Cornered
#6 of Alternatives
Apparently (and luckily), the home class teacher did arrive at the classroom earlier than usual. Perhaps she is in a good mood today, or that because I came in with the majority of the class, she didn't bother me with detentions or punctuality issues.
Great. I was just spared a detention. Not that detentions are, you know, staying with your teacher and doing work for them, but the exact opposite. Detentions are hell lot of boredom. Students are kept in a room and are left to their own devices - but without their phones and are not allowed to make any noise. So basically the punishment is just plainly to bore you to death, a definitely waste of time if you had no work or anything to do. I am glad that I don't have to waste any of my precious time relaxing for the weekend on something as boring as serving detention.
Lessons resume as normal as a typical Friday should. Some lectures with Gerrald, some usual lessons (with tons of sniggering as Jo and I whispered jokes to each other about the class and lesson), and some daydreaming. Today seems like a typical day in school.
Before long, the bell signalling for lunch break rang off.
Jo, being Jo, had his ears perked up immediately as the sound of lunch. He shook my shoulders and knocked away my arm that has been supporting my head and said, "Come on, let's go!"
I scowl at him, angry that he had effectively destroyed the sandcastles I have been building in air. Jo was unaffected by the annoyed me and continued to urge me to hurry. I sighed, and begin packing up my bag for lunch and joining him.
When we reach the café, I realise why Jo had been so insistent on rushing for lunch.
Well, this lunch break, as scheduled every odd-week Friday, is a common break for many classes. Lunch will be pretty crowded and we may not find seats if we are slow. There were times where the teacher held us back for a slight moment to finish up the lesson and we had no lunch because of that. I'm fine with skipping lunch; I can survive one meal a day without much complains. But Jo, on the other hand, can get quite grumpy after missing a meal.
After we got our food back to our bench, I was about to eat before I realise that Jo was looking at me and frowning slightly, for some reason.
"What?" I asked, "Food not enough? Jo, you have already added an extra half serving..."
"Eh? No, I mean... you know, I have been thinking, and I think that you are really-"
"Hey!" a voice called out.
We turn our heads to see Jo's friends holding their trays of food, sweating slightly after having to weave through the crowd.
"Mind if we join you guys? It's kinda packed today and we couldn't find a table," Jin said, with the rest of his friends nodding in agreement.
"Well, sure, of course. I guess we can squeeze a little..." Jo replied.
After we shifted to make space and everyone was settled, the previous conversation that Jo left hanging remains ignored. It didn't seem to be serious... At least Jo wasn't like "Let's talk about it after school" or something. Any sign of his serious looks have melted away after his friends came to join us. Jo is now chatting happily with his friends... Either he has a case of split-personality disorder or whatever he was trying to say earlier wasn't really that important. But of course, the more probable one would be the latter. I know Jo; he isn't those kind of people who are fake and wears a 'mask' according to others around him. In fact, he dislikes these pretentious people. So I guess there is nothing to worry about...
We ate and talked, with both my hands by my side - having to be sandwiched between Jo's large friends - which is rather uncomfortable, but other than that, it was a typical odd-week Friday lunch.
Some may think that I would enjoy being in between two large males, but no. Well, I do like big guys, but that doesn't mean I like any big guy. I'm sort of looking for a guy that I can actually develop feelings with. Sounds mushy like a romanticist eh? I find myself silly as I think that such an idea is too far-fetched. Because having that same guy to reciprocate those feelings is another problem too...
Haha. Guess I should just leave everything to fate. Or maybe I'm meant to be single for life? I'm quite tired of waiting... even though I'm still young and everything, but a little more companionship helps my depressing and boring life, you know.
So far it has been a normal odd-week Friday. Yep, timetables are scheduled in a two-week manner so the timetable restarts every two weeks.
Even though whatever Jo tried to say didn't seem to be serious or urgent, but the paranoid me can't help but wonder what he wanted to say. I thought about it during class after lunch but I still couldn't point out what he could have wanted to ask. Hmm. Oh well, I guess some things are better left not known.
Now we're in our last class racking our brains over morph biology.
It has to be one of the hardest subject to score. Sometimes I really wonder why I took this subject in the first place... and why Jo didn't stop me. This subject is tough. Human biology alone is already tough. Combined with different fur morphs can be hell at certain times. I had just given up on a question that I had no idea what it was talking about. I wonder whether they were testing our biology knowledge or language skills. Their phrasing can be awkward and odd at times. The same question had me looking for the answer in loops... only to find a dead-end. I sighed and turn around to look for help. I tend to give up easily when it comes to tough questions. I mean, they are labelled as tough for a reason, right?
Jo is now scratching his head with a slight frown and his muzzle gnawing lightly at his pencil. Well, he isn't the only one stuck at the same question that the teacher had just given us. The whole class is stuck actually, even those nerdy ones. I think that deep down the whole class is waiting for the lesson to end or for the teacher to give us the answer.
The atmosphere was dull and filled with scratching noises as we tried to figure out the answer, before the school bell signalled the start of the weekends. Yeah, end-of-school bells always sound awesome.
The teacher gives us more questions to ponder over the weekends before we were dismissed.
The change in Jo's expression after being dismissed is indeed laughable. He changed from being all so serious to his usual fun; goofy self, sparing the pencil from being nibbled into two.
"Yeah!! It's the weekend! Are you going anywhere?" said Jo, giving his usual grin.
"Nope," I replied. _Where could I possibly go? _"You?"
"Well, gym is out today, so I guess I can do with some relaxation today... Or at least after that tough question that has just burnt out my brain cells."
"Not hanging out with you gym friends, at least?"
"Nope. We're not going out today. How about hanging out at my place? We can play some games and call for food delivery." Jo asked.
Hmm. Weighing between staying at home listening to my mum's usual nagging and hanging out with Jo, spending time with him is much more tempting.
"Sure."
As we head out of the school, my mind somehow drifts back to the morning, back to Gerrald.
Gerrald still torments my mind. I let out a sigh. I really, really want to forget him.
But hell, coincidence loves to play with me.
Reaching the stairs, my eyes widen slightly as the exact same brown bear coincidentally arrives at the same time from the other side of the corridor. The stairs is slightly clogged up as students are rushing their way out of school, not wanting to waste any time of their weekend.
So now I'm literally beside Gerrald while Jo is in front of me on a flight of stairs that isn't really wide to begin with. Perhaps it is just in my mind but I think I can feel the heat radiating from the both of them, especially from Gerrald. I'm now stuck between two people that I like very much, as friends or not. As we walk down the stairs, I feel cornered, I can feel myself leaning on the railing, it seems that I don't really wanna be too near Gerrald, I...
I hate this ironic feeling. I was like trying to say hi to Gerrald and sprawl all over him just yesterday, but I am now here trying to maximise the distance from touching him. It just didn't feel right.
At least this shows that I'm not that desperate and sneaky enough to take this chance to make this a good 'accidental' groping session.
Gerrald didn't seem to notice my nervousness or anything. Who knows if he even cares or look at me even once.
I hate to acknowledge it, but I'm sure Gerrald don't really give any attention to me at all.
My mind is in a mess, leaving me in a mental shock till he walks away after we have reached the ground level.
Luckily for me, I recovered just in time before getting caught by Jo. I don't want another awkward lying moment like this morning.
I tried to put on my best act so as to not let Jo get suspicious.
Along the way back to his house, I wasn't focusing much on our conversation. I am still in a mental dilemma... and fortunately for me, Jo didn't say much himself.
I didn't even notice when we actually reach his home. We sat down on the couch before Jo jumps up to reach for the phone and dial a delivery, showing his butt and a swaying grey tail to me.
I had a sudden small urge to whoop that butt for a moment.
GAH. Is now even the time to think about such things? I was slightly disgusted at myself. Lucky I was able to stop myself on time. Imagine how awkward it is after you've slapped your best friend's butt while your poor friend was just phoning a food delivery.
Jo put down the phone with a contented smile.
"So, what did you order today?" I asked.
"Pizza."
"Again?! We just had that yesterday!"
Jo just shrugs and pouts slightly.
"Anyway, speaking of pizza, did you contact the girl?" I asked. I am pretty curious about the note she left him.
Jo just looks at me with a soft 'Huh?' before his thoughts clicked and said, "Oh yeah... Now that you have mentioned it..."
He takes out the piece of paper that was slightly crumpled.
"Wow, you still kept it in your pocket? Cool. So how do you think of her? You were grinning after you've talked to her, didn't you?" I teased.
"Well, it was just out of courtesy. I can't possibly just toss the piece of paper in front of her. I wasn't interested anyway," Jo replied. "Hmm..."
Jo tears the paper into two before crumpling them into balls and tosses them into the bin.
"Why? You are quite picky, eh? So far you have never been attached before, you know, even after all the girls... Geez. I don't even have any to begin with," I said.
"Nope. It's just that they aren't really my type. There's no 'feel' you know. Well, you know me. I'm not some horndog that just date and screw any girl that I see. Only with people I like..." Jo trails off slightly. "Well, why do you say it as though receiving such notes is a good thing? It can be quite a pain when you have to reject them."
"Is my friend feeling lonely?" Jo joked before stretching his arms around my shoulders to nudge me, "Want me to source for you some girls?"
"Wha..? No! It's just that... at least there is someone that actually wants you... And please don't do anything as crazy as hooking a girl with me," I answered.
"Why do you say as though no one wants you? Heh. You just don't know who might be secretly lurking... Well, for some, they just don't know how you are on the inside. You look pretty badass yourself anyway," Jo sniggers.
"Hey, that's mean!" I reach out and playfully punch his shoulder.
Not that it would actually hurt much even if it wasn't playful.
Just then, the doorbell rang off. Jo smiles and went off to collect the food.
It was recently that they said that I was bad looking. As in like a bad guy, a meanie, a gangster. It is the way I walk, the way I dress, the way my muzzle looks when I don't smile, my posture... Jo said that anyone who don't know me probably think that I'm a bad kid that don't behave. Just as how people think that Jo is an aggressive meathead... seems that I have the face of deterrence while Jo has the size of deterrence. What a complimentary pair we are. Huh. But both of us aren't as bad as we look, no? They won't know that I'm extremely shy and Jo is extremely fun.
Is this why Gerrald won't approach me?
Just then my ears caught a whistling sound. I flicked my ears irritably before realising that Jo is holding an opened box of pizza and is trying to catch my attention by playing with my sensitive hearing.
I was about to snap at him to surprise him before he whistles again, making my ears flick out of reflex.
That stupid grin plastered on his face while he plays on my sensitive hearing got me so annoyed that I raise up to tackle him.
Jo avoided my tackle completely as he stands up, hooting with laughter.
"Get back here, you!" I recovered and begin to chase him. "I told you that I hated people to play with my ears!"
Jo just continues to run and laugh at my feeble attempt to catch him.
After a while he finally gives up and place the pizza down on the table before facing me and bracing the impact.
I rammed and tackled him down on the couch (surprisingly) before we rest on the couch, both panting slightly after a good chase.
Jo giggles and said, "Heheh, I just couldn't help it. You were so distracted to even notice for a while." His face suddenly turns solemn before sitting up and adding, "Now that you remind me, I wanted to ask you during lunch break today... Why do you seem to be so distracted lately? Don't think I've never noticed. I have been you friend for a long time already, give me some credit. I... I don't like to accuse people, but I know you are hiding things from me... I... Why? I thought we were..."
I sat up and held my breath as he said those words.
Jo just stares at the floor.
I let out a sigh. Is it time to say it already? I know that I can't hide forever, but...
I guess now I have no choice but to take my chances and gamble with our friendship at stake...
I don't know what happens if Jo...