What If..?

Chapter Eleven

Holiday break didn't flash by as quick as it had before. When Chihiro would visit his father, it seemed like time would just disappear and he would be right back on that bus home. But that week of freedom from school just dragged on. He had lost contact with most everyone. A few people would text him over the holiday, sending their best cheers and checking up on him. But they weren't the person he wanted to hear from. He spent every night of his small vacation crying himself to sleep. He hadn't uttered a word to Mondo since his boyfriend's ejection from the situation. Not because he refused to speak. But because Mondo wouldn't answer the phone. He wouldn't respond to text messages, and according to the rest of the crew, he never returned to the academy.

Chihiro never got a chance to tell his father of his new boyfriend. But it was because he feared that he may not have one once he returned to the academy. Someone who made him so happy still remained a secret from his father. After finally letting his biggest secret free, he was only forced to hide another. It hurt so bad not to be able to tell his father of a huge source of his joy. But knowing it might not be there when he got back... was embarrassing. So he pretended like nothing had changed. Like he didn't spill his guts to all his classmates. Like he wasn't up in some handsome man for the past six months. Like he hadn't finally found someone he wanted to pour all his time and trust into.

It had been a few days back at the academy and everyone had settled back into class. Everyone except Mondo. Four days in, and he hadn't shown up. The professors hadn't spoken a word about him, and no one knew where he had disappeared off to. Chihiro sat in his chair, staring down at a blank sheet of paper. A feeling of anxiety sat in his stomach. He hadn't brought his laptop in days. He wasn't even sure what the lesson was on. He didn't take notes. And he didn't speak. He just trudged to class, sat heavy in his chair, and then shuffled back to his room to mope. And worry. And panic. And it wasn't over his secret anymore. The surprise between the students had died down and everyone was adjusting. It was like nothing had changed. They all still treated him the same. Some of them were a little more cautious when speaking to him, but that was when mentioning his boyfriend. But besides that, they treated him the same as before. The exact reaction he was hoping for. He should have known better of his friends.

He wished Mondo was here to see it, because he was sure they would treat the biker with the same respect.

The teacher swept by with a handful of papers, passing out a quiz they took upon the first day back. Quizzes were easy for Chihiro without even studying, but he couldn't focus on the questions. So he just scattered down whatever lame answer he could muster up. He was sure he wasn't even answering with the correct subject matter. The teacher slid his paper face down against the desk and shuffled to the next student a couple desks behind him. The one behind him was empty. Mondo had resided there since they began dating, so of course it was vacant now. No quiz for him. With a low sigh, Chihiro flipped the paper over. Not a single question correct. He stared at the red markings scribbled over his own responses, but it didn't register. It didn't matter.

The bell sounded for the day and everyone shuffled out of their seats. Asahina made some sort of announcement about what they would be enjoying for dinner this evening. If he even ate, Chihiro grabbed food and went back to his room. Sayaka offered to help cook tonight. Junko's irritating voice sounded among the rest of the students. She hadn't spoken a single word to him since their argument within the shed. The boy wondered if Mondo had been contacting her. If he did, she would be rubbing it in his face right now. Judging how no one had uttered a single word about his whereabouts, it was safe to assume he hadn't revealed his location to her either. As pleased as Chihiro was with the idea of them no longer having contact, even he would be happy to know if Junko knew Mondo was safe.

Another few chattered about dinner as well, and soon, everyone had left the classroom. Except for Ishimaru, who seemed to be lingering much longer in his seat than usual. More than likely, he received a perfect score on his quiz. If he hadn't, there would be violent tears right now. Instead, he was solemn and quiet as he stood from his desk. Chihiro stared down at his own desk, absent in collecting his things into his bag. Well, what little he had unpacked onto his desk. A pencil and a piece of paper. That he still left blank. He crammed the test into his backpack. One failed quiz score wouldn't set him back too bad. It was a small quiz. Had he been in better mind, he would be freaking out right now. But it didn't matter.