Arthit & Kongpop ✔️

Bad Driver

"-when suddenly this security guards walks up and-"

A chair next to me scraped loudly over the linoleum and then Prae fell into it.

"You" she said "Talk."

"I was," Wad muttered, which made Prae realize there's more people at their lunch table.

"Oh I'm so sorry for hijacking the convo, but Arthit needs to tell me what happened this weekend or I'm gonna die."

"You're probably not-" I started but she cut me off.

"Arthit!"

"Yeah yeah alright." I pushed up my red glasses.
"We played truth and dare. I dared Oaujun to put ice cubes in his pants." The group winced. "And he tried to get back at me by daring me to kiss Kongpop Suthilak. "

Prem was in the middle of taking a sip of water, but he nearly choked on it when I was done explaining.

Or well, I thought I was done.

"And you did?" Prae asked, leaning forward.

"Yes."

"And how was it?" Wad asked, while patting a coughing Prem on the back.

It's the question I dreaded. Because I didn't know.

"It was alright." I said because I had got to say something. "It got better towards the end but then the timer went off."

"Ehhh," Prae mumbled, biting on her nail.

"I don't want to be, uh, rude," Wad started hesitatingly, "but are you into guys? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
I took off my glasses and started cleaning them to postpone my reply. Because I was annoyed.  Annoyed at all these questions I couldn't answer.

"No idea," I said.

I must've sound irritated, because Prae briefly put her hand on my shoulder.

"That's alright," she said. "You don't need to know now."

Maybe not. But I liked knowing.

------------

Wednesday night, in bed, I decided to put the issue out of my mind. Partly because the end of the school year was near and I needed to focus on school, and partly because I was not planning on kissing Kongpop Suthilak again.

I knew I could kiss other boys.

The question proposed to me was if I liked boys, not I I specifically liked Kongpop Suthilak.

But the fact for the matter was that the thought of kissing boys, just any boy, didn't interest me at all.

-------------

Friday morning did nothing but undermine my resolve.

Because after I put my bag on the passenger seat and turned the ignition, the car spluttered and stalled but didn't start.

"What?" I mumbled, and tried again.

The engine tried to whire to life, but it spluttered out again. Even after a few more tries.

I looked at the house, but the curtains in my parents' room were still closed. I'd rather not wake up my father to get a lift. Not on his day off.

With a sigh, I got out of the car and propped open the hood, peering at its mechanical organs like I was a surgeon without a degree. Which was just a normal person.

I let my forehead lean against the hood.
"Ugh."

Guess I'll have to take the bus-

"Hey."