There were other guys wandering around. Emilio and I were the only ones who didn't move and looked at each other.
What should I do? What should I say?
His brain wasn't working right. He let his guard down for a bit and showed his true feelings. When he imagined Emilio avoiding him after finding out everything, his eyes turned black.
"Look, I mean......"
It was when he barely moved his dry lips to tighten the sound. Suddenly someone grabbed him behind the shoulder and pulled him.
"Ugh."
After being swept away with a strange sound, he felt a familiar smell. Oh, it's Lucien. He could tell by the smell even if he didn't have to look at his face. We used to share a room and I often smelled it. Naturally, she lost her strength and leaned her back against him. Lucien supported him with one arm around his shoulder and the other around his waist.
"What are you doing? You don't walk. Your muscles tense up."
His sudden mischief swept me away. He said playfully and rubbed her body. He twisted the body in a ticklish breath, but Lucien only laughed out loud and didn't let go. Emilio smiled bitterly at the common mischief between close friends, and soon left. It was after Emilio left behind his back that Lucien stopped fiddling with his hands.
"It was close".
Suddenly, Lucien whispered in her ear. Struggling with words, she paused. He helped you on purpose. Only then did he know why he had done this mischief. When she lifted her head and looked up slightly, she immediately met Lucien's eyes. She was going to thank him, but for some reason she couldn't hear the sound. Lucien's eyes narrowed as he gaped, and for a moment he was silent.
...that?
Suddenly a strange thought occurred to him. Lucien's lips were too close. It was a distance that seemed to touch immediately if he raised his foot a little.
What can you touch?
Suddenly, a small whisper came from the depths of their hearts.
Her lips.
He swallowed reluctantly.
Luth's lips...
"Come on, all together! Let's go!"
The sudden scream woke him up. She quickly wriggled out of Lucien's arm and hurried in the direction the coach said. Somehow the back felt empty. When she remembered that until now she had been leaning on Lucien, her face suddenly burned like a fire.
What the hell was I thinking? Luth is a friend!
I like Emilio, but it was strange that with Lucien I felt that impulse. It doesn't matter how old you are, even if sometimes something happens that has nothing to do with your will, isn't it too much?
Luth would feel bad if she knew.
Let's switch positions and imagine that Lucien felt that way about me, and I didn't feel very good. Of course, he wouldn't be offended or angry, but he would be embarrassed. Lucien would be embarrassed too, no matter how close and unique a friend he may be.
Shaking her head vigorously to wake herself, she looked straight ahead, and Lucien was soon sitting next to her. It seemed to smell faintly sweet. The heart, which was about to calm down, began to race violently again. He sat in a panic and did not understand half of what the coach was saying, praying that no one would notice this situation.
* * * * *
"Luth, do you happen to have a band?"
Lucien turned his head when someone asked him. It seemed strange to see Lucien talking to the other boy on the rowing team. A lot has changed since the start of the new semester. The colors of the bedrooms, the classrooms and the ties have changed, but the biggest change has been Lucien.
He was always sitting in a corner unnoticed and holding his breath without saying a word, but now he is nowhere to be seen. After returning from vacation, he quickly became the center of conversation looking completely different from the past.
Lucien Hurst mutated'.
In fact, she had already expressed it a long time ago, so it was not correct to describe it as a "variant" and not an expression of the normal period. However, everyone's shock was so great, that when he walked, the daily life of whispering here and there continued for a while.
It was an awkward situation for Dally to watch, but he didn't seem to care much. Lucien was still quiet and had the attitude that he didn't care what others said while spying on him, but he ignored his surroundings like before and didn't give off an atmosphere of being alone in a different world. Instead, he would smile at his classmate who would make eye contact with him or be encouraged to accept the greeting from the person who was speaking to him, thus attracting people's favor.
Thanks to this, Lucien became a popular student at school less than a month ago. Everyone greeted him, spoke to him from time to time, and spared no effort to get his attention. To them this change around them was astonishing and embarrassing.
Luth is like that.
His calm yet gentle way of speaking and calm demeanor were no different from before. Often he would hit his forehead against the door frame or try to squeeze through a narrow space, but nothing else happened. However, it was strange to see that all the trivial things she would have laughed at or ignored when doing the same thing in the past had now turned into favorable reactions, like laughing or talking anxiously.
"Whoa."
Lucien, who had come to the restaurant to eat together, sighed loudly. Until now, he had amused himself by greeting the children who were lining up with him and responding to silly jokes. She sat across from him and gasped when she saw him look tired.
"You don't have to deal with them one by one."
Lucian looked at him. As if she wanted to say something, she leaned across the table and continued to move closer to him.
"You don't have to try so hard, it's exhausting dealing with people."
Lucien, who had finally understood, smiled weakly. Seeing the face, he straightened his back and added in a nonchalant tone.
"Well, I have nothing to say if you insist."
Lucien gasped as he tried to wriggle away.
"It's okay, Dally. Thanks for caring."
She looked at him saying something stereotypical and looked down again. Does Lucien want to make friends besides me ? Could be. I can't be the only one I always hang out with.
Now that I think about it.......
Suddenly, he realized something he hadn't noticed. Recently, no, for quite some time, he hasn't had anyone to call a friend. The only friend now is Lucien. When did it start? He found the answer shortly after retracting.
Since Lilith's boys left.
His environment was left empty after a group of people quite close to him left school. There was a group of people who got together for a while to eat or talk about trivial things, but strictly speaking, there was a part that was not enough to be called friends. Then Lucien came back, and she's been with him ever since. Looking back, it was all I could say hello to the guys I dated for a while.
Now that I see it, it's not Luth who has only one friend, it's me, right?
The sudden discovery left him blank for a moment. Why hadn't you noticed ? I have had many friends all my life. No, you had many friends until the Liliths. A close friend who talks, laughs, plays all night and trusts.
Of course, I couldn't tell him the deepest secret.
Lucien is the only one who knows I'm gay. Is it because of that ? He felt more comfortable when he was with Lucien. He could openly say that I like Emilio, and it was fun to talk about his concerns related to him.
I can't tell anyone anyway...
It used to be a familiar thing to show a part of your mind except that. However, now that he realized it, he lost confidence in being able to do it like before when he made a new friend.
I would buy it with Lucien.
Of course. If there is someone who talks without thinking and doesn't have to pay attention, and someone who has to pay attention to everything in case they make a mistake, of course anyone will choose the former. He imagined talking about anything and everything while eating hamburgers with a new partner. As I continue to talk about it with a smile, I would be nervous right away if such a story came out. If I go back to my room alone, I may not be able to sleep in case I made a mistake. If you drop a word by mistake...
His spine trembled when he thought about the mistake he made with Emilio. He immediately shook his head. Is it necessary to undertake such an adventure ? I'm already satisfied enough.
"Dally?"
Lucien's voice came from the other side. When he looked up, he looked at him strangely. Fair enough, he thought.
"No, nothing."
Smiling, she rolled the pasta around a fork and popped it into her mouth. While eating, he remembered inside. I like it so. You don't even need more friends.
Because I'm leaving here anyway.
* * * * *
One day when the sun was unusually hot, the bus ended up declaring us.
"It's the last test."
He looked around us grimly and continued speaking.
"Everyone has worked hard so far, there isn't much time left. Let's all cheer up a bit more, okay?"
To the coach's question, an incoherent yes was heard. The coach nodded as if that was enough and said,
"As I said before, I will confirm the position today. It's their last chance, so I hope they do their best."
Soon after, she fixed her eyes on Lucien.
"I see that some have improved incomparably from the first time, and I have high expectations. We are going to work hard and try to win. That's the way to go."
At the shout of the coach, we yelled fight and everyone went to the warehouse where the boat was kept. A few meters from the training ground, they lined up and picked up the boat to take it to the dock. The coach stood with his mark, looked at them, and scratched his head with the tip of a pen.
"Wilson, can you go left?"
Brad paused and frowned at the sudden question.
"Eh, well......I'm not very confident."
At her wriggling attitude, the coach said, " Really?" and looked around us. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and the coach nominated him.
"And you? Is it possible for both parties?"
"Oh yeah, I practiced."
He hastily replied. Of course, his goal is number eight. Hearing that, the coach nodded as if he had and changed seats six times. Moving forward unexpectedly, she took a deep breath to hold her breath in excitement. Looking ahead, Cox felt much closer. Breathing again, lifting and releasing her shoulders, she suddenly felt his eyes. Turning her head, she immediately made eye contact with Lucien. Then, the coach suddenly said.
"Hurst, what about you? Is it possible for both parties?"
The sudden question drew everyone's attention to him. Lucien, who hesitated for a moment, answered in the affirmative.
"I practiced."
"Okay, Wilson, get out. Hurst, get in Wilson's seat."
"That?"
"What have you said?"
There were murmurs here and there. Brad's jaw dropped like it was unbelievable, but he couldn't resist the coach's words. In the end, he stormed out, Lucien taking his place. It was number seven.
Suddenly, her eyes filled. Brad didn't feel much because he was similar to me or a little small, but when Lucien blocked his way, he suddenly felt suffocated. The worst thing was that Emilio, who had been looking at him, was completely invisible.
He could hear the applause in his ears. The coach applauded, ventilated the room and gave instructions.
"Come on, all aboard. Keep the oar level. Yeah."
We moved in perfect order while practicing. As I settled, a deep breath flowed by itself. I paddled to the center of the lake. The trainer, along with another trainer, watched us from a distance in the other boat. The coach, who confirmed that he had been organized to some extent, raised the loudspeaker.
"Well, it's 2,000 meters from now. Let's get started."
Following the coach's instructions, they all yelled once and then grabbed their oars and started rowing. The tension soon spread throughout the body. I was so nervous that I almost lost my oar and rushed to fix my hand. Maybe it's the last chance. You have to pull yourself together. He lashed out and gripped the oar with all his might.
Every time I waved my arm, my whole body moved back and forth and my whole body trembled. Fighting the resistance of the water and driving a boat seemed to push me to the limit every time. This time, moreover, I had nothing left in my head quickly. I just moved my whole body counting the regular beats.
"Ugh!"
" Giggles ."
A suppressed moan echoed between the blades. The sound of pain that could not be endured with a series of bitter words flowed out. I also tensed my chin and rowed with all my might. I moved sideways or forwards according to Cox's instructions. Every time I rotated as directed, the muscles throughout my body seemed to break.
However, every time he wanted to stop, he had to fix the oar because of Emilio's voice, which disappeared from sight but remained in his ear. His voice, which controlled the direction and speed of the ship and shouted with all his might, flew every time he lost his strength for a moment and made him stay alert.
"Just a little more, cheer up! We're almost there!"
Emilio yelled repeatedly. Everyone who rowed to his voice moved to the correct beat. Forward, back, forward, back.
"Stop, stop there!"
Emilio's scream left him without energy. I was nauseated and vomited in the lake, but the only thing that came out was bitter gastric juice. He lay moaning here and there. Lucien, who was in front of me, was also shaking his shoulders and noisily bowing his back as if he were tired. Instead of speaking to her, I lightly patted her arm. That is the only thing I could do. I wasn't in the best shape either.
The steps back to the driving range were heavy and exhausting. Lucien spoke to me through the stumbling crowd. I'm going to look like a mess too.
"Are you okay? Earlier you looked like you were throwing up."
With a still tired voice, I told him that I was fine. I'm glad I was able to answer at least.
"Thanks to you, I have been riding the boat almost every day and it has helped me a lot, thank you."
Lucien stared at him without saying a word, gathering up the energy he didn't have and laughing as hard as he could. She waited in a strange mood, but he didn't open his mouth easily. It was then that he realized that all the other boys had entered and he had no choice but to turn around.
"...still."
Lucian murmured. When he glanced back nonchalantly, Lucien took a few steps back and looked up at him.
"Do you still want to be number eight?"
He was smirking at the low voice. It was a substitute for saying "Of course," but Lucien seemed to understand. When he warmed up and sat down, the coach checked that everyone was together and opened his mouth.
"Everyone did a great job today. The speed is good and they drove very well. It's worth it."
They all looked around at the hopeful prospect of the coach and gave a pleasant exclamation. The coach watched them for a moment, then held out his hands and said, "Come on, come on," and calmed down. When she calmed down again, it didn't take long for her to open her mouth.
"As I've told you before, today is the last day to decide the position. This will now be a fixture in the game, and I'm not going to change it unless there's a problem with someone in particular."
For a moment his shoulders stiffened. He was nervous without realizing it, but suddenly Emilio, who was sitting in front of him, turned his head. Their eyes met and he made a strange expression. It was Emilio, who always smiled at the face, but not this time.
He was taken aback by the first reaction, but there was no way to find the answer to his expression. Soon Emilio turned his head and I looked at the back of his neck, puzzled, barely taking my eyes off him.
"Well, here's the list. First up, Wilson, the backup."
"That?"
"What have you said?"
Brad jumped out of his seat and yelled, and the others also buzzed here and there as if surprised. However, despite all the turmoil, the coach's attitude was firm.
"I would have told you in advance. The seat is not confirmed. Didn't I say that the order might change depending on today's results? If the position changes, it can also change the reserve and the player going to the match. You won't be saying You didn't think of that either, did you?
Brad looked puzzled at the booing, but couldn't say anything else. She screwed up her face in anger and immediately turned to Lucien. In his expression it was guessed that there was no way, but the coach continued as if nothing had happened.
"I'm going to announce the list. Cox is Emilio Diaz, number one is......."
The coach kept calling him by name. Everyone waited their turn with bated breath. She felt her teeth grinding somewhere, but she pretended not to know. Number 3 and 4. The number keeps going.
"Seven, Avery."
As?
The sudden call puzzled him. Number 7? Not number 8? No no. 7 is the seat of Luth today. So what the hell is ...... Thinking over and over again, the coach pointed to one side.
"And Hurst, you're number eight."
His head was left empty in an unimaginable situation. She stared at Lucien with wide eyes. Lucien was looking at him sheepishly, too, but the expression seemed to remind him even more of reality.
Lucien is number eight.
It's not me.
