Taylor and Victor

Chapter 2

Victor

"Can you see my T-shirt anywhere?" asked Victor.

As he asks, Victor's rushing to change inside his walk-in wardrobe. Moments when he didn't hear an answer, he walked out from his room, looking down at the kitchen.

"Alan," he repeated. "Can you see my white T-shirt anywhere?"

"What T-shirt?" his brother replied from the kitchen table.

"Plain white."

Alan shrugged, back focusing on his breakfast. He's having the slowest pace out of three people in the house. Somehow refused to give Victor a reply.

He grinded his teeth, slowly breathing out of his nose.

"Did you know or do you not?" Victor continued impatiently.

"It's in the laundry."

"Why is it in the laundry?"

"I borrowed yesterday. I texted you while you're away. Blame the slow connection."

"Did I say you can take it?

"You didn't say anything, so it wasn't a rejection."

"Neither was an acceptance," he raised his voice.

"Lower your voice, Vic. It's only seven in the morning," their mother said from the kitchen. Victor's now too busy to focus on anything. He walked back inside his room, grabbed a random shirt to put on. He stared at the letters said white banana on his shirt, checking himself in the mirror the last time before walking out.

Victor climbed downstairs not long later, passed through his apathetic brother. His tempting picture soon dissolved in the back of Victor's mind, as he quickly walked out to his bus stop.

"Don't you want some breakfast?" his mother said while swiftly cutting cucumber for the filling. "Bring some sandwiches along."

"No, thanks. I don't have that much time."

He quickly ties his shoelaces, adjusting his clothes when Sara packs the sandwich for her own.

"Bye, mom. Have a great day," he said before walking out.

"You too."

He can hear his mother complain after, about his breakfast. Victor can't have his mind to care.

One things he did, he didn't show. Victor got out just when his bus came and getting in. He walked along the aisle, passed Sam's seat where he's waving at him. He soon settled down in his seat before other kids came in.

They were making their appearance loudly as footsteps bouncing everywhere on the bus. Victor sat in the aisle seat, waiting for them to all settle down before sliding further in his seat. He looks outside the window as houses blur in the background. His face pressed to the cold glass window with his now new feeling.

The bus stopped again.

"Happy Monday," Mia said with joy wavered in her voice. "I noticed someone's moody."

Victor looks up at her, waiting for her to sit down. Just then, his eyes wandered to the seat on the other side of the aisle.

The row was empty. Even though he always used to see someone there.

"Hey, Vic." Mia opens her hand, with her face stretched with a smile. "The Little Prince, please."

Victor pulls out a book from his backpack, French edition, and gives it to her.

Her eyes lit up, her hand carefully received the book from him, like a treasure she could keep. "Thank you."

He didn't take another second to check if she likes it or not. He leaned back in his seat, enjoying what's left of his morning.

Someone else's tragedy is giving him a hard time. But he could find reasons to blame someone else. At school, he knows lots of things. Things not everyone knows. He tried to gather as much information as he could, made himself a god-like feeling. But Victor stopped doing so. He also knows he should.

He doesn't like being at school. Victor's still gonna continue doing so, for two years at max. Alan'll probably be satisfied knowing he's trying to live through his classes. His uneasy gut became more uneasy seeing kids walking in the hallway. A half like annoy-ish growing inside his chest.

"Hey." Sam pats his shoulder from behind. Victor's mind lightened up a bit and his harsh feeling faded away. Mia – who's standing beside him – turns back and waved at Sam first.

Victor didn't acknowledge him before the girl beside Sam. A dark haired girl, with dark skin he can tell. Darker than his. She's looking down at the floor all the time, didn't greet anyone nor excuse herself before going to class.

He knew who she was, but never really knew her.

"So," Mia started. "I'll head to class first, and leave you two for whatever might be."

Victor looks at her when she excuses herself, to acknowledge instead of really do something. His friend waved back and soon shifted his attention.

"Are you free this Saturday?" Sam asked.

"I am. There's anything?"

"Do you want to come over?"

"No."

"Come on," Sam groaned. "I'm dying of boredom. My mom wouldn't let me go anywhere alone. Maybe you could invite me over."

His eyes blinking, mouth puts on a big grin. While Victor was not. "Why would I?"

"Because you're my only friend."

"You're lying."

"You're my best and only friend."

"Need me to find you another?"

"And I shall be treated well, since I didn't have any siblings. Or friends, and anyone who can spend their weekend with me."

Vitor stares at him, before giving Sam a light tap on his shoulder, putting on a pitty look. "If I'm free, then I'll go."

"You keep your word."

"Yeah, probably."

Victor gives Sam a reassuring smile, not very promising. Sam noticed nothing and linked arms with his very called friend, dragged both of them to class. His arm holds tight and he's walking at his own speed, ignoring Victor who's trying to hold him back behind.

They keep on walking like that, before her class's picture get into his eyes.

Victor's mind dropped. He becomes uncomfortable with how lively inside the room is. If someone is quiet then let it be their problem. But his spin shivered everytime someone's laugh traveled through his ears.

His school's weird, very weird. He thought what if their teacher knew, but half of him hoped they didn't. And the students, what would they think if they knew what's happening.

Sometimes, Victor wondered if Mia knew the girl in her language class.