credits: Baktinski

credits: trpplr_c

credits: ThisIsAnneca

credits: annejiyongi

“Don’t laugh”, Dara warned him when she saw Bullet’s eyes wrinkling in amusement while biting his bottom lip. They were sitting inside an empty classroom during their vacant hour talking about Locker X when Dara suddenly popped the ridiculous question.

“Are you seriously asking me that question?”

“I am!” She exclaimed while eyeing him expectantly. “So how was it? How did it feel like when you lost your ity? Can you still remember it clearly? Was it magical?”

Magical?! Bullet pretended to cough to cover his laugh but the girl narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t laugh!” She shrieked.

“Munchkin”, he rubbed his cheek with his hand while shaking his head, not knowing how to answer the curious girl. “How the hell did our topic shifted to this when we were just talking about Locker X a while ago?” He asked, although in the twenty minutes that they were sitting idly, their conversation has been swinging from awkward to gross to a very serious one. He should not be surprised with the sudden shift of topic at all.

“Let’s not talk about Locker X and about me being marked. I already promised you that I’ll always be careful. Now, are you ready to answer my question, Mr. Lee? Or perhaps, you need more time to emotionally prepare yourself?”

“I think you’re the one who needs to emotionally prepare yourself”, Bullet smiled at her. “Can I say ‘’ in front of you or are you uncomfortable with that S word?” He teased.

“Cut it out”, Dara frowned at him.

“Sorry”, he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You looked really cute when you were asking about it earlier, I just can’t help it. When you say ‘magical’, do you mean little cherubs flying around and playing harps during the first time I had ?”

“Bullet!” Dara exclaimed, clicking her tongue in frustration. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean”, he laughed softly. “This conversation is making me blush. How dare you assume I’m not a anymore?”

“Oh please. There’s always a trail of behind you and a line of girls eager to jump on your bed”, Dara rolled her eyes at him. “Come on. How was it?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Just tell it to me how you remember it.”

“I’m not sure I can tell you the details”, he grinned smugly.

“I don’t want the details of your spectacular mating”, Dara retorted. “I want to know how you felt. I want to know a guy’s perspective of the day he first did it with a woman.”

“Munchkinnnnn”, Bullet whined, curling his fingers in disgust. “This topic is making me cringe!”

“Why?”

“Because you’re being so serious about this!”

“It was just a simple question. Or are you hiding something? Were you not able to make your ‘thing’ rise during the crucial moment?” Dara grinned and chuckled.

“Excuse your rudeness, my ‘thing’ is of super alpha quality that heeds to my command.”

“Right, right. I’m sure your alpha has a lot of stories to tell. Now back to my question. How was your first time?”

“Hmmm…” Bullet pondered for a moment while staring at her. “I did it with a hot chick and I remember feeling good about it.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“That’s it?” Dara exclaimed incredulously. “I’m sure you two talked after you did it.”

“I asked her if she’s okay, she said she’s fine. We cuddled for a while and we fell asleep. Are you thinking we discussed what we did and evaluate our performance? Eeww.”

Dara threatened to hit him with her bag before speaking, “Of course not.” She sighed and rested her chin on her palm while staring at her friend, “I just thought it will be different.”

“If you ask someone who did it with the person they like, perhaps you’ll find the answer you’re looking for”, he said and cupped his chin with his palm as well. “Or perhaps not”, he added. “It really depends. I think if you asked me this question days after I did it, I will be very enthusiastic with my answer. Just like when you first went to a country you’ve been longing to visit – when you remember your travel a month after, everything seems magical. Then, as time passes by, the magic fades away.”

“Hmmm...” Dara looked out the window of the classroom and saw Riko walking at the hallway. “I wonder if that’s really the case with the person who did it with someone they love”, she mumbled.

“I wonder too”, Bullet remarked. “My first time is gone so I won’t know the answer to that.”

Dara continued staring at the window and when she saw Stone passing by, she hastily gathered her things and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Bullet asked in bewilderment.

“I want to talk to Stone.”

“WHAT?” He abruptly stood up and grabbed her wrist, preventing her from leaving. “I told you not to go near that guy, didn’t I? That bastard is messed up”, he hissed, his eyes conveying his disapproval.

“Bullet, please. I want to talk to him about Jiro.”

“He won’t listen to you.”

“I have to try. If you’re worried, then come with me. I’ll just talk to him for a few minutes”, she reasoned. Bullet hesitated before nodding in agreement, still uneasy about Dara’s decision. They then left the classroom and headed to the direction where Stone was going.

Stone was on his way to the east gate when he heard the girl calling his name. He glanced back and saw the Fire 39 leader and Dara walking towards his direction. Stone halted his steps and turned around while frowning, eyeing Bullet who was standing in a near distance as the girl approached him. He raised his eyebrows at her and asked, “What?”

“I just want to talk to you about Jiro.”

“About my fight with him?”

“No. I heard about what happened with you and Jiro when you were kids; when you were at the orphanage”, she said carefully.

“So?”

“You can talk to him. If you’re still bothered by it, you can talk to Jiro.”

An amused laugh escaped his lips while staring at the girl. “Bothered by it? Me? I don’t care about him. Stop sticking your nose to other people’s business, missy. What are you trying to achieve? World peace?”

Dara held his gaze, not deterred by the guy’s snide remark. She knew Jiro and she knew he would rather stay silent than clear things out. “He said you’re like his brother”, she mumbled and watched as Stone hastily looked away. “I knew it meant a lot to him and it seems it meant a lot to you too.”

“You’re wasting my time”, he muttered and spun around to leave but Dara suddenly held his arm to stop him, which he briskly slapped away. With that, Bullet took a step forward with a dark expression on his face. “Watch it”, he warned in a dangerous tone.

“Shut up”, Stone hissed.

“Cut it out”, Dara said firmly and stood between the two hot-headed guys. She exhaled exasperatedly, her eyebrows mashed together in suppressed annoyance as he faced Stone. “Don’t you want to know the reason why he left you in the orphanage?” She asked. “What are you afraid of?”

Stone clenched his fists, his lips forming a thin line while glaring at the girl. His heart is pounding with rage, his breath becoming ragged because of the memories that the girl is making him recall. “I don’t care about his reason. I don’t care about him at all”, he snarled at her and started to walk away.

“Are you afraid of the truth, Stone?” He heard her say, but he continued his steps.

‘He abandoned me’, he told himself. There’s no other truth than that.

“Think of the Jiro that you once knew”, Dara’s voice was swallowed by the strong wind, but somehow, her words made him think of those quiet times with Jiro as they sat on the stairs of the orphanage while watching the sunset; those moments of comfortable silence that made him believe that everything will turn out fine…because he found an ally, a friend, a brother who is willing to watch the sunset with him, even if he hates sunsets.

***

“I’m not drunk!” Bonsai yelled in protest as he tripped on his feet and fell on the ground. Picaro and Namee, who were tailing him, stopped walking and stared at the unmoving guy lying face-down on the street.

“Is he dead?” Namee asked.

“I hope so”, Picaro responded grudgingly. When his gang mate suggested that the three of them should have a ‘chill’ night since the exam week has ended, it seemed to be a nice idea. A couple of bottles of beer later, it became a horrible idea. Bonsai is a loud drunk and Picaro needs to make sure he sober up a little before he drops his friend home, or his dad will pound their asses to dust.

The last time his friend got wasted, Bonsai barged inside the bar’s kitchen and bawled uncontrollably while hugging the cook, pleading him to stop murdering the ‘poor pigs’. He then snatched the trays of meat lying on the table top and ran out of the bar while sobbing, with a couple of bouncers hot on his tails. It was a complete fiasco, one he would rather not witness again.

“BONSAI!” Namee’s voice slashed through his subconscious. He cursed when he saw his friend sprinting towards the nearest church while shrieking with glee. ARGH! He should’ve killed him when he had the chance.

“HEY! STOP!” Picaro shouted as he and Namee ran and followed the short guy.

“Behold! Bonsai is here!” Bonsai exclaimed loudly as he entered the church and walked unsteadily. Namee stood by the entrance while Picaro briskly strode towards his friend and tried to get him out of there.

“Get your together, man”, Picaro said exasperatedly.

“Oh look! Picaro, look! Little birdies with human heads!” Bonsai pointed at the cherubs statues by the wall and beamed at Picaro, as if he’s expecting him to cartwheel with glee. Picaro stared at him with a deadpan expression, deciding whether to punch his friend until he stops moving or just hurl his to the stratosphere.

“That’s great, Bonsai. There are more of them outside. Come on, I’ll show you”, Namee said as she approached them and coerced Bonsai to leave. Fortunately, he followed Namee but when he saw a bunch of girls sitting outside of the church, another crazy episode ensued. Bonsai suddenly took off his shirt and threw it elsewhere while dashing towards the girls before Namee and Picaro could react. The girls stared at him with wide eyes as Bonsai started flexing his muscles while throwing embarrassing pick-up lines that will put Bullet to shame.

“I think I just puked inside my mouth”, Namee told Picaro as they watched the guy in horror. “Please stop him.” Without saying a word, Picaro forced his friend to wear his shirt and dragged him out of there before the girls call the cops.

“Heyyyy! You’re destroying my game, man!” Bonsai complained.

“You don’t like girls anyway, Bonsai. You said girls are a headache. Let’s just get a cup of coffee so you’ll sober up”, Namee explained.

“Flowers!” Bonsai slumped near the bushes and started picking flowers he found on the street. “Girls like flowers, right Namee?”

“Bonsai, your dad will kill both of us if he sees you like this”, Picaro said, but his friend just waved his hand dismissively.

“He won’t. He’s out drinking too”, he explained. “It’s unfair. Dad can go out drinking at this day every year while my brothers and I had to rotate. It’s my turn to drink this year. When Battou grows up, he’ll get his turn.”

Picaro frowned in bewilderment, not understanding what his friend meant. Then, his eyes slowly widened when he realized what today is. . How could he have forgotten?

“Do you still want to drink?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“What? Picaro, he’s already wasted”, Namee protested.

Bonsai stood up with a bunch of wild flowers in his hand. “No, I want to go there now. Do I look fine?” He asked and gave them a drunken smile while fixing his mohawk hairstyle.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s go. She’s probably waiting”, Picaro said.

“Wait, where are we going?” Namee asked, totally confused.

“You’ll meet the woman that this punk loves”, he replied and held his girl’s hand. Namee did not say another word and just quietly followed the two guys. It was quite a long walk and when they finally reached the place, Namee somehow understood. She bit her lips and stared at Bonsai’s back as he carefully placed the sloppy bunch of flowers on the grave.

“Look at how quiet she is”, Bonsai said as he slumped on the ground while running his hand on the cold stone where his mother’s name is engraved, a bitter amusement laced in his voice. “She used to make a big fuss on every little thing – water stain on the coffee table, unfinished meal, overflowing laundry basket, and stupid sons who only know how to mess their room. It used to drive me nuts whenever I hear her endless nagging in the morning and after school. And I was utterly embarrassed whenever she goes crazy over market sale and buys a truck load of useless things like she’s preparing for the apocalypse.”

Namee’s grip on Picaro’s hand tightened as she listened in silence.

“She’s a crazy one, I tell you. Our house is always chaotic but she is louder than all of us, barking commands and throwing kitchen utensils at us if we don’t listen. I didn’t realize we had that many spoons until she hurled a whole bunch in my head when I went home drunk”, he chuckled, but his laugh slowly died down as he stared at her grave.

“I can’t hear her voice anymore”, Bonsai mumbled.

***

“What the are you looking at?” Jiro snarled at a student who was stealing a glance at them.

“Will you stop it?” Dara said and held his arm, dragging the guy away.

Days have passed since Jiro and Stone fought and Dara noticed that his temper is getting worse. He was always sticking with her and she also noticed how he becomes extra alert whenever there are members of The Claws gang around.

When they reached the line of faucets near the gym, Dara faced him and crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s with you?”

“What?” He frowned in irritation.

“You snap at almost everyone.”

“This Locker X issue has not been settled, Ramirez. I can’t stay put because of this . If something happens to you, I might burn this whole ing school to the ground. And Stone better be somewhere I can’t reach him because I don’t know what I’ll do to him if he hurts you.”

“Stone? What does he have to do with this?”

Jiro averted his gaze and shoved his hands inside his pockets. He glanced back, making sure that nobody is within earshot before shifting his gaze back to the girl.

“Jiro?”

“I think Stone is the one who marks the lockers”, he said, his eyes blazing with fury. “That ing idiot. From what the outside gang told me, everything points to him. If the other gangs find out that he’s behind Locker X, he will not be able to step inside this school.”

“So you’re not sure?” Dara asked. “Why don’t you talk to him?”

“I did. You saw us fight at the gym.”

There was a brief pause between them as Dara recalled her confrontation with Stone. It may sound stupid but she felt like there is more to this than what Jiro told her. Does Stone intend to hurt her? Or is he just messing with Jiro’s mind to get back at him? Was it really Stone behind Locker X?

“Talk to him, Jiro. That’s the only way to get to the bottom of this. Besides, I do think you two have a lot to discuss”, she insisted.

“I told you I already did.”

“Not just about Locker X. You hurt him when you left him at the orphanage and you know that”, she said carefully, watching Jiro’s dark expression as he tore his gaze off her.

“It was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter anymore”, he muttered as his eyes settled faraway, staring at the sunset he used to watch with a thin, sickly boy.

“It does”, Dara said quietly.

***

Namee: This is a group text, my awesome friends. I’m in Sociology class. God, I’m so bored. SAVE ME!

Dara: Is your professor the one who’s like a hundred years old and who suddenly stops in the middle of his sentence while staring at something as if he’s seeing a ghost?

Bullet: Professor Century Egg?

Namee: YES! WAHH!!!

Dara: @#$#@%$#%$#!!!

Bullet: $%$#($#)%$#)%@#$!!

Namee: #$#@$#)$#$%!!!

Bullet: How is he still alive?!

Namee: I knowww! He’s talking and breathing by sheer willpower alone!

Dara: Ugh! That professor checks attendance at the start, middle and end of the period. And he really is boring and scary! It’s like he has mastered the dark arts or something and can see things that we don’t see.

Namee: Exactly! I just saw a cup of coffee on his desk THAT WA