Mystery//PremWad

Pressure

Wad sat by himself, staring out at the black sky of Bangkok.

Despite missing home so much he wasn't fully ever able to enjoy the stars of the American small towns, he missed seeing the stars.

Bangkok had too many people, too many buildings, and far too much light for there to be anything but darkness and the hole where the moon lived.

They made him feel less alone, and like he had someone to talk to.

His reflection stared back at him, red streaks along his face telling the tale of the tears he cried over Prem. But despite the damp pillow spots and the streaks, he couldn't forget everything that Prem had ever done for him.

And every time he thought of it, he could only feel himself let his heart fall down farther than he wanted it to. He put a hand over his eyes and let the darkness around him act like a blanket.

He didn't want to love Prem anymore, not after what Kongpob had told him, but it was impossible for him to feel anything truly for Prem except love.

"Wad?"

King walked into Wad's room silently, seeing his cousin sitting on the floor, his back against his bed and his knees pulled into his chest. He knew that Wad had been crying, he could feel the sharp pains in his heart as he knew Wad was hurting.

He was confused and hurt, but King knew Wad loved Prem.

"Oh, Wad..." King sighed, hurrying over with a glass of water to Wad's side.

He pulled his cousin close to him and cooed softly for him to drink the water until the glass was empty. Wad put his head on King's shoulder and the two looked out towards the bright lights of Bangkok.

The two sat alone in the dark for several minutes before King decided to speak.

"I know you're hurting Wad," he sighed, "But I want you to know the entire truth."

Wad shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. He pressed his forehead into King's shoulder, struggling to retain the tears from emerging again.

The truth hurt more than he wanted already, why would he want to hear how it ended?

"I know you love Prem. Deep down, you love him."

"I hate him...so much," Wad whispered, gripping his cousin's arm for some kind of strength.

King ruffled Wad's hair.

"I know."

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Wad walked to class silently, the earbuds in his ears playing soft music that was loud enough to drown out the voices and sounds of others. It felt calming in a sense, to not have to listen to anything without his own thoughts drowning him in insecurities and the unsure.

He turned a corner and his eyes fell on a basketball that rolled to his feet.

He looked down at it in confusion for a moment before picking it up and feeling the familiar bumps along the surface of the ball. It felt oddly nostalgic and Wad wished to hug the feeling like it was a teddy bear.

A tap on his shoulder caught his attention, and Wad turned to see a younger student standing there. Wad pulled out one of his earbuds and looked at him indifferently.

"That's my ball, can I have it back?" the student asked.

Wad looked at the ball and nodded as he handed it back to the student. He turned and put his earbud back in, walking off to class.

The student had tried to ask Wad's name, as he looked oddly familiar, but he had been ignored. Turning back to his friends, he found them looking at him in awe.