Chapter 23: Did We Just Become Best Friends? (No!!)
Around 4 a.m. in Everett Falls, a boy lay sleeping, curled into a small ball of blankets. Only the soft brown hair on his head peeked out. His phone, resting on the nightstand, lit up and began to vibrate—indicating a call.
Syler popped his head out from the blankets in sleepy confusion and reached for the phone. He groaned softly, dragging it toward himself and flipping it over to check the screen. The name Mina lit up before his eyes.
His eyes widened, pupils dilating at the sight of her name. He sat up with a jolt and answered without thinking.
"Mina?" he asked carefully, his breath quickening slightly.
He heard her familiar giggle on the other end of the line.
"Sorry, Sy. I forgot about the time difference. Want me to call later?" she asked, trying to stifle her laughter.
A spark of electricity ran up his spine at the sound of her voice.
"N-no. Now's fine. I'm up now anyway," he stammered.
Another giggle followed.
"Sy, you're so nice. You're even considerate when I'm obviously inconveniencing you. Will you seriously not consider being my wife?" she teased.
Syler rolled his eyes.
"I'll hang up if you keep joking like that," he muttered with a snort.
Mina smiled softly at his tone.
"I know, I know," she said, still playful. "No, I just wanted to say I'll probably be coming back in about a week. Most things have settled here. I've just got one more thing to take care of."
Her eyes drifted toward the funeral pamphlets in her lap—each one advertising floral arrangements for her mother's service.
"Oh… well, that's good. It's been kind of quiet without you around," he said, wrapping his free arm around his knees.
"Sy, are you saying I'm loud?" Mina asked, a hint of mock annoyance in her voice.
"N-no, I didn't mean that! I just meant it's less fun and lively without you here," he said quickly, breaking into a nervous sweat.
Mina chuckled as she listened to his flustered voice.
"I know, I'm just teasing you," she said, setting the pamphlets aside and hugging her knees to her chest. "Actually… I just really wanted to talk to someone. I'm sorry for calling so early. I just… wanted someone to comfort me, I guess," she added, her tone turning gloomy.
Syler immediately picked up on the change in mood.
"No, it's fine—I'm here for you. I don't mind. Did something happen? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm not sure I'm the best person to cheer you up. After all, I'm not as goofy or funny as Elias," he added gently, tapping his fingers against his knee.
"If I wanted Elias to comfort me, I'd call Elias. Elias is great to clown around with, but he's a ditz when it comes to emotional things. That dumbass would probably just send a meme or a sticker if I tried to talk to him about anything serious. I think in terms of actual compassion and comfort, you're way better. At least you get me," she said, blushing slightly.
Syler couldn't help the heat that rose to his own cheeks.
"You might be right," he said awkwardly, scratching his nose—remembering all the times Elias had sent him ridiculous memes while he was depressed.
"So… what's wrong?" Syler asked, gently steering the conversation back.
"Well… truthfully, I came home because my mom was really sick," Mina said slowly.
Syler paused at the word mom, but quickly composed himself.
"Okay," he said softly, encouraging her to go on.
"She had cancer. She'd been fighting it for a while… and she passed away last night. I've been gone for three years and only came back now. Doesn't that make me a horrible daughter?" she asked, letting out a heavy sigh.
Syler paused for a few moments.
To be honest, he didn't have any good experiences with the word mother or mom. But he knew Mina's situation was different—so he quietly imagined she was talking about her grandmother instead.
"Not necessarily," he said, choosing his words carefully. "You probably had good reasons for not going back home, right?"
Mina hummed in agreement, then broke into a playful smile.
"Would you believe I left home to avoid being forced into a political marriage?" she asked.
Syler blinked, doubting his ears.
"Well… not exactly. That sounds like something you'd only see on TV these days," he said, scratching his head.
"Oh, but it's true," she said, clearly amused. "My grandfather tried to arrange an engagement for me when I was thirteen—to someone from another family. We would've gotten married in two years from now, when I turned eighteen. Isn't that insane?"
Syler nodded slowly.
"Yeah… that honestly sounds unreal. Like something out of one of those shows about noble families and power struggles. Then again, you did kind of give off that ojou-sama vibe when we first met." He laughed, eyes twinkling.
"What? Oh, please. Ojou-sama, my ass," she said with exaggerated irritation, blowing her bangs out of her face.
She went quiet for a few seconds again.
"The other reason is because I don't get along with my dad. Well… I don't know if not getting along really covers it. I mean… he's hardly ever there," she said slowly, nervous now. Her hand clenched against her thigh. She'd never told anyone this before.
Syler listened, frowning.
"Okay?" he asked, gently prompting her. But he felt a bad feeling stirring in his chest.
"Well, the truth is… my father's basically absent all the time. Usually off with a mistress somewhere. My dad is a serial adulterer."
Syler froze, his body trembling slightly. Another sensitive topic. He rubbed his arms, trying to calm himself.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he managed to squeeze out in the most normal tone he could manage.
Mina noticed the shift in his voice but assumed it was just because it was an uncomfortable topic.
"Yeah… for as long as I can remember, my dad's always had mistresses. Honestly, I don't even know how many illegitimate children he has. If it weren't for my grandfather's rules, those women—or their kids—probably would've come demanding inheritance or something."
Illegitimate children… those words sent a sharp jolt through Syler's body. His breath grew shallow, and his face paled. He pulled the phone away from his face, desperately trying to calm himself down. When he finally caught his breath, he cautiously asked,
"Do you… hate them?"
Mina raised a brow, surprised by the question, but decided to answer honestly.
"Well, I definitely hate my dad. The women he sleeps with are pretty scummy too. As for my half-siblings… even if I know it's not their fault, it still hurts knowing they exist. You know what I mean?"
Syler gripped the blanket, trying his best not to give anything away.
"Yeah, I get it," he forced out, his mind already spiraling out of control.
Mina paused—Syler seemed distracted for some reason, but she brushed it off. He was probably just feeling tired after all it was only around 4:30 a.m. over there. She suddenly felt really bad for waking him up so early.
"Well, that's enough trauma dumping for one day," she said with a smile. "I don't want to keep you up for too much longer. Get some rest, and thank you for listening to me ramble," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Yeah… no problem. And good night," he said stiffly.
The other end of the line cut off. Syler simply stared at the screen blankly, even when it had long turned off. He finally placed it down and laid his head on his knees.
'She'll definitely hate me', he thought. His eyes looked into the dark corners of his room.
'She can never know.'
He laid back onto his side, curled into a ball like before—but he couldn't fall back asleep.
—
Around 6:00 a.m., Elias woke to a brief text from Mina: she'd be back after her mom's funeral. He scratched his head, staring at the message, unsure how to respond. Eventually, he settled on, "Sorry for your loss. Let me know if you need anything," followed by a crying panda bear sticker. He squinted at it. He felt like he should say more… but nothing came to mind. So he gave up and got ready for school.
Later, as he and Eve were walking toward the gate, Elias noticed someone peeking at them through the bars. His eyes narrowed, and he instinctively stepped in front of Eve in a subtle, protective stance.
"What's wrong?" Eve asked, having noticed the figure too.
The person behind the gate waved his arm in a panic.
"Wait! I'm sorry! I'm not here to cause trouble this time!" the boy said, brown eyes wide with unease. He ran a hand through his matching brown hair, thick brows furrowed as he nervously twisted his fingers together.
"This time?" Elias asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
The boy looked exasperated, mouth falling open. "It hasn't even been that long! I was the guy with Kevin—the one who tried to throw milk on you!... And missed," he added sheepishly.
Elias blinked. Yeah… he did look familiar now. Still, he didn't drop his guard—not with Eve nearby.
He gave her a subtle signal to head inside. She hesitated, clearly worried, but he waved her off. She relented and slipped into the crowd.
Once she was gone, Elias turned back to the kid. "Alright. What do you want?" he asked, arms crossed. "A fight? I'll gladly give you one." He shifted into a fighting stance.
The boy's eyes widened, then panicked. "W-wait! I'm not here to fight, I swear!" he yelped, dropping to his knees and clasping his hands over his bowed head like he was begging for mercy.
Elias froze, taken aback. His eyes widened in confusion and horror.
"Listen! I'm really sorry! I was totally out of line the other day!" the boy wailed. "I'm new here, and I thought getting on Kevin's good side would help. But ever since that happened, Kevin and the others have been ignoring me. I get it now—I was looking for friends in the wrong place. Could you maybe find it in your heart to forgive me?"
To Elias's growing discomfort, the kid grabbed onto his leg, tears and snot streaming like a cartoon.
Elias jerked back, shaking him off like he was a giant bug. He stared, completely speechless.
Students began gathering, pointing and laughing as gossip buzzed through the air. Elias was used to being a spectacle, but that didn't mean he liked it.
"Okay! Okay! Fine! Just stand up and act like a normal human being for two seconds! You're giving me the heebie-jeebies, dude!" he exclaimed, shivering and rubbing his arms.
The kid wiped his nose on his sleeve and stood, then awkwardly shoved his hand forward.
"I know we started off rough, but… do you think we could be friends? I don't have any. After that mess with Kevin, nobody wants to be seen with me," he said, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck.
Elias eyed the outstretched hand for a few seconds before finally shaking it. Before Syler and Mina, he'd known that kind of loneliness too well. And the guy hadn't done anything unforgivable.
"Fine. But please act normal," Elias muttered, sticking out his tongue as if gagging. "You were acting creepy as hell."
The guy laughed awkwardly. "Sorry. I was a little desperate. I'll work on that."
Elias's face finally softened into a smile.
"So, what's your name, dude?" he asked, realizing he didn't know what to call him.
"Oh, I'm Hans. You're Elias, right? You're actually a really good guy. Also, is it true you give people bad luck? I don't mean that in a bad way—it's just… kinda cool!" Hans said, animated.
"Yeah, I'm Elias… and er… something like that, I guess," Elias muttered as Hans kept chattering.
Hans went on for several more minutes before Elias awkwardly excused himself to go to class. As soon as he left, someone yanked Hans's shirt and dragged him into a secluded corner.
He turned—and came face-to-face with a blond buzzcut and fierce blue eyes. Kevin.
"What the hell are you doing talking to and apologizing to that loser?" Kevin growled, gripping Hans's shirt. "Even if I'm ignoring you, that doesn't mean you get to beg for his attention."
He shoved Hans against the wall.
Hans frowned. "Who I talk to now has nothing to do with you," he said calmly, clearly unfazed. That only made Kevin angrier. Wasn't this the same guy who'd been groveling just days ago?
"Just do what I tell you!" Kevin snapped.
Hans gave him an unsettling smile. "Yeah… I don't think so. Wanna know why I don't have to?"
Kevin's skin crawled. This felt worse than the way Elias made him feel the other day.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kevin demanded, trying to reassert his control and dominance.
"I. Know. Your. Secret," Hans said, each word slow and deliberate as he leaned in. Kevin instinctively stepped back.
"You're full of shit," he muttered, trying to shove him.
Hans didn't budge. Instead, Kevin found himself shoved to the ground.
"What the hell?" he gasped.
Hans crouched down beside him, still grinning.
"Actually, I know two of your secrets. If you want them to stay that way, I'd suggest staying out of my way."
He patted Kevin's shoulder and walked off, leaving him behind, stewing in overwhelming rage.
Kevin sat in a daze for a few moments, seething, then stood up. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears and his teeth grinding together.
"Who is that psycho?" he muttered, punching the wall, not caring whether it broke his skin. "Damn it."