Now You Know ✅

Chapter 12: Twisted at Twister

"You said you see them everyday,"

Pelham didn't mean to bring it up, but he couldn't help it. The rest of the day after the little incident with Lucio went all right. The "tyrants" - as Roshon had called them - known by the whole school, had apparently sneaked into their camping site without authorisation, be it from the school's administrators or the forest rangers. Pelham hadn't seen them mess with the other students for a long while. Either that, or the fact that he had always kept out of their way made him completely heedless of the things that they did around school.

That was him, anyway. He had never much fancied getting involved in any drama, nor had he ever interacted with students that he wasn't familiar with, unless it was something relevant; homework, for instance. "Blend in, but don't get blended yourself; be like those posters around the hallway, where nobody gives a hoot about you," his father had once told him before the start of his secondary level. It had been relatively worthwhile, even now.

Mainly because he had always preferred being far from the rest of the students when it came to school, and spent most of his time with the people he trusted so far; those being April and Roshon. Now, he was beginning to pay heed to the whole reality of school - not to mention curious. He had undeniably missed some chaotic events caused by them every lunch hour.

It seemed that Lucio Alves was one of the many victims. Odd, Pelham thought to himself, how he had missed all of them. Where had he been, exactly? He had attended that school for nearly six years, yet he was completely oblivious to his milieu. Even if it was just right above him; in the case of the river activity earlier on.

"Lucio," Pelham pressed on when Lucio kept himself occupied by digging his hand into his bag. Pelham was well aware that he was trying to deflect himself from that question; he had been rummaging through his bag for longer than a normal person who was searching for a toothbrush would.

"It's nothing out of the ordinary, really," Lucio - who had seemed to resolve that he was never going to escape from Pelham's persistent question - eventually said, finally retrieving his toothbrush and a small towel. "Besides, you look like you already have a good idea what 'seeing them everyday' means, don't you?"

Pelham pressed his lips together. "They're after you everyday," he stated.

"Not everyday," said Lucio. "It's none of your business either."

"Why is that?"

*

Lucio couldn't seem to answer that simple question. But of course it was none of Pelham's business. Nor was it Roshon's, if he were as enquiring as Pelham. Thankfully for Lucio, Roshon didn't appear to be as prying as Pelham was. After all, they were just roommates - at least, that was what Lucio thought. They might as well ignore each other once they came back to school, despite Lucio's increasing hope that they will still talk. He wasn't exactly certain as to why he liked having those two as company. He had a few people - girls, mostly - who wanted to spend their time with him. But he reckoned he was more of the lone-ranger kind of boy.

He wouldn't ask neither Pelham nor Roshon, though. That might as well make him sound desperate for a friend - or a best friend, in his personal case. It had become comparitively difficult for him to avert his gaze from Pelham.

Lucio pushed that thought away.

"Because it doesn't matter," he finally answered, causing Pelham to cock an eyebrow. "They never physically harm me. Not always."

"Is that so?" Pelham said. "What about mentally?"

"Look, why do you even bother asking?" Lucio gathered his clothes together, making to stand up as he addressed Pelham.