VARSITY 9 | BL

ONE | POSITIVE

4845th year, ninth month, 16th day
Monday 4845.9.16  

"Wen! Hoiii, Wen!" The sound of his friend's quiet, swaying voice brought Wen out of his trance.

"Huh?" The boy brought his surprised face away from the report, brow arching mindlessly as he blankly looked towards the sound of his friend's voice.

"We-en," Lay said in a sing-song voice. The dark-blue-haired boy waved his hand in front of Wen's face to grab his friend's attention. Wen's big, brown eyes blinked as Lay brought his hand away. When he finally got his friend's attention, Lay gave a small smile before shyly asking, "Whatcha get?"

"Eh? Oh!" Wen looked down at the device on his desk showing the testing results. "I got positive!" Wen smiled brightly as he looked back up at his friend. "What about you?"

"I got positive, too," Lay smiled as he held up his device and proudly displayed his results.

"Really? Wow!" Wen smiled widely at his friend's results.

The classroom was filled with sighs of relief and pouts from disappointment as the results continued to flood in. Wen looked around at his classmate's expressions. Most were fraught with disappointment. Others were leaning back against their chairs in relief when theirs returned as 'NEGATIVE.' The room soon burst into private conversations between friends as the students discussed their results.

"Alright, class, it's time to settle down," the teacher said as she returned to the podium stationed before the screen at the front of the room. The voices filtered out as the teacher took her place, a few last-second whispers happening as the teacher scanned the room to make sure none of her hooligan students had escaped during the commotion.

"Now, as you know, it is against the rules to ask someone what their result is," the teacher began. Snickers sounded throughout the room as students glanced at their friends. "And it is against the law to discover another's result without their consent. Is this clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The students responded, their voices varying in levels of respect and annoyance.

"Good. Now, as you know, only five percent of the population tests positive each year, which means that on average, only one or two of you in this room will test positive."

Wen and Lay looked at each other with wide eyes at the teacher's words. Wen pointed to himself and then to Lay as he mouthed "We are the only two" to his best friend. Lay nodded his head as the two boys looked at their classmates. No one else was reacting in excitement, however, a few were distraught.

"Those who tested 'POSITIVE' will be contacted shortly and will be expected to attend a meeting to discuss your future intentions." The teacher paused before stating, "Be sure to attend the meeting. It is required; however, how you wish to proceed afterward is completely up to you. Best of luck. You are dismissed. Have a good lunch." As if on cue, the bell dismissing the students for their lunch period rang throughout the school, and the chit-chat was revived at full throttle.

Students instantly migrated from their seats as they formed their groups and cliques. Wen stood from his chair at the end of the row next to the window and waited for Lay to join him before lazily following the over-excited trail of students exiting the classroom. The smaller, blue-haired boy carrying his stack of books stuck close to the tall, dark-brown-haired boy as the two exited the room and entered the crowded hallway.

No one would have guessed the two boys were friends as they were nothing alike. Lay was below the average height for a sixteen-year-old while Wen was well above the average height. Wen had a well-built body while Lay was still developing. The shorter boy wore glasses and always had a stack of books in his arms. Wen was not the best at studying but always managed to get excellent grades. Wen was also not the captain of any team, but he got the same amount of attention as the basketball captain without even trying.