I refuse to believe that this human being has no will left to live.

I presume he has forgotten how it feels like to live.

He needs to be reminded. I will remind him.

I knew it. I... I just knew it. One cannot smile and laugh and scream on top of his lungs and crook his eyes into two smiley faces because his own smile couldn’t contain the joy. No, it wasn’t a mundane smile you pass every day to strangers. It was a treasured smile, the one which only existed if you had enough joy and happiness left in you to appreciate things missed by the dynamic lives. That was the one which crept when you smelt the old books or poured strawberry syrup on freshly prepared cheesecake. He poured graciously for this stupid cheering game.

What was wrong though? Had he equated all his happiness with winning something, so much so that he forgot that there is a world beyond getting a good college and a good job? Sure, everyone wants the best for them, but what about people who don’t get good grades and good jobs? Is there a sub-par existence?

Does he think he’ll become sub-par?

The blast from the speaker pulled me out when I heard the answer to all the questions I got, just the right amount.

Hawks to Gilberts 5:3. The Golden Boot goes to Abay Padilla

^^^

Alex and I decided to hit the diner near the stadium. Abay always asks for a treat whenever he wins. It was his way to do away with his accomplishments and move on without dwelling upon. He is too wise beyond his years. This always makes me wonder if Alex is adopted or not.

Aunt and Uncle were busy clicking pictures of Abay with his golden boot, so we decided to enter the diner first and book a table. Given the fact that it was match season and weekend, the cramped-up diner was suffocating.

I don’t get how people mixed up old with retro. Just add a Marilyn Monroe poster with a neon lighting as name and boom, a retro retreat. We all knew the diner way too well. The “Matitark Diner'' was known to have high school kids remove the plug of ‘ma’ and ‘ark’ from the name and giggle like a 12-year-old kid. The ‘a’ had already burnt out.  It anyway had Jessica Rabbit leaning on the neon sign, with her hair underlining the name so it definitely made sense. The new owner wasn’t much pleased about the name though, so he asked the local electrician to fix it up. The person told him that the signs are obsolete and the company has shut down. This would require a custom repair to fix this up. Realising that the restoration would cost him more than the diner’s interiors itself, he found me crossing the street one day and asked to climb up and remove the plug of ‘tit’ and plugin ‘ma’ and ‘rk’ again. I told him his name wasn’t Mark and he said the customers didn’t know it.

The ‘not Mark’ had made the stools line up the wall, which seemed out of place. It made sense only when you imagine a window that used to be there before the wall was filled up for security reasons or maybe someone was buried. God knows.

The diner was practically a cramped high school hallway with stools and tabletops as hurdle race marks. The table for two would be make-out spot and the family table would just mean that Earlene would sit on my lap with Cleo on her lap.

There was an old school vending machine that only made the ‘cha-ching’ sound and did nothing, the fans were so low and so slow that I could stand up and make them spin and the chimney pipelines were the local bougie-on-budget girls tan spray.

It felt home, way home than necessary. The only thing that was out of place was a sulky dead--- sulky Kal.

By the time I could catch Alex, he had already made his way to the already cramped up table for two. Looking at how disinterested the siblings were in entertaining him, he pulled another tabletop to make a grand table.

“Aye yo, Kai, help me with this.” He struggled to pull the table from the only centre leg it had.

“I didn’t know all the dumbbell pictures on IG were just for clout.” Kassandra cooed, fluttering her eyelids in all the disdain she could pretend. I bet her smile hurt her cheeks.

“I didn’t know I had girls stalking me, but what can I say, my charms are like magnets.” He flips his hair in the most pretentious manner ever. I don’t understand what happens to him when he is around her. He just multiplies his stupidity.

“Don’t let your brain fart,” I shook my head and pulled the table closer to theirs,” it stinks.”

Kassandra started to laugh like a riot and I think Kal smiled a little bit but damn these lighting in here. It makes it darker than cosy.

“Bruh, you’re just jealous you can’t get girls. Oh,” he dropped the table right from his hands and Kal slipped his legs just in time from crushing,” I forgot you like guys.” I hold him by the beck and push him down but his goofy grins always let this bastard get away from me.

By the time we sat down, with Kal beside me and Alex drooling on Kassandra’s plate, Kal spoke,” I didn’t know you were gay.” His voice was an echo in the crowd of people but I assumed he actually whispered. Then it dawned upon me like the snare hitting the note, he didn’t know I was gay? Holy shit. What if he isn’t? Oh man, I never actually thought about this. I just…kept on crushing?

“Um,” I don’t know why my throat was drier than Sahara, I gulped a glass of water, hard enough to hurt my neck,” yeah, I came out a couple of years ago. I thought you knew.” I slowed down on the last words and turned to face him slowly at the same time. He wasn’t looking at me, thank god, not until he realised my gaze creeping up.

“Stop drooling on my plate, Egg Man, I’ll stab your eyes with this fork.” Kassandra brought the fork right in front of his eyes, but he didn’t even blink.

“Did you tell her everything?” It was incredulous of Kal to tell his sister about his lethal rendezvous.

“Yeah, that you’re smiley and yet you have the dumbest smile in the world.” He tried to sound pissed, of course, he would, he had put so much energy in not living. Abay just increased his life span without even trying.

“I don’t have the dumbest smile,” I snatched the napkin he was playing with to grab his attention,” you have the shittiest mentality in the entire world.” He furrowed his eyebrows; he didn’t expect me reacting like that; he didn’t know me that well to do so.

“Look at you both,” Kassandra raised her hands, pointing at us, “already fighting like old couples.” I hoped the lighting was dim enough to hide how much flustered I was. Kal was unamused as if he saw this coming.

“Don’t you think you’re watching way too much bl drama these days, Kassandra?” he leaned in, but it actually added this awkward tension and our knees brushing each other under the table didn’t help me contain these flooding emotions either.

“Huh, at least you agree I didn’t say things in a platonic sense.” She smirked and winked at me. This girl.

“How much would you rate me from 1 to 10?” Alex was still putting his hand on his chin and staring at her with all dewy eyes.

Kassandra was taken aback, but then her expressions loosened to indifference when she understood that Alex saying these kinds of shit made sense. She didn’t even look at him when she said,”2.”

“too beautiful for you to handle?” Alex added.

“Then you agree you’re 4?” she answered with another question.

“You know you make me be in my element so much, all my discomforts argon.”

She tried hard not to choke on the water, but she definitely enjoyed his company. I don't think she actually blushes, but I have seen her play with her hair more when Alex is around.

“This is why you’re not invited to our family reunion.” I tried to bring down his hyped side which brings out the worst puns he has got in stock.

“Shut up,” he hits my hand,” you gotta pay for these kinda cameos in our moment.” He points his finger to Kassandra and then to him, just to make sure we knew the ‘we’ he was referring to.

“And FYI, it wasn’t invited because Bethany used a foundation shade darker than her own and I asked her if her beauty guru is a spoilt orange.” He pouts, folding his arms. Then we realised that he was waiting for us to ask him to continue with his story.

“And? What did Bethany say?” Kal’s intervention caught us off-guard, but it made sense, he too wants Alex to shut up like all of us.

“Thank you, Kal, you’re the only one care,” he wiped a fake tear and Kal bowed a little as if to acknowledge it; Kassandra rolled her eyes and I just wanted the story to end,” anyway, she said it was her summer shade and I am like, grrrl, it’s November!” He shook his head and then sighed exasperatedly.

“Bethany sounds like this honour roll mom whose son gets scammed every time he buys weed,” Kassandra added, and Alex’s looked at her, his eyes widening with more glee than shock.

“You know me so well, it’s such a proud moment.” He gestures to her to pass the napkin as if his words have been actually choked and his eyes are swelling up with fake tears.

“No,” she hits him with the napkin, but he dives in as if she dropped his heart,” I just know what people who’ve eaten those silica beads in their childhood sound like.”

“Oh yeah, she’s one herself.” Kal laughs at how his sister asks him to shut up.

Just then Aunt and Uncle arrived with Abay, who was relishing his ice cream cone like he’s never seen tomorrow. He deserved it; he really did play well.

“You didn’t tell me you’ve come with friends.” Aunt smiled at the siblings. “Tell me their names.”

“Um,” I rubbed the sweat off my palms on my jeans and pointed to Kal,” This is Kal and it’s his sister Kassandra.” Both of them bowed to the Uncle and Aunt and shook hands.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Abay asked Kassandra, he definitely asked about Alex, he couldn’t stop blushing and hiding his face behind Kassandra. “You look really pretty; I’ll judge you if you’re dating him.”

Uncle put his hands on Abay’s shoulders,” I agree with him on that.” All of us shared a burst of awkward laughter that wasn’t exactly welcoming.

“Let’s go Abay,” Aunt pulled him, who was still smiling at Kassandra,” these kids are too polite to ask us not to disturb them. I’ll buy you a pizza.” She smiled one last time and waved at us all.

“Yes! I’ll tell you about my friend Rueben, he plays so well…”

His excitement was visible even if his voice was subdued, but Abay just reminded me why I was here.

“You still didn’t tell me why you wanted to...” I leaned in and whispered, but it wasn’t necessary. Alex and Kassandra were busy in their own sweet bubble.

“You didn’t win the bet.” He didn’t bother looking at me, nor thinking for a second before speaking.

“I won your life, it’s more prudential to tell me now, you’ve got 100 days in your hands anyway.”

“Worst 100 days of my life. I can’t believe I am stuck with you.”

We were interrupted by the waiter handing over the steak and half-boiled potatoes. I gaped at him, I don’t remember ordering something, then, of course, we are sitting with Alex. He hits me, then gestures to me to make way for the food.

“You really thought I’d let you guys starve. Although, you,” He gawps at Kassandra, again with all the dewy eye shit, “must be full with my service.”

“You need to tell me,” I told him.

“Give me a good reason.”

“We can’t go over this again and again.” I ran my fingers through my hand, how hard it is to tell me what’s going on?

“Fine. At what time do you sleep?”

What was he trying to do? “normally at 10 but Alex is coming home today, so I don’t know.”

He looked outside the glassed wall, and I could see the wind blowing the trees away.

“Perfect, today is quite windy. You’d like to keep your windows open.”

~~~
Word count: 2188
Lmao I know it's been a week since I updated I am trying hard to bring the cycle back. Also, this chapter is all over the place IDK why.

I LEGIT LISTENED TO SUPERHUMAN BY NCT 127 WHILE TYPING THIS CAN YOU MAKE IT OUT?

Thank you for reading it!