Brute

Part 4

Nine

"Give me that", a cold voice that suddenly spoke to me, halted the bite I was about to take on the bread. I looked up, my eyes blinked. I was sitting at the bench at the park near my house, coming back from my extra class after school. The constant sick leave that I had taken, causing me to lose a lot of classes, thus my teacher volunteered to teach me for two hours everyday after school. I was quite hungry, because the last math class finished late, and immediately the extra class started, so I missed my lunch. I needed to eat first before taking my medicine. 

"Are you deaf? Give me that!", the other kid again asked for the bread. I was confused. His shirt looked clean and the brand was quite expensive. Yet he wanted my piece of bread? I silently gave my bread to him and took my backpack to leave.

"Hey! Don't go yet. I don't want to eat alone!". He said, grabbing my wrist. My eyes started to dart in fear. This was too much like the big bully at my school who tend to pick on me. Although already 12, I was quite small in stature compared to my classmates. Adding up to the sickness that I had, I was weak and couldn't join most of the physical activities, though I longed to try them. I was always sitting at the side, looking at the field where other kids were running happily.  Timidly, I sat back beside the kid, waiting in anxious fear of what's next? Will he ask for my pocket money? I only had a few shillings left after buying the bread. 

"Water? Do you have that?", the kid asked next. I opened the zipper and took out the half empty water bottle from my bag. He took it and gulped thirstily until finished. He wiped his lips and sighed, satisfied. He turned to look at me.

"You can't talk? Why do you keep looking at me like I will kick you?"

I took out the shillings that I had in my pocket and showed it to him. He looked at the money and looked at me, confused. 

"Why do you give me your money? I have a lot", he said and took out a roll of money from his pocket. My eyes widened. If a kid had that much money, meant he was not from around this neighbourhood. 

"If you have that much, why asked for my bread? You're a bully!", I said with anger. 

"I'm not bullying you. I want to have a friend. I don't have one. I walked till here, because this is the nearest park from my home, but, it's quite far when you walk. I asked for your food because I'm hungry and thirsty". 

"Why don't you have friends? Where is your school?".

"At home. Tutors come and go. But I have no friend". 

"Your father must be rich. Home school! Wow!".

"If I pay you, can you be my friend?", he said, giving me almost a bunch of his money. 

I shook my head and put the money back into his hand. He looked down and nodded.

"Alright. You don't want to. But, you're better than that other kid. I came here, once, before. I gave him money to be my friend. He took it, but then just left me at the bench. You want me to pay for the bread and water?"

I shook my head again, "What's your name?", I asked him and smiled. 

"You don't want to be my friend, so why asked for my name?", the kid answered. 

"Not that I don't want to be your friend. I don't want your money. You pay for things at the grocery store, or for ice cream, but not for friendship".

"Oh! So we are...friends?", his face looked delighted. 

"Not yet. You're a stranger. And mom said not to talk to one. So, tell me your name first".

"Joong. My name is Joong". 

I put my arm around his shoulder and said, "Hello Joong. I am Nine. And now, we're no more strangers. We're...friends". 

Joong put his arm around my shoulder too and smiled. The first smile coming from the initially cold kid. 

I looked at the moving scenery outside the windows. The train journey to the city, would take quite a while, maybe half of the day. I was feeling nervous once again, that'd made me remembered a memory long ago, when I first met Joong. The tiny me felt afraid of the tall, cold kid. But, in the end all he needed was a friend. Because of his height, I thought that we were the same age at first, but he was younger by two years actually. We kept seeing each other at the park, after my school hours, before I went back home. Until my family moved to another place, and I went to another high school; our time no longer match; we were separated.  

When I was 21, Joong entered the same campus that I was in, when he was 19. I was so surprised to see him greeted me on his first day there. But, something had changed tremendously in the few years that we hadn't seen each other. Coldness had seeped into his heart, that only with me he would become warm. When the scandal surrounding his family business's possible connection to the underworld was reported, it had caused a lot of baseless rumors to circulate. More so when the seniors felt irritated with whom they called a high headed kid. Even when he did nothing, people would challenge him into something. 

When it was made known that he followed me around; I had become the source of their fun baiting. Rumors about our relationship were endless. I tried as much to cover his ears from such rumors, I knew he didn't have the patient to ignore them. Until they started to taunt him, by insulting me upfront, just so that he could hear it and get triggered easily. The bet was being circulated, of who could take down the high headed kid, the stake was getting bigger, he was hurt more time, than not. 

So I chose to go. The moment I was gone, he remained there no longer. And that was the last that I heard of him from my friend, until now, when he started to be in the news after his father's death. Sole heir to a large business empire. Too young to take the burden, but what choice did he have. 

He wouldn't take it kindly, if I came back to see him just to ask for money. But, I really didn't know who else to turn to. Maybe, he would look down on me, or sent me out of the door in a second. But, I would bear all of it, to save something bigger than my own pride. 

My hands started to sweat and shook. I opened my bag and took a pill to slow down the raging heartbeats a little bit. The pain inside my chest was an alarm that needed to be shut off. No, I must not feel stress, it's not good for my health. I closed my eyes and leaned back on the seat, taking deep calming breaths.