The Boy on the Other Side

by Aki_kaze

  “A kid, you say?” Sam asked as he leaned his face towards the boy. The cold presence gave Keith goosebumps. He then continued in a whisper. “We’re both in bed now.”

  “I got hurt. Can’t you see that?”

  A small smile tugged at the spirit’s lips.

  “On your hand, not your mouth.”

  Sam’s arousing voice whispered in his ear, making him flutter. His body gave an honest response to the spirit’s fingers, now going through his clothes and tracing along from the neck to the underbelly.

  “Shall we finish where we left off?”

  Sam teased his ear, peppering kisses on his chin and his neck. It made him trembling with need. His blood pumped rapidly.

  “…Sam…”

  The boy let out a moanful gasp, his sense training on the other’s hand which was going lower and lower.

  “Keith!”

  Alice’s voice called. Keith immediately yanked the blanket to cover up his lower body. He turned to look at the the girl who had just rushed upstairs barging into his room, her expression anxious.

  “Are you okay?” She asked, still panting. “Why are you so red? You have fever?”

  She reached out to touch his forehead.

  Sam’s laughter emerged by his ear. The spirit didn’t only wrap his arm around the boy’s waist, but also rested his head on the shoulder. Keith could do nothing but sat there stiffened.

  “Thank god. You got no fever.” She sighed, relieved. “Everyone on the school bus talked about you. Nobody thought you could fight. Even John boasted around saying it was him who taught you to throw punches. Seriously, this guy.”

  Keith wanted to laugh at that, but, in his current state, he couldn’t even manage a smile. Never before did he desire this strongly to be left alone. He wasn’t mad at her sudden entry. He just didn’t want her to see what she wasn’t supposed to.

  “John also wants to know if you’re doing okay. It seems so. Alice thought you’d have it worse,” She said with a playful tone of voice, “Well, Alice won’t bother you further. Have a good rest.”

  Alice stepped back with a smile. She left the room and closed the door behind.

  The boy let out a long-held breath. Sam burst out laughing.

  “This’s not funny!” Keith shot him a glare, face flushed red with anger and embarrassment, but the spirit wouldn’t stop.

  “Sorry, sorry. But that was so thrilling I felt like my heart raced.” Sam tried to contain the laugh. He wiped his eyes although there was no tear. Bright blue eyes looked at the young boy. “It’s been so long I got to feel something like this. Thanks, Keith.”

  Keith blinked, then let out another sigh. His face was more strained from smiling than hurt from the injury.

  “With pleasure.”

  Keith replied, laughing along with Sam.

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  One Different Day

  The atmosphere of the morning school ride was different. The way they regarded him changed. Disgust in their eyes melted into awe. They all looked at him as if they’d never seen his face before.

  “Alice told you, you’ve become the talk of the town.” She turned to whisper to him before leaving to her friend.

  Keith walked towards the usual backseat; all the eyes were still on him. He’d never attracted this kind of attention before, so he sat tensed all the way to school.

  Even the atmosphere in the classroom changed. Many people dared not look him in the eyes. Some even regarded him with admiration. It was as if all the past hostility went forgotten. Could just a fight with another schoolboy bring about this much of change?

  Keith didn’t in the slightest understand these people.

  The face injury started to recover but still posed difficulty during mealtime. It got much better than his limb though. The right hand suffered no broken bone, yet it was hard to move. Taking notes then became a rather challenging task. He should have listened to Diane who told him to rest at home.

  When the school bell chimed, chattering roared up. Keith looked at his blank notebook. Right now, he could remember what he’d learned in class. But, when his hand got fully healed, he must have completely forgotten them.

  One notebook was placed on his desk. He looked up to see the owner. She was his classmate whose seat was to his front right.

  “Take a photo. So that you can copy it down when your hand gets better,” she said. Behind her was a group of girls whose eyes all trained on him.

  His eyes alternated between the offered notebook and the girl.

  “Just do it,” she urged.

  “O… okay. Thanks.” He pulled out his phone and took a picture of three pages of content. He then handed the notebook back.

  She looked at him with an expression he didn’t know what to make of. Was she getting annoyed, or was that her resting bitch face? When she rejoined her group of friends, she was bombarded with questions. They acted as if he wasn’t there sitting nearby.

  It got even stranger during lunch. There was one who simply gave him fruit juice. Some people who walked past by shared a portion of their lunch with him. He was confused. He was eating alone, yet he didn’t feel like he was alone. The newly received attention stressed him out. Those people still talked about him, but no one came to strike a conversation with him. It’d be better if they did, he thought. It was fair enough though because he didn’t have enough courage to go talk to someone first either.

  Keith could hardly wait for the school class to be over. He wanted to go back and tell everything to the spirit already. He didn’t how the other would respond.

  When today’s school ended, the students who needed to take the school bus home started getting on their bus. Keith was one of those last people to get on his. He found only John’s friends sitting in the back seat, but no John. He turned to Alice. Without him saying anything, she rose to her feet and led him to his previous usual spot in the front row before taking a seat next to him.

  “John’s not going back with us?”

  A small smile flickered across her face.

  “Mr. gentleman needs to walk a lady home.”

  “What?” He went speechless.

  “You must have seen her, Fany, the cheerleader,” she explained, “the one who has long blonde hair with fiery red tips.”

  Keith couldn’t recognize her. Seeing him still at a loss, Alice sighed.

  “Whatever,” she said, “the thing is, John’s trying to ask her out. Perhaps this’s also why he becomes a school basketball player.”

  “…I see.” Keith took time processing the new information. Perhaps that was also why the guy had been acting nice towards him.

  “I never thought he’d ditch a sister for a girl. How could he let you go back home on your own?” Alice turned to look at her cousin who was wearing a contemplative face. She let out another sigh. “You have to say: ‘you still got me, Alice’ or something like that.”

  “You still got me, Alice.” He precisely parroted those words.

  She rolled her eyes before leaving him to her usual seat.

  The bus departed on time. Keith looked out of the window, thinking he got another thing to tell Sam.

  When they got off the bus, Alice rushed inside the house and told her mom about her brother. She didn’t want to believe what she’d heard and thought the same thing.

  “Well, that explains why he’s been a good kid lately. If he’s turned down, will he get back to what he used to be?”

  Keith got spine chill at the speculation. He hoped his cousin find success in his love life. For Keith’s own well-being, that is. He shook his head before leaving for his room.

  Sam was gazing out of the window again. His head hung low; he was looking at his own palm.

  “Sam, you okay?” Keith asked.

  The spirit’s shoulder quivered a bit before he turned around to greet the boy with his usual smile.

  “How’s it? Your first day at school.”

  Keith placed his backpack on the desk an
d told Sam about the changes on the bus, in the class, and in the canteen.

  “These people are untrustworthy as heck.”

  The spirit was upset upon hearing the story.

  “That guy needs to apologize to you though.”

  “Well…,” Keith said, “then I should apologize to him, too.”

  “But you’re not at fault,” Sam objected.

  When Keith saw the other being displeased about this, he couldn’t help but smiling.

  “Anyway, you need to be careful when you’re making friends. A decent one is rare in these days.” He said seriously, his arms crossed.

  “I know. No need to be concerned.” Keith waved it off, turning his attention to the homework. The teacher said he could wait until his hand got fully healed. But it was his homework. He wouldn’t be at ease leaving it undone.

  “How can I not? It’s about you. Of course, I must be concerned.”

  Sam’s word made Keith’s face flush red. He changed the subject and told the spirit about John’s romantic quest instead. The other wouldn’t want to believe it. He said that a guy like John couldn’t possibly get a date.

  “Very bold of you,” Keith teased.

  “Well, at least I could get you to date me.” The spirit smiled delightedly. He laughed at Keith’s reddened face.

  “You didn’t do anything!” Keith tried to smack the other, but his hand landed on the nightstand instead. It hurt so bad tears filled his eyes. He didn’t even dare budge.

  “Look who’s being reckless. Be more careful; you’re injured.” He blew on the wound. “And did you mean you like me first? Since when?”

  Keith replied with silence. He didn’t know when the affection fully blossomed. All he knew was that the seed had been long planted which grew day by day.

  When Sam saw that Keith was now red to his ears, he said,

  “Why are you always this cute? You’re making it hard for me, you know?”

  Keith sighed in defeat. He stood no chance against those words. Sam could express them so casually all the while the boy was on the verge of heart attack.

  “But are you fine with your right hand like that?”

  “What do you mean?” He looked at the other’s face questioningly.

  Sam lifted a hand to push his hair back. He seemed reluctant, like he was debating whether he should really say it. His weird action fueled Keith curiosity.

  “How can I put this? I’m a lefty, so, If I were in your current state, it’d be no problem. But, well, you can seize this opportunity and try out the other hand. New experience, I guess. Or, if you wish, I can also lend you a hand. Or two. It’d be so hard for you to be unable to do it.”

  “W… what…” His mouth hung agape. His blush darkened when he realized what Sam was talking about.

  “Why are you getting this red? Do you have a fever? I’m talking about when you hold a pen. What’s on your mind?”

  “Who on earth holds a pen that way?!”

  Keith pointed to the spirit’s left hand, which was moving in a manner which wasn’t quite like when someone was holding the writing tool. The boy wanted to throw something at the other’s face, but he knew it would be to no avail. He tried to collect himself.

  Easy, Derringer.

  The spirit let out a laugh before going behind the boy. Chilling sensation was felt on Keith’s shoulders.

  “Fine, no more teasing. But you have to gently move it. Don’t be reckless. Call me if you need a hand.” Sam said and also placed a kiss on the other’s nape.

  Keith whipped his head back, but Sam was already gone. He wanted to yell at the other but could not. All he could do was to sigh wearily. He turned his attention back to the homework. It was indeed hard for him to hold a pen. After a while, he called it quits.

  The atmosphere on the school ride in the morning changed again. The attention he recently received was replaced by the usual indifference, which he liked better. He headed to his seat in the back row, his cousin closely following. Keith heard John talking with his friends from time to time. The topic was no other than him accompanying the school hot girl home yesterday.

  Keith didn’t pay full attention at it, but it was impossible for him to miss their chat.

  “I can’t say much,” John said, “but her hair smelled like strawberry. And her skin, it was smooth, and smelled good. Like cocoa…”

  Keith leaned his head back, gazing out of the window. He could still hear John’s boastful voice next to him. As for himself, he had no such stuff to tell anyone. It didn’t matter how much time he’d spent with Sam. The other couldn’t materialize. Nothing he could smell, nothing he could touch.

  “…Her lips were so soft. That’s all I can say.”

  Hearing that, other boys on the bus went into an uproar while John simply wore a smug grin.

  Keith rested his elbow on the windowsill, his fingers brushing his lips. His gaze lingered on the sky above.

  “But I have to admit I honestly thought a weirdo like you’d date a ghost though.”

  He didn’t realize he was clenching the other fist resting on his laps.

  Chapter Forty

  Grim Future

  The school organized an event for the high schoolers in the last grade at the gymnasium. Many institutions of higher education from almost every state held a PR booth, providing information regarding their available courses and inviting students to apply for them.

  Keith went to look around during lunch break. The place was brimmed with a crowd of students, not exclusively those in the last grade. They inquired the staff about college-related matters: the admission requirement, the college life, and many more. Ambling, Keith mentally noted each university name and the provided pictures of their place

  The one which Gareth, one of his close friends, attended was part of the Ivy League. It was rather hard for him to admit such elite colleges despite his good grades.

  As he wandered around, he asked himself what he’d like to study, and where. His father wanted to become a pilot, but the course diverted in the end. As for Keith, he took no particular liking to something like his father. He tried to imagine his future self: what would he be doing and where would he be? He could not. It was impossible to do that when one didn’t know oneself well enough. Nonetheless, many academic paths which required specific skills could be easily discarded from his choice.

  Keith received many information brochures from the booths he walked past. The photos inside them showed him the college buildings of both classic and modern designs. He tried to find something which could piqued his interest. Nothing he found so far.

  He saw John and his friends standing in front of another booth. His cousin was chosen as the school sport player. That could help him with the admission. Moreover, he still got two more years to prepare himself. Keith got only one now.

  During the time Gareth and Josh visited him, they talked about further education stuff, too. Many friends of Gareth decided to spend a year traveling, gaining new life experience, before attending college. As for Gareth, he came from a wealthy family, and, thereby, suffered no financial hardship. University tuition fee was nothing to him. Josh, on the other hand, wasn’t as rich. To study in a university demanded great amount of cash, and he wasn’t sure it would be worth it. In Keith’s case, his parents had saved up enough money for him. It was he himself who still couldn’t decide.