Beyond The Crash

CHAPTER 19 | [GIFTS]

Lilley looked at Nicky to see his reaction, but it was the same as Axel's, no expression whatsoever. She couldn't tell if he liked it or dislike it but leaned onto the latter.

Axel sighed. "Open it," he slid the box across the table to Nicky.

Nicky glanced at it and passed it back to Axel, "You open it,"

Axel brows furrowed a bit, "What's if it's a bomb?"
Lilley nearly choked. She turned to Axel in confusion on how he even thought that far.
Have they ever given him a bomb before? She tried to reason.

"Then why would I open it?" Nicky objected.
What gifts have they received before?! Lilley confusion grew.

Dina, on the other hand, sighed out loud and collected the box. "Oh, for heaven's sake," she tore the wrapping and opened the box, revealing two identical key chains that can also be used for phones. They both had characters from a show imprinted on them, and judging by the quality, they all knew that was expensive.

"Woah!" Nicky and Axel chorused.
Light seemed to regain its previous position in their eyes. Lilley eyes widened as she saw their gradual, if one can call it that change in expression. Well, not much in Axel.
"You'll get used to it," Dina smiled softly.

"Who was the girl that gave it to us?" Nicky suddenly asked.

"I think it was Stacy. Why?" Dina replied.

"To give them back to her," he put both key chains back in the box and tried to rewrap it.

"It must have cost her a lot," Axel added.

Lilley blinked once, then twice. Guess they don't accept gifts from their fans.
She stared as at Nicky as he weirdly succeeded in rewrapping the box with the remaining wrapper. The way the side of his lips twitced upwards at his succession of the rewrap.

Then he caught her stare. His deep blue eyes held it still for a bit before he chuckled and passed the gift to Dina.
"Please, give this back to her,"

*●|●*

"Hey kids, how are you all doing? How was your little holiday? I'm seeing new faces, and I like it. It's nice we have some changes, right?" The tall, slim teacher with hair as black as charcoal laughed softly as he continued to look around the class.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" The man eyed Nicky and Axel as his smile seemed to drop dramatically.

Axel raised his head his head from the table a little, his black eyes drowsy, and brows furrowed together while Nicky who was scribbling on his note looked up at the teacher, a smile still playing on his lips.
"Sir?"

"You do realise we have so much diversity in subjects now, right?" Nicky slowly nodded. "Didn't you say you no longer wanna do art anymore, or did I hear wrong?" The man placed his hands on his temples as he let out a sigh.

"Well..." he dragged. "I did say that," he nodded, still smiling.

"Then why, may I ask, are you here?" The tiredness in his eyes evident.

"Well..." he dragged again, purposefully. "I love art." He said softly.

"You love art," the teacher repeated as Nicky nodded in confirmation.
He turned away from his table. He knew he would be more stressed if he kept talking to him.

Nicky glanced at Lilley, who also sat with them at the round table and found her looking right at him. He blinked once. Then twice. Then, smiled cheekily at her before going back to what he was previously doing. Axel sighed as he rested his head on his arms on the table.
Lilley was surprised at how nonchalant they were in class, not even paying the teacher any attention, like they already knew what was going to happen and knew no matter what, they would pass. But then again, the teacher wasn't giving them any attention, either.