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Boy on a Mission Chapter 13
Not to be dramatic but time really does fly. Now don't go calling me a dinosaur or anything because that's exclusively for Julian, but it really does feel like that, especially now. Niseko felt like a few days ago but here I am, ready (not really) for the new semester. Genuinely dreading it, it took every ounce of me to get out of bed to get ready. Not only do I have to attend a shitload of classes today but I also had to wake up at the ass crack of dawn. Nevertheless, I got up and got ready, mostly because Julian practically dragged me out of bed since he didn't want me to be late as he's going to drop me off. Yes, yes, I have a car and I'm able to drive but I just didn't feel like it and Julian offered the night before. What a win.
Yawning as I went down the stairs, I saw Dad and Julian speaking to each other at the coffee table near the foyer. Surprisingly, Cynthia was there, too, but she looked just as tired as me. Still sleepy, everything looked--and sounded--blurry as shit, so I got closer and once I did, Dad got up from his seat.
`Took you long enough.'
Dad, let's not,' I yawned. It's too early.'
He chuckled and shook his head before checking his watch. Then, I saw a couple of suitcases next to the coffee table. This made me more lucid than before.
`Where are you going?' I asked.
Dad looked at me with a somewhat strained expression before placing both his hands on my shoulder. `I'll be out of town for a bit.'
`Okay...Out of town where?' I raised an eyebrow.
`Singapore.'
`Uh huh, and for how long?'
`I'll be back in about four weeks.'
Holy shit. All of a sudden, I was a mathematician because I did the math quickly in my head. Without fingers, mind you.
So, a month,' I said. You'll be back for my birthday, right?'
He gave my cheek a pat and smiled.
`What do you take me for? Of course I'll be back by then.'
I was relieved and was able to relax a tiny bit after his confirmation. Call me spoiled or whatever, but birthdays are a big thing to me. They've always been major things to me, and I'm not just talking about my own birthday but everybody else's, too. Those who matter to me, at least. In this household, we take birthdays seriously and nobody has ever missed out on anyone's birthday. Dad goes all out for his kids' birthdays and yes, that includes the grown ass dinosaur, Julian.
Okay,' I nodded. Is everything okay, though?'
`Everything's fine. We're just doing a major launch there and they need me to oversee some things.'
`You have thousands of employees, Dad. Can't any of them do that?'
`Not this time, unfortunately. They need me.'
Well, be safe, Dad,' I said before going in for a hug. Tell us when you reach. Love you.'
After a few pats and a kiss on the cheek, he replied, `Love you, too.'
Once he said his goodbyes to Julian and Cynthia, Dad went off to the car and Mr. Bailey drove off, leaving the three of us in the foyer.
`Cindy, you headed to school?'
`At noon. I'm gonna go catch up on some sleep now. You two take care,' she replied as she headed towards the stairs.
Julian finished the rest of his coffee with a loud `ahhh' and smiled at me.
`New semester! Excited?' he asked, beaming as he did.
`Let's just go,' I said, walking past him.
`Alrighty then.'
The drive was fine. As fine as a drive can be in this part of the city, at least. There wasn't too much traffic, which I was grateful for but I sort of wish there was so that I didn't have to arrive super early. What's worse is that I totally forgot my headphones and Julian's one of those people who listens to the news stations, so I was in great musical company!
Come on, Archie,' he began. Aren't you a little bit excited?'
`Hardly.'
Not even a widdle bit?' he said in a disgustingly cutesy voice. Come on, Awchie, give your big bwother a widdle smile.'
`Julian, I will knock your teeth out.'
`Jeez, alright, alright,' he relented.
The journey was fairly silent after that except for the news, of course. I know Julian was trying to cheer me up but it was too early. See, I'm not in a foul mood because of anyone at all. I'm just genuinely tired.
Arriving on campus grounds, I sighed to myself and Julian noticed. Hard for him not to notice, really, considering how loud it was. As he continued to drive me to the building where my classes would be held, he gave my knee a pat. `Hey, seriously, try to lighten up. If you want, we can grab something to eat when I pick you up. Your pick.'
`Sure,' I responded.
Once we arrived, I unbuckled my seatbelt. `Thanks. See you later.'
`Love ya,' he called out as I had one foot out of his car.
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and replied with a genuine smile, `Love you, too.'
I walked around the building to get used to it, and also to kill time because I arrived earlier than expected. The building's fairly big so I had a few spaces to explore. My first class of the day is an elective and from the list I skimmed through a couple days ago, it looks like I'll be alone because I have no idea who any of those people are. Amanda decided not to take said elective because she tried a few semesters ago and failed miserably, so there's that.
Thinking I've done enough exploring, I headed to my classroom and found that it wasn't all that full. Maybe about fifteen-ish students but maybe some of them have yet to arrive. I took a seat in the third row, where it was empty and took out my laptop. Most of the kids seemed to have known each other already and I immediately started to regret not heading straight to the classroom once I was on campus. They conversed with one another and then there's me, pulling up a blank document, typing my name and ID number for whatever reason.
`Archie, right?'
A voice called out to me. I stopped typing and looked up and to my surprise, I saw Benji. Startled, I got up, not wanting to be rude but he stopped me and gently pressed down on my shoulder before taking a seat next to me.
`Benjamin, how are you? I didn't know you went here.'
Technically I don't,' he said. My uni's the one nearby and they're doing a joint programme and collaboration for this specific subject, so...'
`Cool!'
`Good to see you here. I don't really know anyone here.'
So we're on the same boat. That's good, at least.
`Me neither.'
Benji took out his laptop and it was silent between us. A bit awkward if you ask me but hey, at least I found someone.
`Is this your only class today, Benjamin?' I asked.
Benji or Ben is fine,' he smiled. And yeah. I don't think I would've taken this course if I had to go back and forth between here and my college in a day.'
I agreed and we made a bit of small talk afterwards. I got to talk to him before this and he seemed like an okay dude but being so casual with him now just makes me like him more because of how laid-back he is. Very easy to talk to, which makes things easier and less awkward for me.
A few minutes later, the professor arrived and we got into the introductions and main things we needed to focus on regarding the subject. All quite boring, really, but it ended after a couple of hours and we were free. I had a couple hours to kill before my next class so I planned to go to the park to get some fresh air.
`You headed home?' I asked Benji as he packed his items.
`Nah, don't really feel like it.'
There was something weird about the way he said that but I thought maybe it's just me being stupid again, so I dropped it and asked him where he was going instead.
`Not sure, honestly. Maybe walk around or something.'
I was raised right, taught to be considerate and thoughtful, so I asked, `Wanna hang out with me? My next class isn't until a couple of hours.'
`You're not meeting up with your friend? The girl.'
`Amanda's not here. Her classes start tomorrow.'
He gave me a smirk, `So I'm a second option?'
`I didn't mean it like that. I just--'
`I kid. Let's go.'
I inwardly rolled my eyes and headed to the campus park with him. We walked around for a while before sitting on the grassy field. I took out a couple of croissants I brought from home and handed one to him. Once again, small talk was made and it grew even more casual. As we talked, his phone pinged and when he glanced to see the notification, I saw an apparent crease form between his eyebrows. Benji seemed very irritated or maybe that's just his face. I don't know, I've never really spent alone time with the guy before.
`All okay?' I asked.
Yeah,' he sighed after a few seconds of pause. It's my mom.'
`Say hi to her for me, will ya?'
He shook his head with a smile but gave me a look that pretty much said yes. Not even a few seconds after my request, his phone rang. Benji clicked his tongue in annoyance but answered the call. Obviously I couldn't make out what the other person was saying but Benji was clearly irritated. His answers were short like `Uh huh, yeah, hmm, yup' which made me even more curious.
Soon, he hung up--without saying goodbye--and sighed again before biting into the bread.
`You sure you're okay?' I asked.
He looked at me with what I can only describe as a weary expression and gave me a very tired smile, like it was actually a chore for him to form that smile. `I'm okay.'
I felt bad for the guy because obviously something's not right and I really didn't want him to suffer. We're not besties or anything but he seems like a nice guy, so let's all help each other out, right?
`You can talk to me. I'm willing to listen.'
`You got other things to worry about.'
Busted,' I smirked. So something IS wrong.'
That got a tiny chuckle out of him.
`But seriously, I'm all ears,' I added.
Benji took his time, contemplating on whether or not he should dismantle his walls and talk to me. I guess I convinced him because he started talking. Didn't really take too much effort.
`Just family stuff.'
Wow, much info. Very insightful.
I didn't say anything. I merely waited while giving him a look that told him I was listening. He looked like he was truly struggling to get the words out, like he would vomit once he did--if he ever managed to. However, once he did, I was intrigued. I was intrigued before but now, I'm mega intrigued.
Archie,' he began. How'd you deal with your parents divorce?
Holy shit. Are Mr. Hart and Alicia getting a divorce? Did they already get a divorce? How much did I miss? WHAT did I miss, first of all?
`Archie?'
I must've been out of it as I usually am. I gulped and steadied myself before asking, `What do you mean?'
`When your parents separated, how'd you go about it?' he reiterated.
I circled my knee with my thumb once I properly registered the question. Before, I was fixated on the fact that Mr. Hart was going to be truly single again, but once the question was constructed well enough for my brain to comprehend, I went silent for a while.
You don't have to answer that if you don't wanna,' he said guiltily. Fuck, I never should've asked.'
`No, no, it's just...'
I never really thought about it. I didn't even think of it as divorce because with a lot of divorces that I've seen on TV and with my friends, it was something very formal, like there would be court stuff and all that suit shit. Point is, the kids would still be able to see both of their parents. I never got that.
I don't really know how to answer that, man,' I plastered on a half-smile. My mom just left. No court case, nothing.'
He looked confused, not that I blame him. I'd be too, honestly.
`We were at her friend's place for the night. Dad was on a business trip in Australia and Julian was on a school trip or something. Cindy and I woke up the next morning and she was just...gone.'
It felt weird saying that. Recalling the story. My eyes were on the grass dancing in the wind, but never on Benji as I told him my story. He returned the favor, though, by simply listening to me. Not once did he interrupt me.
`We asked her friend where the hell she was but she was just as stumped. She called the police and everything once she couldn't get a hold of our mom. After that, she called our dad and his business trip was cut short.'
I let out a breath of a laugh. Nothing humorous. If anything, it was bitter as shit. `That whole period of time went by in such a blur. A few weeks later, Dad just sat us down individually and told us she was gone. Not dead or anything; she just...left.'
`I found out a lot later that before she dipped, she left her friend a few papers. I'm assuming that time when Dad was a wreck and busy as shit was because of the legalities behind the whole mess, and before you ask, no, I don't know how divorce works when one party isn't present in court,' I chuckled.
Benji didn't share my laughter. Instead, he looked at me with sadness and I could see a lot of Mr. Hart in him. His expression reminded me of when I told his father about my insecurities at the onsen. The same exact face showing me what he felt: pity.
I'm sorry for being such a downer but to answer your question, I don't know,' I said matter-of-factly. Never had to deal with an actual divorce.'
Moments passed--not too long but certainly enough for me to get uncomfortable--and Benji spoke up, `I'm so sorry.'
I shrugged, `Don't be. The bitch missed out on a great husband and great kids.'
I couldn't really get a read on his facial expression this time. It looked strained. Hurt. A look of discomfort, maybe? I honestly don't know. Maybe the way I said it could have been better but I couldn't care less. I say it how I see it, okay? Doesn't make me a cunt.
`Why do you ask?' I asked Benji.
`Besides the obvious?'
We both chuckled lightly at his comment but it died down once he took a deep breath and tilted his head back to look at the blue sky. `Promise you won't say a word about it?'
I raised my hand and placed the other over my heart. Benji was opening up to me and as much of shit person I am and have become because of this whole thing with Mr. Hart, I'd never stoop so low as to betray Benji by yapping to everybody about his secrets.
`I promise.'
With a deep breath, Benji steadied himself and said, `My parents are getting a divorce.'
Not as dramatic as I thought it would be but no matter.
Oh shit, I'm so sorry, man,' I offered my sympathy. How're you holding up?'
`Not bad but not great either. Kinda saw it coming, I guess.'
Guess things really ARE different behind closed doors. Poor Benji. And Dylan, I suppose. Sort of forgot about him there.
The entire conversation had my mind scattered. Mr. Hart and Alicia on the way to divorce. Crazy. I mean, I guess I should've seen it coming considering both parties were already being unfaithful to one another, according to Mr. Hart, at least. What would this mean for Mr. Hart and his family?
What would this mean for Mr. Hart and me?
A lot to think about and the fucking semester just started. Great.
To be continued...