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

Chapter 16

'I CAN'T BELIEVE you've agreed! What's wrong with you?' I run my fingers through my thick hair, scraping my scalp as we exit the hallway.

Eien has been chewing on his bottom lip, probably regretting his decision. Well, it's too late for that now.

'We have no choice,' he says, keeping his distance from me as though he fears I might explode. Maybe I'll explode someday, no thanks to shock and anger.

We reach the second floor and stop in the middle of the corridor. Since it's five in the afternoon, it's almost empty except for us and some students who got assigned to clean their classrooms.

'Plonker! You're a plonker! We could've talked about it first!' I whisper sharply. 'You don't ever negotiate with someone who blackmails you.'

He asks me to follow him. Eien stands beside the drinking fountain. A few more steps, and we will be facing the main entrance of the library. 'He may have used extortion against us, but this is our best option.'

'He'll ask for more after this! The next thing you know, he'll make us his slaves.'

'How?' For someone who sounds confused, he doesn't look like it.

Reminding myself that this is still a child, no matter how irritating he is, I say, 'You'll see. He'll make you do his homework, run his errands; maybe even make you clean his shoes! Everything! You're slaving for him.'

'That's barbaric. Please do not use the term 'slave' clumsily. I do not believe you have any idea how severe that word is.' His eyebrows furrow. 'I also do not believe Yamato-kun is that kind of a person. Besides, he is a genius. I've been reading news about him.'

I roll my eyes. 'Yeah, but Alasdair is a busy guy, so if you're a brainiac like him, he'll save time! Or...or... he'll make you clean his shoes, as I've said!' I finish, avoiding the word that has obviously upset him. I don't understand why, but I'm not in the mood to argue more. I just want him to agree with me.

Eien pushes me off, mumbling something. Before he could waltz away from me, I grab his arm. Because of the momentum, I accidentally slam his face against my chest.

'Mister Evans, I hope this is merely a mistake. Don't you know that skinship is frowned upon in schools?' he asks, rubbing his nose.

'Skinship? What the hell is that?'

He snatches his arm back, rubbing his wrist. The kid's so off-colour that a simple touch leaves marks on his skin. 'For example...' Without a word, he throws his arms around me and encircles them around my neck. 'Skinship.'

I'm caught off guard, I admit, but it soon passes. 'So? It's just a hug. Is hugging a big thing here?'

He releases his hold and shakes his head. 'Don't push it,' he says, walking away.

* * * *

I know Alasdair, despite his young age, has so much power in our school. But little did I know that he had so much more. He has us had excused from our classes for the whole week. The only time I can go back is when it's time to have dinner and sleep in our dorm.

Nobody spends their day in the dormitory because, of course, that's not allowed unless you are very sick. So they will never find out I will be gone the whole day for the next five days. Or seven days, depending on how Noritaka makes this hard for Eien and me.

Alasdair's excuse for me is simple: I've had an allergic reaction, and I still need time to recover. As for Eien, Alasdair has erased his record of delays and moved his schedule until next week. So you can guess by now that Eien has yet to meet Declan.