The Snake in the Garden Of Eden [Yandere Arlo]

Chapter 8

A week has passed and John had carried on like normal, regularly texting the number of every misfortune or amusing thing that happens to him. But over time, he's noticed something. Sera's right, she's taking a while to read my texts... John thought, rolling tirelessly on his bed, staring at the unread sign on his phone. She always read them after John arrives home or in the morning before school. Every reply was so weird, it didn't sound like her, but he assumes that so much stress has been piling onto her shoulders that makes it nearly unbearable. John sighed, pulling himself up to get a face plant into the pillow beneath him.

Another day of school, a pile of nearly overdue assignments and homework never finished was stacked neatly on his table. He's never found any motivation to do any work for that matter, maybe he should just hire someone to do his work for him.

The only interesting thing at school, is Arlo's company everyday. He sticks to John like glue, perhaps it was because he was worried that someone might pick on John while he's gone—and John really doesn't want to admit it, but he's found the blond's presence more comforting than Sera's. He doesn't mean it in a bad way. Sure, she's a lot of fun to hang around with, and maybe to others, that's all they needed. But Arlo being a little over-protective over the boy... it's not everyday that he gets such valuable attention from people.

All those times that Arlo smiles so sweetly at him makes him glad that he had someone as charismatic as the blond. John has been around people of varying types—personality, reactions, or appearances, and he has to say, Arlo has the most affectionate smiles he's seen in a long time.

Perhaps he even took John to be a little closer than just a simple friend—in a platonic way of course. He wouldn't mind becoming Arlo's best friend. Being friends with the king certainly has its benefits. He noticed how people around him acted, always staring at him intently yet with no expression on their faces. He didn't even glance back at them. John's gotten more weary about the environment around him, the tension in the air is enough to kill. John noticed it because of his natural sharp instinct from being a low-tier all this time, but did Arlo just not sense any of it? He looks as happy and peaceful as a child, how could he act so ignorant and oblivious to his surroundings?

Even when he asked about his father—it was something he needed to make sure—when he faced John, that smile on his face never faltered, never ever, in front of John. If Arlo had grown up with a physically abusive father, he acted nothing like it. The smile on his face whenever he sees John always manages to stun him. "Arlo, c-can I ask you something serious?"

The blond blinks questioningly at him, a pleasant aura was in the air. "Of course you can. What is it?"

"It's uhmm, about your father." John slightly fretted over those words, unable to make any eye-contact towards the blond. And because of this, he couldn't see how the blond's expression darkened sinisterly. Of course, the second John glanced back up at him, his smile was as gentle Acacias. In fact, he was like a perfect representation of it. "He was a good father towards you, right? He's not—uh, a-abusive?"

The blond opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't get it out. A change of plans. He shut his mouth and remained silent a little longer, thinking for a way to wave this topic off. "No. Not abusive. He raised me well, just... might have been a little bit neglectful, but it was his first time being a parent. Not every parent knows how to raise a child perfectly. Especially when my mother left..." John nods a little, Arlo made a clear point—as expected of the king. Arlo really was on another level... Such a perfect response. John couldn't help but admire him a little bit. "Why did you ask? It's not something you'd normally ask a friend."

"Well, I was just worried about you. You're—as you've said it—my friend after all." To call John his friend was one thing, but John considering him as his friend was another. A slight suffocating heat made his face a little hotter than normal. "You've worked so hard to protect me, it's only right that I care for you too. Plus, you're a really nice person—"