“You’re truly saddening me. How can you take Tay's side like that when we’ve known each other for a long time?”
Then another voice chimed in with a solemn tone.
“You punk are so childish. What’s up with the side he’s on? Can you fight him and win?”
It was the PE teacher who intervened in our conversation. The teacher lightly hit Book's head with the water bottle he was holding. There was a crisp hitting sound because there was nothing in it.
It doesn’t look like he hit him too hard, but Book grabbed his head. He also teased the teacher saying, in what era are you hitting a student’s head these days? Isn’t it clear that the teacher is abusing his authority? Of course, it was a phrase that had no effect on the teacher.
The teacher looked at me and Book alternately then asked. “Are you hanging out with people you don’t even get along with?”
I’m not sure about that either. “What’s wrong with us?!” exclaimed Book. And he drew me into silence. The teacher said this while waving the water bottle sideways in front of Book, who was still in frustration.
“Book, stop talking and go get some water.”
As expected, Book didn’t lose a word. I could see why people were so fond of him. He was truly amusing. It wasn’t the same for me. Even when I spoke, I acted stiffly as if I were a fool. Tay also seems to have enjoyed Book's tantrum. For a brief moment, even the smile that had spread across my lips became discouraged. What if he doesn’t like me anymore because I’m not interesting?
Contrary to my heart, Book who had something like a motor in his mouth started the engine as if it were about to take off.
“Teacher, don’t you know that you can’t do something like this these days?”
But that was probably just my assumption. The teacher glanced and threatened Book. “Punk, aren’t you leaving soon?”
Despite his feistiness, the terrified Book rose immediately in response to the teacher’s threat. Then he grabbed my arm. I unexpectedly went on an errand with Book. He tapped the water bottle on his shoulder and chewed the teacher as he thought it was unfair.
“I’m going to report you to the education office.”
“If you file a complaint now, I will know right away that you are the culprit.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, I’m glad I had an errand to run. I was sitting there with nothing to do.”
I was a little sad. I’d like to see even a little bit of Tay's appearance while running…
“Ah!” I raised my voice and then shook my head.
Book asked, “What is it? What’s wrong with you?” I waved his hand and trudging away, “Nothing.”
Book said he did not want to enter the building and headed to the drinking water fountain located between the main building and the annex. The only people who used this place were the members of the sports team or some guys who couldn’t hold back their thirst right after the gym was over. I couldn’t be sure about the cleanliness because no one else uses them on a regular basis except them.
“Isn’t the water here dirty?”
When I asked carefully, Book reacted half-heartedly. “It’s not something we can drink. What do you think?”
I was worried, but it was Book holding the water bottle. Even if we get in trouble, Book will get in trouble by himself.
When he turned on the faucet from the stone drinking fountain, cool water gushed out. While watching the pouring water, I also turned the faucet in front of me to wash my face. As expected, the water pressure was strong and the water splashed down. I poured some water into my palm. It was hot at first, but it got colder as time went on. I sprayed stagnant water on my face. It was cold enough to wake me up.
