[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 8: Shrimp Fried Rice with a Fried Egg and Us Two
The next morning, I got up from bed around six-thirty. This was the earliest I had woken up in ten years. No, saying I woke up early isn't right, because I barely slept all night, just lying there half-awake, half-asleep.
I opened the door, rubbed my eyes, and yawned widely. The cold air made me rub my arms as I walked across the street to school. I sat down at our usual marble table, then slumped over, waiting for Ton and Au to arrive at school.
“Damn, Mork, your head!!” Ton shouted from afar. Even with that loud shout, I pretended not to wake up. Oh, Au just ran into school right behind Ton.
Au ran up, slapped Ton's butt, then fell onto a chair and slapped my head.
“You bastard, being a nuisance so early in the morning! You gay.”
“Oh, I rushed here early because of my hair. But what's this nonsense you're talking about, calling me gay?” I slapped Au's head, trying to remember what might have happened, thinking it might be about the rumor Morn mentioned yesterday.
Au looked at Ton and teased me, “Oh, he's getting angry, Ton, huh?”
“...”
“Here's your picture, standing with a gay porn magazine in the middle of the special tutoring building, printed out and framed for you.” Ton teased, handing me a piece of paper in a frame he mentioned was a purple heart-shaped frame with Au.
“What the hell!” I quickly tried to grab it to see, but Ton was quicker, hiding it behind his back.
“And what's even better.” He continued.
“What else?” Let me see it all.
“Wait, wait, wait, don't play dumb. This picture is of the guy who stole your mom's Louis Vuitton gold frame, right?” Ton pulled something out of his bag.
I was shocked, “Let me see!” I took the frame from him and was surprised. The previous picture was just edited with an app, printed, and put in an A4 frame, but this one was in a real gold frame, an actual frame.
Damn it!
“Oh, holding porn with one hand while the other is... is this the so-called bara manly gayly style?” Au added.
“Hey!!!” I shouted loudly.
Ton pretended to ask Au, “What's bara?”
Au, always the curious one, chimed in, “I don't mind if you're gay, Mork, but why is your dick so small? No hair, did you shave it all off?” Ton laughed at me. I ran my hand over my head in frustration.
“Damn you, Morn!!! You're messing with me again!!!” I yelled in extreme anger, standing up and slamming the marble table, hurting my hand in the process.
“Same old trick, Ton, he is blaming the younger one again. Haha.” Au said. I wanted to go kill my brother in his classroom.
But as I walked,
The eyes of the entire school were on me.
!!
“Phii Mork.” I turned to an unfamiliar voice calling me, “My friend wants your number.”
“No! It's not that. He wants it himself, but if you give it to me, I'll take it.” The kid's friend showed all ten fingers, waving them to say it wasn't him. These kids must be in third grade or so.
“Uh.” I ran, right? This is an all-boys school, “Why do you need my number?”
“Mork, if you're gay, just say so. This way, I can flirt with you, right?”
“I told you, which looks like yours, there's nothing left I would want. Can I have you just once?”
“Oh, too bad your penis is small, but I still like you.”
“I'll take him myself if you don't want him, good looks, nice body, cool personality, dick size doesn't matter, it's about the pressure.”
I was out of patience.
“Hey!!! These are all boys!!” Help me, I didn't know where to put my face.
I wanted to die, to sink into the ground and become sand. My two friends had disappeared, those evil friends.
…
“The usual.”
I stood ordering food at the canteen, at Aunt Ouan's stall selling the most delicious shrimp fried rice I eat every day. I had to ask the teacher to go to the bathroom, but actually, I came out to eat at the canteen because I wanted to eat quickly and then hide back in the classroom.
The cafeteria now only has a few groups of seniors from Grade 6 zooming around. They took a big look at my haircut. The selfie-crazed guys went nuts.
“Do you have a hat I can borrow?”
Aunt Ouan, shaking her head, looked at my skinhead haircut and teased, “You're in such a rush to eat, are you afraid of being seen by too many people, Mork? Cutting this style must have made MuadMoo very happy, save on shampoo, hehe.”
“Muad the one who's good.” I muttered, feeling annoyed.
Aunt Ouan smiled, placing the basil-fried shrimp with a fried egg in front of me, “Here you go.”
“Annoyed that I don't have a hat.” I dug into my pocket, pulling out a coin to pay, “Keep the change.”
Aunt Ouan counted the coins and made a face like it was just enough.
I carried my beloved basil-fried shrimp with a fried egg to the long white table and sat on the usual bench, eating quickly with my head down, avoiding the gaze of that Grade 6 group.
“Wanna sit?”
I jumped, hearing the simple, short, and familiar voice. I looked at his school shorts that made him look even better, up to his school shirt, the wooden stick he was holding, to his handsome face.
Tee, the Grade 6 guy' voices snapped me out of my trance.
I stood there, mouth agape at his handsomeness, hearing their voices.
I quickly stood up, pressing Tee to sit opposite me, “Sit down, sit here, block them for me.”
He turned and smiled at that Grade 6 group, “Smiling at what? Don't look, block them for me first. I hate this, it's killing my self-esteem.”
“Skipping class?” I started to understand it was a question.
“It's ten minutes to lunch break, skipping what?” I said roughly, Tee looked surprised, so I softened my voice, sounding a bit creepy, “Haven't ordered food yet?”
He nodded.
I chewed my food, avoiding eye contact with Tee sitting opposite me, almost done eating, but feeling thirsty.
“Stay put, don't move, I'm going to buy some water first.”
He looked at me, puzzled.
“A glass of chrysanthemum tea, please.”
I stood there ordering, coins in hand, looking back at the table, seeing him lying on the table. Soon, the vendor placed a glass next to my hand, I grinned at the vendor, “Make it two glasses, please.”
Before returning to the table, I went to Aunt Oun's shop to order something for him, but I didn't know what he liked, so I ordered what I liked. Ordering food for him was a good deed, he should be happy that someone like me ordered for him, especially since he got into a fight with his girlfriend.
While waiting for Aunt Oun to cook, I set the table. I accidentally made a loud noise, which is normal for me. It startled him awake, looking a bit dazed. Good, now he's up; I wanted to talk. I wonder if he knows I bought water for him to drink. Well, look at that, he's lying back down again.
I had to pretend to slump over the table too, afraid of the senior high school guys who were gossiping about me with great enthusiasm. I didn't want to wake the sleeping one to block their view.
I lay there with my hands propping up my chin, watching him sleep.
So cute.
“Basil chicken is ready, dear!!!” Aunt Oun shouted.
Because of her loud voice, Tee, who had his eyes closed, opened them to see me lying close by, watching him. He blinked in surprise twice at me.
I didn't know what to do when the person you're secretly watching catches you. It feels like there's nowhere to put your face. I quickly acted like nothing happened and got up to get the basil chicken with fried egg for him.
“Here, eat up!” I slid the plate in front of him.
He looked at the plate in front of him, then at me, “Basil chicken?”
“Yeah!! Basil chicken, can't you eat it? There are whole shrimp.” I poked a shrimp with a fork, and he ate one shyly. I didn't pay much attention, just hurried to eat the remaining fried egg on my plate. Soon, my food was gone.
Normally, with others, I would finish eating, get up, leave the plate on the table, and wait for the maid to clean up. But today, I felt like I couldn't do that. I wanted to be nice for a change, so I decided to clear my plate after eating. Hehe.
I was done eating, feeling a bit awkward, sneaking glances at Tee. I played with the spoon and fork. Tee looked at me puzzled, so I pretended to get up to clear the dishes, but he gestured for me to sit with him first. So, I sat with him, waiting for him to finish eating.
“By the way, I bought this for you, but the ice has melted.” I pointed to his glass. He was groggy.
“I thought you drank two glasses yourself.” Then he smiled.
“Did you come late?” I asked, noticing he looked like he had just showered, and he hadn't taken his school bag to the classroom yet.
He nodded.
“Your eyes are swollen, have you been crying?” Despite my mischievous nature, I asked out of concern.
“Couldn't sleep all night.”
“What were you doing all night? Flying a kite?” I laughed.
Tee stopped chewing, like I was the only one finding it funny. Seeing he wasn't amused, I said something serious instead.
“Why so sad? Did your girlfriend leave you?”
He was silent, stopped eating, just eating the egg white.
Trying to keep fit, huh?
“Don't call her, man.”
Tee reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, tapped it a few times, and handed it to me. I was shocked to see he had called Bambi five thousand four hundred and forty times, and she hadn't picked up once.
“Wow!” I had to exclaim.
“In the last twelve hours, you've called every seven minutes. How did you manage that? Haha, it's not because of me that she broke up with you, but because you're a psycho, haha.”
He didn't come back at me, just stared blankly, probably impressed by my quick math. Well, I'm a porn dealer, dude.
Seeing his girlfriend's number, I had an idea, “Why don't you try calling with my number?” I suggested.
He nodded, still in a daze.
Ring, ring, ring.
The phone rang.
“It's off.” I said, looking at him, who was acting weirdly anxious, “Maybe the battery's dead.”
He gave me a weak smile. What my heart told me to do next was to dial Tee's number into my phone.
Brrring! Brrring!! My phone vibrated.
Oh no, why didn't you set it to silent, Mork? I'm in trouble again. Tee looked at me, probably thinking someone was calling back.
I couldn't hang up on Tee's phone because if I did, he'd surely realize I used his phone to call mine.
Help, he's starting to suspect me. I really don't want him to know how much I wanted his number.
Chapter 9: Be My Boyfriend
My phone kept vibrating. I was too scared to hang up on Tee's phone. Would he get mad if I did? He probably thought Bambi was calling back, looking so happy, reaching out to grab my phone to see who was calling.
“Your phone, is it her calling back?” he asked hopefully, probably wanting to know who it was, hoping it was his loved one.
How should I answer? It wasn't Bambi calling at all. Should I say I wanted his number so badly I used it to call my phone? That wouldn't do. Oh, what should I say?
“No, it's my dad calling.”
I quickly shook his hand off, acting annoyed. His face fell when he realized it wasn't Bambi.
“Not answering?” he asked, so I decided to hang up.
“It feels bad when you get hung up on.” He said sadly.
I pressed the home button on his phone, seeing a photo of him and his girlfriend as the lock screen. They looked so close, it stung a bit. I wished I had a girlfriend like that too. Not out of jealousy, though.
I was about to go into Tee's phone to delete the call history so he wouldn't know I used his number to call mine because I wanted it so badly.
But before I could finish deleting, he stood up and reached out to snatch his phone back.
“What are you looking at? Give it here.” He easily took his phone back from me. I don't know what happened, my hands went weak when he grabbed mine.
“Oh, just came out and said you were dating yesterday, and today you're here sweet-talking with your boyfriend, holding hands, eating together, just the two of you, both having basil fried rice and chrysanthemum tea.” Thonee, a regular customer from high school who loves ordering my movies, teased as she walked by.
I turned to smile at Tee and quickly corrected, “Nonsense, where did you hear that from?”
“Oh, oh, getting defensive, famous person. Two photos from yesterday got you three thousand followers. Kids these days, how can they be so popular? Others might say it's small, but I think it's cute. Hehe.” Jae Thonee patted my shoulder comfortingly, “Either way, I am not using it anymore.”
I furrowed my brows, confused, “What? Not using it?” Tee looked at me, then turned to smile at Jae Thonee.
“Where's my order?” Miss JaeThonee's smile faded into a serious mode, gesturing as if to say, “Hand it over.”
Luckily, I was prepared, having the product bag with me. I handed it to her.
“Oh, you like the same genre but didn't tell me. I saw you holding that disc in the photo, you must have watched all the movies I ordered.”
“Exactly five hundred, already paid, add three more discs as a bonus.”
“If you post a status saying you're dating, I guarantee you'll get thousands of followers.”
Tee looked at me, then at Jae Thonee. I raised my hands in a gesture of respect, and she walked away clutching the pornographic DVDs I sold her.
I took the opportunity while Tee was watching Jae Thonee to quickly save his number in my phone. But what should I save it as?
“A-Tee.” I decided on that, it's cute.
Suddenly, Tee held up his phone and extended his arm towards me.
“Can I borrow your phone for a bit?”
I stared at him, puzzled. Why borrow my phone? Don't tell me he wants my number too. While I was still saving his number, he snatched my phone from my hand. Why didn't I put it back in my pocket earlier, and why were my hands so weak that he could grab it? I'm not usually like this.
Or maybe because he touched my hand. No, well, when he touched me, I felt a strange shiver.
Tee, sitting opposite me, looked at me as if thinking something, then smiled and saved my name in his phone.
Why was he smiling? My heart was racing.
“I have to make sure to save it on your phone too.” I didn't like how he said my name, it felt oddly good.
“Please don't.” I prayed softly. If he tried to save his number into my device, it would see that he is already saved as “A-Tee.”
“No need to be scared, I already knew you used my phone to send my number into your phone. I've known since you did it. Heh.” He smiled with squinting eyes.
Really? So, you're just playing with me then, I thought, averting my gaze and looking under the table to see shoes and white legs up to his school pants. Looking up, I saw him close, his hand dialing into my device. The name he saved my number was “Number of the Asshole, Do Not Answer.”
Wait, how come it's still that name? Is the old name still there? Tee looked slightly sad when he pressed the phone, then smiled at the corner of his mouth, looking at me.
“What's your Facebook name, Mork?”
“What for?” It gave me a sly smile.
I was about to play hard to get, making him ask me again, but Tee was smarter than that.
“Oh, I see.” He opened my Facebook on my phone, which was still in his hand. Just like that, he knew my username because I hadn't logged out. He read out my funny-sounding profile name, “Nuae-Mork MuadMoo Barber.”
He tapped on my phone, switching between his and mine, then showed it to me.
“This is your facebook name.”
“Yeah, what is your business checking my facebook?” My mouth said I didn't care, but I was looking.
“I think it's more like our business, right?” He tapped on both phones, looked up at me with a teasing smile.
“Right?” I started to feel unsure about what “our matter” meant. Did it mean “us” as in just him, or “us” as in both of us?
“Hmm.”
“Hmm, what?”
“Be my boyfriend.”
“What!!!??? “
“Be my boyfriend.”
“What!!!??? “
Chapter 10: School Customs
He smiled at me while I was shocked, mouth agape.
How could I let him tease me like this?
He showed me both phones, and I was shocked to see my profile on his phone. He was about to confirm our relationship.
“Hey!!! What the hell is this about being boyfriends! I like guys!!! Hey no! I'm a guy!!!” [1] In a hurry Mork slipped he said Ku Chob Puchaai (I Like Guys) when he actually wanted to say Ku Pen Puchaai (I am a Guy)
The kids in the cafeteria turned to look and laugh at me. The seniors from Grade 11 turned to look, raised their eyebrows, and teased us. It looked at me and smiled with squinting eyes.
“We're not really dating.”
“That's too much!!”
He was still laughing, enjoying himself with that squinting smile.
“Stop it! This is already giving me a headache.” I said quickly, my voice trembling, not knowing what to do, trying to snatch my phone back but he wouldn't let go.
“Hey, don't push it too far, you barely know me!” I shouted loudly. The Grade 11 seniors turned to look and raised their eyebrows teasingly.
He was silent, making a face like he was unfazed.
“Give me my phone back, I'm going to the room to sleep, too many people are coming now.” I noticed students starting to come to the cafeteria to order food.
I stood up and yanked my phone out of his hand.
“Perfect timing.” He grinned.
What I saw on my phone was:
My profile on my Facebook,
My name Nuea-Mork,
Currently in a relationship with...
“Hey!! Delete it right now!”
“Sure.” He said softly, turning to look behind me where the whole cafeteria was watching me, “Sit down.”
“Delete it!” I ordered.
“If you want it deleted, do it yourself. No need for me to do it for you.”
I felt like I was about to explode. Really, if I wanted it deleted, I could do it myself. Right now, there are already five likes. No way.
“But the truth is, Mork, you don't really want to delete it.”
I looked at him, fists clenched tightly.
“The person who wants to change their relationship status to single doesn't tell the other party they hate each other or break up; they just change it.” He continued, looking sad.
I didn't know what to say.
“But Mork, don't change it, okay? Let's stay together forever.”
“You're crazy.” I couldn't say anything else.
I didn't know what this feeling was.
I didn't know why I was still sitting here when I should have run away a long time ago.
“If Bam is still thinking about something.”
“Oh, is that why? To demand attention? But me...”
“To make it clear——.”
“Where in the world would that happen? Trying to woo a girl while dating a guy in public, I say that's not it. Why involve someone else when you are already in gay rumors.”
“Oh, you bastard.”
He must think I'm involved in whatever caused him to argue with his girlfriend, so he is using me as leverage. But I'm a guy. How could Bam be interested? I just don't get it.
“Hey, help me out. You said you would help last night, didn't you?”
Last night, I was the one who said I wanted to help, but is this really the way? There are other ways I could help.
“I'm already getting a headache just from this.”
“Mork, you don't have to think anything of it, right?”
I fell silent.
“In exchange, you have to clean the bathroom alone for three weeks!” I felt guilty the moment I said it. Why am I so selfish? He is using his brain, I'm scared. If he agrees, I'm doomed. Can I take it back?
“Hmm.” He replied in a serious tone.
He accepted my offer.
“Hey! I was joking! Do you love your girlfriend that much?”
He gave me a faint smile.
For some reason, I was smiling too, but it was a sad smile, or maybe a happy one. I guess I finally have a partner, even if it's with another guy, even if it's not real.
“Phii Tee!!! You two are the real deal, oh my gosh!! So excited, can I take a photo with you and your boyfriend?”
“Hey!!! It just happened a moment ago.” I was shocked at how fast the kids found out.
“Suddenly, I saw your status while in class, I almost fainted.” Another friend said. Let me emphasize again, this is an all-boys school.
Tee, sitting on the other side of the table, sighed softly before smiling at me. He probably wanted me to pose like we're really a couple when the kids came to take photos. He leaned closer, putting his arm around my neck.
Help!!! Save me!
“Smile.” He whispered beside my ear.
I looked at him sideways.
“Squeal!!! So cute.” The kids were thrilled when we both smiled, “One more photo.”
“Can I take one with you too?” A kid walked up to ask for a photo with us.
“To make the three weeks worth it, let's make it look real.”
When did he start giving me orders?
Do I really have to do this?
“Kiss his cheek, please. I've always liked you both. Especially Phii Mork, oh my. Never thought you'd be gay.”
“Hey, that's too much.”
“Closer, brother.”
“That's enough!” I exploded with frustration, loud enough to echo through the cafeteria. A teacher started walking over, looked at me strangely, then walked away, seemingly used to my behavior.
“Oh my gosh!!! So fierce, so cute.”
Tee looked at me with concern, and I looked back at him in agony.
“Enough. I'm going to talk to my boyfriend.” I said, just like that.
He quickly smiled at me, genuinely.
Oh, I was blushing all over.
I called this guy my boyfriend, my dear.
He turned and smiled with satisfaction, then raised his hand as a signal to the others, saying goodbye, they could leave now.
I looked down at the likes on our relationship status; there were thirty already.
In the long hallway, the lunch bell rang, and students started walking out of their classrooms to head to the cafeteria.
We walked together, passing through groups of students, and I saw Morn waving, walking with Gord, his friend.
Tee, with a cunning look, glanced at his phone in his hand, then at mine, and said, “What we need to do is take pictures and post them on social media as much as possible.”
“Are you getting back at me?” I quickly stuffed my phone into my pants, “Don't do anything more embarrassing than this.”
“What should we take pictures of?” He looked at me with that cunning look until I fell silent, “What do guys do when they're dating?”
“Hey! That's bold!” Suddenly, he boldly reached into my school pants! No, not that, I meant into my school pants' pocket, and pulled out my phone with a straight face.
I thought he was going to grab something, quickly pulling my legs together, but instead, he grabbed my phone, not trying to touch anything else. I panicked, trying to get my phone back, “Give it back.”
“Oh, you're thinking too far ahead. In our school, couples have to do this.”
“I wasn't thinking, well, maybe I was.” I tried to get my phone back, but Tee put it in his own school pants pocket and smirked cunningly. I glanced at him, wondering why he had to do something like this. Was he teasing me? I wasn't scared, but I knew I'd get caught soon.
I was about to grab it, but Tee dodged.
“School tradition?” Tee furrowed his brows, thinking of something, then touched his finger to his lips, sucking it lightly as if pondering. Seeing him like this drove me crazy; it was so teasing.
“What kind of tradition is this?”
“Oh.” Tee seemed to remember something, “The declaration tradition.”
“Huh?”
“School tradition. Never heard of it?”
I made a face like I vaguely remembered something.
“Then let's start. Follow me.”
“Huh??”
Tee walked over to a group of his fan club, the flamboyant kids.
“Help me record this.” He handed his phone to one of them. Only one was filming, but the whole group followed. What was he planning? Would I be embarrassed again? Was this his revenge? I started to distrust.
He stopped at the front in the long hallway, clearly taking a deep breath.
“Follow me. Don't mess everything up.” Since when did he start giving me orders? The kids following us made everyone in the hallway look.
My heart pounded, my stomach churned, feeling dizzy like I might faint.
“Start.”
The moment he said “start.” his left hand grabbed my right, his eyes locked with mine.
A slight smile.
His hand squeezed mine rhythmically, as if encouraging.
As we walked, my heart warmed incredibly.
Everyone watching us pass by was in awe.
Some smiled, some teased, “Remember this.” He whispered in my ear.
His hand still held mine tightly.
I squeezed his hand back. Our bodies were almost touching, shoulder to shoulder, it was warmly indescribable.
“Hold hands like this, take a deep breath.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Damn Mork!!! What a show-off, wiggling around.” Ton mocked me, “Hell, declare it.”
Au looked stressed when he saw me.
The teachers watched us, whispering among themselves. Some smiled, some laughed, and some even took out their cameras to film.
Oh, I just noticed that now everyone is watching us; almost everyone in the crowd was filming us.
“No matter what happens, don't let go.” He said before stopping. We had reached the end of the long walkway.
“Hah-ham.” Tee started warming up his voice, then shouted loudly,
“Me!!! Mangkorn!!! Jarudolonan!!! Grade 5, Section 1!!!” Tee's voice boomed so loudly he startled me. He was panting, sweat pouring down his face, his expression tense, his body rigid, squeezing my hand so hard it hurt.
I was scared.
He looked at me and smiled broadly.
Everyone around smiled at me.
It was my turn to speak.
“Me!!! Mork!!! Jerapakpinij!!! Grade 5, Section 7!!!”
He nodded, smiling at me in satisfaction.
I gripped his hand tightly, starting to remember what would happen next. My legs were drenched in sweat, trembling, barely able to stand.
“So what!!!” the crowd shouted.
“Tell us, tell us, tell us!!!” They chanted rhythmically, their voices drowning out mine.
What one of us had to do next was to speak louder than their noise.
“Tee!!! Will you be my boyfriend!!!” I beat him to it, speaking first.
Tee looked at me and smiled, a smile that seemed to be the happiest in his life.
“Agreed!!! Agreed!!! Agreed!!!” The kids cheered in rhythm, “Go for it!!! Go for it!!! Go for it!!!” My friends and the seniors from Grade 6 cheered.
I looked at him.
“Agreed!!!” Tee shouted with all his might.
Everyone cheered loudly, even the teachers; I knew what was coming next. If we didn't run fast enough, we'd end up walking home naked.
“Kill them, kill them, kill them!!!” They ran towards us.
“Hate gays, hate gays, hate gays!!!
“Get them, get them!!!”
“Run!!!” I shouted loudly to the person next to me.
People rushed in, unbuttoning Tee's shirt until it came off, forcing him to remove his school shirt. They chased us deep into the woods before we could escape.
I held his hand, and we ran out.
Far, so far, and so very tired.
We're hiding in the teacher's bathroom, a small room with just a sink and a toilet.
“Are they really going to strip us?” I asked.
“Ofcourse.”
I panted, looking at Tee's figure, “Just the other day, I helped take off the pants of two first-year kids.”
He looked at me, urging me to continue.
“It was Morn, my brother.” I smiled, “Just found out he announced his relationship here.”
“Hehehe.” He laughed happily, and I couldn't help but laugh along.
“Is it a school tradition or something?”
“Yeah, they say if two students from our school walk together the entire length of this long hallway, it's like announcing they're dating.”
“So, we're dating then.”
“Yeah, fun, right?” Tee smiled with squinted eyes and squeezed my hand tightly.
I smiled back, “Fun, huh? Haha.”
I squeezed his hand back in a playful, crazy way. We both looked at our tightly clasped hands, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Okay, let go now. I'm tired as hell.” I let go of his hand.
“Listen to those crazy guys outside the bathroom.”
I chuckled, hearing the voices of the rowdy kids who had followed us, waiting outside and making mocking sounds. Gasps, moans, and silly noises filled the air.
We were in the cramped bathroom, standing close enough to feel warm.
Tee turned on the water to wash his face, the strong spray splashing him, soaking his shirtless upper body with sweat. The smell of salty sweat and his smooth, white skin made my heart flutter, leaving me flustered as I watched his wet school pants cling more to him. Tee turned to look at me with a coy, tempting expression, as if he wanted to say something.
“I need to pee.” He looked at me shyly.
“If you need to pee, just go. Why do you need to tell me?”
“Turn around for a bit.” He was desperate, about to unzip his school pants in front of me.
“I won't peek, I've got my own.” I tried to look away, but there wasn't much space.
“Really?” His voice lacked confidence.
Tee didn't look at me; he seemed like someone in urgent need. Suddenly, he quickly unzipped his pants all the way down and pulled out his penis.
“Hey!! I haven't even turned around yet.” I raised my hand to cover my eyes but peeked through my fingers.
Oh my god,
Help,
What the hell,
Last time I had to sneak a peek when he was changing clothes.
This Time it's Full View
Chapter 11: Cameras are for Looking at What You Want to See for a Long Time
I couldn’t believe that when I said, “I’m not going to peek, I’ve got my own.” Tee misunderstood me.
Me saying that doesn’t mean I won’t turn my back a bit, but what I meant was, you can relax, I won’t peek, and I’ll even turn my back completely. He probably thought I meant he could go ahead and do whatever there, I wouldn’t care.
Just realized I had to turn my back, so I did, squeezing myself against the wall in the narrow space.
“No need to turn anymore. It’s too late.”
I shook my head and sighed a bit. Tee’s voice hadn’t finished yet, and I sneaked a peek; he had his eyes closed. Ha, so cute. What’s wrong with me? Am I going crazy? I’ve never felt like this before.
He finished, washed his hands, and glanced at me in the mirror, probably puzzled to see me still clinging to the bathroom wall like a gecko. I kept sneaking looks to find a moment when he wouldn’t notice me turning back to lean against the wall. But I started worrying that I was getting a hard on, so I had to hunch over, bending at a forty-five-degree angle, holding my knees, breathing heavily, trying to meditate, not daring to look at him. Tee looked at me puzzled, not daring to look directly at me anymore, just keeping a smile. We stayed silent until past noon. I pressed my ear to the bathroom door to make sure no one was outside before sneaking out.
Luckily, they returned Tee’s shirt in front of the bathroom. I picked it up, seeing it covered in pen marks mocking ‘Take what’s mine’. I grinned handsomely.
“How’s it going? Is it too old for you to throw your shirt like Phii Tun like when he is singing rock music on stage? Haha. Luckily they returned your shirt.”
He gave me a weak smile when he saw the pen marks saying, ‘Take what’s mine’ “The shirt’s ruined.” I tried to wipe off the dirt, but it wouldn’t come off. So, I unbuttoned my school shirt right there in front of the bathroom.
He looked at me, stunned, wondering what I was doing, then saw me take off my shirt completely, showing off my cool body, and handed him my shirt instead, “Here, wear this one so you won’t look uncool. I’m messy every day anyway, no big deal.”
He glanced at my body around my chest area before looking away, taking the shirt from me with a smile. I then put on the ruined shirt.
“See you at bathroom cleaning time.” Tee spoke first while buttoning up my school shirt, smiling shyly at me.
“See you.” I nodded, waved goodbye, and walked off to class, but then remembered something, “Hey, I’m not cleaning with you anymore, dude.”
I flashed a handsome smile. We’re just pretending to be boyfriends, so he will have to clean the bathroom alone for three weeks anyway.
He realized he couldn’t trick me, smiled, and said sweetly, “Then see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday.”
“Um, my house is across from the school, come over.”
He smiled at me pleadingly.
“6 AM in front of the school, dress up nicely.”
I smiled at him saying “dress up nicely.” before walking away.
…
In the classroom in the afternoon, the atmosphere was incredibly sleepy. The teacher came in for the class and was teaching at the front but didn’t say a word to me when I walked in through the back door wearing a messy shirt, sitting at the last desk by the window in the classroom. She even smiled as if she understood what was happening. My classmates teased me a lot. Ton, sitting next to me, pulled my bag until it hurt. Au, sitting in front of Ton, turned around to slap my head and asked where I had been. I was so tired. I couldn’t focus on studying at all.
Near the end of the class, Au, sitting in front of Ton, turned around to talk, “Can I borrow your phone? My battery’s dead.”
Ton and I handed our phones to Au at the same time, but Au took mine. Ton looked a bit disappointed, and I laughed at him. Au bent down under the table to call someone, probably his mom. His mom still picks him up every day in front of the school. He stood up and returned my phone, looking annoyed, “She didn’t pick up, man.”
When school ended at 4 PM, I wanted to rush home to hide, embarrassed by everyone in school staring at me. But then, someone called back.
(Hello)
I was silent, hearing a woman’s voice!
(You called me. Who is this?) The voice was haughty and impatient. I was silent, not knowing what to say, “Uh.”
(You called. Who is this?) The voice got even more impatient.
I was silent, not knowing what to say, “Uh.”
What should I do? Bambi called.
(Hello.) The voice on the line spoke.
“Hey, Au, look at this. Now that our friend has a boyfriend, you’re all lovey-dovey on the phone, huh?” Ton teased me and Au.
“Screw you, you have a girlfriend now and you’re always on the phone.” Au teased.
“Take it! Talk to the other person about whatever.” I handed the phone to Ton while thinking about what to say.
“Hello, ma’am.”
(Who is this? Do you need something?)
“Who is this? Her voice is cute.” Ton whispered to me.
“You talk to her, she’s cute as hell.”
“Hello, ma’am, this is Ton speaking. Who is this?”
(You called at noon. Who were you looking for? Calling without knowing the name, are you a creep?)
“Oh, she’s fierce, haha.”
“So, who is it, Mork?” Au was curious too.
“Here, just read this script.” I wrote down what I wanted to say on a piece of paper and handed it to Ton.
“Bambi, about yesterday, it wasn’t what it looked like. I was the one who pranked Tee. Please answer his call.”
Au seemed annoyed that I didn’t tell him, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the classroom sulkily.
“Saying it like this isn’t fun.” Ton teased before mimicking a voice on the phone, “Hello, Bambi, you’re pretty, but now that Tee is my boyfriend, sorry about that. What kind of person knows they’re talking to a psycho but still talks? Haha.”
“You bastard, Ton!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Beep, beep, beep, hung up. Haha.” Ton didn’t help at all, making everything even more headache-inducing. They all laughed.
“What the hell, I just want this to end already.”
“So, Mork, are you really dating that guy? You were fighting just yesterday, and today you both came to school with matching skinhead cuts, introduced yourselves together, and even swapped shirts. Are you really together?” Ton asked with a smile.
“What the hell, today is just my unlucky day.” I grabbed my school bag and started walking out of the classroom.
“I don’t care if you have a boyfriend, but don’t forget your friends.” Ton said as I was leaving the classroom, “A boyfriend isn’t always there, but friends are always there, Mork.”
I turned to Ton before rushing home, “You idiot, it was just a prank. He’s not my boyfriend.”
I went home to watch porn, spending time alone, reflecting on the day’s events. It was funny how we just met a few days ago and now we’re supposedly dating, probably because I couldn’t sleep last night, combined with today’s chaos, or maybe it was the porn’s fault.
I dozed off and woke up at 3:30 PM.
“Mork! Haven’t you gone to pick up Morn yet?!” Dad shouted from downstairs. I rushed down and drove off to pick him up, afraid he’d be whining in front of the tutoring center like yesterday. But I forgot I was only wearing my school shirt and football shorts. The cold wind hit me while riding the motorcycle, feeling crazy chilly. It was too late to go back and change.
Morn was waiting under the usual streetlight in front of the tutoring center.
“Where have you been, Hia? Why are you so late? By the way, I’m gay.” He picked up his bag from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. Strange, he’s late today but still in a good mood.
“I just woke up.” I took off my helmet, sitting on the bike, looking at my brother, almost forgetting about this.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get on!” I ordered him as he was dawdling.
“Hold on, wait for your boyfriend, he’s in the bathroom right now. He was standing here keeping me company, so I invited him to go back with us.” Morn raised an eyebrow, teasing me with a grin as he walked over with his stuff.
I sighed, “Man, you invited someone without even consulting me first.”
Tee walked over with a bright smile, showing off his white teeth.
“Why? Did you talk to Bambi and it went well?” He grinned like that, it meant it went well didn’t it?
“Can’t I smile at your boyfriend?” He started to tease me, then added, “My phone is with the junior who was taking photos, I haven’t gotten it back yet.”
I felt a strange sense of relief and quickly changed the subject, “Did you clean the bathroom?”
“It was fun.”
“Ha! Cleaning the bathroom is fun? You’re a weirdo.”
“But you’re dressed sexy.” He smiled and looked at my thin football pants, which were lighter than I thought, especially since I was sitting with my legs spread on the motorcycle. I quickly closed my legs, afraid he might see something and get shocked.
“Are we going or not? If we are, hurry up and get on.” I felt a bit embarrassed and had to sound stern while avoiding eye contact.
On the way, I felt awkward. Morn sat in the middle, looking cramped but content, holding Tee’s arm to hug him. Tee sat at the back, and it felt like Morn was our child. What was I thinking?
“See you at six in the morning, Mork.” Tee smiled at me before heading into the dormitory.
“Where are you going, Hia? Don’t forget to pick me up at nine tonight.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Normally, waking up at six in the morning was strange because my house is right across from the school. I usually wake up at 7:50 to go to school, but today, something motivated me to get up, shower, and wear my newest t-shirt and favorite jeans. I put on my shoes and rushed out. I arrived in front of the school at exactly 6:15.
The band was setting up their instruments like they were about to go somewhere. Before I could look for the person I was supposed to meet, Tee appeared, wearing a tight marching band drum major outfit.
Uh, I swallowed hard.
I didn’t dare look at him much; the shirt was so tight it showed off his strong chest. The drumstick in his hand led my eyes up to his veins, arms, and shoulders. His pants were so tight, making his butt look particularly eye-catching, well-shaped, and his legs long and strong.
All of this couldn’t compare to his face, which was damn handsome. Even without makeup, just a single tall hat, he looked incredibly cool, the best-looking in the school.
He smiled and greeted me.
“Am I that handsome?” He asked, glancing away from me to look at the outfit he was wearing, noticing his perfectly toned body. I quickly looked back at his face, which now had a different kind of smile.
“Is it so tight you can’t breathe?”
“Heh, had a big practice session today, trying to get the band right.” he fell silent for three seconds before continuing, “I guess I’ll see Bam.”
I felt a pang of sadness, “Why… is she coming to watch?” I asked, forcing a playful smile.
“She’s practicing too, Bam is marching band drum major.” Oh, I just found out that this cute Bambi is also a marching band drum major, just like Tee. She is a marching band drum major from the all-girls school next door.
“Perfect match, two marching band drum majors dating.” I forced a smile at him, “We should be the ones dating.”
He smiled back before going to pick something up from the nearby table.
“Let’s take a photo first.” He handed me the camera and moved closer, I put my arm around his neck and leaned in.
Ah, I wish I could hold him like this for a long time.
Tee laughed at how well I was doing, surprisingly. He pressed the camera button and checked the photo, then turned to me and said,
“Camera.” He handed me the large camera.
I frowned, confused.
“Act like you’re taking photos, but actually, Mork you can take pictures of anything.” Tee grinned mischievously. Take pictures of anything, meaning what? Probably girls, right?
“How do I press it?” I took the camera, puzzled.
Tee, standing in front of me, grabbed the camera strap and put it around my neck like a stagehand would with a garland for a lead actor. Now, this lead actor really wants to kiss the cheek of the stagehand. Whoa, no, what am I thinking?
He walked behind me, held my hand to teach me, and whispered in my ear,
“Press gently.”
The bastard, what’s he doing? His finger pressed lightly on mine as he spoke, sending shivers through me.
“You bastard!! Are you for real?” I was extremely embarrassed but had to pretend to be okay. All the kids turned to look at us and smiled.
“You were zooming a lot.” He leaned his face close to mine, startling me as if he was about to kiss my cheek, but he grabbed my hand to zoom in and out, grinning slyly, “You can look at whatever you want.”
I was shocked. I didn’t think a student like him could be this perverted. Zooms a lot, huh? Looking at whatever you want, probably means girls’ chests, right? Especially with those white legs. Oh, wow.
“Pervert.” I muttered and smiled at him.
I raised the camera, focused, and aimed. Alright, what should I look at?
I started looking.
“Take off your hat.” I ordered him.
He looked a bit confused, as if he couldn’t believe I was going to take a picture of him.
He probably didn’t believe that the first photo I took was of him.
“Take it off, come on.” I was starting to lose patience, waiting for him to stop looking confused. No way, I reached out and took off his hat myself.
“I won’t take it off, it’s funny.” All he could do was complain because now I had his hat in my arms, and he smiled shyly at me. His bald head seemed to make him lose confidence.
I raised the camera, zooming in and out. This was the first time I could look at him for so long without having to look away.
“Ready to take the shot?”
“Wait!” Let me look a bit more.
“Still handsome?”
“Stay still.” I smiled back at him, instructing him to stand still while I adjusted the camera angle and used my hand on his shoulder to frame the shot nicely.
It felt good when I touched his shoulder.
It would feel even better if I could hold it longer, tighter.
I wanted to squeeze his arm so badly.
What’s wrong with me? Am I going crazy? I just find him annoying, irritating, wanting to bite him, and if I could, I’d eat him whole.
“What are you smiling at? Put the hat back on, it’s going to be funny.”
Click! I took the shot and looked at the photo in the camera.
“Haha, not funny at all.” I laughed loudly.
“Huh?” He pretended not to hear, and I lowered the camera to look at him directly.
“Actually, you look cute.”
Oops, oh no! What did I just say?