Chapter Eight: He's Love-Sick

When they got home, his stomach isn't in pain anymore but he still felt dizzy. He doesn't have an appetite but he has to eat so that he can drink his medicines. The pain came back in the middle of the night and made him stop watching the second episode of The Undead. He can't concentrate at all. He took another pain reliever in the medicine box and took it with some water.

The next day, he was pale. It was 180 degrees different from his complexion yesterday.

"Are you okay?" Drake asked.

"I'm fine. I just slept late." He answered. The whole morning, he slept on his desk. They all ate together in the cafeteria. He still doesn't have any appetite but since he doesn't have anything to do, he pushed all the food to his stomach. They talked about their practice yesterday, Keith's face on the school forum that got reposted on various social networking platforms, their plan to buy some shoes just like they agreed on the group chat, and random things.

They went back to their classrooms after the long lunch. Drake and Nick were called by Rocky to go to their classroom to discuss their plans for shopping for some shoes. Keith took this opportunity to go to the infirmary. He vomited there. When he got out of the toilet, the doctor already arrived after having his lunch. When asked about how he was feeling, Keith just vaguely said that his stomach aches and he needs a pain reliever. The doctor wanted to ask more because he doesn't look okay but suddenly a student was carried there because of an allergic reaction. It was more urgent. So, the doctor tended to that patient first. Seeing that, Keith asked permission and was allowed to get two tablets of Paracetamol.

In the afternoon, the pain even got worse. He lay down there not showing any sickness. He pretended to be asleep. Drake thought Keith was avoiding him, so he and Nick just left with Jude and Rocky when they were dismissed.

When Keith's parents finally found him lying on his desk, Keith was already unconscious. They rushed to the Emergency room because his appendix burst. They were at a loss while their son was in the surgery room. Mrs. Lim called Mr. Li and nagged him so hard. After Mr. Li, she called the last subject teacher who should have noticed that her son was unconscious. Then, she called his son's best friend, Nick who also happen to be his classmate. Nick was shocked when he heard that Keith is currently having surgery. He's been too focused on basketball tryout. He didn't even look at Keith when they left because he wanted to buy new shoes as soon as possible.

He immediately went to the hospital with his mother and while they were on the way, he sent a message in their group chat.

Nick: Guys, Keith's in the hospital.

Nick: Auntie said they found him unconscious at his desk.

Nick: He's having surgery right now.

Rocky: What's wrong with him? He was just fine during lunchtime, right?

Nick: They didn't tell me.

Nick: Auntie said, he was probably unconscious there for many hours.

Nick: I think it's my fault.

Drake had just gotten out of the shower when he saw the group chat messages. He remembered how Keith was lying there beside him for the whole day but he did nothing. He was so self-conscious thinking that the other was just avoiding him. Keith was already feeling unwell yesterday. But Drake rejected him and selfishly asked to be friends with him. Ironically, for someone asking to be friends, he did not do what a friend should have done at that time.

He sat on the bed as guilt settled into his heart. His place is just a few walks away from the hospital. But he was unable to get himself to go there. He waited for Nick to give updates. It was one o'clock when Nick finally told them that Keith was now stable. The rupture of his appendix gave complications to his intestines but he was already fine.

The next morning, the class teachers and the school doctor got grilled in the principal's office. Among the students, they traced what happened back to the sports drink that Lindsay gave which made Keith feel uncomfortable after drinking. She got scared at the thought that she might have hurt his crush's friend. For Jude and Rocky who were not that close with Keith, they felt guilty about how they treated Keith after calling themselves his 'friends'. Nick took a leave of absence and Drake could only sigh from time to time, blaming himself for everything.

After class, Lindsay approached him together with the girls she was with before. She asked, "Drake, are you going to visit Keith? Can… can I go with you?"

Drake did not respond to her. So, a girl from her side spoke up for her. "She's feeling bad about what happened to Keith. People say he got sick because of what she gave you. So, can you help her and go together-"

"And what? What will you do when you get there?" Drake glared at them and placed all his frustration on them.

They went silent. Lindsay can't answer him because she only thought that she wanted to visit. She wasn't even sure how to apologize.

"Can you stop coming to me with your friends? This is pressuring me to do whatever you want. Go to the hospital by yourself. I don't have any responsibility to take you there." Drake looked at them with disgust, the same way how he's disgusted with himself because he can't go to the hospital if not for the fact that Jude and Rocky are going with him.

They went to the hospital but they can't go into Keith's room. The teachers can't even stay inside. They were about to leave when Kylie approached them. She took them to the garden where Nick was playing with the twins. And then, took him to the side to talk in private.

"Don't worry. It's just appendicitis. He's fine. He'll be discharged in a few days." She said while patting his shoulder.

"Sister Kylie, I could have prevented this if I checked on him properly." Drake voiced out his regret.

"Nah. It's Keith's fault. That kid won't talk about anything unless you already knew the facts. He's so good at hiding his thoughts. He'd rather die than ask for help. Too stubborn. I can't understand how secretive he is when he's Ma and Pa's favorite. He could at least tell them if he's in pain… Turns out it's been more than a week since he felt a stomachache. But he didn't say anything, now, his appendix is gone. If he could hide that from his family, then, we don't expect his friends to notice it either. Don't blame yourself. Keith wouldn't want to see you like that." She comforted him with words stabbing her little brother.

"But I rejected him…" Drake's eyes were watery.

Kylie was taken aback. She remembered the voice message that Keith sent her. She thought it was just a boring prank. "He confessed to you?"

"No. I asked him if he was jealous and told him that I knew about the kiss."

"And you rejected him when Keith did not even ask you out…" She sighed. "Wow. Now, I get why you're feeling guilty." She looked at the boy beside her who was looking down at the ground and crying. It looked like she was bullying him, so she gave him a handkerchief.

"Let me ask you some questions. Did you reject him because you don't feel the same way? Or was it because he's gay while you're not? Or do you not see him more than a friend? If any of those was the case, why were you flirting with him? I saw you hugging and sleeping beside my brother. I saw you caressing his hair. I saw how sticky you looked at him. You looked like you wanted to eat him so much. Don't tell me some craps like because you treat him as a friend 'cause I don't think you treat Keith the same way as Nick."

Kylie wanted to be kind to Drake but she felt hurt for her younger brother who cried in front of her when he told her he was gay and he likes this person. She remembered the voice message again and felt that it was probably the day when he was rejected.

She knew how hard it is to experience heartbreak but she can't comprehend how it feels like for a gay person to be rejected by their first love. At least, she was allowed to openly talk about her heartbreak and people sympathized with her. While her brother who's in the closet can only keep it within himself.

Drake was not able to say anything.

Kylie rolled her eyes. Then, she looked at Drake. "Don't ever tell anyone about his sexuality. He has worked so hard hiding it. If he gets outed, when he's not yet ready, I'm going to rip your fucking face and make sure no girls will ever want to flirt with you. Understand?"

Drake was still unresponsive. So, she asked again. "Do you fucking understand?!!!"

"Yes, sister Kylie," Drake answered and Kylie immediately left with her twins. Theo and Rio don't want to go with her but Kylie's face looked so scary that they cried while following her.

The three went to ask Drake what they talked about and he ended up crying, but Drake didn't say anything. Nick got a nagging last night too, but he wasn't nagged privately. He was nagged by his mother and Keith's mother. The two were scary and he thought being nagged in front of others was humiliating and terrifying enough.

However, seeing how Drake was dragged by Keith's sister away to talk in private, it may not be humiliating in the sense that other people can see and hear what's being said, but he thinks that this is more intense.

…