Red Wine

9: The Ring

Lyne and Maru have been the best of friends ever since being in the same class back in first grade of elementary school. At first you'd think that they wouldn't even click as friends - Lyne was a very active boy who enjoys being out there, is always playing with the other school kids, and always participating in sports; Maru, on the other hand, was your typical timid boy who's always at the corner of the room, reading his books in peace, but is always the studious one in class with the highest grades. How these two even started as friends were a mystery to everyone, Lyne and Maru included. All they ever said about each other was "he is always there for me when no one else is."

They attended the same school until their last year of high school. They were in the same class as well until high school separated them, wherein students were clustered by their performance in their last year of elementary school. Maru, of course, got assigned with the other students in the same academic intellect as him, while Lyne was grouped elsewhere with a balanced class that neither overthrows or underperforms him.

Even if the two belong in different classes, Lyne and Maru were still found hanging around together during breaks, and more notably after class where they are both spotted either at the library or at the school garden. Since it's their final year in high school, college applications drew nearer and nearer. Lyne has always struggled with his grades since elementary, and has admitted that his extracurricular was the only thing that helped him stay in the school. If he didn't have that, then he should've been expelled a long time ago. Maru patiently helps him study, usually for tests and major exams, and even a lot more now that Lyne needs to maintain at least a B in order to be accepted in the college and course of his choice.

However, Lyne admits at some point that he feels guilty for Maru; he feels like he's bothering his friend with academics when Lyne knows that he himself was probably the problem why he could barely excel academically. Maru thinks so otherwise - in fact, he enjoys teaching, and most especially the fact that it's Lyne. He can spare all the patience in the world for his friend. And according to Maru, Lyne is great at keeping things lively, and there was never a dull moment between the two of them.

One time during their study sessions, Lyne brought up an interesting topic on the table.

"Maru, have you ever wondered why the third floor bathroom in the high school building never opened?" Lyne paused writing his notes and began fidgeting with his friend. "We always have to use the bathroom on the first floor whenever we need to go. What if I badly need to pee? Then it means I have to make a run for it just to make it downstairs?"

Maru lets out a short laugh. "It never really crossed my mind. One time I did see it open though, it was just being cleaned by the janitors but people weren't allowed to use it."

"I've heard from the sports team that it's haunted, so they rather have it closed than risk the possibility of someone getting possessed." Lyne looks up to think about it for a while, shrugging it off afterwards to continue again with his notes. "If I were to be possessed, I wish it would be someone smart, so I don't have to be a burden to you, Maru."

"Hey, you're never a burden, Lyne! Don't ever say that," Maru nudged Lyne with his elbows, the latter flinching from the sudden action of his friend. "I know you're trying your best, and that's fine with me."

Even with the assurance, Lyne still couldn't help but to feel like a drag to his friend. He knows that Maru is extremely patient with him, and yet all he could give to their friendship was to treat him to food or crack jokes when Maru felt down. What could I possibly do to express my gratitude, Lyne thought.

Speaking of the aforementioned haunted bathroom, one Friday morning, Lyne went out of class to excuse and follow his calls for nature, and much to his luck, he caught the said bathroom open. The janitor was still there of course, but has confirmed that it was temporarily available for anyone to use; the first floor bathroom had some leaky pipes and clogged drains that needed fixing, so the school decided to open this bathroom until the problems in the first floor bathroom were solved.