Trash Polka | ForthBeam

Chapter 21

It was five in the evening.

Forth, Park, Aran, Bank, and Niran were sitting on their usual cafeteria table, waiting for the dean to call them to their office. The five were on their way to find some dinner after class when a student informed the dean would like to have a word with them.

"What else did you do?" Forth asked Park.

Park glanced at him. "Nothing you wouldn't do. Just kicked him and took his money."

"Okay..."

"Why do you ask?" Park asked.

Forth shrugged. "He's working weirdly fast. From the post, now this?"

Park scratched his nape.

"About that..." Park said. "I threatened him too. I moved the deadline two days sooner."

Bank laughed. "Of course you would, you impatient bastard."

"Hey!" Park protested, stomping his foot childishly. "I want the dean to announce it before the festival starts! All hazing activity will stop right before that, which is in a few hours!"

Forth shook his head. "You and your obsession with hazing."

Park frowned. "Do you know how many disrespectful people there are? What if our juniors become like Nong Rich? Just imagine working with people like him later on! Do you know how terrifying that will be?"

"That will be kind of terrifying," Bank agreed, cringing when he imagines the thought of their juniors becoming like Suthee.

"It will be fun to see them at the beach too," Niran added with a small smile etched on his lips.

"I'm going to give them their gears!" Park excitedly said.

Aran rolled his eyes. "What makes you think it's gonna be you, you airhead?"

If they weren't in front of the dean's office, Park would have strangled Aran. "Watch me act serious while giving them their gears. Right, Ai'Forth?"

"Whatever." Forth chuckled and pushed Park's head softly. "But you have bigger things to think about, you know?"

The four stared at him without blinking.

"What?" Park asked cluelessly.

Forth rubbed his stomach while lifting his eyebrow. "You still owe me something, remember?"

Park shook his head quickly. He knew exactly what Forth meant.

"Come on! You owe me food," Forth pushed. "You even went to the bar without me... How rude!"

"What's rude is leaving us to cuddle with Ai'Angel!" Park whined childishly.

Forth rolled his eyes.

"I told him everything."

All four of them stared at Forth without blinking.

"Everything as in...?"

Forth nodded firmly. He took a deep breath before saying, "My past, that night, everything. I took him to the lair."

Aran spoke, "And how did he take it...?"

Forth stayed quiet for a while, remembering his time in between the abandoned shipping containers with Beam. A thin smile found its way to his lips when he heard Beam's words again.

"Better than I expected," Forth said, smiling to himself.

"That's good," Bank commented before silence enveloped the five of them one more time.