Me After You ✔

020

7 more days till the final exams.

During Physical Education class, nobody remained in the classroom to revise; instead, the entire class flocked down to the fields to exercise in an attempt to relax. The class teacher constantly reminded the class to stay away from sports like tennis and basketball, as they could very well injure their hands in so playing. Thus, the entire class was restricted to jump rope and jogging.

Jamie dragged Phana, Nai and Arthit over to play badminton. After some time, Arthit grew tired of playing badminton, and left the group to jog around the field. Before he realized it, he had already arrived at the isolated corner where the special youth had once leapt over the school gates to stand in front of him.

As he neared the corner, his sharp eyes discerned the sleeve of a white t-shirt peeking out from beyond the gates. Surprised and elated, he ran to the gates and grab hold of the metal railings, "Why are you here?"

Kongpob stretched out his index finger, and ran his fingers over Arthit's before replying, "I know that you're having Physical Education lessons now."

"There's still 7 days to graduation exams."

"I know."

"If we factor in the days where graduation exams are taking place, which are a grand total of two days, we could stay by each other's side after ten days!"

Kongpob gave a quiet chortle, "Right now, we're already staying by each other's side every single day."

"......Oh." Arthit nodded his head.

The warm afternoon glow filtered down through the leaves of the trees. Kongpob tore his gentle gaze away from Arthit's face, and finally settled on a figure that had appeared behind the younger, cool frostiness beginning to form in his eyes. Lowering his voice, he murmured, "Someone's looking for you." Before Arthit could react to the sentence, Kongpob had already disappeared beyond the gates.

Arthit turned his head behind, only to see Knott strolling over from a distance away. Arthit perfectly understood that if Knott resorted to looking for him at this hour of the day, it must be concerning something way more serious than simply warning him about the rapist at large. Shaking off the dust on his clothes, Arthit began to walk towards Knott.

There were a couple of exercise contraptions located in a corner of the field. Arthit headed straight for elliptical machine, and hopped onto it. Meanwhile, Knott sat on the sit-up bench next to him, silently watching him exercise on the elliptical machine for a period of time before finally speaking up, "Nong Arthit?"

"Yes?" Arthit answered in a casual tone.

"Do you remember me telling you previously, that you should come looking for me the minute you encountered any trouble?"

"I remember." Arthit lowered his head, his legs pumping rhythmically on the elliptical machine, as though they were a pendulum clock.

"But you never once came to look for me." Knott let out a short, bitter laugh.

"I......" Arthit shook his head and smiled faintly, "I didn't encounter any ...... difficulty."

"No difficulties? Jay and his group of friends were constantly bullying you – why didn't you tell me that?" Knott had finally discovered the connection between Jay and him.

Arthit paused momentarily, before resuming his rhythmic motion on the elliptical machine. "Even if I chose to confide in you ...... how would that have helped the situation?" He returned the question to Knott.

"I could ......" Knott couldn't bring himself to continue his sentence. The very reason why Arthit was relentlessly tormented and bullied was because he had told him the truth about Namtarn's death. And because of numerous other reasons, he was unable to protect him and to guard him from harm. At this very moment, Knott was seized by memories of sending Arthit back and forth from school – his thankful and expectant gaze whenever he ran to him from the alley near his house, the look of trust and reliance every single time he gave him every single time before he stepped into the school compound – all these no longer existed in the present day and age.