Green Light (GeminiFourth AU)

Chapter 13

♊4️⃣

The door suddenly flew open with a bang, and I recoiled in surprise. Three boys tumbled energetically into the room.

"Yo, Gemini! We came to make sure you had some fun this weekend...huh?"

Aun was in the lead, and noticed me right away. "What are you doing here?" he asked, pointing at me. Mark and Win were behind him. But that was exactly what I wanted to know about them. I turned back to Gemini in confusion, and saw he was staring wide-eyed. Maybe he hadn't expected them either.

"A-Aun? Guys...did we plan something for today?"

"No, nothing. But we're not just showing up and demanding dinner or anything. Test time is around the corner, right? And this round of exams is gonna cover lots of ground in every subject, so we're in serious trouble! So, we figured we'd come over here and get some help from our favorite teacher, Mr. Gemini. Right, guys?" Aun looked behind him for support from the others, who nodded awkwardly.

"You should've at least called first. It's not exactly convenient for me if you just come over with no warning." Gemini's voice didn't hide his irritation. It wasn't very often that Mr. Mild-Mannered let it show when he was peeved.

"S-sorry, Gemini," Mark said hastily. "We shouldn't have barged in here without thinking about whether you were free." He darted an apologetic glance at me, too.

But Aun hadn't picked up on the strained atmosphere. He paid no attention when Mark tried to shepherd them all back home, and his apology was an offhand "Aw, what's the big deal?" He gestured to me. "You were studying with Fourth, right? So it's perfect timing."

"Well..." Gemini fell silent, looking at me uncomfortably.

"But man, this is a surprise. I sure never expected to see you here, Fourth! You usually call Gemini all kinds of names, but when you're in trouble you brazenly get his help, huh? You sure know how to get ahead in life."

"Cut it out, Aun. I invited Fourth here today."

"You're too nice, Gemini. You know, if you don't get that soft heartedness under control, people like this are just going to use you and you're going to get hurt." He pointed to me when he said people like this, and I saw red. But I clenched my fists and kept myself under control. Aun was always saying crap. It would be a waste of time to take the bait. But-

"What, Fourth, nothing to say to that? Can't argue with the truth, is that it?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination."

"Ha! You're always such a creep. You're always mocking us with your little 'entourage' bit, but I see you're worming in on the sly. If we're Gemini's entourage, what are you? His slave? His servant?" When Aun let this fly sarcastically with a sneering laugh thrown in for good measure, I reached my limit.

I flew at him and landed a punch on his right cheek. He responded right away with a blow to my jaw. There wasn't much force behind it, but it rattled my brain a little, and the world tilted. Staggering, I got ready for my second punch, but Gemini grabbed me from behind, and the fist I'd launched at Aun hit nothing but air.

"Let me go, dammit!" I yelled.

"Fourth, calm down! I can understand why you're angry, but you have to stop."

"Like hell you understand!" I roared, spit flying from my mouth.

When I glanced in front of me, Aun was being held back by Mark. He was scowling fiercely as he struggled to get free. I guess he couldn't reign in his anger either, because he was glaring at me like I'd killed his father.

Gemini desperately tried to calm me down, his arms still around me in a bear hug. "Aun's just got a sharp tongue. First let's put some ice on your jaw. Okay?" In that moment, my heart froze. Aun had started it, but
Gemini wouldn't take my side. All at once I was sad.

I'm the one who used to be closest to him, who used to be his best friend! And I thought lately Gemini was starting to treat me so nicely, it was like we'd gone back to those days-was I the only one who felt that way?

Now I knew the cruel truth, and I could feel my heart turn to ice. My sadness about the distance between Gemini and me was even deeper than my anger at Aun. I clenched my teeth, but I couldn't stop a tear from escaping. In Gemini's surprise, he slackened the arms restraining me.

"This is stupid," I whispered, and then I shot past Aun and the others and out of the room.

I'm such a moron. The worst.

TBC