When morning came, Philip walked out of his room while scratching his eyes. He gazed at the entrance door. It was closed.
Suddenly, a door across his room swung open. What showed was Aeiou's beaming face and topless body, "Pa! I earned a lot from the my gig last night. Go to the market and buy yourself shoes, jeans and shirts!" There was a cabinet next to Aeiou's door. Aeiou bent near to it slapped it violently with a stack of one thousand peso bills. But he hasn't withdrew yet when he groaned, "Ahh my back hurts."
"...What happened?"
Weekend days had passed and it was one bright and sunny Monday again. However, there was someone wearing a blank and icy expression as he walked to school.
Aeiou shrugged his shoulder. "Ah..." Then, he thrust his arms sideways. "AH!" He reached his hands to his back and scratched it. "AHHHH!"
What do these patches do good!? Aeiou stomped his feet and moved in circles on the side road. Every time he would make a turn, his skin would be stretched to the other side as if it was taped, annoying him to death.
Philip tampered Aeiou's body with these minty cold patches when he was asleep last night.
Aeiou woke up this morning trying to remove it. When Philip heard the groans he barged in his room and said, "Don't you dare remove those even after you take a bath!"
Aeiou stomped his feet. "But I'm already well!" From sitting on his bed, he did a sudden backflip. He thrust his hands upward, "See?"
Philip's face turned ghastly pale. "Are you crazy?! You're not my son anymore if you remove those and do those stunts when your body is clearly injured!"
Aeiou told Philip he fell off the stairs at school that was why he had sores around his body. Philip said they should go to the doctors but Aeiou quickly debated that the nurse cleared him off.
One thing about Aeiou, he was a good liar.
The way he told Philip after he slapped the table with money; pouting and and almost crying, he said, "Taaaay... I tripped and fell off the stairs of our school, it fucking hurts! Look, I may have bruises around my body."
When Aeiou made it past the iron gate of Sta. Monica University, he entered the place of what he called Islands Of Snakes. There were benches on each side of the pavements, they were Islands. Meanwhile the snakes were the students sitting and gathered around them. Hence the name, Island Of Snakes.
Heads turned to him like magnets. He still received the highest level of attention, as if he was a prey to these snakes.
Aeiou sighed and walked without looking to the snakes.
It might just be a new habit he picked up somewhere, but Aeiou put his hands inside his pockets midway and maintained a cold expression like Zed.
When he made it past a certain bench, he heard some loud hissing. All the other benches were silent, yet this one was different. They were loud. Aeiou turned his head to his side and bit his gum and squint his eyes when he saw who they were. There were four girls, but one stood out from all of them, she was wearing a black choker around her neck and a skull pendant on her chest. It was Sarah. Sarah moved her eyes from Aeiou's head to toe and laughed.
The other three girls exchanged looks and laughed too.
Aeiou smirked sarcastically. I really can't say all girls are beautiful. Aeiou looked at Sarah's spiky black shoes then looked at her slug like drawn eyebrow. Aeiou laughed mockingly, "Hahaha..."
Sarah's face turned dark, "Why are you laughing?"
Aeiou laughed aloud, "HAHAHA!" He hugged his stomach and slapped his knees repeatedly.
Sarah stood from the bench and shouted, "WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"
Aeiou knew, from flirting with different girls, was that people who dresses different from others were always conscious of their clothes and what others has to say about it.
Aeiou stopped and looked at Sarah. "Nothing." He rolled his eyes before walking away while laughing.
Sarah stepped out of the bench and shouted, "How dare you laugh at my clothes? This is a style you uncultured gold-digger!"
Aeiou turned his head to his back and feigned ignorance. "Oh that's style? I thought it was a joke."
"Wooh! HAHAHHA!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Some students weren't able to suppress their laughter.
"Silence!" Sarah's voice cracked in anger.
"HAHAHA! I thought it was only me who thinks her clothes are funny."
"Finally, someone said it. She's so weird and thinks she's the main character! HAHAHA!"
Sarah looked around her and noticed the heads were magnetized on her. She crouched on the ground and buried her head on her knees. "Waaah! I'm going to report this as bullying!"
Aeiou snickered loudly. You deserve this. He turned his head back and walked but he bumped into a solid wall. For a swift moment, Aeiou thought he was about to get laughed at, but everyone went silent and held their breath.
When Aeiou recovered, he saw an incredibly handsome face in front of him. Warm air pummeled Aeiou's face, and minty breath scent wafted on Aeiou's nose.
Aeiou's eyes widened, he pushed Zed away but in the end he was the one who stepped back twice while Zed remained unmoved. Aeiou covered his mouth and nose. "W-why are you so close to my face? I can already smell your stinky breath!"
A lie. Zed's breath smell like sweet mint candy.
Everyone around gulped. Aeiou had pushed Zed and told him he has stinky breath. Knowing Zed, those were logically enough to start a fight with him. But their jaw dropped from what happened next.
Zed raised his palm close to his mouth and seemingly sighed. He smelled his palm and gazed at Aeiou annoyingly. "Annoying." Then he said without expression, like a calm lake with no emotions, "I don't think it smelled that bad. Come here, smell it again." He stepped forward and pushed his palm to Aeiou's face.
Aeiou was quick to evade. He stepped back once while still holding his nose. "Stop."
But Zed refused to give up and chased after him. "Smell it. It doesn't smell bad. You're just too insecure to accept my breath smelled great." He grabbed Aeiou's face with his hand. Aeiou slapped it viciously, like a cat who got pissed to a persistent playful dog. Aeiou hissed, "Didn't you hear me? No!"
But Zed pushed his hand again to him. Aeiou could only counterattack.
"Are you looking for a fight? Huh?!"
"Fight? No. If I am this would have been over by the time you enter that gate."
The two moved in circles like two swans dancing on a lake. Zed pummeled Aeiou's face softly as he chased after him. Sometimes, when he catches up with Aeiou's speed, he'd pinch Aeiou's cheek and he did that over and over aga in very chance he got. Soon, Aeiou's movement started to wobble as he got tired. Giving Zed more chances to pinch Aeiou's cheeks alternatively.
"Hey! Stop that!" Aeiou cupped his hands on his cheeks. "What am I to you, huh?"
It just might be Aeiou's imagination, but a soft bright light flashed on Zed's eyes. "I'll be able to know what you are to me soon."
Everyone didn't know what to say. It was the first time Zed had spoken that way to anyone, act like this, or even the way he approached Aeiou was weird enough already. He was expressionless and cold in his face but his actions says otherwise. He was playing with Aeiou as if he was playing with his favorite childhood toy.
Zed caught Aeiou's elbow using his one free hand in his pocket. "Got you."
Aeiou covered his mouth and nose with his palms.
"I'm sorry about last night," Zed stated.
Aeiou squint, then the memories came back bit by bit. He shook his head and muffled. "I don't want to remember it. Let go!"
One girl asked, "What happened last night?"
Zed looked at his side and said, "I kis... MMM!"
Aeiou was quick to put the hands on his lips to Zed's mouth. Now, they kissed again indirectly. But Aeiou didn't pay it any mind. Aeiou looked at the girl. "We reconciled. We are all good now! He he..."
Aeiou slithered his other arm around Zed's neck while still covering Zed's mouth. "Let's go?" Aeiou directed Zed away from the Island Of Snakes. Zed was surprisingly obedient. When Aeiou pushed Zed earlier, Aeiou was the one who got thrown off, but when Aeiou put his arm around Zed, directed him gently away, Zed followed him.
When they were ten steps away, Aeiou whispered, "Don't tell anyone else about it. Spare us the shame."
A small high voice echoed. "Zed!"
At the same time, Aeiou and Zed turned their heads to the space between them. Their eyes met in a swift moment, and if Aeiou wasn't covering Zed's mouth one could tell what could have happened. Aeiou ripped his mouth away from his knuckle. "W-who is calling you?" He roamed around his eyes from place to place awkwardly. He slowly turned red.
Meanwhile, Zed stared at the blush on Aeiou's cheeks until Aeiou turned his head away. He giggled and looked at the direction where his name was called.
Sarah was looking at them with black ink dipping from her eyes. It was her eyeliner gushing down on her cheeks. She pointed at Aeiou, "You want to kill him right? Zed? I'll gladly help you with that! He's a bully! He deserves to die!"
Aeiou looked at Zed's face. Along the way, Zed did threaten Aeiou.
Zed tapped Aeiou's hand on his mouth twice gently, then he looked at Sarah. Consequently, Aeiou removed his hand carefully away from Zed's lips and as soon as it left Zed's face a deep voice echoed.
"Listen." Zed pulled Aeiou's left shoulder close to his chest.
When Aeiou looked down, he saw the curve of his shoulder buried on Zed's chest. The muscle was softer than any pillow Aeiou had touched. I see, so muscles are soft if they aren't flexed.Wait what am I thinking?!
"I'm the only one allowed to hurt him."
Aeiou snapped back to reality when he heard that. He squinted at Zed. "What? Since when did I allow you to hurt me..."
Zed put his finger on Aeiou's lips. "Quiet." Then he looked back at Sarah and shot a glare, "Touch his hair and I'll decapitate your whole family to get equal with you."
No sound echoed next. No questioned or complained followed from the snakes around them. Aeiou stared at Zed's face. Zed turned at him and said aloud, "Tell me who hurt you and I'll get back to them a hundredfold."
Aeiou expected a series of displeased hissing to follow, but his ears picked up bell-like giggles coming from different directions. Aeiou pushed Zed's chest but Zed pulled him back to his chest and turned Aeiou around like a dog. "Let's go, we're gonna be late."
They walked side by side, with Zed's hand around Aeiou's shoulder.
With his brows subtly frowned, Aeiou bit his gum and thought. Look at this, yesterday we were enemies but now he's my bodyguard. Wait... does that mean we are acquianted?
Aeiou moved his eyes to his side and saw a group of girls who were lowly conversing on a bench while pointing at him. They were all beautiful, with white skin and shiny hair.
Aeiou smiled. Target locked.
Aeiou looked at Zed whose expression was always cold in default. I am playboy they say, and he's a fuckboy. If we tandem up we can conquer more philandorous things! "Can we go there?"
Zed turned at Aeiou and Aeiou quickly pointed at the girls giggling on a bench. All of them were small and beautiful. That was the first Aeiou saw Zed rolled his eyes. "No."
"Hey come on, I'll pick a girlfriend from one of them and then you choose one to fuck. Or maybe two or more. An orgy! Come on, it's a win-win for us if we work together. I know you want to fuck someone."
Zed was cold for a moment but then he smirked. "You have no idea who I want to fuck."
"Who?"
Zed looked at Aeiou with that smirk. "Come here." He leaned towards Aeiou's ear. Aeiou curiously leaned his ear towards Zed.
Zed whispered with a breathy tone, "You don't want to know."
Aeiou squinted his eyes. "Why won't I?"
Zed snickered.
When they were about to wind at an alley, Aeiou slipped under Zed's huge arm. He was quick to run back towards the girls he pointed, but Zed pulled him back strongly by his belt.
Two arms embraced Aeiou from his back that pressed him firmly to a person.
An expressionless voice sounded from behind. "You stay here."
Aeiou looked over his shoulder and saw Zed. "No! I need to flirt, it's my necessity! Let go!"
"Shut up. Are you sick in the head? Since when girls became a necessity?"
"You're the one who's sick! Why are you acting like this?! You weren't like this before when we were enemies! You're treating me worse than before!"
"Yes, because now I care, and I care differently than people, so suck it up if it's worse. You're the one who wanted to be friends with me. No turning back."
Aeiou whined and wobbled like a worm that touched salt. "LET GO!"
Emitting a wafting scent of sandalwood on his body, the guy was glaring coldly at Aeiou from behind him.
"What!?" Aeiou stung.
"If you run away like that again, I'll break your legs."
Aeiou was brought into a halt and cold air shivered down his spine. Suddenly, all the misfortunes from last night flashed onto his head; the drunk kiss, the gay sex and the sore on his shoulders and feet he had to endure. It all came back bit by bit until it resembled clear traumatic pictures .
Aeiou wished to grave all of those memories somewhere where he could never remember it again. But now he remembered it from Zed's cruel words and cold glare.
Aeiou stopped moving and asked seriously, "You're going to hurt me again? After everything that I did for you?"
"I'm going to be cruel if I want to." He maintained his icy glare on Aeiou as if his thoughts were drifted somewhere else. He poked Aeiou's left flank.
"And now you're tickling me?!"
"You don't seem to be faking it... You can move really well too... Your body healed quite fast, did you go to the doctor?"
Aeiou did not pay that question any mind and started whining again.
Meanwhile, Zed maintained an unreadable expression as he watched Aeiou sway on his arms. He had two days to reminisce what happened; how he was able to get home without remembering punching or nearly killing Jake.
And then the memories came back bit by bit.
"F*ck you!"
"Kiss my neck one more time and I'm gonna throw you into a ditch!"
The prince was not ashamed of what happened nor was angered by how Aeiou cursed at him all the way. He guessed it was because he was quite emotionally moved that Aeiou went through all of that for him. Also, the moment they shared on the beach together was something Zed wanted to cherish in his memories and let it not fade its colors forever.
"How're your lips?" Zed asked coldly, then he smirked.
Aeiou froze. His voice carried a hint of annoyance when he spoke again, "How was your head?" He looked behind him and smirked.
"It's fine. Why did you ask?"
Aeiou was taken aback. He paused and looked down.
"Why?"
"You don't remember anyone who had sex last night?"
"Did we?"
"Of course not! Fuck you!" Aeiou anticipated a fire back from Zed but what he got was something worse.
"Later."
Aeiou bit his gum. Before, he was the one who was shameless to kiss Zed in front of everyone but now look at them, Zed was hugging him from behind and not seemingly wanting to let go of him in front of other students who by the way were staring at them as if they were watching a Zoo show.
Zed was a killer whale toying with its prey. And the prey was Aeiou.
I can't let him treat me like this.
"We are friends now, huh?" Aeiou stated. "What an unfortunate turn out of events. I'd rather be enemies with you." His shoulders went up a few times as feigned waves of laughter left his lips. "Why don't we go back to being enemies instead?"
"Didn't you hear me? There's no going back. But there's definitely moving forward. Do you want us to be more than friends?"
That caused Aeiou's expression to change into myriad of colors. His once red face turned ghastly pale. He thrust his hands upward and laughed loudly before shouting to the air, "Wow, you're now shameless beyond compare. I can spread the news of you kissing people while you are drunk, do you want that?"
The students listening did not budge any sudden reaction.
Aeiou spoke those words with a hint of threat and made sure everyone heard it, but he got nothing satisfying.
A breathy deep voice whispered behind his ear. "People already know I do worse things than kissing someone, what's new?"
Aeiou bit his gum. Zed was right, there was nothing more worse than fucking girls left and right and leaving them before sunrise, everyone already knew that.
Suddenly, a chin buried on Aeiou's shoulder. A whispery voice blew, "But let's see. Why don't you tell them that I kissed you? A guy. I'll back it up with; That was the first time I kissed someone so hard we both ran out of breath. Let us get both our reputation get ruined."
Aeiou was struck silent. Zed was right once again. If he told people that he kissed Aeiou, they'd easily defend Zed with, "It was because his drunk," "I bet Aeiou took advantage of him," "We know Aeiou, he's trying so hard to destroy Zed."
Zed snickered, "Aeiou, I've been dealing with my father who is a worse jerk than you. No matter how hard you dig about me, nothing could hurt me anymore. Well, if you dig up about my mother, you'll be able to hurt me, but will you? Answer me."
Aeiou did not speak anymore cruel words. "Let go of me."
"Answer me first and I'll grant your wish. Will you use my mother to hurt me again?"
Aeiou's stomach churned. He looked down and bit his gum. "Let go..."
The image of Zed begging for an apology that night flashed inside Aeiou's head. Zed was clearly hurt beyond fixation. Would I hurt him again? He did not know what to say. No, scrap that, he knew exactly what to say he just didn't have the courage to say that he won't hurt Zed again. No, he said in his mind. "I will..." Aeiou choked. Suddenly, he couldn't lie.
Zed moved his arms around Aeiou's waist and hugged them tightly. His heat burrowing inside Aeiou's skin. "If you answer me honestly, I'd be kind to let you go a few meters away from me from now on."
Aeiou felt things he never knew before, but deep inside he knew he was being a coward. The reason most people lie was because the truth was rather scary to say. Hearing what happened to Zed's mother and how hard Zed begged that night for an apology made the answer clear. The truth was he didn't want to hurt Zed anymore. But it was so hard to say when the relationship you have with someone was never great.
Aeiou summoned his courage. "No. I will not hurt you that way again."
Consequently, the arms wrapped around Aeiou's torso relaxed until they withdrew back to their owner.
Aeiou turned his head to the back and caught Zed with a soft gentle stare. Zed tilted his head and it might just be inside Aeiou's mind, but Zed's lips curved up and his little eyes squinted. If eyes could smile on its own, that was how it looked like.
Aeiou looked down. He circled around Zed and walked gingerly. When he was ten steps away, he turned back and saw Zed unmoved on his spot. He didn't know why but somehow he got pissed and automatically said, "What? Aren't you going to class with me?" It was too late when Aeiou realized what he had said; he wanted to go to class with Zed.
Didn't he just threatened to break my legs? What am I doing?! I should run! Tsk! Forget it, I already said it, and besides, he said he'll break my legs if I run. I'll just be careful next time.
Zed snickered and started walking towards him. "I'll be right behind you."