Lil' Prince

Chapter 2

Kongpob: 16 Arthit: 8

3rd Person's POV

Arthit was tapping his foot impatiently as he stood at the entrance of his school, waiting for his brother, Prem. He'd promised the younger that he would bring him out for lunch when he fetch him but Arthit had been waiting for him for almost an hour. He was so close to going back into the school compound and maybe seek for his teacher's assistance when he saw a familiar figure approaching him on a bike.

"P'Kongpob?" He was surprised to see the alpha here.

"Been waiting long, kid?" Kongpob asked the moment he stood still in front of Arthit, removing his sunglasses as he stepped down from the vehicle.

"About an hour." Arthit replied with an annoyed pout, "Where is P'Prem anyways? He'd promised that he would be the one coming to fetch me so I'd tell the driver not to come today."

"...Your brother is a little busy today and he told me to come and get you." Kongpob was silent for a moment before answering as he took Arthit's bag into his hand, "Let's get going then."

Arthit nodded but halted his steps when he heard someone calling him from behind.

"N'Arthit! Wait, N'Arthit!" He turned around and saw his teacher come running to them. She was panting heavily when she was finally in front of them, "I'm sorry but you can't bring N'Arthit home."

"B-but why?" Arthit was puzzled as he stare at his teacher.

"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I couldn't allow you to bring N'Arthit with you." The teacher said and Kongpob looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You're not his siblings and definitely not his parents and as his teacher, I'm concerned."

"But it's okay, Miss Shin, he's P'Prem's best friend." Arthit tried to explain but his teacher pulled him to her side, shielding him away from Kongpob.

"I think it's best if we give a call to your brother or your parents to be sure of this matter. Will that be okay, N'Arthit?" Arthit could only agree as he grab the phone his teacher handed him which she'd dialed his father's number.

The call was picked up within a few rings, knowing that his father might be worried about be receiving a call from his homeroom teacher.

"Miss Shin? Did something happen to Arthit?" He could hear his dad's voice fill with worry.

"Dad, it's me."

"Arthit? What happened? Did Prem forget to fetch you? Don't worry, stay with your teacher for now and I'll come to you immediately-"

"I'm fine, dad. P'Kongpob is here with me. P'Prem told him to fetch me but Miss Shin thinks that it would be better to give you a call."

"Kongpob?"

"Yes, P'Kongpob." Arthit nodded his head, realizing his dad couldn't see, he quickly answered his dad in the call.

"Okay, umm, hand Kongpob the phone for a moment, sweetie. I'll be back home early today with your favorite strawberry cake, okay?" Hearing him, Arthit giggled gleefully before handing the phone to Kongpob and the latter's expression instantly turned serious when he was talking into the phone.

"Yes... Yes, sir."

"I'll be extra careful... Okay, I understand." Arthit couldn't really hear his dad from afar and so he'd started counting the rocks by his foot absentmindedly instead.

"...10...11...12...12 rocks...no...no...that's not a rock. Is that a rock?" Arthit crouched down and was about to pick up the object when Kongpob held his arm, pulling him back up.

"Hey, don't go picking up things on the ground, especially when it was covered with dust." He scrunched his nose, looking at the thing covered with sand that Arthit was about to pick up, "Your dad wouldn't be happy if he got home seeing you with that."

"He wouldn't?" Arthit looked up at Kongpob, feeling a little confused.

"Of course he wouldn't tell you anything, kid. You're his baby boy and I would be the one getting the blame." Kongpob rolled his eyes, nodding to the teacher as he led Arthit to his bike, helping the younger up the backseat and wearing him a helmet that Prem had given him specifically after knowing that he would be fetching Arthit with his bike. At first, Arthit thought that Kongpob would bring him to where his P'Prem was, apparently he'd thought wrong. Kongpob had brought him to one of his favorite restaurants and they had quite a decent lunch, and he was instantly sent back home.

"P'-" Arthit was going to ask about his brother's whereabouts when Kongpob just simply took off, leaving him standing by the door with a woman in her 50's.

"Aunty Aalya." Arthit softly called when he noticed the woman approaching him as he gulped nervously.

"Let's go inside, Arthit." She was about to hold his hand when Arthit backed away slightly, feeling a little lost. Hurt flashed in her eyes and Arthit bit his lip guiltily.

"I..." Unsure what to say, Arthit looked at the woman as she curved her lips into a warm smile.

"It's okay, let's just go inside, shall we? Your dad had bought you some cakes and I'm sure you'll like them." And with careful steps, Arthit followed the woman to the dining table and was met with his dad's slightly worried eyes.

"Dad." He simply greeted and tried to form a smile but failed when he saw the woman that had just welcomed him sitting beside his father, "I'm still full, dad. I...I'll go back and do my homework."

He swiftly left before his father could say anything and rushed back into his room. He placed his bag on the desk and grabbed his phone from his drawer. To have his own phone at a very young age was actually Knot's idea as he said it would be easier for his siblings and elders to contact Arthit. His hands were shaking when he finally open the dial pad and called the first number that appeared.

"Arthit? What's wrong?" He could hear Knot's soothing voice and he took a deep breath shakily.

"P-P' Knot, are you coming back home today?" He asked while nervously picking on the skin of his finger.

"I could spare out some time to go back home. What's wrong?"

"I...I just missed you that's all." He answered, approaching his bed as he exhaustedly plopped himself on the soft mattress.

"Is it Aunty Aalya?" That mere question managed to struck Arthit.

"Yes." He whispered.

"I'll come back home in an hour."

Hanging up the call, Knot could only sigh. He knew Arthit and Aalya doesn't have the best relationship but he never knew that he was this tensed and disturbed by her presence. He couldn't blame Arthit either. The younger was perplexed. He felt as if he'd done something wrong if he treated his stepmother, Aalya, better than how he treated his own mother. So, he decided to distance himself from her. Knot and the others tried to help Arthit to open up but the latter was still too caught up in the current situation, his parents' divorce, and his new marriage. He was in a dark cold room but the problem is he wasn't willing to open the door and the light to come in and shine. In the end, he was all alone, afraid, and confused.

Knot could only hope that this situation could get over soon. He doesn't want his brother or their stepmother to continue suffering in this suffocating relationship.

A/N:
Hey guys, it's literally been months since I last updated. School and all sorts of personal reasons were making my life too hectic and now, I finally found the time to write again. I hope this chapter was good enough considering it's been so long since I last updated. That's all from me, thanks for reading.