"Oon, you and your lover sound like the clownfish and the sea anemone!" Nai laughed, "Or the lichen?"
"NO! NO! NO!" Jamie shook her head vigorously. "Arthit, with this kind of mindset, the happiness and bliss in your relationship will not be long lasting. Equality is extremely important in a relationship, the relationship between you and your significant other is not one of mother and son, nor is it one of brother and sister; you will need freedom and space. It's not healthy for the two of you to be so interdependent on one another. You have to try to change your mindset."
"Oh." Arthit replied.
Having cleared their desks, the three students strolled out of the classroom. Jamie suddenly suggested, "Since we have a holiday tomorrow, why don't we go to the Wat Doi Prachan Temple to pray? We can even invite Phana along!"
Curious, Nai enquired, "You believe in divinity?"
"Well, to be honest, I'm more interested in climbing the hill in order to reach the temple. We can even shop along the market stalls lining the streets leading to the temple! We can grab lots of food there."
"Stop right there – the weather's so hot now, be careful and don't overeat. After all, examinations are nearing. We can always eat tons of good food after the end of our final examinations."
"Well then, we could always go to the amusement park after we have climbed the hill."
"That sounds great! I want to play whack-a-mole! — Arthit, why don't you come along as well?"
Arthit saw the familiar figure hovering on the street opposite the school compound. Shaking his head gently, he rejected the offer, "No, it's alright."
"Why don't you come along as well? It'd be fun if everyone goes." Jamie tried to persuade Arthit.
Using a nasally voice, Arthit began to fib, "I think I'm coming down......with a cold. I want to eat some medicine and rest the entire day tomorrow."
"Ah, then you should probably stay at home and rest well! Remember to take your medicine – if you really do come down with a cold, you'd probably need an entire week to recover. If that's the case, you can forget about revising in the days leading up to the exams."
"Yup." Arthit nodded his head weakly.
Arthit bid Nai and Jamie farewell at the entrance of the school gates. Walking towards the direction of Kong's home, he only stopped when he was some distance away from the school compound.
Kongpob caught up with him immediately.
Sagging under the heavy weight of his school back, Arthit's back was slightly bent as he walked forward, as though he was carrying the shell of a snail. The cloth around the shoulder straps of his bag were drenched, and clung onto his skin. Kongpob stepped forward, and took the school bag from him.
Arthit straightened his back, and followed alongside Kongpob.
In a quiet voice, Arthit said, "I don't have class tomorrow."
Kongpob responded, "For the entire day?"
"Yup."
"Do you want to stay home to revise your work, or would you rather head out to play?" He asked.
"Head out to play."
"Okay."
The two youths continued walking on their separate paths silently.
After some time, Kongpob asked, "That person you met on the streets in the afternoon – is that the police officer you know?"
"Yes."
YOU ARE READING
Me After You ✔
Fanfiction"You protect the world and I'll protect you" Arthit is a high-school student who suffers from stuttering. Like any other student he was preparing for taking a college entrance exam at a cram school. After one of his classmate's death, the police beg...
