Resignation of Bien

The Art of (Love) War

It was sunny with a few clouds to keep the heat a bit friendly. But with the number of people around, both children and adults, Bien was thankful he decided to wear an oversized light purple tee and cream shorts, to keep himself cool. Axel said it was an annual thing for the Bad Egg Productions to conduct an outreach for the poor. They would go to a remote area, and give away learning materials, food, and grocery packages to the needy.

The community, thankfully, had a huge gymnasium, sparing everyone from the sun. It was kind of a big event, packed with sponsors here and there. Aligned on the side were booths of different brands, partnered with Bad Egg Productions. They were giving away free products and everyone can come back for another anytime they want. Bien couldn't count the lines.

On one side of the gymnasium was a mini-basketball game. There were prizes depending on how many points the player accumulated. Filled with all genders and all ages, it was obvious that it was the most popular. One of the sponsors even hired hosts to keep the old ones busy in a friendly bingo game. But instead of money, gift packs from the sponsors were the prize to the winners. Mr. George was playing with them.

While the rest of the team was busy with their own tasks, Bien worked with the people at the booths, giving away free products. Matthew was with him.

Christian, however, was with Axel and the rest of the grunts, carrying boxes. He dropped his ninth box of notebooks and school stuff in the designated area, Axel was behind him.

"Why are we carrying these?" Axel complained, gasping for air.

Christian didn't listen, too busy staring at Bien in the booth area as he gave free milk to the line of kids with such a loving smile. The kids would just run away after taking the cup of free milk without so much as a single thanks. Those kids didn't know how lucky they were to receive such a smile, Christian thought.

Drenched in sweat, Matthew came to the rescue, quickly wiping it for him. Bien laughed. Matthew laughed. They used to be like that, Christian and Bien. It was the exact scenario seven years back. It was a charity event and Christian used to stand where Matthew stood, beside Bien. But it was Bien who wiped his sweat away, not the other way around. Bien was the one taking care of him. And he took it for granted.

Watching Matthew take care of Bien, Christian clenched his jaw as his shoulders dropped. It should've been him doing that. He looked at it until he couldn't stand it any longer. He stepped away from the boxes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Axel asked.

"Somewhere that's not here," Christian replied, looking at Bien. Axel seemed to notice it and wrapped his arm around Christian's shoulders.

"Chris, my friend, you look like a sad puppy who just lost his favorite chew toy," Axel teased, a grin spreading across his face. "Fear not! Your best buddy here has some wisdom to share, straight from the ancient scrolls of awesomeness."

Christian raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-annoyed. "What are you on about this time?"

"Man, don't quit the war just yet. You haven't even started." Axel's grin widened. "It's all about 'divide and conquer,' my dear Christian. Picture this: Bien and Matthew are like a power duo, right? Always together, always laughing. The answer's easy..."

Christian raised an eyebrow, waiting for the answer.

"Separate them, of course! Come on, don't you read The Art of War at all?"

Christian frowned. "Separate them how?"

Axel leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially. "In war you need allies. And who's your ally?"