Right Here

Distance

Song of the Chapter: "that's just how it goes" by ROLE MODEL

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It was impossible for Ram to not see King after he had fought with Bohn.

He'd seen him almost every time he had gotten out of class and ended up bowing his head and hiding in the crowd of shorter freshmen to avoid the elder.

Ram was trying very hard to convince himself that Duen was right but every time he saw King, there was that discoloration of an ugly bruise on his cheek.

It made his heart beat harder.

King had protected him, had pushed him out of the way, had defended him over defending Bohn.

He had never wanted to be around someone so much, to talk to someone. He wanted to show his thanks for the senior but Duen's words kept coming back to him.

Duen was right, Ram loved his dogs more than he loved almost anything else, but King's fear was going to keep them from being together.

If Ram really wanted to protect King, he would have to give him up.

He was eating lunch with Phu in the Engineering lunchroom when Phu quickly turned his head away from the door, hiding his face.

Ram glanced at him with confusion before turning to the door and noticed King walk in with the other hazers.

He quickly bowed his head as well, his hand coming up and covering the tattoo on his neck.

The hazers walked past him and sat down at a table where they wouldn't see the two, but Phu and Ram could see them easily.

Bohn, who usually sat next to King, had traded places with Tee and sat next to Mek instead.

King didn't seem to notice, or at least he was ignoring it. He seemed to place himself a little further away from Tee and Boss than he would usually.

Ram and Phu continued to eat their lunch, looking at the seniors only one other time when Bohn stood up and Mek and Boss left as well. Tee stayed with King but sat across from him before going to get more food from the line.

Phu finished and went to throw his trash away before they would leave.

Ram stared at his senior.

He knew now how people could say that King must feel alone. His head was staring directly at the worksheet in front of him, his brows screwed together in confusion. He didn't look like he was a social person, that the people that he was social with didn't rub off on him.

King was physically flawless but the ugly bruise on his cheek made him look like a kicked puppy.

Ram stood up, digging in his backpack for a moment before leaving the table. He would approach King one more time before he started to fully distance himself.

He stood in front of his senior and King looked up. He smiled instantly, despite it hurting him. Ram could see his eye above the bruise twitch momentarily when he smiled.

It made Ram want to take care of him more.

"Hey Ram," he smiled, "You've been avoiding me lately, haven't you?"

That was unexpected. Ram swallowed thickly and his face remained stoic. He needed to remain calm.

"I knew it," King chuckled, "You don't have to avoid me, I'm sorry about Bohn. He's working things out with Duen, everything will be fine soon."

Ram's throat twisted closed and he found even if he wanted to say something, he wouldn't be able to.

"You know, you're tall, tattooed, and have a handsome face," King smiled, "It's hard to miss you, even when you insist on hiding in a crowd of freshmen smaller than you."