Hatred - 2Min/Minmin

3

    Seungmin loved the smell of books, new and old, he loved to scribble, take notes, memorize and recite, and feel a little smarter the next day.

       “ Where's VI A? ” asked Seungmin to a group of seniors standing in the corridor, discussing girl's skirt length and pubic hair.
       “ Why do you want to know? ” asked one if them.
       Seungmin had received two double promotions, once when he was in LKG (The education system in my country works like this so I never understood the thing about elementary, middle and highschools so please bear with me) and once in first standard, making him the youngest in his class.

        “ I'm a new student ” said Seungmin.

The senior who now seemed to have noticed his patchy skin, pointed in the direction of the class, and looked away from him as if staring any longer would give him the disease.
 
         “ It's not contagious! ” said Seungmin sharply and made his way to the class.
 
         His new classmates welcomed him with sideways glances and whispers. He sat alone on the first bench. The kids on the second bench leaned away from him. Some covered their noses.

        A few minutes later, the teacher entered and the class settled down. A few kids still looked at him, cringed, but that was okay. He felt worse about his brother throwing that CD at him than the behavior of these kids.

       The teacher noticed Seungmin sitting alone, smiled extra benevolently and said, “ If you need anything, my staffroom is on the fourth floor. ”
        People often thought Seungmin had special needs because of his condition.

       “ Ma’am, expect for school picnics, which I would like to be excused from since I got sunburnt if I expose myself to too much of the outdoors, I think I would be able to manage myself. Thank you though for your help, Ma’am. It was too kind of you, ’ clarified Seungmin with his gap-toothed smile. The teacher smiled back, asked him to sit down and welcomed him again.

      “Open to page no.33 and all of you who don't have the books go outside of the class. ” said the teacher.

       She had started reading from the book when a boy at the door interrupted her. “ Good morning, Ma’am, may I come in? ”
       “ Lee Minho? You're late again. I can't let you in. ” said the teacher. Minho, without any protest, took two steps backwards! Leaned against the wall and stood there.

         Seungmin wondered where he had seen him before. He turned back to ask the two scared kids who held their breaths about the boy. “ You can breathe. My disease isn't contagious. ”

          One of the girls met up. “ Lee Minho. He's the son of one of our teachers. He had failed twice. He keeps picking up fights with seniors. ”

“ why? ”
“ They say things about his mom. ”
“ What things? ” asked Seungmin
“ Dirty things. ” Seungmin drew blank. “ That his mother gets naked with the principal in his office room. ” whispered the girl.

          Seungmin gasped. “ What? Why would anyone say that? That's horrible! ” said Seungmin. He saw Minho shift in his place.

          He looked inside and caught Seungmin staring at him. He recognised him now. He was the boy who had pointed fingers and laughed at him that night. The slight pity in Seungmin's heart melted away.

        Maybe he deserved it. He thought.

                         ༺༒༻

Minho woke up early that morning to shouts and screams and sound of things breaking. He stumbled out of the room and saw his mother dragging out two suitcases.
         His father was throwing things which landed near her feet and shouting incessantly, “ Take this! Take this! Take this too! Go away and don't ever come back! ” he shouted, his voice breaking and eyes full of tears.

         He had never seen his father so disturbed before. Mom dragged the suitcases out of the house but Dad kept on shouting. The next door neighbors were peeking through the grill door.

Tears streamed down Minho's face, his feet felt bolted to the ground. He wanted to scream but his throat ran dry. “ Take me! ” He wanted to shout. He can hear the suitcases tumble down the stairwell.

He ran after his mother but Dad caught a hold of him. “She doesn't want you ” he said.

       “ NEITHER DO YOU! ” He broke free from his father's embrace and ran behind his mother. She hadn't even bothered to wake him up before leaving.

    “ MUMMA! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHERE ARE YOU GOING? ” Shouted Minho and ran into Mom's arm as he lifted him up, he was crying, slamming both fist into her shoulders.

      “ You woke up? I am so. . . . so. . . . sorry, Minho. I didn't mean for this to happen. I will come and get you I promise I will come and get you. ” She bent down and kissed him all over his face.

         “ WHEN! WHEN! WHEN! ” cried Minho , his mouth open, the words barely audible.

Mom took his face in her palms and wiped his tears away. She tried to walk away but Minho latched on her.

      “ We will come and get you, ” said a man's voice and Minho felt am unknown touch ruffle his hair. “ There's nothing to worry about now. ” Minho lifted his head to see the principal of the school staring down at him, smiling. So it was all true.
  
           His mother was leaving him and Dad for the principal.

        “ SIR! ” Minho gasped.
        His mother clutched the principal's hand. Minho felt the insides of his stomach turn to mush and rise up his food pipe.

       “Mumma! No! Please don't go. ” begged Minho.
        “ Minho, you have to understand. I'm not happy in this house, ” said his mother and bent down to talk to him. Not happy? What did she mean? She wasn't happy with Minho? What had he done? What?

She tried holding him in her arms but Minho fought free. “Everything is going to be alright, Minho ”

        “ You're lying. Lying. Lying. Lying! ”
        “ Listen to your mother, Minho, ” the principal said sternly.

       “ SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You took my mom away.” bawled Minho and kicked the principal's shin and ran towards the stairs of his house and then into the arms of his father who hard already poured himself a drink.

        “ I am never going back to her. I am never going back to her. ” said Minho.

        “ You don't have to.” said his father.

                           ༺༒༻