17

If Huang Zitato had to describe himself with one word, it would have been selfish even though all his friends claimed otherwise. They saw him as a selfless, ever-so-cheerful creature who would have suffered gladly had that meant someone else became happy on his expanse.

But no, that wasn't true. Not anymore, at least.

Tao grew up as the third wheel to Sehun and Luhan; two boys so close to each other that their parents used to say that they were attached at the hip. He always felt alone, but he was obliged to play with them: after all, the older of the two was his cousin. Every Saturday morning he was led into the Lus' house with that grinning mother of his and told to behave well.

He enjoyed spending time in the small but cozy home, but he never quite liked how the others didn't notice him. Oftentimes, his friends acted as if he wasn't even there: Tao even asked his mother once if he had been made out of air. It made her giggle sweetly even if he had been serious.

But how could have she known? She was never really there, she only saw how Luhan and Sehun waddled to Tao and dragged him off to play on the mornings they met.

She never saw how they didn't even shoot him a glance right after she left.

She was an oblivious person. She always had been.

Shaking his head, the black-haired boy heaved a sigh: he had no reason to reminisce about his not so happy childhood. Not now, at least, when he was tutoring his sick cousin who had been out of school for the better part of the week. Luhan was curled up on his bed with eyes casted on the window, half shut. He seemed to be on the brink of sleep yet it had been him who had pleaded with his mother to allow Tao to tutor him: he didn't want to fall behind.

"How is he?" he asked suddenly, voice scratchy. Whether it was from crying or his illness, his cousin just didn't know. However, his heart clenched painfully at the sorrow that seemed to seep from those short, simple words.

He could have easily stopped this misery with blurting out the truth to Sehun; but he was far too selfish. That way, he would have lost the friendship with the boy, simply because he would have clung to Luhan once again.

It would have been Sehun and Luhan, not Sehun and Tao and that, the boy couldn't bear. Not even when he had a lover - of whom, ironically, his dear cousin knew.

"He is okay. Coping way better than when you snapped at him." His answer wasn't true: Sehun was getting worse by the day. Only a year had passed since it all had happened, and it was obvi