Playing Death |ONC 2021 Longlister

Chapter 15

He smiled kindly at me as I watched so much pass between those irises. I looked away as he looked back at the road, and I glanced away.

"Are you okay?" his voice was worried.

"Yeah."

I watched as he took turns and the town turned into a spacious area filled with trees lining the sidewalks and the houses meshed in with them. I saw happy kids running around playing catch, some of them sitting on the veranda, chatting, reading newspapers, and sipping evening tea or coffee after their afternoon siesta.

"Yeah," he echoed uncertainly. "What did your father say?"

"Nothing."

"Did he try to force you again to fulfill his wishes?" he whispered softly.

"No."

"Well...tell me what's wrong, dude," he blew out an exasperated breath, slamming on the brakes and then pulling over the side of the road.

"Why do you care? Just drive," I looked out of my window, pulling my mask further up.

He's faking it. Faking it.

"I don't understand! What did I do wrong?" he shouted furiously banging his fists on the wheel.

"Oh, so you don't know what you did?"

"No, I don't!" he screamed back. "Look if you tell me what I did, I will know, otherwise how will I?"

I blew out a shaky breath as I smiled. "So you will know."

Do you remember middle school here? How we studied here before moving far away? Do you remember anything of that day? We walked together as usual from our homes and talked about the world, the universe, laughing. How we hated the professors and we just wanted to go home so we could play with our friends. Even though they weren't all that nice, home then was so much better than school.

It was where the weight of the world had not been cast down on our shoulders yet. But I felt a taste of it and you weren't there to hold it up with me.

Why?

I placed my bag on the chair and picked the next spot to you until someone kicked the bag down. I looked up to face a burly boy who was smirking at me, at you less. Maybe because you were half Indian and passed for a non-Indian. Maybe because you were the whitest of us all like snow. Is that why they respected you?

"You. Are you friends with this boy? Jay?" he asked me. Ravi.

"Yes," I responded proudly. "He is my best friend. Enthan vende." I had inquired back. What do you want?

"Nothing. But we hear you are too close to be friends. Boys aren't this close. And we never see you with girls, maybe you are...?"

I expected you to come save me. But you didn't. You didn't even stand up for me as four other boys peeked at me shadowing me; the sunlight suddenly dimmed and never came back.

"So what?" I fired back.

"So what is that it's not normal."

They pushed me to the floor and punched me but I saw red and stars. I was defenseless and cried. The pain was unbearable as they pushed me and called me names.

"Are you sure Jay is your friend? He doesn't want to be maybe," Ravi sneered.

A girl screamed upon seeing it and rushed out while some others cheered. A teacher came in too late. By then I hated Jay. I hated Jay. I hated James Parker and whoever he was that day.