Second Road

Episode 23: Evan and Gavin

"Hey, Haru." Arya's voice made me realize from my daydream.

"Why did you run? It's not polite, you know." He said while folding his hands in front of his chest.

"Sorry. I just go to the toilet." Reply origin.

"really? You're lying, aren't you? Are you just kebelet, or do something else? It's really suspicious."

I just kept quiet, didn't answer a word.

"You didn't do anything weird or naughty, did you?" He said with a shitty smile that I don't know what it means.

I'm shaking. What does that weird or naughty thing mean?

Arya's eyes probed at my every move, making me feel strange. He finally pulled out a chair and sat down next to me.

"Well, do you want to eat something?" Arya said while laying her back on the back of the chair.

I thought for a moment, after meeting Evan earlier, I became lazy to go out of class. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to leave class if it wasn't important.

"No, I'm not hungry."

I grabbed the book inside the desk drawer, chose to open it and read some of the front pages.

"If you don't eat, you can get sick or your body won't grow forever." Arya snatched up the book I read.

"Return it." I said while trying to take it back.

But unfortunately, I was shorter than him. It was hard for me to get to that book.

He played me, the book held high so I couldn't reach him.

"Look, you can't take it. Know why? That's because you eat less. It's short." Arya said with a laugh. He didn't let me get my book back.

"Come, take it." Arya lowered her hand, then raised it again as I tried to snatch it.

"You're a bitch!" My grumbling.

He laughed at my reaction. From the look on his face, I'm sure he had absolutely no intention of giving it to me.

"Aryans! Stop bothering Haruru!" Shouted a girl who had just entered from the classroom. It was Lily, she came at the right time.

There was Yuna beside him, the girl did not pay much heed to our quarrel.

"Eh, Lily. I just told him to eat. Look, isn't he a little girl? He won't even be told to eat." Arya said while pointing towards me.

A man was standing behind Lily, and there were a few others. They are Yuna's classmates. Oh no, it's Evan. Why is he coming to my class?

"Come, we're going to the cafeteria together." Lily said excitedly.

The others nodded, agreeing to his sentence. Who would want to reject a beautiful girl like her.

"I'm not coming, I'm not hungry." I said hunt.

"What the hell are you saying? Come on!" Arya pulled my wrist.

Want me not to stay. The atmosphere is awkward for me. How not? Evan was sitting right in front of me. We were just separated by a rectangular canteen table.

Light conversations were heard in various corners of the cafeteria. The clinking sound of spoons and forks interspersing the conversation.

"Hey, rats." The man in front of me glanced at me, no one heard him but me.

A rat is my calling while still living in his house, or rather a barn if it's just me.

They called me that to make fun of me, besides I also like to hide in the closet if Evan and his brother intend to disturb me.

So that's where the rat's nickname came from, until I forgot what my name was. They never said my name, just called me hey or a rat. It's very shiny, right?

"After a long time, you're still alive. It's funny." Further.

"A..what do you mean?" I pretend I don't understand, but of course I understand what that means.

"Now, which house are you nesting in, huh? You should have stayed in an orphanage, right? Did someone adopt you from there? Or maybe..you sold yourself until you could be here?"

He smiled cunningly, making me sick of seeing him. And what's that sentence? He is very bad, only his outward appearance looks good.

"Come to the back garden after school, we'll get everything done." He said as he got up from his seat.

"Everyone, I go first, yeah." He walked away from our table waving his hands. The other returned a wave of his hand.

"Well..."

I breathed a sigh of relief because he was gone. It feels a little more calm. But the problem is later. He told me to come to the back garden after school.

What does he want? Does he want to apologize for everything he's done to me this whole time? Ah, that's impossible. The way he spoke earlier even described that he was a worse person than before.

What do you think he wants? Is it possible that he wants to beat me up again like he used to? If it is, it is a trap. I don't have to go there.

"Haru, is it done? Let's go." Arya broke my daydream.

"Eh, yes. I'm done." I hurriedly stood up from the chair.

"Are you okay? Is it sick? You're quieter than usual." Arya touched my forehead with the back of her hand.

"No, I'm fine." I said while putting his hand away.

"Have you just experienced something you don't understand? You can ask me anything, we're men, so there's no shame." He said, equating his footsteps with mine.

Yuna was already about five or six steps ahead of us.

"I told you, I'm fine. Why do you keep saying weird stuff? Now you look suspicious, you know." My reply.

"I'm more mature than you are, le-bih-de-wa-sa-sa. That's why I'm worried. There are things that only men know. If it's because you're just starting out in your teens, you can ask me anything."

"What-like?"

"Ah, forget. It seems you're too small to understand." The answer.

***

Today's lesson is over, everyone is rushing home. Some of them choose to stay in school longer.

The reason is simple, which is club activities. After the return hour, the school will still be open until six for club activities.

There are many clubs that are holding activities today. Some corners are seen crowded by hordes of students.

"Arya, sorry. Today I'll go home first, see you." I ran away leaving him.

"Tu.wait."

"Sorry, I'm hunting."

I rushed past a few students who were walking in the hallway of the classroom. I was about to go to the back garden, as Evan said in the cafeteria.

Even though I knew that it was a trap, I still went there. There are some things to be resolved. I also had to ask him to shut up about my old self.

The sunlight was quite hot this afternoon. The wind blows less often so that the air feels very dry. The sound of insect crackling in the large tree trees lined up on several sides of the school filled the field.

I got to the park behind the school. There's no one there. It was just me and my shadow. Is he just trying to play me?

"Well, you really did come." Someone appeared behind me. That was Evan.

"You're still as ugly as you used to be, you little rat." Said someone who appeared beside Evan.

That person was a little taller than Evan, at least two or three inches. I also recognize that person, he is Gavin, Evan's brother. I mean, of course he's Evan's brother. To my knowledge, they were only at odds for one year.

I gulped, trying to look calm without the slightest bit of fear emanating from me. I put on a neutral look maybe, I won't be as afraid anymore as I used to be.

I won't cry, I'm a big boy.

That's what keeps getting stuck in my head. Whatever happened before has nothing to do with what is now, even if the future exists because of the past. But still, I'm not what I used to be.

"You scared? I just want you to see this." Gavin walked towards me, getting closer and closer.

He stopped right in front of me, his right hand brushing his hair. On the left side of his forehead, there was a scar that showed slightly uneven skin, like there was a fine line there. That part was always covered with bangs.

"Do you know what this is?" He said looking at me more intensely. Our eyes meet.

I just kept quiet, but I know what that means. The scar was because of me. It happened on the last day I lived there.

I accidentally pushed him because he kept scaring my son with a caterpillar. I was only six or seven years old, of course, scared. The caterpillar was squirming, very disgusting.

Both of my hands reflexively lifted and pushed it a little hard. Until he finally fell down and his head hit the corner of the table. Blood dripped from his head and he instantly fainted on the spot.

Meanwhile, I was immediately sent to the orphanage right then and there without any explanation.

"You see, right? Your deeds. Nothing you want to say, little mouse? Or should I call you by your name? Haru, is that right?" Gavin still felt his forehead.

I still did not understand what he wanted, until finally his right hand came forward and pulled my collar.

"If there's nothing you want to say, should I hold you responsible? It wasn't fun when you left after getting me hurt." Further.

He gripped my collar tightly, until my body was slightly raised. And of course it was because of our height difference, I was only as tall as his chest.

"You left with a win and it was very annoying. And in any case, let's go back to what it used to be. Like when you cry in fear while hugging your own knees." Her speech.

One corner of his lips lifted up, revealing a frightening grin.

My heart beats great, I'm afraid. Yeah, I'm afraid the past will happen again. I don't want to be the pleasure of the two sisters.

Gavin's hand still gripped the collar of my shirt tightly, while Evan leaned against the wall of a building. His face doesn't seem to care.

This place is deserted, I can't possibly get out of here safely. I can't scream for help or anything like that.

Surveillance cameras also could not reach this place. I was scared, very scared. If things like before repeat themselves, some of my happiness will be taken back.

I'm afraid...

Miracle, luck or whatever. I need it now.