Our Heart (Rewritten)

When It Rains It Pours

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update TT

The following day is a Sunday (the only weekend for every college student) and whilst others look forward to it in order to catch up on much needed rest or spend time with family or friends, both Noeul and Boss dread it albeit for different reasons.

~~~

Noeul can't describe it. He's been through this over a dozen times, perhaps more. But he could never get used to it, the pressure he feels when a tube is inserted through his neck and the sensation of tissue samples getting pulled from his heart.

During the procedure, Noeul is overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety. And albeit the strong front he puts on for the sake of his mother, he feels queasy and wants to spill his guts. And he ends up gripping the sides of his lab gown and biting the inside of his cheek to the point of tasting blood until he gets through the whole ordeal.

Once it's all over, his doctor says the same thing every time. "Wasn't so bad, right?"

And Noeul nods his head with a weak smile. Everyone points out his bravery but they miss the way his eyes glass over from wanting to cry and his trembling fingers as he brings his hand up to put pressure on the insertion site.

Nobody gets it.

Afterwards, he feels sluggish and can hardly hear his mother going on and on about what measures he must take to make sure his health is impeccable. Either that or he just doesn't want to hear it anymore.

But just as they're about to exit the hospital, his mom pipes up, "Son, hold on. I think I need to use the rest room. Stay here, okay? Don't go anywhere." She says as if talking to a child and she takes Noeul's silence as yes.

He watches her scurry off to the nearest ladies' room, sighing inwardly. He turns towards the exit, itching to leave—by himself. And go places and do anything he fancies on a whim like others his age.

But if he does, he would break his mother's heart—and possibly, his own.

Meanwhile, Boss is back home after practically spending the whole week crashing in Fort's dorm. And currently, he's having a quiet lunch with his parents—almost too quiet with only the grating sound of utensils disturbing the "peace".

They've been like this for a long time, way before Ple died. And it became worse after she passed away and Boss became something of a problem child. But that really isn't when it all started.

After letting the silence drag on for long enough, Boss' dad finally pipes up in a gruff voice just a tad bit deeper than that of Boss'. "I heard what happened...with that freshman kid last time. Tsk! Tsk!" He clicks his tongue disapprovingly.

"Uh, honey, that's been dealt with." His mother chimes in, trying to extinguish the fire before it even starts. "The family agreed to settle so it's all good."

"All good?" Her husband questions, brows furrowed at his wife. "You call your son going around beating people 'all good'? He dodged jail time by a hair strand."

Boss doesn't look up from his food even though he's not eating anymore. He's almost sure he knows where this is going and it hardly takes any time for his dad to go there.

"Son, if you can't keep yourself out of trouble in school, then you might as well quit and work for me at the garage."

At this, Boss' grip on his utensil tightens and if he didn't focus on controlling it, the metal would bend in half. Noticing this, his mom cuts in yet again, telling her husband, "Actually, Boss has been attending classes lately. And I haven't been called to the principal's office or the station for sometime now."