Boys For Hire!!

Chapter 19: The Day He Died

Sorry if this chapter was unavailable for a minutes, wattpad glitched out and put this chapter before chapter 18, anyways enjoy~ (And sorry for the lack of update!)

***Flashback***

"Are you feeling okay Hakiko? You haven't been yourself lately..." I ask Hakiko with friendly worry. Lately he's been acting out of the ordinary, skipping class, picking at his food, and wearing the wrong uniform on some days. For the upbeat, enthusiastic best friend I knew him as this was about 10x out of the ordinary.

He looks up at me with tired eyes, his lips trembling like an earthquake. "You'd keep a secret, wouldn't you ChiChi?" He whispers, even though we're sitting in one of the most secluded area's of the library.

"Sure, if you'd stop calling me that god awful nickname." That gets a smile out of him. Hakiko's being calling me 'ChiChi' ever since I caught him reading manga in the library's Japanese literature section. Even though we consider each other best friends, we often meet in private so we can read manga without being judged. A lot of the people at school think reading manga and such is kinda dorky, so both of us keep our interest a secret. Ever since we started meeting we haven't really been bothered to go out in public to see each other since we can just be by ourselves here. Together and undisturbed.

Hakiko breathes a big sigh. "My brother wants me to move in with him to save me from my parents."

"I know you fighting with your parents is common but," I trace my finger over a bruise on his left wrist. "Is it really getting to the point where you can't solve an issue with them without getting hurt?" He nods. "Well, do you want to move in with your brother?"

"Of course!" He exclaims, quickly quieting himself down, remembering where we are. "I always feel like it's my fault Akihiko is so tired all the time. My parents always guilt trip him into giving them money, claiming it's for me and all that shit. And as soon as I'm brought into it..." Hakiko trails off. "Akihiko won't hesitate to do anything, to put it simply."

"How much do your parents make your brother give them?" I question.

"20,000 a month."

"Holy shit...!" I quietly curse. "Where does he get all that money?!"

Hakiko sadly lowers his head. "Mum says he dates girls for a living, and that he enjoys it because he's a stupid whore." He shakes his head vigorously. "But Akihiko is not like that! He's never ever been like that. He was always that one kid in class that everyone knew was gonna make it big because he's so smart." Hakiko lowers his head. "And he hates that job. He only does it to keep my parents and I afloat. Apparently the pay is really good."

I wrap my arm around his as he leans on my shoulder, tired. I can tell he hasn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

"If only I wasn't alive..." Hakiko mutters. "Then Akihiko wouldn't have to suffer like this."

My eyes widen. "Don't say that Hakiko! Never say you want to..." I trail off, watching as Hakiko's body slumps as he falls into a seemingly comfortable sleep. I sigh to myself, gradually losing my self in thought, the silence of the library helping to ease me into a drowsy state. "Akihiko sounds like a great guy..." I whisper into the empty space.

***

I poke Desi, one of my friends who sits in front of me in english, in the back. She turns around thoughtfully. "What's up Arian?"

I slouch back into my chair. "Have you seen Hakiko at all today?" I quickly come with some excuse to cover up my friendship with Hakiko. "We have a presentation due in science soon and I was hoping to get some notes off him to finish the next slide in our power point."

Desi shakes her head, but quickly perks up. "I remember seeing him in first period during Phys Ed. After that I have no idea." She twirls her pen. "Although, the other girls in my soccer team were going on about how he normally reads on the roof. Ya' know, above the visual arts building where they do all the sky paintings and stuff." Desi flies her pen in her hand like a pretend paper plane, flipping back her dark hair in the process. "You can check if he's up there during lunch if ya' need." She flings herself back around to avoid the damning stare of the teacher, who later in the period berates the whole class on talking during a lesson.

***

When the period finishes, I'm quick to get out of my seat.

"What the fuck do you think your doing!?" I jolt at a squeal. I turn around to see that as I got up, I'd accidentally flung my chair into the front of a desk, owned by one of the most athletic girls in school.

"Sorry Mia, I'm just in a bit of a hurry." I apologise quickly, minding my manners. While I pick up my bag, I don't notice Mia's scarf, which she had put by her desk leg to avoid breaking school uniform rules, hook itself onto the zipper of my backpack.

"Hey! Chiseki!" But I'm already out the door and hurrying up to the roof of the Visual Arts building.

I fling the door open.

"Hakiko!" I watch in horror as a frail figure tips over the edge of the silver railing bordering the rooftop. "Hakiko! Hakiko!!" I run like lightning to the side the railing. It's all happening so fast I can barely process it. The wind, a scream, a thud, yelling, footsteps, running. Then I hear it.

"Murderer..." I whip around, my hands still glued to the railing. I see Mia standing at the door to the rooftop. Her scarf which had been stuck on my bag, is carried by the wind past her feet, but she doesn't even notice it.

She screams again, louder. "MURDERER!"