"You're hiding things you never show."

..

If there was something incomprehensible about Ralph, it would be his smile. He always smiled, no matter how hard the situation was, even if everyone was crying, he would still smile. His smile was bright and motivational. It made everyone believe in the positivity existing in that dull life on the island. The reason behind his smile was a mystery to everyone, including Simon.

..

It was a starry night. The moon was also shining up above the island and a cool wind was blowing through the unsettling huts. It was a tropical island, but it would still be cold at night without a fire. The waves were still rushing to the shore, and that rustling sound had never stopped. Apart from that sound, the night was completely silent.

Simon was woken up by the noisy sounds of the leaves used as their beds. He rubbed his eyes, then opened them slowly. He turned to his left, Piggy was still sleeping in peace. But when he looked to his right, Ralph was no where to be found. He sat up, checked outside of the hut, and saw the blond boy walking along the beach. Simon silently got out of the hut, looking back once in a while to assure that Piggy was not woken up, and followed Ralph, walking about five meters behind him.

Simon saw that Ralph still had a faint smile on his lips, but the further he was from the huts, the more that smile disappeared. Then, when he had walked to a space where even his screams would not be heard by the boys in the huts, the smile vanished completely. Ralph stopped walking, and stood still in front of another beach region. Simon hid behind a large palm tree that was slightly swaying in the wind, and watched Ralph quietly.

Ralph was silent for a moment, then suddenly screamed. His voice echoed in the air, then got smaller, and disappeared without a trace. He sat down, crouching. The golden strands of hair were set free in the wind and flew everywhere, but he did not even bother wiping them back like he would usually do. He stared at the stars on the sky, his round ocean blue eyes reflected the lights from those stars and sparkled just like those faraway glowing objects. The corners of his mouth lifted, trying to form a smile, but then dropped immediately. Ralph's body casted a shadow to the sand, a fuzzy one. He let out a small choking sound then buried his face between his knees. His bare shoulders were shaking, and his smile was no longer there.

He looked like what they would call lonely.

Simon knew now, the secret behind Ralph's smile.

Simon walked out. The fallen leaves under his feet rustled, making a sound that alerted Ralph. The blond boy wiped away the water on his face with his palms, then turned to Simon with a smile, and a red nose. His ocean blue eyes were red, too, and watery, but he covered all that with his smile that shone brighter than the sun.

"Why are you not at the shelters right now? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Ralph asked, trying to hide the fact that his voice was shaking.

"Ralph.."

"I think you should go back to the shelters now, it's past bedtime already. I'm going to stay here for a little while, don't worry." Ralph smiled again, though his voice was still shaky.

"Ralph, don't.."

"I'm okay, just watching the stars a little, that's.."

"Ralph!" Simon's voice became more serious. He looked at Ralph, then took a deep breath. His voice was soft again "I know."

Ralph was still smiling as he looked at Simon. His mouth was shaky and the curve was barely held up. Ralph kept staring at Simon, wanting him to go away, but the boy just stayed there.

"Please leave." Ralph said. His voice was much like a whisper, and it sounded more like begging than the command of a chief. "I don't want you to see me like this."

But Simon did not leave. Instead, he walked towards Ralph, step by step. Once he got close enough, he kneeled down and wrapped his arms around the blond boy. The sandy scent filled his nostrils, and his naked chest was tickled by the pointy ends of the golden hair.

"I won't tell anyone." Simon whispered into Ralph's ears and suddenly felt his body being wrapped around tight by two arms. He smiled a little, and let the blond boy bury his face in his chest. Screams came out from the other boy's mouth. Simon could feel the warm liquid falling from the other boy's eyes to his chest and thighs, but he did not care. He held Ralph as tight as he could, in his ear echoed the loud sob and the random screams.

Simon wondered why Ralph had to hold it all in, taking it all by himself, piling up emotions that would weigh his shoulders down, and only showed his smile. He asked himself if it was because crying meant weakness in others' eyes. He looked up to the sky, and tried to map out the constellations he knew from his astronomy books.

"The stars are beautiful today." Ralph suddenly started talking. Simon could feel the other boy trying to smile again.

"I'm always here for you."

"Not related." His voice was shaking again.

"Yours wasn't, either."

"The air is nice." Ralph tried once more to change the subject.

It was true that the breeze felt quite comfortable and made the boys a little sleepy. The sea was not completely calm, and the waves still hit the shore, though not as hard as before. Ralph and Simon sat next to each other on the beach, each boy leaning on the other. Their eyes were half-closed and they were both quiet, for there had been enough noises to fill the void of the night.