Brendan's Revelation Part I

May's POV

I slowly opened my eyes at the creepy sound of tree branches scratching the windows. When I sat up, I noticed that I was already in my school winter uniform. Beside the window is this big wall mirror and when I looked at myself, I was surprised to see a white piece of bandage over my forehead.

My eyebrows scrunched and I felt it myself, there was indeed a bandage. I turned my head and tried to look around.

"The infirmary?"

"Monday, first day of the week and I'm already in such a bizarre situation. Freaking new achievement right here. How in the hell did I end up here in the first place?"

By the moment I felt a sting coming from my forehead, I suddenly remembered how I horribly ended up being in one of these infirmary beds in our school.

"Oh, yeah.." I slowly frowned as realization started to hit me.

Solidad...

...

"Mrs. Hay-"Solidad paused and cleared her throat after checking our attendance.

Oh boy.

There she goes again with her matchmaking disease.

"Ms. Maple, is there any possibility that you would know why Mr. Hayden is absent for today?" She smiled those devilish smiles of hers I've despised.

She's teasing me in front of the whole class again!

She's definitely enjoying how much she just put my life in immediate utmost danger with just those words she just said.

"Ehh.." I slowly stood up not knowing how to answer her question.

I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my cheek as the glares of death and murder of everyone burst me down like a minigun. I honestly knew why he's absent today. But knowing of the catastrophe of what might actually happen if I would have carelessly said that I knew, such as getting beheaded publicly in the school's platform, a scold's bridle being a part of my uniform from now on, or losing privilege on the canteen's free hazelnut brownies every Friday, I would be better off lying as it seemed that it would remove the raised death flag on myself.

Mechanical pencils, steel rulers, super stick glue, and a lot more ordinary school supplies were slowly starting to surface on their tables from each of their bags. And I never thought that such mere ordinary school tools could send a cold chill down my spine.

All I needed to do was just answer Ms. Solidad a simple, confident and conforming 'no'. And it'll all be over like nothing even happened.

I tried to reassure myself.

"No?" I squeaked like a mouse.

I palmed my face mentally really hard.

I just had to sound pathetically unsure, great, so freaking great! Best confident 'no' answer in the history of 'no' answer ever!

Where's the undo button? Please!

"You don't sound too confirming?" Solidad paced left and right in front of the class. She was so good at faking how she worried about Drew when all she really did was toy with the super thin thread my life's holding on right at this damn moment.

"Are you really sure? Because you are his childhood friend and I just thought that you'd be the one to know first if there is something bad happening to him and you are his special friend also and-"

Blah, blah, blah, blah..

She continued to blab about how supposedly significant my relationship with Drew is and even telling the whole class that we played prince and princess when we were young and how she would be the evil dragon.

My left eye twitched in horror.

I could literally die from embarrassment just hearing her say all these things!

"-even that time when you promised to mar-"

"MS. SOLIDAD! PLEASE!" I shouted involuntarily from my seat overflowing with embarrassment. My knees buckled and I could practically feel my face glow bright red. Everything slowly dawned on me that I made the situation even worse by shouting.

Perfect.

"-promised to mar-"

I looked back up and angrily glared at her. It seemed that she was going to push through saying that damn word.

"Don't you dare say it!" I warned without bothering the glare everyone shot at me.

From my peripheral view, I could see Dawn and Misty cheering for Solidad.

I never felt so betrayed!

"-marr-"

By the moment I was able to hear the sound of the letter 'y', I immediately tried to attack her. But what happened was something worst - my right shoe got stuck under my desk and I fell flat face on the floor.

Thank you so much kind desk. Your moral support will never be forgotten.

"Holy crap an earthquake?!" Ash sat up with drool stain over his cheeks.

I must have hit the floor that hard if I woke him up.

I wasn't even able to articulate the words 'oh my freaking god that hurt like hell!' or even just the word 'ouch' that I fell unconscious as the world around me spun into darkness.

...

Why does she always have to tease me like that? That was like the worst! If one day I'll truly die of such a nasty phenomenon because of her then I'll be sure to let her and the whole damn world know that my blood will stain both of her hands and I will definitely haunt her every night in her sleep!

I felt my head as the pain on my forehead seemed to pulsate. I remembered her retort when I told her weeks ago not to call me Mrs. Hayden or tell anything embarrassing about me and Drew, especially in class.

"I'm so sorry May, I just needed my daily doses of vitamin May and Drew. I so ship you two!" She suddenly squealed like a rodent on drugs. My scolding had no effect. I mean I don't even know why I even tried, she's way older than me! I just hang my head low and let her laugh. She's definitely not sorry.

Vitamin May and Drew?! She's clearly crazy I tell you, way crazier than Grandpa! She acted like some crazy fangirl!

I was about to get off of bed when I heard someone entered the door. And it was no other than Sir Brock, our school infirmary-in-charge.

"How are you feeling Ms. Maple?" He greeted me with a warm smile.

"A bit better I guess." I answered as I put aside the blanket covering my lower extremities. I sat on the bed and let my legs hang.

"Good!" He quickly replied. "Because there's someone who's been waiting in my office for you to wake up."

My eyebrows met with each other as I tried to figure out who it could be.

"Is he your boyfriend or something? He really was worried about you."

Drew? But it can not be possibly him, he got sick this morning after that match he had with Brendan yesterday. He was fatigued.

After that match he had against him, he was so devastated that he didn't even say any word about it to me. He didn't even talk to me. He was all silent from the time I helped him get back to the apartment limping, from time we had dinner till we went our separate rooms to sleep.

It was so depressing to see him like that and I don't know if there's even anything I could do about it, anything that would make it easier for him.

When I woke up this morning, which was surprisingly early, I found him lying on the floor near the sofa. I panicked of course. I helped him stand up. I carried him by his shoulders back to his room. I felt his temperature, he was scorching. I helped him get back to bed immediately and prepared him a cold press for his forehead.

I told him that I wanted to be absent today so I could take care of him but he didn't approve of that, which made me sad somehow. He just said that I should go to class for him.

Then that very unfortunate event happened, I should really have not gone to school today.

I sighed.

Now I'm actually really sad.

"Thank goodness you're already awake May." I heard a familiar voice coming in from the door as Sir Brock left the room.

"Oh Brendan, it's you." I half-expected it to be him. I still can't help but be surprise considering what I did to him the other week. "What are you doing here?" I stammered as I tried to fix my bed hair.

"I was looking for you during lunch and when I asked Dawn Berlitz she said that you hit the floor hard during your 10AM class this morning." Does he really have to say the complete name of someone he's not really acquainted with just for the sake of mentioning them? Anyway he made a worried look as he sat next to me on the bed. And by the moment he saw the bandage on my forehead, his look turned worse. "Oh..."

I don't know what to be more embarrass about, him sitting this close to me after what I did last week, how worried he really was about me, or how I looked really pathetic myself.

"I'm fine Brendan." I gave a sigh as I scooted a little farther away from him. "You're not mad at me?" I asked without looking up at him and took interest at my swaying legs.

"Why would I be mad at you?" He answered. "If it's about that date we had." He heaved himself a sigh as he scratched his head. "Then it would be me who should say sorry for asking something so stupid bluntly."

"I'm sorry May."

I felt a deep sting like a huge guilt trip arrow just bull's-eyed me right in the chest. I wasn't even able to say my sorry but he already beat me to it by saying sorry himself first.

I felt something unpleasant well-up inside me. I slowly wrinkled the bed sheets near the edge of the bed under my tightening grip.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" I silently asked. "When you should be.."

I angrily looked up and glared at him which caught him by surprise.

"You're supposed to be angry at me! You're supposed to yell at how rude I was for running away! You're supposed to yell at how I was such an idiot for rejecting something expensive that you bought! You're supposed to be mad at how I even agreed to date but what I did in return was make it worst!" I let all of these sentences in one go that I gasped for air right after. "You're not supposed to say sorry!"

I am so frustrated at myself.

"Y-you're su-supp-supposed to get back at me."

"I hurt you didn't I?" I added.

"Am I wrong?! Tell me Brendan! I hate this sick kindness of yours!" I yelled at him.

As I threw all those words angrily at him, all he did was look down and formed himself a sad expression. It made me feel miserable by a hundred.

"I.. I don't, I don't understand you..."

"You don't have to understand me May." He heaved himself a sad smile and looked up beside me. "I'm an idiot myself."

My lower jaw quivered. I bowed my head low.

"Be angry at me."

"Please?"

"I can't be mad at you, trust me. I'm not mad at you." He answered and stood up. "I also understood something that I should really have understood a long time ago."

"Again?" I retorted and looked up at him. "Say what?"

He moved and stood in front of me and gave me his berry-scented white handkerchief. It was then I realized that I got my eyes soggy. "That I'm not supposed to like you."

"Not supposed to like me?"

"Told you I'm an idiot." He turned around.

I wasn't able to say anything. I wasn't able to use the handkerchief, it remained clutched in my palm.

What did he seriously mean by that?

"Can I ask you for another date?" He asked without looking back at me. "Like now?"

"I promise this to be the last, I swear."

"But, what about school?" When I asked that I immediately checked on the wall clock near the door as I just realized that I have lost track of the time.

1:51PM

"Please?"

I don't know why he would ask me out on a date again but I just agreed.

"Sure." I saw his stiffened shoulders relaxed as I said that. I used his hanky to wipe a little bit of my tears as most of them seemed to have dried up already.

"It's not like they're gonna hold some lessons today especially that the party is just right around the corner." He followed.

Right, and if I'd return back to class and meet Solidad, I'm afraid that I might be forced again to be a play thing of her 'daily dose of vitamin May and Drew'.

She seriously has to stop that.

"I'll take you out to lunch somewhere special." Brendan faced me and smiled. "I bet you should be hungry right?"

I nodded and silently followed him since he went out of the door first. Only a little scratch was left on my forehead when I removed the patch so I decided to keep it like that. I would definitely look horrible with it outside. I tried arranging my hair so it could partially cover up the scratch.

When we got to the main office of the clinic, I saw my bag next to another one on the chair next to the main table. Brock was nowhere to be seen. And realization just dawned on me that it was Brendan's bag. As soon as he picked it up, I wondered how long had he been waiting for me to wake up.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

I picked up my bag as well as we headed out of the door and out of the school.

...

It was still early afternoon and a lot of things were just like how it used to when we dated the last time. There were still a lot of people, the sky was also dark and the temperature was cold.

"Have you already bought something for the coming party May?" Brendan asked without looking back at me.

"No." I answered directly. It only took us a short walk before going inside an unfamiliar classy restaurant. "Have you?"

He chuckled "I don't need to."

There was a man wearing a black double-breasted dinner suit who opened the door for us inside.

My head perked up. I was about to ask him what he meant by that when the man surprisingly greeted him.

"Good afternoon young master." The waiter greeted, or more likely a butler judging by the way he dressed. He looked like he's in his late 20's. He bowed down placing his right hand over his chest. "You are earlier than the usual."

Young master?!

"You don't really have to mind that Gerard." Brendan chuckled. "I'm here with an important guest. Would you give us a table for two?"

"Certainly young master."

"This way May." Brendan's voice brought me back to reality from spacing out at how expensively-looking this place really is. The huge glass chandeliers, the varnished cedar floor, a band consisting of four members playing with their respective instruments at the front with a beautiful water wall design behind them.

And especially how that guy called Brendan 'young master'.

Wow.

Brendan and I took a sit opposite to each other in our circular table. He grabbed the menu and ordered something for the both of us.

As that guy went away to take our orders, I decided to ask Brendan. "What is this place?" I knew I mentioned earlier that it looked like an expensive looking restaurant but it couldn't be one if there's like only the two of us dining here.

"Oh, this is a private restaurant owned by my family." He answered me with a smile. He leaned both of his elbows on the table. "And that guy I talked to earlier is our butler Gerard. He's been taking care of me since forever. He's a really nice guy."

I knew somehow that Brendan is rich, but I never expected him to be owning-a-private-restaurant kind of rich!

"How about your parents?" I asked.

"We'll talk about it when the food arrives."

"Young master! Welcome back!" The band members shouted to us happily. "Introduce the cutie to us! Woot!"

"Stop it guys!" He playfully chastised. "She's just a friend and she would never have any interests for the likes of you!" He chuckled immediately followed by the band members' laughter.

"That's the young master for you!" The drummer said as he drummed a rapid beat.

"Well he is good looking and gentle so he could always attract girls, unlike you dufus!" The guitarist followed and laughed at the drummer.

"Come on guys stop it, just play us a melody." Brendan stopped laughing as he gave them the request.

"Our pleasure!"

Then he turned to me. "Well, I thought you knew May, I think it was posted in the bulletin since Brianna interviewed me months ago the previous semester."

"Sorry but I don't really read something from the bulletin." I admitted shamefully and gave an awkward smile.

I could have known and anticipated this somehow and could have even made a cheerful and more informative or intelligent response, if only I were Dawn that is or as enthusiastic as she is about these kind of stuff. "Wait, now that I think about it, are you closely acquainted with Brianna?"

A soft romantic melody soon enveloped the room from the band. I felt my cheeks turn red. I looked at Brendan and saw the same expression. He quickly turned his head to the band and gave them a glare, but they just returned it with a wink. He just sighed and decided to just leave them be.

"J-just, uhm, don't mind them May." He stammered and looked back at me.

"Err okay, I guess I'll try then." I laughed a little.

"So, about Brianna." He cupped his chin thinking about something. "You could say that we met some time ago. But that's just it. We are acquaintances."

Then the butler named Gerard came back with our order which turned out to be chicken stir-fry and a glass of tea. He placed it on our table. He took our bag with him and went back to the kitchen.

"Gerard!" Brendan called out before his butler could disappear behind the kitchen doors. "Tell Dad I'll go talk to him later."

"Please help yourself May." Brendan turned back to me. We both started eating. "It would be pretty sad for you to be sick after this date." He jested.

When he said that, I felt this weird sad ambiance that I wasn't even sure if it was really there to begin with. And sometimes when people smile, it could either mean that they were truly happy or they were hiding something.

The gravity felt more stronger with the latter.

"Why would you ask me out on a date again when I just turned our last date into a disaster?" I asked.

Don't get me wrong, I really am hungry but the depressing aura he tried to shackle behind his smile was losing my appetite.

"I won't be at the Christmas Party this Friday." He sliced a piece of his chicken and stuffed it inside his mouth.

My eyes widened at the sentence he just casually said.

Why won't he be at the party?! Does he hate them? Is he not feeling well?

"Again?"

"I won't tell you any more than this if you won't eat." He sternly said. He pierced me with his serious hazel auburn gaze. "Don't you know that chicken stir-fry is a famous winter food?"

I loosened my grip on my utensils and started stuffing my mouth. "I didn't know that." The way how the flavor of sweet and spicy blended with each other was something so perfect. "This is good!" And to think that I hated spicy food.

"I know right?! Gerard cooks the best of dishes!" Brendan munched on his dish.

"Is that why you said you didn't have to buy a gift?" I asked, tearing immediately through the light atmosphere that recently just surfaced between us and back to the earlier heavy and solemn ambiance.

"I'll tell you something May." He took out a tissue and wiped his lower lip. "Hear me out okay?"

I took out a tissue myself and wiped my lips with it. Whatever he's going to say, I don't feel like it's any good. "I'll hear you out."

"Good." He breathed out one big relaxed sigh.

"The reason why I brought you here is to properly say goodbye." He shot a sad smile. "And also to talk to you about other things. But mainly to say goodbye."

And I just sat there dumbfounded at what he said. I was slowly processing what he actually meant by that.

He couldn't possibly mean that he would be leaving and continue his school somewhere, could he? The kind of goodbye that means forever?

"Have you already bought something for the coming party May?"

"No. Have you?"

"I don't need to."

"Tonight will be my flight."