Alex's POV
"Max! Stop playing around, we are getting late!" Ronin came rushing into the powder room.
I looked into the mirror one last time. Max had grown up. His jawline was now more chiseled, deeper eyes sitting behind the metal glasses and wider lips sitting below his high-arched nose.
The most changed thing?
A large smile on his face, showing all of his upper teeth.
I fixed the yellow sash so it sits on my shoulders, right above my chest and flailed the black silk gown one last time to remove unwanted pleats.
'This punk could finally stand head to head with his father.'
There was a glow of inner happiness on his clean pale face, eyes glittering with excitement and his black hair combed up and puffed right where the hat sat.
I had finally done it.
The promise with Mike lived as long our high school life lasted. I frequented his house after class, sometimes even stayed over in the pretense of studying to stay away from that mansion. He helped me boost my grades through continuous studies and practice, eventually raising my ranks.
And ultimately, my reputation among my peers. We were all friends by now.
The best part?
I got accepted into Charles University, the most competitive and coveted university of that time.
And the better part?
We were going to the same university.
After the long haul of overnight studying and mock tests, it was finally the day I had been waiting for.
The Graduation Day.
I rushed out of the powder room into the hallway. The brightly lit hall had people gathered around. Everyone from my class dressed up in the same gowns and looking like they'd grown up in such a small time. All of them looked happy with their faces glowing. The whole place glittered with small conversations.
I saw Mike standing next to the hall entrance, leaning his back against the door, a white colored cigarette sitting between his lips, its tip burning amber. The smell of tobacco filled the air.
He too, had changed like the others. His long hair were now buzzed at the neck, voluminous, now dyed to dark black and combed with a middle parting. His face's bones became more prominent, making him seem more masculine and laid back than before. Eyes were a little more focused, while lips were fuller and darker than before.
Besides that, he had learned smoking, perhaps from his dad.
I looked towards him and waved an arm. Turning his head towards me lazily, he replied with only a slow blink in exchange. He then puffed out a stream of grey-blue smoke, highlighted against the black gowns, without answering to me.
'Why is this punk not responding?'
I ran towards him, swimming through the crowd and stopped at the entrance, right in front of him.
I asked, turning my head away, "What's gotten... cough... into you?"
The smell of burning flesh and wood, along with remnants of a chemical fire surrounded the air. However, perhaps due to the era, no one really cared. Such smokers were spread across, present in every circle of the hall.
I glared at him and asked louder, "Why are you behaving like thi-"
Click.
Before I could get any answer, they unlocked the door. Two people dressed up in black tuxedos walked out, stopping on either side of the entrances, placing velvet barricades at the entrance.
The crowd had begun to move. The circles now began merging into a group. The group began walking forwards, turning into a cluster. The clusters closed in, all gathered at the entrance, as if they were race horses awaiting command.
A few people began to push me, digging my glasses into my face. I felt my breath getting heavier as my limbs began to throb. The space and urgency was suffocating me, as if someone had held my neck to choke me. The darkness entailed over me once again, as I shut my eyes tight to forget about it.
"It... will p... pass," a stream of words escaped my mouth as I pounded my chest with my fist.
As I felt the noise grow louder, I was prepared for another wave of people swarming over but for some reason, the tightness had abruptly stopped, as if something kept it at bay.
The place had more space to breathe and less people were coming into my personal space. I opened my eyes and looked up.
Mike had created a circle with his arms right above my head, shielding me from all his chaos.
'Guess he was just nervous about the ceremony.'
Max let out a smirk, as if aware that it would happen.
'Clunk.'
As soon as the guards unlocked the barricade, people ran into the room, as if they were a swarm of worker bees. Everyone ran towards the chairs and sat on two or more, reserving the spaces for their friends. As for us, we walked in last, and took the remaining two seats in two rows, sitting down for the ceremony.
...
The ceremony had gone well, people started leaving one by one, towards the yard for pictures. I kept the hat on Mike's chair and went around searching for him so we could etch the memory together. After all, the success I have is all thanks to him.
Scurrying around the courtyard for a couple of minutes, I saw a glimpse of him next to the sports hall. As I approached closer to him, I wished I hadn't.
My heart sank into my stomach.
That bastard was standing in front of him, laughing. He placed a hands on his shoulder and said the words I bet Max will never forget.
"Thanks for cooperating with me to get my son placed where I wanted. You're truly talented, young man."
He chuckled lightly, "well then, I can now go to Charles University too right?"
He snickered, "of course you can! You deserve it," he said as he patted Mike's head.
'Shit.'
'They were together!"
'I don't think he can recover from this.'
My legs lost all their strength and staggered backwards.
'Clank. Clunk. Clunk.'
I fell into a pile of hot metal poles, catching all the attention to myself. A few extruded slivers scratched against my arm, burning my skin but nothing amounted to the fire burning my heart, both from rage and pain.
Both of them turned to the sound. One of them ran towards me while the other stood snickering with disappointed eyes.
Mike stood above me, his soft shoulders squared and a smirk on his face. His hand though, stretched towards me, jaw tightened, while his eyes stole glances.
I swatted his hand away. He had pissed me off, if not Max.
I managed to get up by myself, wincing at the wounds on my arm grazing against the floor. Standing right across his eyes, as I felt his heavy breaths on my face, I could only ask one question.
"Why?"
He had a strange pained smile, as if his lips were stuttering and eyebrows dropping downwards, weighted by regret.
"Because I'm poor."
"So you... used me?" My words faltered as I tried to hold back tears.
"I am an asteroid. I collide with stars. I was meant to destroy you if I can't become you." His voice was grounded didn't have an ounce of guilt.
"Everything was fake?"
"Was anything not real?"
"You poor people are all like this!" I stamped my foot hard, gritting my teeth, "wagging tails for anyone who offers money," My voice had now gone cold.
Damn.
Max was resentful.
Something shifted with that reply in Mike. His eyes hardened, and his eyebrows furrowed, glaring at me, any last bit of regret leaving him.
"And you rich people only know how to throw us around like pawns! You're a pathetic loser Max, can't even do things right," he spat, digging his finger into my chest.
Those words burned a hole in my heart.
That was it.
My last straw.
I felt my fist curl into a ball, and before I knew it, it flew right at Mike, attacking his nose.
Crack.
The noise echoed in the empty field, as his head flew sideways. I bet his neck cracked with that, as I saw blood spill through the crevices of his teeth.
My eyes widened, trying to negotiate with him.
I hid the fist behind my back, as I struggled to process what just happened. My face heated up and stress grew in my eyes, I felt trickles of drops fall on my cheek.
"Look Mike I-"
A sharp fist landed on my jaw, as my ears throbbed. My head was locked to the side, just like when the bastard hit me. This one, for some reason hit harder because it was coming from my own shield.
When your own shield becomes a sword, where else can you run to?
I smiled at him for the last time, with tears running down crazily. I felt the metallic taste of warm blood fill my mouth. My vision was blurred, and a constant buzz dominated my affected ear. My swollen eyes became heavier my the minute, eventually a cloud remained between us, of distant memories and an illusion that he was rushing to help me.
Perhaps this could be the best graduation gift, ever.
A drowsiness dawned over me, pulling me towards the ground. I was unable to move for a good two minutes, before eventually opening my eyes.
The musty smell hit my nose, followed by the lingering essence of dust.
"Dude! You were out for four hours!"
The familiar high pitched sound hit my ears.