Synergism

Chapter 2

The beginning of Zhan's last year of high school was preceded by a summer with Yibo practically glued to Zhan's side. They spent the summer alternating between both of their houses mostly staying up late to watch movies and playing video games. At times they would take long motorcycle rides to explore the outskirts of the city and visit the local beaches, or they would find a quiet shady spot by the lake and spend the afternoon fishing. These moments with Zhan, where no words were needed, where they could exist side by side in silence but know exactly what the other was thinking, would forever be some of Yibo's favourite memories.

They also spent a good amount of time with their friends. The group no longer hung out in the mall arcade and had graduated to other activities that took them further away from home. Sometimes it was camping and sometimes it was going to a party of classmate or acquaintance. But no matter what, Yibo made sure Zhan was safe at one of their homes at the end of the night.

When Yibo stayed over at Zhan's, he'd go home only when Zhan went to work, but made sure to be there to pick Zhan up afterwards. In the beginning he waited in the parking lot, but then other employees of the dessert shop became curious and started to ask if he was Zhan's boyfriend. When Zhan explained that Yibo was his best friend, a couple of the girls that finished their shift earlier decided to keep Yibo company while he waited for Zhan to finish cleaning and closing the store. After a couple of days of enduring their inane flirtations, Yibo decided it was best for him to wait for Zhan down the street and around the corner.

If anyone asked Yibo how he felt about Zhan going off to University without him, he would have replied that he was sure Zhan would starve to death before his first exam. He would have hidden his comment behind a mischievous grin and no one would be the wiser to his true feelings. Not one person would know about the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about it, especially not Zhan.

Yibo was irritated at how quickly the weeks flew by. They were already a month into Zhan's last year and Yibo was wondering why time insisted on flooring the gas pedal. He felt the sinking feeling creeping up on him again and he turned up the speed on the treadmill and started running faster. His legs started to burn and his heart was racing, but he kept running. After a few minutes he slowed the treadmill to a walk to cool down, the sweat was sliding down the side of his face and off of his chin. He reached for his towel just as Jason slid into view.

"You okay, Yeebs?" he asked, gently. He folded his arms over the handles of the treadmill and looked up at Yibo with concern.

"Yeah, why?" Yibo panted, still trying to catch his breath.

"Looked like you were trying to run away from something," Jason said, "Or maybe you're trying to run faster to chase after something... maybe even somebody?"

"Dunno what you're talking about," Yibo said, hitting the stop button and hopping off the treadmill.

Jason followed him into the empty change room. "Look, your best friend is leaving next year. All of us know how close you two are. No one is going to fault you for feeling a bit sad about it."

"The only thing I'm sad about is being stuck here with you," Yibo said, rolling his eyes. "I'll see Zhan during his breaks and on weekends when he isn't too busy. Plus, it's not like I won't be busy with my last year here." He tried to ignore the skeptical look on Jason's face, afraid if he didn't then he'd succumb to revealing his true feelings. He was relieved when Jason dropped the subject and brought up another one.

"So what's the plan for his 18th birthday?" Jason asked.

"Who said you're invited?" Yibo countered, grinning over his shoulder. He dodged when Jason threw a balled up dirty sock at him. "That's disgusting. See that's the exact reason why you're not invited."