Klev was skipping school too much.
“I saw him getting into Mr. Anderson’s office while I was on my way to class. Now he is nowhere to be found!” Nene huffed, attaching her head to her palms as her elbows rose to rest on the table.
“You didn’t ask Mr. Anderson about him?” Jace frowned, grabbing one of the cookies Nene brought.
Nene remained anchored as she recalled Klev’s face when he was entering that office. His face contained no new expression, yet it felt… Different. Nene couldn’t come to conclusions. She shouldn’t be thinking that Klev moved a bit too quickly or that Klev seemed troubled since he looked the same as always, when she only saw him for merely 4 seconds. That would be highly unsound.
“What did you figure out now?” Jace broke the silence.
Nene looked up, and sighed, “the answer to that might be a tad bit too gross for you.”
Jace scrunched up his face, “yeah it is, come on man not in front of my cookies.”
Nene solemnly smiled before standing up. “Well, I hope I am wrong this time.” She grabbed her tiny black leather backpack from the inside from her school backpack and went to open the window which was the only source of light in the room they were in. “I am gonna sneak onto the rooftop, if someone asks for me just say you don’t know where I am.”
“Yeah alright, I will stay here with the cookies and act like I never met you in my entire life.” Jace pulled the tray closer to him.
Nene then swiftly grabbed onto the rope beside the window, the one that led to the rooftop. It was a hazard breaking into Mr. Anderson’s office to get the key, and even more hazardous to set up the rope. It’s a miracle no one had noticed this rope yet. Nene climbed, her hands cried in pain and her legs fought from stability.
She reached the top, sneaked into the torn net, and her gaze instantly caught Klev. He was sitting on the concrete floor, eyes focused on the world outside the net.
Nene walked closer, her presence causing Klev to turn his head. He didn’t say anything when he saw her though it didn’t go unnoticed by Nene how his eyebrows slightly softened.
The brunette sat beside him, “you feel like eating anything?” She opened her backpack’s zipper, pulling out water and a spare box of cookies.
“No.”
“Not even your favorite chocolate?” She pulled out his annoyingly milky chocolate.
Klev remained still, before nonchalantly grabbing the pack and hastily opening it. “Calm down, geez.” Nene laughed as he munched on it like he hadn’t eaten for years.
“I got a blanket and pillow.”
“Blanket but don’t blame me if it gets ruined.”
Nene hummed, It was when they tucked themselves under the warm cozy blanket before Klev spoke, “how did you know I was here?”
“What did Mr.Anderson do to you?”
Klev’s expression didn’t betray his thoughts, “what do you think he did?”
“Were the walls in his room cold?”
Klev’s hold on the blanket tightened, “how much do you know?”
Nene smiled, putting her own hand on Klev’s, “I just know you went inside his office, when I was on my way to class. I know nothing else.”
“Nothing else?” Klev raised an eyebrow, “doesn’t seem like it.”
“Speculations aren't solid facts,” Nene shrugged.
Klev opened up his palms and held her hand, his hand was unsteady. “Your speculations are so right this time, that it’s creepy.”
Nene put her other hand atop Klev’s, “well since my speculations are right on the money, you wanna talk about it?”
Klev shook his head, “not really, there isn’t anything to say. I knew what I was getting into. I just… needed a distraction and most importantly, I needed to have my grades up in finals.”
Nene pressed on his hands, “that sounds,.. awfully unhealthy and unsafe. I am here if you need anything though.”
“You are oddly okay with all this,” Klev looked down at their intertwined hands.
“Mr.Anderson or our hands?”
“All.”
Nene squished his hand, “if I tell your father about this will it fix anything?”
Klev tilted his head up, “what do you think?”
“You would get more self-destructive if I do.”
“Yeah.”
Nene lowered her voice, “you are going to meet Mr.Anderson again after school ends?”
Klev nodded.
“I will bring my car then, I will drop you home.”
Klev frowned, “I don’t… want to be in a confined place with you.”
Nene replied flatly, “My car is big enough, six seats, three sections, you can lay down at the very end and I will drive. I can even keep the roof open if you like.”
“That’s not the issue, you won’t get it–”
“My attention would be on you too, not only the road.”
Klev’s breath hitched, his face slightly but clearly agape.
“I think it would be better if you sit beside me though.”
Nene narrowed her eyes, opened her arms wide, “you are too far away.”
Klev hugged her, Nene wrapped her arms around him. Nene would be lying if she said she wasn’t shocked– or that her heart skipped a beat– when he hugged her instantaneously.
“Okay,” Klev murmured.
Nene simply brushed her hand through the back of his hair in response.
Klev eventually retreated. He wiped his tears in a haste. Nene frankly grabbed a napkin from her bag and offered it to him, “Klev… take it.” which he did with his trembling hands with an escape of a sob.
He lowered the napkin away from his face after a while, looking down at it with reddened tearless eyes.
“You are awfully pretty when you cry,” Nene commented with candour as she caressed the side of his face, lifting his face up.
“I can cry more after school ends,” Klev replied tiredly.
“I don’t like seeing you being sad,” Nene shook her head, “though, I would like to see you cry tears of joy one day.”
Klev remained silent, deep in thought. His lowered eyes still refused to lift up to meet Nene’s who still hadn’t removed her hand from his face.
After brief serene stillness, the raven-haired boy whipped his phone out of his pocket, his haste pressing on his screen caused Nene to move her hand away. The rings of the phone made Nene’s eyes widened before Klev shoved the screen into her vision– The caller ID “Dmitri” becoming her sole focus– “Tell him, Nene”
The olive-skinned girl grabbed the phone, the speaker was on,
“Klev?”
“Mr. Hale, your son is being groomed by Mr. Anderson. The teacher told him that if your son indulged in such acts with him then his grades would increase and your son agreed–”
“What?” his tone caused Klev to flinch.
“–However, your son does not wish to have another meeting with Mr. Anderson today. It would be nice if you could get Mr.Anderson out of the picture for the harm he did to Klev.”
“I will–”
“Changing schools would do nothing other than harm your son’s current mental health. Please try to understand that no matter what school he goes to, grades would be more difficult for him to raise compared to the vast majority, and we need to make sure no teacher tries to take advantage of that. I can’t do that if he is in another school.”
A moment of silence wrapped itself around them.
“Alright,” Dmitri’s voice was cold, “is Klev with you?”
“Yes he is right here with me.”
“I will send a car–”
“No!” Klev hissed on instinct, making Nene wince. Dmitri most certainly heard that, even if Klev wasn’t loud the phone was close enough to pass his speech through.
“Will I be able to accompany him on his way back home?” Nene went ahead to hold Klev’s hand.
“I will let the driver know. The driver will call when he gets here.”
“Thank you so much for cooperating, I am Nene by the way, Klev’s precious–"
Klev snatched the phone away from her, “don’t tell him anything weird,” he rasped.
“Mr Hale tell the driver to come now because Mr. Anderson will be looking for Klev soon!”
Klev ended the call.
“Can we kiss now?” He asked, irritation leaking out of his voice.
Nene forced out a laugh, “funny.” No they couldn’t. She couldn’t offer Klev anything like that, not now. It might do more harm than good.
Klev hummed, looking away.
“I am here, and nobody else has my attention, so don’t worry.”
“That laugh was so fake.”
“Eh?” the brown-eyed girl blinked, “well, what else am I supposed to say?”
“I like you, Nene.”
“I know but I can’t offer anything romantic or abide by any ‘expectations’ and whatnot.”
“Do you like me back?” Klev pressed his hands tighter on hers.
Nene stayed silent, contracting her eyebrows, “ah… I think I should give you some space–”
“Just say you don’t, just give me an answer Nene.”
“I don’t know the answer.”
“Do you prefer me over Jace?”
Nene frowned, “what do you mean by ‘prefer’ ?”
“If you are forced to… Spend the rest of your life with either me or Jace, who would you prefer?”
“Not Jace.”
Klev titled his head, “who would you prefer over me?”
“Ugh, Klev you don’t get it, I despise the idea of relationships. Those feel like chores and I had never been in love with anyone.”
Klev pursed his lips, letting go of her hands, “okay.”