MIONG: And the Sublime Paralytic

Pagtatapos

The boy is the valedictorian, as expected. Appy's professors like him for being outspoken, smart, and sincere. However, during the graduation ceremony, Miong noticed something:

Groups of friends are crowding, cryig, and taking groufies, while Appy remains alone in his seat.

Appy looks good in his white toga, Miong thought. The ceremony hasn't begun yet, so Miong made an effort to pass through the herd of wild teenagers to get to the special seat of a paralytic boy he knows so much. He garnered attention, of course. He looks like an elite, a celebrity, who happened to visit a poor public school's graduation ceremony.

"My, you look like a loner." Miong whispered, his face close to the boy's ear.

Appy slightly jumped from his seat, and he furrowed his ears further when he realized it was Miong. He pushed Miong's face using his entire palm.

"You're too close. Stop that."

"It's just too noisy here." Miong sat on the empty chair beside the boy, then proceeded on resting his arms on Appy's back rest. "By the way, why are you so alone?"

Appy paused a bit. "Well, because I'm not close with them."

"Wow, so you don't make friends? I had the impression that people crowd around you."

"Only when they need me. Only in group projects, only when they need opinions, only when they need advises from their lives or from their thesis; only when they need me, yes."

Miong chuckled. "That doesn't make you sad?"

"Hmmm, nope. I'm not really sociable, and I'm fine with the people I'm very close with. I don't need more. As long as I don't have enemies, I'm fine." Then the boy smiled.

"We're similar in that sense. I just want to get along with everybody, but that doesn't mean I'm desperate for friends. Just for appearance sake, maybe. But my close friends, or uh, friend, is enough." Then the guy smiled a sad one.

"You only have one friend?" the boy inquired.

"Yep. Technically." Miong, then, looked at the boy with a sheepish smile. "Only you."

The boy found that strange, not of Miong's declaration of sappy friendship, but of his own silent reaction on the matter. As he was about to make a joke on it to lessen his awkward feelings, another loud boy interrupted in between their faces.

"Appy! I heard you're the valedictorian. Suprising, right? Haha." The loud boy said.

"Ugh, hello Andy." Appy greeted begrudgingly.

"Hoy, hoy, don't be like that. I thought I'm your best friend. Who is this guy, anyway?" Andy asked, pointing at Miong.

"This is Miko Angelo Artajo. The asshole who paralyzed me. He's taking care of me now."

"Hello." Miong nodded. He doesn't have the time for another commoner that is not Appy, so he just nodded, faced away from the two, then concentrated his sight on the empty stage.

"Wow, he has attitude." Andy whispered to Appy. "What? He's so jealous that his boyfriend talks with another man?"

"B-boyfriend? Where did that come from?" the boy defended poorly.

"Auntie told me. That it was just an accident but he loves you so much that he will take complete responsibility and take care of you on his own. From what I think, maybe he really paralyzed you to completely own you... maybe take your intellectual rights or use you..."

In a split second, Miong is now manhandling Andy's collar. Miong looks pissed, especially when the rugged boy remains his smug grin. "If you could just shut your commoner trap..."