Boneca [Doll]

Chapter 21: Promises

"Jesus!" Luuk woke up to Zack and Michael's hushed conspiratorial whispers, nudging each other's ribs like a couple of secret agents with a not-so-secret mission.

Luuk sat bolt upright in the wooden recliner chair. He'd apparently fallen asleep right outside his room. "Why the heck are you two loitering here? What time is it, anyway?" After some vigorous blinking, he checked his wristwatch. It read "barely six in the morning."

"Jona wants us to apologize for... something I can't even remember. Whatever it is, I'm sorry, Professor Smit. Please accept my apology." Zack extended a glass of milk, and the insincere smile on his face was as homey as a sock on a doorknob.

Luuk fiddled with the rubber band on his wrist and swiftly transformed his unruly hair into a bun. "Hold on a sec, is this glass of milk for me?" He eyed the suspicious-looking milk in Zack's hand.

Zack grinned, "Yep, it's our token of apology."

Luuk gazed at the glass suspiciously. He thought: They didn't poison it, did they?

"Eles não o envenenaram. O leite é meu," [They didn't poison it. It was from me,] Da Graça chimed in as he passed them. He shot Luuk an unnecessary annoyed look.

Did he just read my mind?

Luuk whispered to Zack, "Did I actually say that out loud?"

Zack snorted and shook his head, sharing a moment of silent idiocy with Michael.

Taking the glass, Luuk waved them off. "Alright, enough of this. Leave me in peace." He gulped down the milk in one go and casually dropped the glass on the chair as he got up. "Sensei, wait!" he called out, and Da Graça shut the door. Luuk skipped the usual knocking and barged in. "Da Graça, precisamos conversar." [We need to talk.]

Jona was busy folding a towel on the bed, but he glanced at Luuk for a second before shoving the towel into his rucksack. "Que? Você realmente pensou que eu envenenei o leite?" [What? You really thought I poisoned the milk?]

Luuk leaned against the door, one eyebrow raised. "Well, with that attitude of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if I keeled over at any moment."

"Attitude? What are you talking about?" Jona slung the bag over his shoulder. "You should get ready. We're leaving for the deforested site in an hour."

Before he could make his exit, Luuk hastily shut the door.

Jona backtracked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Preventing you from leaving until you spill the beans about what the heck is going on. I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything to get on your bad side."

Jona clenched his jaw and exhaled. "You're right. You haven't. Nothing. Absolutely nothing is going on."

Luuk furrowed his brow. "Did we get off on the wrong foot? Since that night, it feels like you might have a problem with me. Is it because of that night? I know it was creepy. It's a long story, but I couldn't control myself when it happened. I-"

"It's not because of that."

"Alright, so something is definitely amiss here. Is it that you're falling in love with me or something like that? Is that why you're keeping your distance?" Luuk shivered. "I mean, for heaven's sake, I'm not into guys, and I swear-"

"What? No!" Jona almost shouted. "I'd rather be in a relationship with Aarón than falling in love with someone like you." He rolled his eyes and tried to move past Luuk.

Luuk's gut began to churn. He quickly stepped towards Jona. "Don't you dare put him above me."

Jona looked him dead in the eyes. "Oh, he has always been above you, is above you, and will always be above you, Professor Smit."