Growing Together

Chapter 5

Pete needed a break from his new friends. Ever since Forth had introduced them to him, they'd all been pretty keen on getting together more frequently that it had eventually become an everyday thing. He had to admit they were all pretty cool guys, but there was one in particular that Pete could not get use to and that was Leo. The guy had this somewhat form of obsession with Kao and would always bother him about this or that related to Kao. At times it even had him wondering if the guy didn't really already know Kao. It was really starting to piss him off to no end, too, so much that Pick or Tom would have to subdue their annoying friend and turn his attention to something else.

"Kao's not freaking gay!" Pete had ended up saying, lying right through his teeth. He just wanted Leo to stop talking, and more importantly he wanted him to never actually approach Kao with his tactless attempts to flirt. He had already gotten rid of P'Sun--though Mork deserved that credit.

"I don't know about that," P'Deer had said putting his drink down on the table as he picked his selection of meat from the hot pot. "Kao did once tell me he was having trouble with a boyfriend of his."

That news had Pete tensing in his seat. He had no idea P'Deer had even known Kao, much less been that close to him for Kao to be spilling their problems to this senior. Shit! If Kao had said that to him, what else had he told him?

"He has a boyfriend?!" Forth and Tom both had let out utterly shocked, to think their junior was even in a relationship. Kao had always come off as very studious and not really interested in going out with anyone.

"By the look on your face, I guess even you didn't know," P'Deer said giving Pete a sympathetic smile. It seemed he had revealed something Kao might have not wanted anyone else to know.

"I guess Pete isn't that close to Kao after all," Leo said with a sheepish grin that made Pete want to just punch him.

Leo didn't mention Kao much to him anymore after that, but he did occasionally slip his name here and there. Which Pete was sick of. He really hated this guy.

**The Next Day**

Pete couldn't shake P'Deer's words out of his head. The thought of him knowing that this 'boyfriend' of Kao was him, had him a little uneasy. So, instead of going to grab lunch with them like usual he had abandon his new gang and gone back to Sandee, June, and Thada.

It wasn't like him hanging out with other people had affected their friendship. They had been very understanding, since they would still see each other on the daily. Except, today they didn't really seemed to be themselves. They hadn't really paid much attention to him—June and Thada strictly speaking. They had been so weird since class that Pete had just been staring at them the entire time like they had lost their shit.

Sandee had barely even yawned and the two were quick to ask if she was okay.

**

'Are you feeling tired?' Thada had whispered to her. 

'If you want I can write down the notes for you, so you can rest,' June had offered quietly with that goofy smile of his.

'No, I'm okay,' She had assured them.

**

They had just walked into the canteen and sat down at their usual table. When June was suddenly saying, "San, do you want anything to drink? I can get you some tea, P'Sanson said you really like that."

"Yeah, a tea would be great actually," She said taking her bag from Thada and setting it on the desk before resting her arms over it as if preparing to use it as a pillow.

"I'll go buy it then!" June said getting up so quickly and rushing off.

Thada hadn't even bothered sitting down yet, instead he had gently touched her cheeks "You should eat something, you didn't eat breakfast."

"How do you know that?" San had said swatting his hand away from her face, "Let go already, your hands are too hot."

"Your sister messaged me, telling me to make sure you ate," He said before he was asking her what she wanted to eat. Reassuring her that whatever it was she wanted he would go get.

"Chicken curry, sounds good," Sandee said as her mood shifted from annoyed to contentment.

"Okay, I'll be right back then," Thada said finally giving her a smile as he squeezed her cheek lovingly before he, too, was off, leaving only Pete and Sandee.

When Sandee had finally turned to look at Pete, she couldn't help but notice how utterly confused he looked. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked tilting her own head a little.

Pete couldn't help but ask, "What the hell is wrong with them? Are they in trouble or something?" He had never seen them acting so nice and attentive to just Sandee. Sure, they did this from time and time, but usually that kind of attention wasn't selective like it had been all day today.

"Oh, right we didn't tell you," Sandee said with a slight smile as she turned to fully face him. "Thada and I are having a baby," Sandee said before she started to rant about how they've been trying to hide it because keeping it had not been their first option.

Pete could feel his chest constrict as she kept talking about it. Because Kao, too, was pregnant. It made him feel horrible just being forced to watch how attentive Thada was being to Sandee, while he had ran away from Kao and their baby.

"What are you guys talking about?" Thada had asked when he and June had finally joined the once more at the table. The two had set Sandee's lunch in front of her. Thada, especially, had taken it upon himself to unwrap the plastic utensils he had been given.

"I was telling Pete about the baby," Sandee said, which had June clapping his hands excitedly and mumbling some nonsense about being a godfather.

"Oh yeah, we just told our parents too. Which was hell...I thought I was going to be disowned," Thada said as he finally sat down and joined the conversation fully.

"Disowned?" Pete had repeated as bite his own lip as if it would help him think. Maybe Kao was disowned...maybe that's why he wasn't in school anymore—those thoughts were suddenly running through his head. He hadn't really given it much thought about how hard it was for Kao to tell his mother and sister. Had he even told them? If he had, did they know he was the baby's dad?

"Shit, Kao..." was the only thing he had mumbled out just below his breath.

"Pete are you okay? You look like you're going to have a panic attack," June said about to pat his friend's shoulder but the man had just stood up mumbling an 'I have to go.'

"Ey, Pete!" Sandee had yelled after him before turning to the two in confusion, "What just happened?"

"Who knows," Thada said still looking in the direction Pete had disappeared in.