The Purple Hyacinth

Chapter VIII Ken Burnett

            The dim light of the restaurant gives off more romantic ambiance but for some reason the air was heavy at Lily and Ken's table. Realizing it was already dark Ken had invited Lily out. They went to a convenience store to buy some beer and snacks. They stopped at the open plaza with a covered court to drink. The plaza was near the apartment and a popular dating place for the students of their school but in that kind of hours no one was there but the two of them.

Lily noticed that Ken was down hearted today so she accompany him she just don't know if she would drink too or not. She's still a first year and she hasn't experienced drinking alcohol.

"Ken you seem down, something must have happened today, what is it?" Ken doesn't say a thing and just open a can of beer and drink. They were quiet for a while. Lily feels a bit lonely too for some reason she felt she's being left out by Aiko. Aiko was her first friend in the city. The very first one to talked to her without judging her appearance. She was happy being her friend but things turn out badly and she doesn't know a thing about her mood swings.

"I guess I'll drink some too" Ken was surprised by her action. He noticed her lonely face and couldn't help but asked

"Are you alright?" He ask Lily after she just had a sip of beer

"I'm fine I'll never got drunk with just one sip"

"No, that's not what I meant"

"Then what?" Lily sound a little pissed

"Did something happen today?"

"That's what I've been asking you this whole time you never answer me"

"I just don't know if I should tell you or not I'm still thinking, what about you?"

"I don't like someone who doubts himself" Ken was surprised by her words. He feels like he was hit exactly from it. Ken left out a loud snicker making Lily more pissed of him

"What now!?"

"I thought you were a very nice lady Lily, turns out you had a bad side too. It's good to know that you're quite rude" Ken doesn't know why Lily is acting like a grumpy old woman but seeing a new side of her makes him feel a little better. It feels like he's one step ahead again than Noriyama. "Alright I'll tell you why I need a drink today, since you said you hate people who doubts himself then I should not doubt myself and just blurt it all out to you" Ken have gathered his courage and started talking.

Ken told his story about his childhood. Ken Burnett is a gloomy kid ever since he was a child. He was bullied because he doesn't have his parents with him every time there was an affair at their school. His parents have divorced when he was 14 and the one who take care of him was a friend of her mother. He was already in high school when he finally accepted the truth about his parents. His mother and father never came back and didn't explain things to his grandparents in order to save their faces. Ashamed of how their family turn out. Burnett was left out since both of his parents have their own family to build.

On his very first day of high school he met Noriyama Ken and Michael. Burnett has noticed Noriyama as a gloomy kid as him and he realized that he's more like an outcast of the class if Michael hasn't talk to him during classes. Michael is a cheerful kid and they call him Mike. He was seated between the two gloomy Ken. He's the reason why the two Ken become friends. Burnett stayed as a good student while Noriyama was the opposite of him. Michael was the neutral of the three, the referee when they had a fight and the consoler of the looser between them. That fights make them bolder and stronger because they have opposite principles in life, they always had fights but despite that they also complement each other's weaknesses and strengths. They become best buddies. Noriyama was the trouble maker. Burnett was the fixer of the troubles and Michael as the apostle of the two. It was a very happy boy's memories during high school until puberty among them grew and complicates their own point of view. Because of a girl named Amy their friendship was brought into turmoil.