Chapter 4

The weather sure feels terribly humid and warm. I decided to go home and freshen up before this extra class. The teacher caught me dozing off twice last week and I must stink, too. So yeah. Some kids hung around in school, some did their club activities or other stuff I'd rather not know. It was so hard to get my ass out of the house again. I hope they catch up with the course plan soon.

I dressed myself in a comfortable 'The Score' T-shirt and jeans, a band I really like. The walk to my class through the garden beside the field was something I truly enjoyed. They have this vine arbour tunnel I love to walk through. The pretty white flowers bloomed recently and lush green vines make me feel like I'm not in school. The biggest reason I like it. I take the second gate purposely for that. It looks absolutely gorgeous at noon, with the mild sunlight seeping in through the vines and the warm breeze.

"Let the rain fall down, let it fall to the ground, let the rain fall down to the ground... and the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound when you're six feet underground..." I sung along to 'The dead can't testify', a song that just won't leave my head. And the best way to shake a song off is to sing it out. "Well, they cast me out when the word sprea-"

"I like that song too, it's cool." Kairn suddenly cut in with his hands in his front pocket. I could instantly feel my cheeks burn because I probably sounded like a dying crow.

"Hey Kairn. Yeah, I found this song randomly, and it's been caught in my head ever since." It came out a little stiff and squeaky. I was ambushed, dammit.

He nodded, "I like his other songs too, you could try listening to..."

I took in his appearance as he spoke. He rarely speaks much at a stretch. But we've made progress, I think. He uses longer sentences with me now, so yay. He wore a casual black shirt. His dishevelled hair actually looked good on him. Does he style it that way, or it just styled itself to suit him? I could only guess. I suppose he likes keeping his hair long, not long as in shoulder length. But long and tousled. Or he's just lazy. And he likes to run his hand through his hair. He does that a lot. Bet it's soft. Moving on.

Then I saw it, and before I could suppress the urge, my hands acted on their own. I couldn't stop myself from straightening his left collar. Never know why I get this urge to straighten ties and collars when I see a crooked one. Shit. It's awkward now, isn't it? Who the hell straightens someone's collar casually while they're talking? We aren't even that close. Not to mention rude. He looked at me with stunned eyes for a few seconds.

Kairn looked away almost immediately. And before I could say something like 'it's just I had this urge to straighten your collar, I'm sorry', I was stuck with "Um... I..."

He blurts out, "I like The Score," while pointing at my T-shirt. Maybe saying that would've been worse. Let's just leave it.

"Yeah... I love them. I like alternative rock a lot. There's also-"

"Hey guys."

Felix joined us. Thank God. I wouldn't have stopped because I was nervous about what happened before. "Ugh, I'm going to sleep as soon as I get home after this," he continued. "Yeah, let's just get this over with," I agreed, thanking him silently for saving me from boring Kairn with my ramble. His neurons would drop dead with my idle talk.

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The class was alright and although I was sleepy; I got down most of it down in my notes. Even after napping for a while, I was still too lazy to get out of bed. ("And truth be told, I miss you ... and truth be told, I'm lying. When you see my face, hope it gives you hell, hope it gives you hell.") It's Saturday tomorrow and David's birthday. The guys in group chat were chatting away about the time and place and to not miss it, directed especially towards Kairn. I decided to call Felix and ask what they were planning. ("When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell. When you find a...")

"Hey Felix"

"Hey Marc, I was just going to call you to talk about our plans."

"Oh, cool."

"So you know that all of us think you're our really close friend already. You're not the new guy anymore, you're a part of us just like anyone else in the group."

"Yeah, thanks really. I never expected you guys to accept me so fast. We got a lot closer since the day I became friends with you guys."

"Yeah. I knew we'd be good friends since the first day."

"Heh, really."

"Of course. Also, we're planning to gift a set of frames. We'll do that for all of our birthdays. To frame all our memories. Since it's the last school year and all."

"Oh... that's an amazing idea."

"Well, I suggested it first."

I could almost imagine him pushing his glasses up with a complacent smile.

"There will also be a blank frame. The picture will be from the day itself. I wanted to tell you we want to include you because we already know you're going to stick to us heh heh."

"Really? But..."

"Yeah, I know we've been friends for like over a month, but it doesn't mean we're not close friends. We know a lot about each other already. And we'll keep learning more stuff. All of us aren't that tight-knit with every one of us, but we know we'll always be friends. Now you're a part of the memories too. I don't see us drifting apart 'cause of a fight or anything soon. I mean, if you die, we'll mourn a lot."

"Thanks a lot. I don't know what to say. I'll totally watch over you guys if I die soon."

"Yeah, I know. I'm the best one though. You have to say it to others. I wanted to tell you this so you know we won't take the picture with you just because we invited you to the party."

"Yeah, you're the best. I would totally say this in front of the others if you buy me pizza. I'll say it even for a slice."

I heard some snickers on the other side.

"Should've recorded that. Well, see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Yeah. Good night cutie."

"Ugh, when will you guys stop it?"

"When you stop being Sodium cute."

"Ughhh."

We ended the call, and I plopped back down on the bed. I guess it's going to be fun tomorrow. My mind wandered to all the events that have transpired since I moved here and to my new friends that I'm already so comfortable with.

A big smile sneaked up on my face. Never thought I would have such pleasant group of friends. I had few friends at my old place, Julie, Max, Emmy and Books.

Books. I miss him so much. We used to call him Books because his last name is Bookman and well... he likes books. He is the closest one to me. I call them sometimes too, it's the same old there. My computer science teacher who hated me must be having the time of her life. Well, I'm just as relieved to not see your face too. You can stub your pinky toe at night while going to get water for all I care. Then hear jingles from your cat's collar from the living room, but your cat was sleeping on the bed and you shut the door.

David and Duke are always fun to talk to. Ezra gets along with everybody. Honestly, it must be tough being Ezra. Everybody loves him and he has to talk to everyone with that same enthusiasm. It must be exhausting. He loves it, though. After all, he really is the golden boy. He still joins us most of the time. He also likes to rile up Felix. Duke is in on it sometimes, too. But he defends Felix if it gets too much as well.

Liam and Ryan are the easygoing guys of the group, Liam loving drama a tad bit more than others. Marvin and Lance are always entertaining to watch. Marvin knows just the buttons he needs to push to get his desired reaction. Though what Lance is going to do is unpredictable, Marvin lives for it. And, of course, Kairn. I've been thinking about him a lot lately.

It does seem like we've got closer. From what I've seen, he talks about the things he wants. No chitchat. Or if he's asked to talk. He's always listening though, and he smiles sometimes. I heard him chuckle a couple of times, too. He's usually there with us, even if he doesn't chatter. I've never seen him say 'No' to anybody, and he talks to others if they talk to him and will help without questions as well. But people just can't seem to figure him out. Well, that's one of his charms.

The other day, both of us were waiting for the rain to subside. We didn't really talk, just watched the rain together. I mean, that's what I think happened. It was kind of peaceful. I don't know why I felt at ease just observing the rain in silence with an almost stranger. It's weird, isn't it? The soft street light through the rain reflecting his hair made it glow faintly. He was leaning on a pillar, looking ahead with his arms crossed, staring at nothing in particular.

I focused my senses back on the rain, the sound, the fragrance, and the feeling of just being there. The sound and smell of rain have always been pleasant to me. I extended my arm to feel the rain; the drops kissing my skin gave a tingling sensation. I glanced at Kairn; he was facing me too. He faced away, but I wanted to keep watching him. Why does he always look away? "Take a picture." He said to me without facing me, his voice flat. Hmm, what a cliché line. I can do clichés too.

I smiled and replied, "I like the rain better than a picture, every moment perfect, saved in my mind."

Songs used:

- The dead can't testify by Billy Talent

- Gives you hell by All-American Rejects