S. F. - 05

***

New.

I coughed as Gunsmile puffed a smoke from his cigarette, not only choking me but burning my eyes as well.

"I told you not to smoke in front of me!" I hissed before moving a step back from him.

"Come on, it's just for today, okay? I haven't smoked in a while. Love's been monitoring me and I don't wanna ruin my chances of making her say yes."

"Then suck on a lollipop, asshole. You already know how I hate the smell of that."

I grabbed my bag from the chair and stashed my book inside. We were currently in an abandoned building at the back of the school, the place where Gunsmile would take a smoke since no one else would go there. 

"I'm working on quitting smoking, okay? It's just that you can't do it at one time. It's a process."

"You better do that or I'm gonna take out your lungs out even before the students affairs committee catches you," I hissed before plopping down on the nearby chair. "By the way, where's White?"

"Oh, he's with Captain. They're paired for a class project so they're working on it."

I was about to ask him something else when his phone rang.

"Yes, sweeettie?" 

I rolled my eyes as his voice changed making it sound like he was the sweetest person on Earth. 

"Okay, sweettie. I'm on my way," he smiled widely as he ended the call. "I gotta go. Love's looking for me."

"Are you sure you're not his boyfriend yet?" 

"Not yet, but almost," he wiggled his eyebrows at me before throwing me something.

"Hey! The fuck am I gonna do with this??"

"Keep it for me first. Can't let Love see it. Bye dude! See you later!" 

I scowled as I watched him ran away leaving me in the abandoned building with a pack of cigarettes in my hands.

***

"Aren't you supposed to turn in your output before going to your seat, Mr Thitipoom?"

I let out a huge breath of air as I walked back to the front of the class where Mrs Thanomwang was standing with her hand wide open like she was telling me to hand her my output.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," I mumbled before opening my bag to get my report. 

I recklessly pulled it out of my bag, but immediately muttered a curse when something dropped on the floor whilst I was pulling it out.

Shit! 

I immediately grabbed Gunsmile's pack of cigarettes from the floor and hid it behind my back but it was too late for Mrs Thanomwang was already staring at me like I just committed a crime. 

"So you smoke now, Mr Thitipoom. And you really have the audacity to bring your pack of cigarettes in my class? To the student affairs office now!" she exclaimed before grabbing the pack of cigarettes from my hand. 

"M-ma'am. It's not mine, okay? I was just keeping it for someone else. I have nothing to do with this."

"Oh, it's not for me to decide. Let's go. The rest of you, do a self study on chapter 6. I'll be giving a quiz when I come back," she announced before strutting towards the door. "Aren't you coming??"

I bit my lips as I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and followed her outside. 

***

"You do know our policy of strictly no smoking inside the school premises, Mr Thitipoom."

I watched as Mrs Phawta, the head of the student affairs committee. slid a copy of the school policies and regulations on the table and pointed at rule number 7. 

"Ma'am, I told you it's not mine. I was just keeping it for my friend! Ma'am," I pleaded frustratingly, my hands on her desk as I tried to compose myself or else I would have exploded in front of her.

"Then can you tell me who's this friend, Mr Thitipoom so I can suspend him in your stead?" 

I bit the insides of my cheeks and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. I badly needed to get out of this mess, but I can't bring myself to say that the pack of cigarettes belonged to Gunsmile. 

"If you're not gonna say anything, then I'll have to assume that this pack is yours. You're suspended for five days. Okay, you may go."

***

I flinched when a searing pain ran across my cheeks. With slightly teary eyes, I looked at my dad who was clenching his fist so tightly that his veins were already popping out.

"Haven't you had enough of bringing humiliation to this family? You said you'd do your best to change and graduate university in peace after that incident. But what is this?! A suspension? You're suspended for five days for smoking in school! Smoking? Since when did you learn how to smoke, New?? Wasn't it enough that you almost killed someone because you were drunk driving??" 

I closed my eyes as he smacked his fist on my cheeks again. 

"Hon! What's happening?! Why are you hitting your son?"

My mom who just got home came to my side and immediately checked my face. I flinched when she touched my jaw. 

"You get out of my way. I'm not yet done with your son! That scoundrel had brought yet another humiliation to this family!"

"Can you stop hitting your son! He's hurt already!"

I just meekly smiled at my mom who was crying in front of me.

"It's okay. Mom. Please go to your room. I don't want you to see any of this."

"No. I'm not leaving you here. Come with me," she started dragging me towards the stairs but eventually stopped when my father's voice hollered in the entire house.

"You're not bringing him anywhere! I'm not done with him yet!"

"No! You've punished him enough already! You hit him again or I'm leaving this house!" she exclaimed before dragging me upstairs to my bedroom.

***

"Care to tell me anything?" mom asked after she had done treating the bruises on my face.

I didn't say a word and just hugged her tightly. 

"Fine. You don't have to say anything, okay. Mrs Phawta called and told me everything. I know that pack of cigarette is not yours, okay. I trust you."

I hugged her even tighter as she started caressing my back. 

"I'm sorry, mom."

"It's okay. I know you have a good reason for doing that. You go take a rest. I'm just gonna talk to your dad."

She then placed a light kiss on my head before letting go of me. 

***

I lied on my back and stared at the ceiling, trying hard not to lose my sanity and start talking to the walls of my room. It had been three days, three days of pure isolation in my room with no gadgets, no nothing, just nada. 

I heaved a huge sigh and languidly got up from my bed, dragging my feet as I opened my window.

I was greeted by the cold night air. It was almost 11 in the evening and staying alone in my room for days had already gotten me on the edge of breaking down. 

I looked down and calculated the height of my window from the ground. 

"Fuck this. I better get out or I'm gonna lose my mind," I muttered to myself and grabbed my jacket before carefully jumping out of my window.

I stifled a groan as I landed on the soft grass. I looked at my feet and that was when I realized that I forgot to change into my shoes and was still wearing my bedroom slippers. 

"Urgh. Seriously?" I whispered to myself frustratingly but immediately went to the back of the house to get the bicycle I had not used for a while.

"Time to sweat a bit, hun," I muttered as I carefully opened the back gate and started pedaling away from the house. 

***

I was greeted by the loud party music and the smell of alcoholic beverages. 

I weaved past through the people who were dancing wildly on the dance floor and scowled when I saw that some of them were already making out and grinding against each other. 

I shook my head as I approached the bar counter. 

"One shot of vodka, please."

The bartender might not have heard me for he continued wiping the glass whilst his back was turned to me. I aggressively knocked on the counter to get his attention but immediately froze when he turned around.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't hear you. What do you wanna drink, Sir?"

"Vo-vodka," I stuttered as my throat was drying up upon recognizing who it was. 

He immediately handed me a shot of vodka.

"How long have you been working here?" I decided to strike a conversation. He might not remember me but I could remember his face very well, so damn well.

"Oh, been here for months already. It's your first time here? I only got to see you now."

"Yeah," I timidly answered and took another shot.

We were in the midst of a conversation when a commotion started. I just brushed it off knowing that something like that could happen at bars like this but not until someone shouted.

"This is the police! Don't move!"

***

"What were you doing at the bar? Aren't you seriously gonna say anything young man?"

I just stared at the policeman who ran a frustrated hand through his hair, obviously getting tired of interrogating me when I hadn't answered any of his questions.

"You see, you need to call your parents to get you out of here. You're still a student but you're out at night partying at a bar that hosts drug dealings. Are you perhaps affiliated with these dealers?"

I scoffed before leaning back on the chair.

"Look, Sir. I just want to take a break and get drunk peacefully. Stop accusing me of being a drug dealer. And besides, I'm a university student and already at the right age to party and drink."

"You still have to call your parents or any guardian."

"Don't have any," I muttered and crossed my arms across my chest.

"Oh, stop lying to me young man. I kno-"

"Good evening, Sir. I'm his guardian," said a voice behind me.

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at that one person who had the audacity to claim to be my guardian. 

"Si-sir?" I stuttered as I looked at Mr Tawan but immediately furrowed my eyebrows as soon as I saw the bartender standing closely behind him.

***

"Heard you're suspended for five days. Do you have plans of extending your vacation?" Mr Tay chided sarcastically as soon as we got out of the police station.

I just scoffed at him and then looked at the man behind his back.

"Well, I've got to thank you for bringing my ass out of the police station, Sir, but save your lecture for later. We're not in the classroom," I retaliated and started walking away. 

But before I could take any step further, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards his car.

"Will you let go of me??" I tried whisking his hand away but he just pushed me in the backseat.

"I'm taking you home. Now, if you don't wanna get into more trouble, do as I say."

I shivered at the firm tone of his voice. I had never heard him use that tone before and that made me settle at the backseat of his car. 

"Kao, get inside."

I quickly glanced at the bartender who turned out to be named Kao and smirked.

Looks like I ruined someone's date tonight. 

***

"Thanks," I murmured as Mr Tay parked a few blocks from my house.

"You better get your act together, New. I won't tell your parents about tonight but if you do something outrageous like this again, then I would have to talk to them."

"Geez. Fine. You sound like my dad," I scoffed before going out of his car. 

I started walking back to my house.

"Geez. I should have come back for my bike," I groaned as I realized that I totally forgot to get my bike from the club. 

I fished out the key of my bicycle lock from my pocket but frowned when I couldn't find it. 

"Where did I drop it?" 

I looked back to where Mr Tay's car was and frowned even more when I saw that they hadn't left yet.

I immediately walked back to his car hoping I dropped my key there, but stopped when I heard their voices from the inside.

"Are you seriously making this an issue, Kao?? Do you even hear yourself?!" Mr Tay's voice reverberated in the silence of the night that even if they were inside the car, I could hear their voices. 

"Oh, so do you like that student of yours?? For you to put on a such a heroic act? May I remind you Tay that he saw us fucking in your cousin's house but you didn't do anything about it!" 

"He's my student, Kao. Of course I've got to help him in situations like this! Can you stop acting like a jealous boyfriend and get your act together?!"

"Fine! If you don't like to see me get jealous over the boys around you then tell your parents we're dating each other. I'm so tired of being hidden, Tay. We've been hiding for a year already. When are you gonna man up, huh?!"

"I-I told you I can't."

"Why? Why? Is it because of that best friend of yours? Oh, I mean your first love?? Come on, Tay! Aom's already dead! She's fucking dead! So get over her and stop using me! I'm so tired of you using me but you can't still get over her when she's dead! Fucking de--"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! Don't you ever say her name like that!"

I flinched when I heard the sound of the steering wheel being hit which was followed by a long stretch silence. 

I know I should have walked back to my house but for god-knows-why, something was telling me to stay rooted in my place and continue listening. 

"I hate you, Tay. I fucking hate you."

Kao was crying but I didn't hear anything from Mr Tay. I quickly turned on my heels to leave but the door suddenly opened, revealing an equally shocked Tay Tawan.

"How long have you been there?" he asked in a stern voice while glaring at me dangerously.

"Uhm. Just...enough..to hear everything?" I replied before smiling awkwardly and nervously.

***