Rai tilted his head slightly, his lips curving into a slow, dangerous smile.
"I always had the courage," he said calmly. "But I'm not that crazy like you think. I wouldn't poison this. I'll just pour it straight into your mouth."
His voice was light, almost playful, yet there was something sharp hidden beneath it.
Zade smirked at him from across the counter, clearly amused.
"You think I don't know that?" he replied. "But we met after so many years. Who knows? Maybe you turned into a coward as you grew up. Since the first day I met you, you've only gotten worse."
He leaned lazily against the counter, arms crossed, as if he were enjoying every second of this pointless argument.
Yeah. He was an ungrateful annoying bastard.
Rai rolled his eyes, looking at Zade, then pushed Zade's lunch and breakfast, which were packed into boxes, and walked out of the kitchen.
Zade just watched, his eyes darting back to the boxes that had his name, "lunch," and "breakfast" written on them.
'He wrote my name. Surprisingly, he didn't write "bastard" or anything.'
Zade rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms before yawning and stepping into the bathroom. He had woken up early randomly that day, and when he was about to go to the bathroom, he noticed Rai standing still, not moving.
Curious, Zade had approached quietly.
Only to realize Rai was staring at a lunchbox.
Which he later saw had his name on it.
Rai was staring at it as if it was his greatest enemy.
Zade had almost laughed out loud.
Why would someone glare at a lunchbox like that?
He would have gladly taken that glare himself.
Thinking about it now, Zade chuckled softly.
Rai still managed to look so childish, even at this age.
It wasn't a bad thing.
At least, not to him.
After Rai finally finished getting ready, he left without a word, walking to school smelling like that stupid guy at home.
Rai had caught onto Zade now. He noticed how his own shampoos and body washes were getting less and less, even when he didn't use them as they were still in the corner of that cabinet. So he assumed that Zade was using his things while Rai used Zade's things.
Honestly, they were being way too petty at this point, but who was going to back down?
No one.
"H-Hi. Good morning."
Rai's daze was broken when he looked up at the person who greeted him. This was new, after all. He never met anyone on his way to school before.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'Ah… She is one of them.'
The girls from yesterday.
It was one of them.
"Good morning."
Rai said and stared at her as she was now blocking his way, also staring back at his face.
"Excuse me."
Rai said as he carefully stepped past her, confused as to why she would just stare at him and not say anything.
'I think she did want to say something but couldn't… Well, she should know she is wasting other people's time by standing like that.'
Rai finally came to his school almost five minutes late, so he had to sign his name after Miss Lia. He always came before her. Now, coming after her, he felt a little irritated.
"Good morning, Teacher Arthur."
Lia greeted him after Rai finished signing, and then they walked to the teachers' room together.
"Good morning."
"From today on, many of us will get extra periods to teach since we have to cover the ones that were left yesterday."
"Mmm…"
"By the way, you asked me about stores that day. Did you go?"
"Not yet."
"Ah. Then will you come with me today? I'm planning to go there. The one around the hospital. I assumed you wanted to go too since you asked."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Really?! Okay then, let's go after school. What about it? We can go by bus too."
"Okay then."
"Then meet me at the gate."
"Mm."
Rai answered and sat at his desk as he pulled out a few books and today's lesson plans. While focusing on them, Lia, who also sat at her desk, stole a glance at Rai and then picked up her phone.
"Hello, Aunty. I'm Lia. You said you need to buy more spices for the kitchen, didn't you?"
"Ah. Tell me what kinds you need."
"No, no. Just tell me quickly."
"Okay. Listen. I will buy them this time. I'll bring them today."
"Hm hm."
She ended the call and stole another glance at Rai, who was still busy with his pile of books.
"Teacher Lia."
"Yeah?"
"Here is the new timetable."
Lia's face turned sour as she stared at the piece of paper, just like most others, except Rai and a few more.
It looked busy.
'Two extra periods…'
Rai examined his timetable and felt a smile creep in as he saw the name of the class he got those extra periods in.
Class 9A.
Ninth graders.
Here, they only had one class, with around fifteen students. Only three were girls, while the others were boys, and it was mostly chaotic because of that.
The boys and Rai strangely got along very well. Maybe it was because the boys found out they could ask him a lot of questions about city schools. They were always so curious, and Rai felt enthusiastic about how interested they were in studying related things.
He grew to like them, especially because of that.
Rai folded the paper and tucked it into his notebook before getting up and leaving with the others as school started.
While Rai was walking to his first class of the day, he paused and turned around when he heard a loud argument.
"Do you know who my dad is?!"
"Well, why are you asking me? Do I look like your mother?"
"How dare you talk back to me!"
"What do you want me to do? Shut up? Why? Are you that scared?"
"You! Bastard!"
"Don't think your fist can save your ego. Also, I'm curious. Do you not know who your father is?"
"I will ki-"
"Stop it! Both of you!"
Rai had already walked over and separated them. One of them already had a red jaw.
"Sir, it's him who started it!"
The boy with the clenched fist complained, teeth gritting as he stared at the boy with the reddened jaw.
"Well, if you hadn't gotten jealous over a girl, none of this would have happened."
The other boy said calmly, rolling his eyes.
The boy with the clenched fist stepped closer, ready to strike again, but Rai stepped in and pulled him back.
He gave both of them a lecture and sent them to class after forcing them to shake hands.
But Rai couldn't stop the awe as he stared at them, a smirk creeping in.
He remembered…
"Do you know who my father is?"
"Why are you asking me? Do I look like your mother?"
That was the conversation that later turned into a full-blown physical fight.
His and Zade's.
Their first ever fight.
Being a prefect, it was one of Rai's responsibilities to check students' bags before entering, to make sure nothing unwanted was brought in.
But that day, Zade refused to show his bag.
When Rai didn't let him go without checking, Zade tried to pull his rich-brat card.
Rai hated spoiled brats who flaunted their dad's money.
If he could flaunt his dad's money, then he should definitely know who his father is, right?
Who cared if his father was a minister?
It didn't matter to Rai, even if it mattered to others.
'Sigh…'
Rai shook his head to pull himself back as he realized he was going too far into his thoughts and continued walking.
He didn't have time to waste thinking about spoiled brats.
He had a busy day ahead…