Two Birds On A Wire

ch 02

Ivan felt as if his head was floating in some dense water. It took him another few moments of devouring the throbbing pain in his head before he actually opened his eyes.

The light that pierced into his eyes made him squint immediately and he groaned out a sound of disapproval.

"Oh, you're finally awake! Let me go get the physician"

Ivan turned his head to the direction of the voice to see a boy smiling at him with pursed lips. He remembered that the boy was one of his classmates. Why he was here beside him, he couldn't quite figure out.

Soon, the boy left and came back in with the school physician, who checked up on Ivan.

"You might feel dizziness and get head aches for a while. You should be fine after a week or two" The doctor said and started to leave. "You may leave once you feel better".

The door to the school medical room clicked shut as the doctor stepped out of it into his office room. The boys were once again left alone and Ivan turned his gaze towards the boy who still sat their, watching him closely as he sat on a chair nearby.

Ivan made a quick notice of the boy's appearance. Curly brown hair, styled into a box-cut, lean physique inside an oversized dress,

"I can't believe you actually got a concussion from that" he said with a shrug. Ivan could tell his eyes held a sense of worry, though he tried hard to act cool.

"Maybe you should have considered kicking the ball a little less harder" Ivan's voice came out as more husky than he really meant it to be. A few hours' sleep would do that to him.

"Who would have thought" the boy shrugged, running a hand through his thick hair.

Silence prevailed as the both of them just sat there, staring ahead with pursed lips. It was getting uncomfortable and awkward.

"Hn. I'm Julian. And you are?" The boy finally asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Ivan"

"You don't seem to have a lot of friends around here, do you? I mean, no one even came to check up on you other than a few girls from our class" Julian said, stroking his chin.

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Girls?" He wondered if it was Nora and Daya.

"Yeah. They must be all over you. Heh!" Julian smirked and Ivan looked at him with the most unimpressed look he could do.

He had a faint feeling that Julian could be the human form of a head ache.

"Anyway, how long are you planning to stay here?" Julian seemed to grow impatient as he checked the time on the clock that hung on the wall, his legs bouncing in an anxious beat.

"Why are you staying here? I rather you go back to class"

Julian scowled at that and made a puff. "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'll leave." He slapped his knees and got up. "Can't even show an act of kindness these days" he murmured as he made his way out of the room.

It all happened in a moment and before Ivan could stop him, Julian was already out of the room and gone.

Ivan felt lonely all of a sudden. Sure, he said that. But he didn't mean that Julian should actually go to class. He didn't think he would!

Staying in a medical bed didn't seem funny. And without anyone to give him company, though he had always been a loner, Ivan found the idea of staying in that room any longer disturbing. The faint smell of medicines seemed to drill in through nostrils.

He still felt kind of dizzy. But he managed to stumble out of the room anyway.

When he was halfway through the hall, he saw Julian walking upto him with a poker face.

Didn't he say he was going to class?

When he came closer, Ivan raised an eyebrow, obviously questioning his presence.

Julian grabbed Ivan's hand and turned around, walking back as he dragged him with him. "Miss Marvins nearly bit my head off for going back without you" he scowled. "What if he falls down the stairs?" He said in a weird feminine voice, obviously doing an impression of their teacher, though he sounded nothing like her.

Ivan couldn't help the chuckle from escaping his lips. "On a related note, you sound nothing like Miss Marvins"

"Don't you dare laugh at me, sick-boy! You're the one who asked me to leave" Julian held a finger accusingly at Ivan's face.

"Well, I didn't think you would actually leave" Ivan shrugged. "And can you please loosen the grip on my arm? I can walk just fine"

Julian made a scowl. "I'd rather not give the teacher another reason to yell at me"

Eventually, they reached their classroom and Julian walked Ivan to the teacher, giving her his hand. "Here, miss, your dear boy is safe and sound"

The teacher sighed, but took his hand in hers anyway. "Really, Julian? Please, you should feel responsible towards your classmates"

"Noted, miss"

Miss Marvins shook her head with a roll of her eyes and turned her gaze towards Ivan who just stood there awkawrdly. "How are you feeling, son?"

"I'm okay"

"Good. Please, go to your seat, then. Please be careful while you play" the teacher's voice held a tone of concern.

Ivan nodded. He wondered how weird it would be to take precautions before sitting on the sidelines of a playground, watching others play.

He tried to focus on what the teacher was teaching, but found it way harder than it usually was. Maybe he hit his head a little too hard there.

He looked at Julian who was seated two rows ahead of him on the front seat, not because he liked to be nearer to the teacher, but because the teacher wanted to keep a close eye on his mischevious self. His eyes didn't seem to linger at one place. They moved from one place to another, all around the room, without leaving a nook.

The class went on. Ivan found himself blocking himself out from reality as he laid his head down on the desk. Everything--even the slightest sound around him made his head hurt and all he wanted to do was sleep.

So he did.