Mirage (ON HOLD for revision)

Chapter 6: Monochrome

The next class held even less interest than the previous one, Cedric thought as he struggled not to look bored. When he heard P.E., he at least thought they’d be mucking around in the gym. He had to wonder too passionately how a sixty-year-old, walking tuberculosis could be a P.E. professor, not yet knowing how most senior Physical Education students handle most of the classes while the professor in charge supervises. Hands on learning, or so they said, unsuccessfully throwing off the school’s lack of budget, if not prestige to attract good instructors. The thought irked him more, remembering how the professor whose name he couldn’t remember stared at Matt. There was definitely something there, Cedric thought. Checking his schedule as inconspicuously as possible, Cedric realized he had no idea if he and Matt would have the same class later in the afternoon.

“I should have copied his schedule when I had the chance,” Cedric muttered in annoyance as he glanced at his wrist watch.

Instead of checking the time, since the incident yesterday, Cedric is reminded of the scars on Matt’s wrist, making him even more impatient. Tuberculosis, formally Professor Jun, rambled on discussing what would be so much better learned hands on.

“Say, you were in the same class during first period, right?” Cedric asked Julius.

“Yeah, Professor Art really did a number on that guy you were talking to earlier huh? I heard professors often do that to scare the freshmen, but he still went overboard calling a student out after class,” Julius replied as he doodled on his notebook.

Professor Art, so that was his name, Cedric thought remembering how Matt teased him for forgetting the professor’s name.

The rest of the dismal class passed without much variety, and for the umpteenth time, he checked his schedule and wondered why on earth he pretended to be taking the exam for another university. He could have known which classes Matt would take had he bugged him about it under the pretense of not knowing what the hell to do to waste four more years of his life.

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar urgency of chairs pushed back. He looked up and confirmed the professor has left and the students were beginning their disorderly escape. The scene resembled the Amazing Race episode, and Cedric was left to wonder if that’s how people with purpose normally carry themselves, frantic and awkward.

“You’re not going yet?” Julius asked, apparently having run out of energy after three mundane classes.

“Going—hey, you dropped something,” Cedric distractedly replied as he picked up the sheet of paper which fell out of Julius’ notebook.

It was akin to a sketch in black ink except it resembled street graffiti. Despite being monochromatic, the heavier lines cast shadows in contrast with the white sheet. The sketch in itself made no sense, but it somehow managed to evoke a feeling, something like chaos but not quite.

“This is pretty awesome,” Cedric said distractedly as they walked out of the room. He gave the paper back to Julius who he just realized looked somewhat dubious.

“Thanks,” he finally said, looking down at his sketch once and grinned like a kid before Christmas Eve. He stuck the sketch back between the pages of his notebook.

“I thought you’re taking Administration?” Cedric asked. To him, Julius didn’t look like the others who carried an air of purpose. On the contrary, despite all the mucking around and vulgar words, Julius seemed to be stalling.

“I am,” Julius replied, a little too hastily. “Gotta go, bastard. Catch you later!”

With that, he was gone.

He ran away, Cedric thought, his own train of thought continuously moving, leaving behind what just happened without hesitation. Matt was at the end of the corridor, presumably looking for his next class. Cedric prepared himself to be ignored, but to his surprise, Matt stopped and looked at him.

“What?” Matt asked, “You lost?”

“Somehow, I feel like you cranked up on being an asshole today,” Cedric replied with a sweet smile. “Don’t get me wrong, it makes me happy. But I sort of miss chasing your around, you know?”

“Where’s your friend?” Matt asked distractedly as he checked his schedule.

“What friend?” Cedric asked equally distracted as he snuck a peek at it, too.

“Never mind, then,” Matt replied and moved on.

Cedric was just about to follow Matt, but Matt suddenly stopped short and Cedric almost bumped into him.

“What’s the deal?” Cedric asked, remembering that he was asking Matt about Professor Art earlier.

“What’s your next class?” Matt asked, catching Cedric off guard.

“Shouldn’t you be telling me to get lost?” Cedric asked.

“Then get lost?” Matt replied, bothering Cedric even more.

“You’re strangely compliant. What happened?” Cedric asked, following Matt closely.

To Cedric’s surprise, Matt only laughed, quietly as if the sound was hesitant, or rather too inexperienced to let itself out, and he walked ahead, leaving Cedric mutely behind.

“Hey, wait up!”

He watched Matt silently as he walked into his next class. The room was still empty so he followed Matt inside.

“Don’t’ you have your own classes to attend?” Matt asked curiously when Cedric sat beside him.

“It’s my free period,” Cedric lied, then, before he forgets it again, Cedric asked, “Hey, Matt, why did you choose architecture?”

Matt seemed to have paused to think, but after full forty five seconds, Cedric gave up hearing an answer. After a minute and a half, he decided to ask about the professor.

“Did Professor Art say something to you?” Cedric asked hesitantly.

“You’re strangely taken by him; did he say something to you?” Matt asked, and immediately Cedric knew the previous question was a mistake. Luckily, it was a mistake he figured he could afford to make. Now he knew that architecture had something to do with the lines on Matt’s wrist.

“Nothing really,” Cedric replied, flashing his familiar idiot smile, “I just thought he fancied you a little too much.”

“You have a little too much time on your hands,” Matt replied and that was the end of it.

Before Cedric could make a comeback, two girls in deliberately shortened skirts waltzed in the room, pausing briefly to acknowledge Cedric and Matt with one of those disgusting giggles.

“Hey, Matt, do you think I should get my ears pierced?” Cedric asked in a low voice, resisting the urge to drag Matt out of the room, away from the intrusive itch-driven whispers.

For a second, Cedric thought he’d get Matt’s usual ‘get your life straight first’ euphemisms, but Matt just looked at him in a fleeting curiosity and reverted to ignoring him.

“Isn’t he cute?”

“I don’t know. He seems kind of cold, though.”

“Isn’t that exactly what makes him interesting?”

Cedric knew they were talking about Matt, having heard those exact phrases numerous times before. At first he thought it fun to tease Matt about it. But now, with the long-sleeves between the past and the present, Cedric knew the indifference wasn’t an act. He sat low on the chair and let his head fall back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“I just noticed,” Cedric rambled on absentmindedly, “this building is quite old, isn’t it? It’s uncommon to use ceiling borders on public buildings nowadays. It’s pointless and wasteful. The paint is also faded. I wonder—”

He was interrupted by Matt sinking low on his seat just like he did. When Matt looked up at the ceiling, his overgrown hair fell back and cleared his face. Cedric was eerily reminded of Julius’ sketch—a chaotic monochrome.