Me After You ✔

016

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. How do we translate this quote by Oscar Wilde?" The English teacher stood behind the podium, his sharp, bespectacled eyes sweeping across the classroom. "Can someone volunteer to translate this sentence? Umm...What about Arthit?"

Arthit was about to rise from his seat when the English teacher waved his hand at him, "You may remain seated."

Arthit replied softly, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

"That's absolutely correct. We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." The English teacher repeated the translation once more, and pushed his spectacles up before continuing, "Next question."

It was the fourth day after the stabbing incident. Everything was as per normal.

Jay never sought Arthit out for revenge.

As the rainy season neared its end, the weather gradually grew hotter and hotter. Kongpob purchased a small electric fan for Arthit. Arthit hung it underneath his desk, the electric fan whirring silently as it provided him with much-needed comfort.

The English teacher was still going through the questions on the worksheet when a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the classroom. On seeing the class teacher's skinny figure, Arthit's heart skipped a beat – only to hear him announce, "Jamie, could you excuse yourself for a minute?"

Jamie left the classroom.

Arthit redirected his attention to the English teacher. Not long after, Jamie returned to the classroom, hints of delight barely concealed beneath her mask of normalcy.

After class, Nai poked Jamie's back, "Jamie."

"Yes?" Jamie turned back to look at Nai.

"Why did the class teacher look for you? Did something good happen to you?"

Arthit opened a packet of Pocky biscuits.

"May I have some?" Jamie reached over and grabbed a single Pocky stick. Nai reached for a Pocky stick as well, commenting as he munched on the Pocky stick, "Oon, you seem to have plenty of snacks recently."

Several classmates began to gather round Arthit's table, each grabbing a Pocky stick from him. Before long, the packet of Pocky was depleted.

"Jay's missing." Jamie shrugged her shoulders as she nibbled on her biscuit, unable to hide her gleeful expression from her face.

Surprised, Nai continued asking, "Why would the class teacher look for you if Jay is missing?"

Jamie rolled her eyes, "They're just going through the motions and asking me about his whereabouts as a symbolic step – after all, everybody knew that I was a victim of the bullying Jay and his minion friends inflicted on me. At that time, they all persuaded me not to overcomplicate matters, and to simply think of it as a prank between classmates. Now, seeing that I'm the first one to be questioned by them, they must have reversed their viewpoint on the incident." Jamie let out a cold, short laugh before continuing, "I'm not the only one who had been targeted by Jay – students from neighboring schools have been targets of his bullying as well! Am I the only one who hates him? In any event, I can't be bothered about what happened to him– he deserves to be missing."

Arthit raised his head, and warned Jamie, "Don't be so sure about that. What if, he had simply gone away for a short recreational trip? He might return, after a few days."

Jamie pouted, "I really really really hope he never returns. Ever."

Nai chimed in, "Ah, our class teacher is going to have a head full of white hair soon."