Chasing the Sun

066

AUTHOR'S NOTE: FROM THIS CHAPTER UNTIL THE EPILOGUE, THE STORY WILL BE NARRATED IN TAWAN'S POV

It was a hard thing for me to follow New's request, but i figured doing so even if it meant a shorter time to be with him. I couldn't tell why he was insisting on sending me to school when I could just devote myself to taking care of him, but I guess he was really worried that my life would go to waste if I invested my time in nursing him.

"Hey Tawan! long time no see, let's play ball?", A friend of mine called when he saw me on the school canteen.

It's been days since I last attended school, and with all of the things that happened, I couldn't even remember the guys who I played ball with. It seemed like the memory of my clash with AJ was still fresh, though I really couldn't tell.

"Sure."

I thought I owed them an explanation for being absent for a long time, but they never really asked me about my reasons. I guess they had become accustomed to my attendance that they didn't find my absence any different.

"Everyone's talking about college in my class, it's annoying me."

"Yeah, they're all so busy enrolling in cram schools and review centers just so they can enter top universities in college. Do you guys have any school you want to apply yet?"

"Nothing, really. I would probably just go to the city's college and enroll in a decent program."

"How about you Tawan?"

I never really knew how I was going to answer the question as I did not really have a plan for college yet. 

"I'm pretty sure Tawan won't go to college. He thinks school's a waste of time, so he'll probably live his life to the fullest and party all his life. After all, his dad's rich and can provide for his luxuries."

When I heard him say it, I felt mad. Not at him, but at myself. Ever since mom passed away, I've given up on life and did things half-hearted. I would go to school because my dad wanted me to, but now because I wanted it. In the end, my attendance looked like a pair of pants filled with holes. I never really had a plan that I followed because I thought it spoiled the spontaneity of life, but my nonchalance went overboard and I lost complete control of my life.

But meeting New made me feel alive again. With him, I learned to do things with my whole heart, and I did things I never knew I could do. My affection for him made me want to make things right, and I knew that's what he wanted to happen. New making me leave and go to school was all because he wanted me to define my life, and not spoil the future that awaits.

"I'll get into Chula."

I heard them laugh as I said it, but I didn't mind. After realizing that New wanted me to have a good life, the least I could do was make him proud. Although passing a university as prestigious as Chulalongkorn University seemed like an impossible task for someone like me, I knew I had to believe in myself and make it.

"Do you think you'll get into Chula with your school marks? You belong to the lowest tier of the school. They won't even look at your application."

I knew that what my friend said was true, and my records were far from being good and competitive. But I still have time before the exams start, and if I put my heart into it, I'd eventually get accepted.

"Well, I guess I'll just make my grades soar up high."

I wasted no time and went to the school's faculty to talk to my adviser.

"Honestly, what you're vouching for is hard to get. Your grades are low to begin with, and your attendance is a major issue too. On top of that, you don't have any extracurricular activity that can boost your application and make it appealing.", My adviser told me. I was surprised that she still knew me with my little appearance in class, but I guess teachers really do have outstanding memory.

I bit my lip in frustration when I heard her words. If only I went to school a little frequent, maybe my grades wouldn't hit the rock bottom. Now I'm suffering with the consequences of my actions, and I really did not know what to do.

"Tell me, why did you suddenly become interested in getting into Chula? I mean, I really didn't expect that you'd come to me and ask for help in getting you into a big university.", She asked, her face full of curiosity.

"I...I want to make my life meaningful.", I said.

Countless of words entered my mind in search of the right response, but those words were the only thing that sounded right. My life was tasteless before meeting New, and it was so messy that even I had troubles understanding it.

"Interesting. Now I want to ask you, is there anything you're particularly interested in? A talent that you have. Some universities offer scholarships in the form of competitions such as writing, sports, media, and the likes and they can give you free admission. Maybe there's something that we can work out for you.", She replied.

"Well, I like taking photos. I have a knowledge in cameras, all models and configuration, things like that.", I answered.

She then turned to her drawer and searched through her files, rummaging through the piles of papers stashed inside the cabinet. After searching for a couple of moments, she finally fished a folder and handed it to me.

"That is a flyer for the annual media festival of Mahidol University. Every year, the school gives a chance to aspiring filmmakers and photographers all over the country to have full scholarship in their Media and Communication faculty. If you believe in your talent, you can try it out. It may not be Chula, but it's still one of the best colleges in the country."

I looked at the flyer and it did say that it offers scholarships to those with exceptional skills in photography, though I didn't think that I was talented enough to win. 

"It's good that you want to change the way you live and are actually wanting to get yourself into a decent school, so I think this will be a good start for you. I'm sure you'll make it. If not, there's plenty more universities we can try. For now, you should give it a shot."

My teacher was right, and although I felt really weak entering a competition for the first time in my life, I had to take that step so New's efforts wouldn't go to waste. He's done so much in trying to recover from his cancer, so I had to do it.

I bid farewell to my adviser and packed my things, readying myself to visit New and tell him of my plans to get into a college. As I made my way out of the faculty, my phone rang and the screen flashed the name of my father.

"Hello?"

"You need to come home. Now."