The Art of Cheating | changlix

Question 16

*mature content is present in this chapter; viewer discretion is advised

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Real Food
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It had been hours.

Hours of worrying and panicking and crying.

They had missed all of school, and Felix could care less. He was upset, from both the paramedics and nurses.

The hours passing felt like days, and and the minutes felt like hours. The smallest sounds startled him, and he could barely pay attention to whatever the nurse said when she came in to check how Changbin was doing.

Changbin's mother hadn't stopped by, though she was out of town. She couldn't pay for overseas service, and her work probably hasn't notified her yet.

"She's gonna be pissed," Felix mumbled, getting up from his chair to stretch his legs and grab something from the vending machines outside. He needed some food before he started to starve.

He gave a courteous nod toward the nurse that usually came in every few hours to check on Changbin. He waved at the nurse at the desks. He counted the steps to the vending machine, his stomach growling to signal it was time to eat.

Finally making it to the large box full of food, his eyes immediately stared at the cookies.

"You shouldn't get cookies," he heard a quiet voice say. Felix knew that the cookies weren't good for him, especially after not eating much in the past twenty-four hours.

"But they look so good," he mumbled, putting his hand up to the glass with a yearning look in his eye.

The voice laughed, and Felix decided it was finally time to put a face to the speaker. He turned his head, and a boy who looked young, but still a little older than him, looking to handsome to stand in such a tired stance.

"I'm Hongjoong," the tired boy said, holding out his his hand. Catching the hint, Felix shook his hand, and gave him his name and a faint smile. "How about I buy you some real food."

"You don't have to. I can just grab something from here," Felix said, pointing to the vending machine.

Hongjoong shook his head, and gave a deep sigh. "No, please. You look tired, I am tired, and it may help us if we talked to each other instead of someone in a bed."

Felix hesitated. Could he really leave Changbin alone for that long? What if Changbin woke up? But the beeping of those stupid vital machines were driving him mad, as they only told him Changbin was alive, and not when he would wake up.

"Okay," Felix whispered, still a little reluctant. "I have to get to my boyfriends room though, he may wake up and I don't want him to think I just left him alone."

Hongjoong nodded, his face showing that he fully understood Felix's wants and needs. "Then I'll show you where the cafeteria is."

The two of them walked down the hallways of the sullen place, both unable to think of something to talk about. The silence was cut short, though, as making it to the entrance of the cafeteria caused a burst of noise.