“Seems like you are late for your Hello Spring Party!”
As soon as the car halted outside the school building, Roy strolled his gaze around only to find it engulfed with moonlight. Then, as he rolled down the glass, the air carried a faint sound of music from the building to him.
“Yo, boy, you are really late,” he added again, but still he got nothing but a cold silence.
Lost in thought, Calix slouched in the passenger seat, his head resting against the window. His deep blue eyes were fixed on the scenery outside, but they carried a distant look.
“Hey!” Roy patted his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Turning his head to him, he asked, “Yes, Did… Did you say anything?”
“You okay, buddy?” With concern laced in his tone, Roy questioned.
He simply nodded and let his gaze wander out of the window, then asked, "Have we arrived?"
Rubbing his neck with a nervous smile, he replied, "Um! Yeah, but you seem to be a little late."
"What do you mean by 'a little late'?" scrunching his nose in confusion, he questioned,
"The gate..." He pointed towards the locked iron gate and chose not to finish his sentence.
"Damn, Roy!" Alert, Calix hastily unbuckled his seatbelt. "This is all because of you. You should have driven a bit faster."
"Great!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "Instead of passing praise for dropping you, you're just blaming me. Are you even serious?”
“Yes, I am,” he replied plainly.
Rolling his eyes, he grumbled, “Most parents don't bring their kids here; they just leave them on their own."
Exiting the car, Calix glanced inside and remarked, "Yeah, that's because they're their parents, and you're not."
"Ouch! Man, that hurts!" Roy placed a hand on his chest dramatically and added, "Ahh! This is unbearable."
"Stop being dramatic. Get back safely," he said before walking away.
"Hey! Listen!" Roy shouted, glancing at his back.
Coming to a halt, Calix mumbled in frustration, "Yes, I know you're going to repeat the same thing. I know, okay!"
"Like?" Roy inquired, raising his left brow.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced over his shoulder before saying, "Like maintaining distance from so-called powerful packs which I have never come across in this school. Trying my best to follow all the rules which I now need to break because I am late and…”
"Okay! Okay…” Roy interrupted, giving him a thumbs up with a bright smile. “You know the important one. Let’s leave the rest for now. Bye!” He waved before driving away.
For a while, Calix wandered around, desperately searching for a way to sneak inside. The view around was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint glimmer of stars breaking through the canopy of the dense woods that surround the school area.
Majestic trees stood tall and imposing, resembling silent sentinels with their branches weaving a mysterious, intricate tapestry against the dark expanse of the night sky. The imposing walls that guarded the school building seemed insurmountable, and the music spilling from within only deepened his yearning. He ached to join the festivities, desperate to meet Mega, his lover and sway to the rhythm, but the challenge ahead felt nearly insurmountable.
‘Why do they even need to build such a tall wall?’ His patience was growing thinner. ‘No one is ever going to rob the school.’
Just as his hopes were dwindling, he spotted a ray of hope not far from him. Without wasting a second, he extended his stride.
Standing beneath a tall tree that was clinging to the wall, he raised his head and whispered, ‘Perfecto!’
He didn't waste any time and put all his energy into climbing the tree. As he got closer to conquering the high wall, he saw Mega through the window.
One glimpse of her made excitement surge inside him like a blazing comet streaking across the night sky. However, just as he was about to call her out, a boy approached her, and hugged her from behind.
His eyes widened in shock, and he struggled to believe what he was witnessing. Just as he contemplated the reality of the situation, Mega looked over at the boy, she had a smile of excitement and, no long after, she planted a kiss on his lips.
As Calix's world seemed to crumble, he lost his grip on the tree. Falling to the ground, the bulk of all the wonderful moments he had shared with Mega over the past year flashed before his eyes. He struggled to discern if it was reality or not.
‘We are going to be together forever!’ her words echoed freshly inside his ear.
When his body finally took the ground, he registered no physical pain, for the anguish of betrayal far outweighed any physical discomfort he could have felt.
He couldn’t take track of how long he had stayed there as his mind was occupied with the question, “Why… Why did she do that?”
Moments ago, he had been eager to discover why she had vanished and ghosted him. However, now that he knew the answer, he found no satisfaction in it. He deeply wished he had remained ignorant of the painful truth.
Gazing at the darkened sky, he remained motionless, drained of the energy to make any move. Even though he heard movements not far from him, he didn't bother to acknowledge the events.
However, his state of ignorance was short-lived as someone stood beside him and looked down at his face.
"Did that hurt?" a soothing, reassuring voice of a young boy gently reached his ears.
Calix saw the moonlight casting from behind the boy, making him appear like an angel on his way to rescue him, and providing him with the comfort just from his presence.
"I asked if that hurt!" When he repeated the question, extending his hand towards him, his soothing tone had already turned cold, and Calix could no longer discern a sense of care in it.
Feeling offended by his question, he pushed the boy's hand away and rose to his feet on his own.
"Of course, it hurts, man. So, I'm not going to let him take what's mine!" he muttered before scaling the tree with surprising ease.
In the moment of emotional turmoil, he was doing things he couldn't before, almost as if on autopilot, yet he was unknown about it. Once inside the party hall, he strolled his gaze around.
By that time, Mega and her new boyfriend had retreated to a secluded corner, completely engrossed in each other's embrace, sharing passionate kisses as if the world would cease to exist tomorrow. Frustration reaching its boiling point, Calix couldn't contain himself any longer. He reached out and firmly gripped the boy's shoulder, yanking him away from Mega's arms.
"Who the hell?" the boy spun around in a fit of anger, but before he could react, Calix seized the moment and unleashed a powerful punch squarely into his face.
The abrupt violence drew the attention of everyone present. The music faded into the background as the crowd gathered around, their collective curiosity piqued, wondering what would unfold in the next moment.
“CALIX!” yelling, Mega reached out to grab him and shove him away. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?”