The Novel's Pride

By Mika Sastrokarijo

After talented author Marlo passed away before his senior year could even start, one of his friends, Dante, decides to fulfill Marlo’s final wish he wasn’t able to fulfill himself. Marlo’s last wish was to finish the final book he was working on. As Marlo’s friend, Dante decides to devote himself to reexperiencing Marlo’s life in order to properly write the book. As Dante is also a talented and prospective professional swimmer, he soon realizes that his swimming career could be in danger as reexperiencing Marlo’s life story isn’t as doable and innocent as Dante had hoped. Dante will have to balance the attention he is planning to give both to Marlo’s and his own legacy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387549573

Book preview

Mika Sastrokarijo

The Novel’s Pride

© 2022 Mika Sastrokarijo

First Edition

ISBN      978-1-387-54957-3

Chapters

Foreword

Prologue

The Prince and the Volleyball

Playground

Genes

Euphoria

Prodigies and Amateurs

The Contract

Master’s Guilty Pleasure

Tongue of the Serpent

The River’s Pride

Butterfly

Epilogue

Afterword

Foreword

Honestly, thank you to everyone. Everyone who was with me during this process. Of course, I love writing, but I wouldn’t have been able to write this book if it wasn’t for the infinite love and support of those around me. Those I hold dear to my hear and those I freshly allowed to approach my heart and home. Among many, these include my friends and family. However, there are a few people who deserve a bit more of a shoutout. Luluk, Calvin, Nyah, Alexiènne, Ivett, Eva, Vincent, Naurah, Adrien, and Tobias thank you so much for helping me out and offering your help.

Even if it felt like you did not do much, it meant a lot for me. The fact that you were ready to help me when needed in regard to the book just means a lot. That’s why I want to especially thank you. So many factors lead to me being able to finish the book, but if it wasn’t for you then the finish line wouldn’t have be reached as there would be no incentive to do so. Thank you.

Before reading this book, I hope you will like it and continue to love my works. As always, my books are written for a specific reason. This book was immensely difficult for me to write as I happened to be a bit ambitious. Either way, I managed, and I guess I can say I’m proud of myself for that. With that said, enjoy.

TRIGGER WARNING:

This book contains scenes that might be sensitive to the reader. The book contains profanity and explicit content, plus topics like depression, anxiety, pedophilia, and death.

If these topics are sensitive to the reader, please restrain from reading the book or read under supervision.

To those that struggle, struggled, or will struggle…

Prologue

The pestering beeping sound of the ominous hospital devices lingered in my ears. A wire there and a screen here. It was raining outside as I looked at how Marlo was sitting straightly in the hospital bed. The vibe the rain brought was nothing more than just grim. Marlo was obediently watching tv with a smile as if he was waiting for something on the screen to pop up. He looked like kid watching his favorite show over and over again only to anticipate their most liked scene coming in any minute. It felt a bit awkward to be with him alone in the room. His family went home already, and Raphael and Abel quickly left after Raphael had burst into crying again. I remained by Marlo’s side at the end of the day, although he didn’t really ask me to stay. In fact, with hat typical and iconic smile of his, he just told me to leave and be calm.

The gravity of the circles under his eyes only worsened by the day, and he had lost significant weight. Marlo was never that muscular or bulky, nor was he scrawny, but it was noticeable that he had gradually been robbed of his flesh.

I stayed until night. I really don’t know why. Usually, his family would be by his side from morning till night whenever they could. And if they weren’t available, Raphael always forced Abel and me to visit Marlo and take over patrol duty. For some reason, Raphael could not hold it together this time, so he left, and Abel just followed him. Marlo didn’t look disappointed, and he said he wouldn’t blame me for leaving as well. I felt forced to stay, but it felt like it was also the least I could do for Marlo. Marlo and I weren’t friends for that long, so we barely actually knew each other.

I had seated myself on one of the chairs next to the window, facing Marlo’s bed. Eventually, he turned off the tv and sighed. I looked up and wondered if he was going to tell me that I should leave so he could sleep. Never had he really raised his voice to me, but I would not be baffled if he would now. He turned his face to me and smiled again. His smile was comforting yet cringy. He was dying. For a long time already, but he still looks like he has dozens of lives to live after this. His terminal disease had already been diagnosed ways before, but he never bothered to tell anyone. Eventually, he ended up being confined to his hospital bed as it wasn’t bearable for him anymore to spend his days trapped by the hospital’s white walls.

‘Dante, I didn’t finish my last project,’ Marlo suddenly said with a sore throat that sounded like throat candy was desired.

I looked up and tilted my head.

‘What do you mean?’

‘You know I write books, right? 

I gave him a nod.

‘However, I never was able to finish my last project,’ Marlo chuckled. ‘I tried my best, but I was too slow near the end. How come I was able to write around nine books in a span of like ten years, and then suddenly I malfunctioned to finish this only last one?’

It sounded bizarre. Writing so many books and even at an early age is quite a task. But something in his voice embraced truth. As if he did not see that effort. As if he did not see the time spent. Did he just write without thinking?

‘What is the book about?’ I curiously asked.

He took a book from his bedside table and showed me with his fragile-grown hands. I had never seen one of his books before, and I barely read any books. Honestly, with my basic knowledge I could not even tell that it was an unfinished book. It already looked quite dense and full to me.

‘It’s about love,’ he said with a goofy chuckle. ‘Cliché and cringy, isn’t it? It already looks like a book, but I just released it earlier since I had predicted I wouldn’t be able to finish it in time.’

I shook my head. The book already looked quite dense, but he called it unfinished.

‘I might act like a spoiled and greedy child,’ Marlo said, ‘but I really feel like this book is something I really want to finish. Of course, I had this feeling with the other books as well, but this feels different.’

As I’m not a writer myself, I couldn’t really relate to his thought. However, I could imagine the adrenaline. He just wants to finish something he adores doing, and not being able to reach what you want just before death. I could not imagine that frustration.

‘It might be the usual author-rush, so I might be exaggerating.’

He quickly put away the book as embarrassment flickered in his eyes.

‘What exactly did you want to write in that book?’ I asked.

Marlo looked at me with a surprised face and chuckled.

‘Are you asking only to be polite?’ Marlo asked.

I shook my head once again.

‘Well, there was one thing I have never experienced in this life,’ Marlo coughed. ‘And that was love. Since I was able to create stories, I wondered if I could create the notion of love by merely writing about it. I don’t want to sound desperate, but I guess as a teenage boy, I really wonder if that could have made my life a bit different. I never dared to tell this to anybody. I am sure different forms of love exist, which is why I wanted to write about it. It is not an easy concept, but it is intriguing to dissect.’

Marlo looked at me and smiled again. However, this time a lump in my throat formed. It was some kind of smile and expression on Marlo’s face I had never seen on him. At that moment, I wasn’t sure if Marlo always faked his smile or if he was just genuinely not feeling well about the situation.

‘It was honestly my last wish to just finish this book,’ Marlo said. ‘Perhaps, I would have been able to find an answer to this difficult notion of love. I wonder if my ability of writing was developed enough to just do that.’

Marlo let out a sad sigh and laid back on his bed. I looked at the clock and noticed the nearing of the evening. I looked outside and saw the darkness orchestrated by the ticking of the rain on the hospital windows. I thought that perhaps looking away would distract me from that smile, but it still bothered me. I turned around again and witnessed a sleeping Marlo. He was also smiling when sleeping. I got up, walked to his bedside table, and looked at his book. I tightly groped the string of my backpack and noticed myself shaking. I squinted my eyes and walked out of Marlo’s hospital room.

My head was buzzing as I grabbed my phone next to my pillow. My phone had rung a few times before I woke up. However, it wasn’t my alarm. It was only five, and the sight of ten missed calls made my brows frown. Raphael attempted to reach me numerous times, whereas Abel merely tried it once. I opened my messages, and my eyes widened; Marlo is having a seizure.

I skipped my breakfast and ran out of my apartment after switching my clothes. I did not even think about spraying some perspirant spray. Raphael had been calling me for half an hour already, and his last attempt was five minutes before I actually woke up.

The third floor, eastern wing. I still remembered the room number; 409. When I exited the elevator, I ran as fast as I could, and I could see the eyes of the nurses and doctors focused on me. The moment I entered the floor, I heard the sound of Raphael’s wailing dominating over the crying mixture of other people’s voices. I abruptly stopped in front of Marlo’s open room door, and I looked at the scene in front of me. I was still catching my breath, but there I saw him. Two doctors and four nurses were standing defeatedly a few meters away from the bed. Directly clinging onto Marlo and his bed were his parents, siblings, and Raphael. Abel most likely gave Raphael space. Marlo had passed away before I reached his room. My mouth had dropped, and my hands were shaking again. I gulped as the excruciating sound of Raphael’s wailing penetrated my eardrums. I got closer to the bed, and Raphael quickly glanced at me. His eyes were filled with tears but also with rage. I could sense he was mad at me. I didn’t deserve to be there. Raphael’s tears screamed, get out. I silently nodded to Raphael’s request. However, before I left Marlo’s hospital room, I looked at Marlo’s unfinished book. I felt my brows were sweating. No one was paying attention to it, and it seemed like no one had paid attention to the book for the past few weeks. I silently picked up the book and left the room.

I will see you, Marlo.

The Prince and the Volleyball

It already felt like I was aroused enough, but every moan of hers increased my sense of pleasure. With every thrust, I let out a moan as her embrace excited me.

‘Dante…’ I heard in my ear.

The mere calling of my name made me feel as if I were about to burst. However, I kept thinking about yesterday, extending my orgasm. It would be mad if I came while thinking of death and sadness. She suddenly clutched her legs around me and created the epitome of my arousal. I let out an aggressive moan as I shot my load into the rubber.

I only put on my underwear and got up. I looked at how Aurea was, without herself being aware, seductively lying on the bed catching her breath with closed eyes. It was an enticing sight, but I went to the desk, and I looked at Marlo’s book. I took a seat and whispered the title, Butterfly. I’m sorry, Marlo, for using your funeral as a way to prolong my pleasure. I looked at the back cover, but I didn’t see a description. It made sense since Marlo hadn’t finished the book, and therefore he wasn’t able to provide one. I opened the book and saw the usual information provided on every first page of a book. The page was followed by the lone standing of "Butterfly." I had to skip a few pages before I approached the first chapter. I skimmed over the first page of the chapter, and my brain almost seemed to crash. The way Marlo wrote didn’t seem sensical to me, with all respect. I started with the first line again, reading every line with full attention, but it didn’t help at all. I softly groaned and massaged the bridge of my nose with my index finger and thumb. I heard the sheets behind me shuffling, and eventually, I felt the comforting embrace of arms touching upon my chest. Despite the heavy session we had before, Aurea still smelt sweet and comforting.

‘What are you doing?’ she soothingly whispered.

‘I’m reading Marlo’s last book,’ I answered.

She took the book from the desk and scanned some of the sentences in the book.

‘Why is his style difficult to understand?’ she asked.

I shook my head.

‘That was what I was wondering as well.’

She sighed and placed the book back on the table.

‘Is there a particular reason why you want to read it?’

I nodded and ran my hand through my hair.

‘Marlo told me the book wasn’t finished, and his last wish was to complete the book,’ I said. ‘If this genuinely was his last wish, I would like to finish it for him.’

I exhaled and rubbed my eyes.

‘However, if the first page is already like this, how am I supposed to understand what he had written until now. Let alone continuing it.’

Aurea giggled and stroke her hair with the soft palm of her left hand.

‘Marlo published a lot of books before this one, right? Perhaps start with his first book.’

I looked at her and raised a brow.

‘I know it’s a lot, but I’m sure his style changed over the years and also the complexity of his linguistic jargon,’ Aurea said. ‘If you start with his first book, you will most likely automatically pick up his style as well.’

My eyes widened, and I chuckled.

‘I think I will do that. Thank you, Aurea.’

I closed the book and decided to let it rest for the time being. Aurea suddenly kissed me on my cheek while toying with the tip of my ears.

‘I really respect how you want to do this for him’ she said.

I turned my head and looked into her clear and attractive eyes. I brought my face closer towards hers and kissed her on the lips. I got up, and she swung her legs around me as I lifted her from the floor. I launched her on the bed, and I immediately dove on after. I started kissing her neck, and she let out irresistible moans. I felt lucky to have Aurea as my girlfriend.

I came racing with my bike, and I quickly pushed it into one of the bike racks. I noticed some of the other students glancing at me with startled faces. I paid little attention to it as I quickly ran toward my class. I stood beside the classroom entrance, and I took notice how almost everyone was present and had seated themselves. I looked at the row next to the window and I saw Raphael and Abel next to each other. Abel was patiently sitting behind his desk, waiting for the teacher to enter the classroom and commence the class. As for Raphael, he was looking out of the window with his chin rested on the palm of his hand. It was a few weeks after Marlo passed and Raphael hadn’t talked to me at all over those weeks. I gulped as I set foot in the classroom. There was a free spot behind Raphael and Abel, so I decided to claim it. No one dared to sit near Raphael as anyone most likely had noticed Raphael’s gloomy demeanor the moment he entered the school. I remember Raphael not saying a thing to me at the funeral either. Besides being too busy crying, I could sense that he also didn’t intend to approach me. Abel quickly peeked at me before I sat down, but Raphael didn’t bother. I knew he had taken note of my presence, but he simply decided to just not look at me at first. He eventually let out a sigh and started ticking his nails against the table, making a rattling sound.

‘Do you miss Marlo, Dante?’ he suddenly said with his back still turned to me.

I put my books on the table with swirling thoughts. His voice sounded cold. Knowing Raphael, I expected him to have a lump in his throat saying that just now. However, there wasn’t any to be found in his tone. His voice just sounded cold, and he didn’t seem to be twitching or shaking.

‘Of course,’ I softly said. ‘It’s a shame that he had to pass away.’

I looked to my right, and I noticed everyone in the class looking at me with anticipated expressions. Raphael and Abel had turned their heads towards me. I looked at Raphael, and my mouth dropped slightly. A sinister smile was carved onto his face, and his brows formed a gut-turning figure. It was enough to even make Abel nervous, who usually wouldn’t even show any emotion.

‘Why were you late?’ Raphael asked.

This time, there was an unmistakable crack in his voice as he gritted his teeth. I firmly squeezed into my books and bit the inside of my cheek. I did feel guilty about that. Even though it was early that day, my tardy behavior could not be justified. Not if it was about Marlo’s death.

‘I regret it as well,’ I dared to say. ‘If I could, I would rewind time to be on time.’

Raphael scuffed and shook his head.

‘You would only go back until that point?’ Raphael mockingly asked.

‘Would there be any difference if we could have gone further into the past?’ I reflected.

Raphael squinted his eyes and clutched his teeth together.

‘Marlo wouldn’t have bothered to tell us anyways. We wouldn’t have known,’ I said.

Raphael looked up, and he saw everyone in the class staring at him. Everyone knew that Raphael was incredibly close with Marlo. Raphael would always hang around Marlo to let the latter entertain him. If Raphael was down, Marlo would always be there to cheer Raphael up. Abel and I were not able to do such a task. As everyone knew of this wholesome friendship, it came to no surprise that it was bizarre to, also now, spiritually see Raphael without his best buddy. Raphael noticed the uncalled attention, and he grunted. He closed his eyes and softly slapped his cheeks. The bell rang, and the teacher simultaneously entered the classroom. It was the first class after Marlo’s funeral and indeed, everyone in our year, or perhaps the entire school, knew about his departure. The teacher calmly took a seat and just calmly scanned over our whole class, starting with the classroom’s far left. He eventually stopped at Raphael and kept staring at him. Raphael eventually got annoyed and turned his head to continue looking out of the window again. The teacher eventually got up as he wasn’t able to attract Raphael’s attention. The teacher took a board marker out of his pencil case and started writing on the whiteboard. Without any modesty, he wrote Death on it. I could feel the awkward atmosphere the teacher brought to the classroom. There I could hear the shy gulping of a girl, and here the sound of a nervous cough sprinkled through my eardrums.

‘As you all know, Marlo recently passed away,’ the teacher suddenly said.

Raphael covered his mouth with the palm of his hand while still supporting his head with it. The teacher noticed the discomfort in Raphael’s posture, but the teacher most likely did it for a reason.

‘It might not be the best way to start the first class after the event, but I also do not just want to skim over this event like it was nothing,’ the teacher said.

He tapped the board with the board marker and silently moved his body to the class’s middle-front.

‘I will start the class by simply asking how you guys would define death?’

The class looked at the teacher as if he had lost his mind. The absurdity of the question even attracted Raphael’s attention. As expected, no one dared to answer the teacher appropriately.

~

Raphael picked up the ball and looked at it with fascination. His eyes looked like diamonds. The lamp’s light shone into his pupils. It was just a regular day of PE, but Raphael treated the day differently. Whenever we would have volleyball, he would just hold the ball with such care and joy. It was indescribable. Every kid in class liked playing around during PE, because it was the only class we had in which we didn’t have to sit down and do boring stuff. However, Raphael was the only one in the class who looked so passionate about the Volleyball. And only Volleyball. Raphael was not bad in any other sport, but it was Volleyball in which he excelled and what caught his attention. It could sometimes even go so far that he wouldn’t even bother playing the sport if it wasn’t volleyball, even if he was good at it.

~

Aurea was correct. Marlo’s first book was definitely far more intelligible than Butterfly. The Prince and the Volleyball was Marlo’s first attempt at a book. The book was rather interesting, and it was kind of clear that the book was written by an eight-year-old. Young Marlo had not tried to cover up his experience as a fictional story. Rather, he purely just used the names of the people he thought of and wanted to write about: Marlo and Raphael. The only thing he needed to do was make a coherent story that also made sense. Just writing down whatever came to his mind but in a logical and creative way. For someone as young as him during that time, it was quite an impressive feat. As one of his first books he still managed to deliver quality content. Taking into account that no one probably checked his work on things like style and grammar, it was impressive to notice there were barely any mistakes. To the point I was questioned by the fact no one endorsed him at such a young age or in general even as this clearly showcased his big potential. Comparing the first sentence I read in Butterfly and the first few pages of The Prince and Volleyball made me aware of the fact that Marlo improved a lot in way of conveying his story and stylistic choices. However, even his first book at the age of eight was immensely impressing. I have to admit that I also did not know much about Marlo, and I also did not feel very obliged to look into the things he offered to this world. I tried not blaming myself for only reading Marlo’s works now. At this point it was useless to have any regrets about something I maybe should have done but did not do.

My class with the teacher asking about Death ended and I moved myself to the school library. It was weird, because I just thought the teacher would just use the term to start the class, but he literally took the entire class to talk about it. It was obvious that no one wanted to talk about it voluntarily, so he just picked people to answer his questions or discuss concepts. The only person he did not dare to ask anything during that class was Raphael. Whenever it felt like the teacher wanted to pick Raphael to answer, Raphael looked at the teacher in a threatful way. Luckily, the teacher was happy with short, plain answers, so that’s what I did whenever he would ask me a question. I wasn’t able to catch up with Raphael and Abel. The bell had barely rung and Raphael immediately left the class. I had never seen someone leave a classroom that quickly. Abel followed shortly after having an awkward exchange of faces with me. Now that I remembered, Abel was never really talkative and I never actually talked to him personally, even if we were in the same friend group. The both of us were the quietest, and sometimes it felt like we were just third wheeling Marlo and Raphael. And it’s not because Raphael and Marlo ignored us, we just didn’t say or contributed much.

I didn’t go after Raphael like Marlo would as I assumed that Raphael probably didn’t really want to see me. I had to read The Prince and the Volleyball anyways. I was sitting somewhere on the ground in the corner of the library. There was almost no one in the library, so I could just enjoy the sun shining through the windows without anything bothering me.

~

The volleyball in Raphael’s hands just looked like it was part of his body. He was very focused on the ball when it was in his hands, but he was also very focused on the ball when the ball was not in his hands. He looked happy when playing volleyball matches, but he also looked very serious during the game. It looked entertaining yet intimidating at the same time. There was always a smile on his face, but his eyes looked like they were burning. It was clear that his level was way above the others, and he made it seem like he was being easy on them. However, in his eyes it was visible that he was aiming on destroying his enemies. After every point made, he laughed it off and did not really make a big deal out of it. But deep in his eyes you could see that he was happy that he made a point. If he made a point with a beautiful technique or a trick shot or some sorts, then his expression was even more astonishing. It was impressive. As a third-party noticing that difference in his eyes, I was not sure whether to be impressed or intimidated. Surely, I knew that destructive and determined expression was not aimed for me. Still, it gave me shivers throughout my entire body. I caught myself staring at how he ambitiously and passionately would run after every shot challenging him. I eventually got dragged out of his grip on me when the ball was tossed upwards, ready for it to be smashed to the other side of the court. The ball was sky-high and Raphael looked like a predator that locked its eyes on the prey. For me, and probably also for him, time seemed to go really slow. As if time made space for Raphael instead of the other way around. It felt as if we were the only ones aware of time being frozen.

~

Reading this book actually reminded me of the status both Raphael and I had. There were some students in the school who had special status because they were talented or professional athletes for example. Two of those were Raphael and I. Raphael was a member of the national youth team of volleyball whereas I was a member of the national youth team of swimming. The thing is, I didn’t know about Raphael only until I became friends with Marlo and him. Actually, it wasn’t that weird, because I didn’t know the other professional athletes in the school. Raphael and I would often be absent in class to attend important trainings or prestigious tournaments. Raphael, however, was absent more often than I was lately. It must have been because of Marlo. The bell announcing break time just rang. Not shortly after, students filled the library. Our library was big. I almost never came to the library, because I usually don’t have to be here. I always thought that the library was too big, but seeing as the library was immediately filled, I realized the library might have been too small. It was getting too crowded, and I had to eat something anyways, so I left the library.

I went to the canteen, and it was quite funny to see how even the canteen was less crowded than the library. But the school was so big that there were multiple smaller canteens throughout the entire school. This canteen was just quite massive. Somehow, through the crowd, I was able to spot Abel sitting alone at a table. We were in our final year, so no one dared to sit next to the final year students. I took a meal at the counter and sat down across of Abel.

‘Do you mind if I sit here?’ I asked.

‘Go ahead.’

Looking at his meal, I could see that he had just come. It was untouched, but he was about to eat it. He didn’t take much which reminded me of Abel not eating much compared to the rest of our small friend group. The TV screens in the canteen suddenly lit up. There were TV screens spread throughout the canteen. They would turn on during break time for school news. The first thing they showed was a picture of Raphael in his volleyball uniform and a medal. Suddenly, there was loud cheering in the canteen. I looked at Abel and raised my brows.

‘Did Raphael leave class that quickly because he had a match?’

Abel nodded.

‘He also left early because the class was just dogshit, but the main reason he left was because he had the volleyball match.’

As I looked at the screen, I was able to tell that it was an important match for Raphael.

‘Raphael passed the preliminary rounds with the team for the provincial championships,’ Abel said.

Raphael was a player for the team representing our city. The team of our city was known for always falling under the top three teams on national level. There wasn’t a year in which we didn’t have the bronze, silver or gold medal. Raphael was a renowned player since his debut in the team when he was fourteen years old. He made the team win only but gold medals ever since he joined. Just like me, he was put in the selection team to join the national team. However, chances were big that Raphael would join the national team quite soon since the national volleyball committee was very active in recruiting members for its team. The national swimming team on the other hand halted their recruiting for some reason. My coaches told me I just had to be patient and do what I always did as I allegedly already had a spot in the national team. I participated in most national competitions and tournaments in both the youth and regular categories, and I was able to blend in well. However, I could only participate in a handful of international competitions due to me not being officially recognized as a swimmer of the national team.

My face was also quite often on the TV screens, but Raphael’s was on them more because his sports career just turned out to be very favorable for him. Of course, the school would always highlight Raphael’s position in the team, but Raphael’s reputation nationally is also something that should not be underestimated.

‘So, Raphael is going to the quarterfinals?’ I asked.

Abel nodded and steered his spoon with yogurt on it towards his mouth.

‘He will be playing them somewhere next week I believe and then, if he wins the final, the team will participate in the national championships once again.’

‘Sounds pretty cool. He is still able to do that after Marlo passed away.’

Abel looked at me with a face I could not really decipher.

‘He has to do what he has to do. Pretty sure you as a professional athlete knows that as well.’

There was not much I could do than give him a plain nod with the head.

‘Raphael told me that he will most likely enter the national team after the national championships.’

I took the last bite from my sandwich and drank some of my water to smoothen the process of the sandwich sliding through my throat.

‘Does he have to win every match all the way through the end to get into the team?’

Abel shook his head and wiped his mouth with a fumbled napkin distributed by those working in the canteen. Definitely not joking when I say they do it with care.

‘Not really. I think it’s just ceremonial. Announcing him to be a national team member would be a bit hectic when national championships are happening. Raphael already got the spot anyways.’

I nodded.

‘Yeah, makes sense.’

Abel looked at the clock as the bell rang.

‘I have class now, so I have to go.’

‘We should hang out,’ I quickly said as it looked like he was about to rush off.

Abel gave me a quick look and raised a brow.

‘I mean, with Raphael. It has been weeks since we actually properly did something together.’

Abel slowly nodded, but he was definitely not jumping from excitement. All he did was just give me a plain stare as if the suggestion made him uncomfortable.

‘I wouldn’t mind it, but I don’t know what Raphael wants. His mind is all over the place now, so it all depends on him.’

‘I get that.’

Abel looked at his watch and smiled awkwardly.

‘I’ve got to go now, though.’

I nodded and watched as Abel left to go to his class. My only class left today was the last possible hour. I could decide to go home, or stay here and continue with the book. I could also just go practice some swimming, but I’m sure my coach would scold me if I would overextend myself. I decided to just continue to read Marlo’s book in the library again, but just as I was about to get up, I felt someone’s hands on my shoulders. I turned around to see what it was, but I got greeted with a kiss on my lips. That scent and those hairs, it was definitely Aurea. She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and caressed her cheek.

‘What were you up to?’ she asked.

‘I wanted to read Marlo’s book in the library as I had nothing else to do.’

‘And? Is it going like you expected it to?’

I nodded.

‘The book is about Raphael.’

She raised her brows.

‘Really?’

She took the book and analyzed the cover.

‘So, that’s why it has a volleyball on the cover. That’s funny. I just had PE and all the girls were fawning over Raphael. He is in my PE class and the teacher announced he had won. The moment the news got out, the girls almost made sure that everyone had to get their ears checked.’

‘He is quite popular with the girls, isn’t he?’

Aurea giggled and nodded.

‘It seems so.’

She gave me another kiss and looked me in the eyes.

‘I’m also free this period. I want to get ice cream. Shall we go together?’

I looked at the book for a bit and softly hovered my hand over it. I looked outside and imagined the fair temperature as we found ourselves just a bit after summer. The first few weeks after summer at school are actually quite chill. Classes often get canceled and students are still able to relax on the courtyards or other iconic and nostalgic places to relax without worrying about a cold breeze.

‘I mean, if you want to read the book you can of course do that.’

I stood up and looked back at her with a smile. Taller than her, tall enough to have my head in a crooked position to eye her.

‘No, let’s get some ice cream.’

Aurea took me to the ice cream shop she always takes me whenever she is craving ice cream. She picked her favorite flavors. Pistachio and vanilla. She once had told me that when she first picked these flavors, she picked them based on how pretty they looked. I always let her choose my flavors as I wasn’t that much of an ice cream fan like her. Aurea is the type of girl to always pick her things carefully. Her behavior is often not that erratic, but rather careful. Every time it was something different. This time she chose white chocolate and milk chocolate.

‘You give me chocolate vibes today, so I choose these.’

I frowned my brows and laughed.

‘What does that even mean?’

She winked and started licking her ice cream. We went to a nearby park and sat down. It was during the middle of the day on a weekday, so there was almost no one on the streets. As we were sitting down, our knees touched. A gentle expression. A mindful moment. Most of the time I was just too busy admiring her beauty. It was difficult to refrain. She always looked so happy whenever she would just eat her ice cream. Sometimes I wondered if she liked ice cream more than me. Never imagined myself being jealous of a few balls formed of milk. But then thinking of it again, it made sense being jealous of that.

‘Your ice cream is dripping,’ Aurea said, head tilted justly enough to catch the sides of the scoops.

I looked at my cone which made me realize that some of the milky substance had stained my clothes.

‘Shit… And you just told me?’

Aurea giggled and grabbed some tissues out of her bag. She leaned in and wiped the stains of my clothes and looked at me as if she was a mom scolding her child. She could have done it carefully, but she put aggression in it. Probably to point out my childish behavior.

‘Eat your ice cream instead of staring at me. You can do that another time.’

I did as she told me. Spending my time just looking at her was worth it indeed, but I wouldn’t want to waste the ice cream she had chosen for me. I ended up devoting myself to finishing the ice cream she chose for me. I devoured the ice cream with cone and all within a few minutes. I was too busy focusing on finishing the cone that I didn’t realize I had finished the ice cream before my girlfriend could. She looked at me with a face I could not interpret. She looked proud, but she was not necessarily proud, though.

‘I didn’t tell you to devour the ice cream, you know?’ Aurea said as she continued patiently eating her ice cream.

She was also almost finished, but she just took the time to finish the ice cream. At this point I couldn’t help myself from looking at how she ate her ice cream. It can sound cringe and cliché, but just everything she did was beautiful. It was just merely taking small bites and licks from her ice cream that she managed to make it look like it was something only a deity was allowed to do. She definitely ate it in a more attractive way than I did. Still, even deities miscalculate. She happened to stain her upper lip with a bit of the pistachio. I leaned forward and squinted my eyes answered by her raising a brow and letting out a cute chuckle.

‘Do I have something on my face?’

I chuckled, finding it funny how I rebutted her rhetoric.

‘You do, actually,’ I said while pointing at my upper lip.

I leaned in for a kiss, but she put on my forehead. Almost with her fingernail deep in my sculp. She pushed me back with only a gentle force of her index.

‘Can you kiss me?’ she asked.

I frowned my brows.

‘What the hell do you mean?’

She licked some of her ice cream and raised her shoulders.

‘You were making it seem like this was some cliché movie scene.’

‘What’s so wrong with that?’

‘What do you prefer, me asking and basically begging you to kiss me or just letting you be a goofy man and acting like you are surprising me with something I already expected?’

Aurea’s blunt and straight forward personality was charming. It always feels like she is a step ahead and it often was difficult to read her. But in some way or shape it was sexy and classy. I pushed away her hand and I kissed her on the lips. I was so into it that I wasn’t even sure if I actually cleaned the ice cream stain. I wanted to continue kissing her, but she softly pushed me away and showed me her ice cream.

‘I only asked you to kiss me to remove my stain. Not to devour me like you devoured my ice cream.’

I clicked my tongue and looked away. A few minutes later she poked my cheek. I looked at her and she was looking at me with eyes that were practically bullying me.

‘I finished my ice cream.’

I grinned and didn’t hesitate to kiss her. She put her hand on my thigh and received my kiss with much joy. Just as I was about to get into it, she pulled back and put her hand on my mouth.

‘Were you trying to make me miss class?’

I checked my phone. Aurea also had a sharp eye. It was already time for next period, and I was not even aware of it. Aurea got up and I followed. Aurea was not demanding; she was just very practical and pragmatic. She just knew when some things could be done at certain times and when not. Not saying she is boring, because she can be surprising exactly because of it…

‘Please, just a little longer,’ I nagged.

She shook her head and winked.

‘Just wait after school, we will go to yours.’

I must have looked ridiculous. It felt like I was jumping and kicking like some puppy waiting for its mom to offer milk.

‘I’ll be waiting.’

She walked away without waiting for me to say anything. I could feel my heart beating fast, but I tried to hide my excitement even though I was sure that she was fully aware of me having my heart on steroids. I eventually got up and wiped away the little traces of grass off my pants. It was still quite long until my last class, but I decided to just go back to the building and read The Prince and the Volleyball. I started my way towards the building and just as I was about to enter the schoolyard I saw a familiar face in front of me. It was the famous volleyball player that had been acting quite defensive towards me the past few weeks. However, Raphael and I locked eyes and this time he didn’t try to avoid my gaze. We walked towards each other, but his expression didn’t change at all when we are only a pinch distance away from each other.

‘I saw you made it to the quarterfinals,’ I said.

Raphael nodded.

‘Of course, it’s a given,’ he said. ‘Would be surprising if not.’

I nodded.

‘Fair.’

He bumped his head towards the building and raised his brows.

‘Shouldn’t you get inside?’ he asked.

‘My last class is at last period.’

‘Then why not go home?’

I hesitated to say anything back. He tilted his head and waited for me to give him an answer.

‘Well, I was reading Marlo’s book, so I decided to stay at school and do that. I just came back from having ice cream with Aurea.’

Raphael just looked at me. He blinked a few times like he was software processing an update before raising his shoulders like a munching cow.

‘I guess so.’

Without saying anything else we walked towards the building together.

‘Why are you here, though?’ I asked. ‘You didn’t have to go back to school, right?’

‘I just didn’t feel like going home. I won the volleyball match, but I just felt like going back to school.’

He looked at me and formed a hook in between his brows.

‘Say, why are you actually reading Marlo’s book? I thought you didn’t want to do anything with him.’

I scuffed and looked away.

‘How long are you going to stay bitter about this? I regret it so much not being there when he passed away.’

Raphael raised his head and the only thing he could do was a give a smile in deep disappointment.

‘I guess I just needed something to get mad at. I can’t forgive you for not being on