The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

Chapter 1

ALASDAIR STARES AT THE CLOCK.

It ticks, ticks, ticks...

He looks down at the quiz questionnaire and sighs. He has finished answering it half an hour ago. There's no rush. The score had been final from the moment he picked up his pen. Another flawless performance. Sometimes, the temptation to answer incorrectly slithers under his skin, see what everyone will think once he gets the lowest score. But this is no game. He has to be perfect at everything.

Glancing over his shoulder one more time, he taunts himself for thinking that maybe Noritaka would suddenly pop out and be back in his seat. He's thought of visiting him, but he knows his friend won't be pleased.

The last time he did, Noritaka went ballistic and cried for an hour. He needs help, and yet instead of asking for one from his friends, he shuns them.

He was still functioning last year. And last year, Alasdair witnessed his friend slowly falling.

* * * * * *

Alasdair did not complain when their homeroom teacher announced they would be playing outdoor games for their P.E class. He wanted everyone to see that he wasn't childish to avoid childish games.

He knew what their teacher was doing. She wanted them to enjoy their youth before the real world consumed them. In high school, sometimes they failed to consider that what they had today would not last for long. Before they knew it, they had to apply for college. Not him, of course. Not only because he was a Yamato, but because he was Alasdair. Since he was born, his father had planned everything for him. And as the son, it was his responsibility to meet those expectations.

Alasdair examined the yellow chalk in his hand. Obviously new. It pleased him that he'd be the first one to use it. 'Let me guess, I'll be the one drawing the sun,' he mumbled. And when the teacher approached him and informed him he'd have to draw the sun, he smiled sweetly.

In his peripheral view, he could see Watanabe and his team. Beads of sweat dotted Watanabe's forehead as he kept on drawing a line and then erasing it afterwards, earning groans from his teammates.

'That's not how it works,' he whispered. Watanabe was trying to draw a perfect sun when he was an average artist. Alasdair was a good artist, but it wasn't the right day to demonstrate his talent. They had a limited time. That didn't mean he'd do it carelessly. He wasn't like Declan, someone he'd met from another school.

* * * * * *

Alasdair's team won by big points, with his sun earning praise as opposed to Watanabe's. Too bad they had to erase their art soon. Good thing their teacher took it upon herself to snap pictures.

He also noticed that Jake was recording a video on his mobile, visibly pleased even though he had lost together with Watanabe. It'd been a great decision not to let Jake draw anything. The blond's art skills reminded him of a toddler slapping its coated hands on a whiteboard.

Noritaka was on Alasdair's team, and although he wasn't that bad, he'd merely stood there, asking what he could do. So instead, Alasdair had told him to unwind first because 'She'll make us play a rough game after this. We need you there.' Short, simple, and direct. He had made it a point that Noritaka was crucial to him without mentioning his incompetence in the art field.

It was break time, but he'd not heard Noritaka utter a single word after the first game. As their leader, it was his duty to know whatever was concerning him.

He gently coughed and nudged him. The giant peered down. 'I need to speak to you.' Noritaka nodded reluctantly.

* * * * *