But the next thing Bible knew, Jeff already pushed him hard, distancing the two of them.
"Bible, you fucker!" Jeff stood up and his eyes were throwing daggers at his friend.
Bible blinked, he still couldn't proceed with what just happened. But his lips were still tingling and his heart was still palpating on his chest.
"J-Jeff, I'm so—"
"You have Milk, Bible! You have Milk!!" Jeff screamed, his face was red in anger. "You fucking have a girlfriend, you asshole!"
Jeff stomped away in rage, tears were pooling in his eyes. Bible struggled to get a hold of Jeff's hand, to say sorry and to make him stay, as the latter kept slap his hands away.
"At least, let me take you home, Jeff." Bible was begging at this point.
But Jeff paid him no mind, and Bible knew that he had lost. His chest hurt as he could only helplessly see his bestest of friend walk away into the shadow of the night. The tear dam in his eyes finally broke as the guilt overpowered him. In a mere few seconds, he single handedly ruined two relationships, he would probably lose both Jeff and Milk by tomorrow if not tonight.
Milk.
Milk .
His hands were shaking, he needed a few tries to get his phone out of his pocket. Tears kept pouring as he pressed call on Milk's number and listened to the rings.
"Hello?" One word from Milk was enough to make Bible let out a choked sob. "Bible?? Are you okay?"
But the one on the other side of the line could hear nothing but sobs, and occasionally a murmur of a word she couldn't be sure of.
Loneliness & unanswered questions; Jeff's old friend
The news about Bible and Milk breaking up spread like wildfire the next day. Somehow the whole school found out even when Bible's seat was still empty. Jeff had considered ditching the school this morning and locked himself in his room. But the ever-observant Becky had given him the look , so to prove to her that everything was fine, he decided to go to school.
At least Becky didn't question him as to why he got into the car with her and their father instead of waiting for Bible to pick him up.
It was two minutes before the bell rang when Bible arrived, their eyes met for a moment before Jeff shifted his gaze elsewhere. But he could see very well the shadow hanging under Bible's eyes. The classroom broke into waves of murmur upon seeing Bible's entry, and Jeff felt guilty to even let that happen.
Jeff was so sure he could handle being at close proximity with Bible. But upon seeing him up close, pale and faint, Jeff could no longer take it. He got up as naturally as possible, took his phone with him, and left the classroom with another wind of rumour.
The music club room could be said as his second home with how much he spent his time here. It was deserted, leaving him with the echo of the bustling outside. Jeff curled into a small ball behind a set of drums, trying hard to hide his existence from the world.
His heart was heavy with guilt, his thoughts drenched in self-blamed accusations. No matter how far his thoughts tried to take him, it all would came back to the sequence of
is it because of that they broke up?
did he kiss me because I led him on?
did he regret it?
is he disgusted by me now?
He wailed, his own sadness bounced back to his own ears after it met with an empty room.
"What do I do now?" He sobbed. "What would I do without you, Bible?"
Regret & unsaid goodbyes; Bible's number one enemy
Wasn't it funny now that they were no longer dating, they spent more time together than when they were in a relationship?
Bible often found himself asking that question inside his head. Like now, it was Sunday morning and they had agreed to go for a run beforehand, but it ended up as Milk being busy with her camera while he did his own morning run.
A year had happened since that eventful day. The next day after Jeff left his seat and never came back for the whole school hours, Bas had become his seatmate instead. Bible could only see Jeff's back, no longer his side profile.
Rumours about them were blazing with Milk caught in the middle of the web. But some still had an inkling that the ex-girlfriend was not a part of the problem, some knew it was just between him and Jeff.
And albeit the latter no longer talked to him, her sister still asked him to tutor her—which he gave in the cafe far from their areas. In between her questions about functions and derivatives, she would drop hints about what Jeff was doing recently, or even his future plan. Bible was glad for the efforts, though he needed to disappoint the girl as he never used the information and actually did something.
"Won't you really be going to the party next Friday?" Milk asked, hands handled the camera lens with ease.
Bible gulped his water like there was no tomorrow, it was barely eight but the heat had washed over him. "Nah, already making plans with my parents."
"Tokyo?"
"No, just Phuket this time. Because I need to be back here on Monday to go flat hunting."
"People are still busy with the entrance exam yet you already thought about the dwellings. How lucky you are." Milk said jokingly.
"Not my fault y'all weren't born with a brain like mine." He grinned while the girl rolled her eyes, making him cackling in pure joy.
The moment was disrupted by his phone’s ringtone, Milk looked at him with a bit of pity on her eyes, because just like everyone else in the school, she, too, could recognize Jeff's voice anywhere.
He accepted the call and asked the other side of the line, "what's up, lil' sis?"
There was only a buzz on the other side for a moment before he could hear her voice, "you're really not coming?"
"Huh?" His eyes met with Milk's as she asked him a muted 'what happened?'. He wished he could answer her. "Coming to where, Beck?"
"His plane is at ten-fifty."
Bible got even more confused, he blamed it on the heat. "Who's 'he'?"
"Do you think I talk to you about someone else aside from my brother?!"
Then the call stopped, Becky had hung up on him, leaving him bewildered with a confused Milk in front of him.
"What happened?" Milk asked, her concern was all over her expression.
"J-Jeff…" he still had his phone by his ear, his gaze empty as he couldn't proceed with anything from Becky's call. "Jeff…"
"What's wrong with Jeff??" She tried to shake Bible out of his stupor.
"Becky said his plane is at ten-fifty. What does that mean, Milk?" He whispered.
"Where is he going?"
"I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know !" He crouched down with his head between his knees, his hands that had abandoned his phone were shaking badly as it gripped his hair hard.
"Hey, hey, Bible, look at me," she got on the ground to meet with his sightline. "Take a deep breath please."
Bible did as he was told to do, taking a shaky deep breath and when he exhaled it, he felt the tears brimming on his eyes.
"Okay, now let's get a cab and ask Becky which gate we need to go."
Everything was a blur for him afterwards. Milk had literally taken the reign of the sequence of events that came after. Meanwhile Bible couldn't think of anything, his head was empty and all thoughts had left his mind. All he knew was that when they had finally reached the airport, Milk had to pull him out of the cab and drag him across the big space to reach the international gate. His mind registered the familiar faces from Jeff's family and his bandmates.
And, of course, Jeff.
Jeff .
Bible was glad Milk didn't drag him to dive between the crowd and made him face Jeff because he couldn't take it. Not when Jeff caught a glimpse of him yet still looked away. Not when Jeff already walked away after his hug with his sister.
So Bible just stood still even when the crowd dispersed and looked at him in pity. Because if Jeff didn't want to be chased, who was he to do so?
Crossroads; whichever road I take, they all turn into you
Dressed in his best suit, Bible tried to sniff back his tears without being disgusting. Milk looked so beautiful in white as she walked down the aisle with the wedding hymn playing softly in the background mixed with the sound of leaves dancing in the breeze.
Bible never thought this day would come, where he could see the only girl he ever thought of dating would wear a beautiful wedding dress and an ever more beautiful smile on her face. Milk caught a sight of his red eyes and laughed quietly, her bride followed her gaze and also laughed along with her. He rolled his eyes in response, he couldn't believe he was the one crying and not the brides. But if it prevented the smudge on their eyes, then he'd gladly take the job.
His chest bloomed with happiness as he saw her old friend take the oath with her lover. To see her involved in a relationship of her choice after witnessing her struggle with accepting her true self, and after putting her in a bad place all those years ago, Bible wished her nothing but great happiness. He was grateful for Milk who was always there for him and he was grateful for Love who treasured Milk like nobody else did.
The brides walked up to him, three people with almost equal joy looked at each other and exchanged a laugh.
"Let's light up the paper lanterns." Milk held the love of her life with her right hand and dragged her closest friend with her left one.
The wedding venue was right by the lake, during the day it was very soothing to the eyes with all the greenery, and during the night, the stars twinkled in the water. And it was the main reason why the brides chose to have their wedding during sunset, so they could have the best of both worlds without overdoing it.
Each guest and the queens of the day were given a lantern and a marker. They were to write their wishes for the brides and fly it up to the sky. Bible was never good with words, but at the same time, he had so much to wish for these two women.
Milk nudged him lightly, "you can write a wish for yourself too."
Bible laughed lightly. Trust Milk to always think of him even during her own wedding. He sometimes thought he got himself an older sister instead of a friend. He twirled the marker between his fingers, thinking what to write. It might be best to go for the simplest one, or might it not?
The people around him had all finished writing, even the brides had already released the lanterns to be one with the stars.
Chased by the urgency, Bible started to write,
May the world be kind to the brides
May the stars above watch my dear friends with a lot of affections
He then hesitated upon remembering Milk's words. It had been long since he wished upon a star—or a lantern in this case, but the bride had already given him permission. So Bible put one last sentence,
And may the heaven brings back my love to me
Satisfied with what he wrote, albeit cringing a little, he lighted up the lantern and watched it fly into the deep night sky, slowly turning into a dot between the stars beyond. Bible smiled at it as if saying goodbye and thank you.
He abandoned the sky and its stars to join others who had gone to the tent for dinner. But his heart stopped as the manifestation came into reality far too quick—or was it too slow?
Jeff was standing there under the shadow of the night. His silver suit hugged his figure like a glove and his silky hair framed his European-feature face in a careless manner.
Bible, who had been lost in longing, found his way home as his gaze fell on the man before him. Oh how these past twelve years had gone by in a slow, crawling motion that by the time they met again, they were no longer boys. It had been so long since Bible saw him and even longer since he felt Jeff's gaze on him.
They both took a step forward, closing the distance between them, slowly but surely. It was so easy then, to go back to the old routine, to understand each other without a word. Just like how Jeff understood him, Bible needed no word from Jeff to grasp his meaning.
Jeff's gaze seemed to whisper, "how have you been?"
And Bible shaky inhale whispered back, "I'm glad you weren't here to see it."