dear heart

the chaos

"Sorry about that earlier." Pete muttered apologetically as he eyes averted Vegas' while the two sat alone in their tent.

"Why are you sorry for?"

"For causing you and Achara to fight." Pete answered meekly, feeling terribly guilty that he had been the cause of the two's quarrel. "I'll apologize to her again once she's calmed down."

Vegas let out a chuckle escape his lips. "There's no need. We've had our fair share of fights."

"Yeah but still-"

"And we're not dating." Vegas didn't know why but he felt the need to clarify.

"Oh." Pete furrowed his brows, confused. The last time he swore he saw the two making out at Vegas' place. "You're not?"

"No." Vegas said before dropping his voice into a low whisper.

"Do you want us to?"

"What?" Pete almost choked on his saliva, letting out an embarrassing chain of coughs.

Vegas didn't say anything after (which Pete was grateful for) and the two just sat in silence until it was lunch and Pete suggested heading out (not because he was hungry but because the silence was deafening and somewhat awkward.)

━━━━━━━━━━

"Geez. You're red as a tomato." Pol said as he looked to his best friend. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I-I am." Pete responded, trying his best to avoid Arm's questioning gaze.

"Anyway, you better be honest. What's with you and Vegas?" Pol demanded with a cheeky grin plastered on his face like he had discovered a big secret.

"Uh-huh." Arm waved his index finger at Pete. "No way are you going to say 'nothing'. Pol and I are not having this as an excuse."

"I wasn't going to say nothing!" Pete argued, as his eyes darted nervously. A lie that Arm and Pol are about to expose.

So, despite his reluctance he eventually told them not forgetting to stress the fact that aside from being Vegas' mentor, their relationship was nothing more. But a part of him secretly hopes there might be.

"Okay, hold up." Pol had his palm facing Pete. "You're telling me you've been going over to Vegas' place for the past month and half."

"Uh..yes?"

"Vegas Theerapanyakul."

Pete nodded.

"And you didn't have the decency to tell us?" Arm groaned, feeling somewhat offended. "I thought we were best friends!"

"We are!" Pete exclaimed. "I-I just didn't want people to know in case they had gotten the wrong idea.."

"Oh you bet they are now." Pol said. "He literally stood up for you in front of everybody. Not sure how you're gonna explain that."

"I know." Pete muttered as he sighed exasperatedly. "But I swear there's nothing going on between us."

Arm swiped his phone out from his back pocket before flashing the screen to Pete. "The school's body isn't going to think so."

Pete widened his eyes in horror at the image on the school's forum. He-he was dozing off on Vegas' shoulders. No wonder his neck didn't feel sore!

Oh was he so screwed.

"Mm-hmm." Arm slid his phone back into his pocket, but Pete was still in shock. He wanted to say something, anything, to justify why this happened, but words just can't seem to leave his mouth.

"Ever since Vegas stood up for you, people have been spreading rumors." Pol explained.

"Oh my God. I-I didn't know about this!" Pete squeaked in defense.

"We believe you." Arm responded, "But Achara isn't going to so you best be watching your back."

Pete cried out in frustration. Oh how much he wanted to bury himself in a hole to save him from this embarrassment. In just one day, he had brought himself unwanted attention from the entire student population.

"I'm gonna explain to her." Pete said after a few rounds of internal debate and what seemed to be like the only option.

"Explain what?"

Pete sighed. This was not a great time for him to appear, not when Pete's in full on crisis just thinking of how to resolve this mess. He isn't overreacting, he argues with himself. It's Vegas Theerapanyakul we're talking about here. He can already imagine the amount of hate messages he's going to get for just being associated with him.

Pol and Arm looked at the new presence behind Pete like they had never seen him so up close before.

"Vegas?" Pete spun around, meeting said boy's eyes.

"What and who do you need to explain for?" Vegas looked at him, uncomprehending.

"T-this!" Pete whispered as he gestured to the two of them, hoping to not attract anyone's attention though it most certainly already did because everyone always had their eyes on Vegas.

"What about us?" Vegas on the other hand, didn't have any intention of keeping their conversation private. In fact, it appeared to Pete that he had spoken loudly deliberately.

"What do you mean what about it!" Pete muttered just loud enough so Vegas could hear. Pete was getting anxious and vexed by the minute as eyes turned to look at the rumored 'couple' and Pete swears he could feel Achara boring her eyes into him somewhere. "And would you please keep it down?"

"What is there to hide?" Vegas feigned ignorance. "They can believe what they believe and maybe it isn't a rumor after all, is it?"

The crowd went crazy at Vegas' confession. Arm and Pol looked at each other in surprise, and even Pete was in disbelief as he stared at Vegas. What the hell was happening?

"What are you talking about!" Pete whispered nervously, cold sweat trickling down the sides of his face. 

"We're dating. Aren't we?"