It's Ninety Nine [On hiatus]

Curse Two

THE SECOND MISFORTUNE: NEXUS

As the final school bell rang, Janed sprang up from his seat, his mind already racing ahead to his after-school mission. He had made a promise to his younger twin brothers, Mateo and Diego, that he would buy them new dinosaur toys. That morning, the two had come to him in tears, each clutching the shattered remains of the other’s toy. Determined to keep his word, Janed swiftly packed his belongings into his bag, the urgency of his task driving his every move.

Just as he was about to rush out of the classroom, he felt a sudden weight on his back. Rosch had skipped up behind him and jumped onto his back, his arms draped over Janed’s shoulders for support. Instinctively, Janed grabbed Rosch’s legs to keep him from falling, letting his bag dangle precariously from his right shoulder.

“Rosch, dude, come on. I really need to go early today,” Janed said, his voice tinged with both urgency and the faintest hint of amusement.

By this time, Stella, Lara, and Jui had joined them, forming a small cluster in the now-empty classroom. The teacher had already left, and the rest of their classmates had filtered out, leaving the friends alone in the quiet room.

“Why, dude?” Rosch asked, leaning forward on Janed’s shoulder, his curiosity piqued.

Janed glanced at him from the corner of his eye as he explained, “Mateo and Diego broke their toys.”

“Oh, so you’re going to buy some new ones?” Rosch inquired, his interest now fully engaged.

“Mhm. So do me a favor and get off my back, please,” Janed replied, a half-smile tugging at his lips.

Reluctantly, Rosch slid down from Janed’s back, landing lightly on his feet. But before letting the conversation drop, he added, “By the way, dude, how’s Camila?”

“My sister? She’s fine. Why?” Janed asked as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder, curious about Rosch’s sudden concern.

Rosch skipped in front of Janed, his expression thoughtful as he replied, “Well, I saw her with her boyfriend yesterday. It didn’t seem like they were all that pleased to be together.”

Janed shrugged as he spoke, “Maybe they fought, Rosch. She always gets in fights with him.”

“If you say so. Just worried for our sister,” Rosch said, his tone light but laced with genuine concern.

“Sure. I’ll be off then,” Janed said, ready to dash out the door.

But as expected, his friends weren’t about to let him leave alone. Rosch quickly wrapped his arm around Janed’s shoulders, and the two boys began running toward the school gate, their laughter echoing down the hallway. Stella, Lara, and Jui followed close behind, the group a blur of motion as they raced toward the exit.

As they reached the store, Rosch bent down, hands on his knees as he panted heavily. “I won,” he declared between gasps for air.

Janed, hands on his waist, stared up at the sky, eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath. “No way. I won,” he countered, still breathing hard.

Stella walked up to Janed, a concerned look on her face as she handed him a handkerchief. “You shouldn’t have run all the way here from school,” she admonished gently. Afterall, the girls had let them go off while they paced together at their own speed towards the store.

Lara nodded in agreement, offering Rosch a handkerchief as well. The boys wiped the sweat from their faces and pocketed the handkerchiefs before heading into the store.