If You Ever Leave Me, Baby (Leave Some Morphine At My Door)

3

Even after the Green-Sarawat situation becomes a thing of past, his status with Pear doesn't change. Tine wants to take it slowly this time, find out more about her. He isn't in any hurry. They sometimes sit together in the lunch breaks now but she is usually at her department cafeteria and he, in his with "gang." On the days, he has his English class just before lunch hour, he'd loiter enough to be noticed by Sarawat and his friends in the General Department's building and then go sit with them at their table. That is the thing. Since they called quits on the fake relationship thing, Sarawat had kind of gone back to being invisible again. He doesn't call anymore (their usual nightly let's-practice-for-fake-relationship calls) and doesn't text as much. Tine feels a bit left out.

Through all of this, he had thought they'd become friends but maybe they hadn't. Maybe he only imagined it and they are not actually friends? Maybe Sarawat doesn't consider him to be so?

It is understandable. He is just an average boy and Sarawat is a popular, good-looking talented guy. Even if his friends are crazy, they are still cool in their own way. Why will Sarawat need him?

Even then, he feels he should meet them from time to time so twice a week the four of them have lunch together, Sarawat always sitting next to him. He smiles sometimes when his friends' joke or Tine says something funny but mostly he is quiet. 

Sarawat has returned to his previous shell and Tine wonders how he can bring him out of it again?

*

A month and a half after Altermajeeb, they have their first semester so Tine gets busy with his studies. He is a Law student after all and has to study a lot. His friends are chaotic so they often lose a lot of study time but he doesn't give up. He is very nervous on the first day of Exams. He even tells so to P'Air who had been passing by in Examination Hall corridor. She wishes him all the best.

His first exam doesn't go so well. He hadn't slept the night before so his brain was running slow and he is jittery from too much coffee. If he fails what will happen? 

Tine ignores his friends' calls and goes to the playground. He sits on the bleachers and stares at his question paper. If his first exam went so bad what will the remaining ones be like? His parents won't say him much but if he failed, it'll harm his reputation! He doesn't even ask to be first but how did botch it up so bad?

Oh god, he doesn't want to see his answer sheet once it is graded. He knows he will fail. 

He feels like crying..

About twenty minutes later, a large group of boys enter the field. He recognises some of them vaguely. He ignores them and texts his brother.

P', I screwed up the exam.

He quickly puts his phone back in his pocket. He doesn't want to see his reply. He looks up as he hears Man's voice, shouting at Boss who was on the other side of the field. The Political Science class is here? He looks for Sarawat automatically but he can't find him. His phone pings. He sighs and takes it out.

How bad?

Enough to fail. He doesn't reply that though.

Very. I hope I pass.

Me too.

Why did he think texting his good-in-everything brother will make him feel better? This makes him feel worse.

This time he hears running footsteps and looks up to see Sarawat running to him. Huh?

"When did you come here?" He stops really close to him.