Truth

"Really, prince?" I groaned, waking up.

The muffled whir of the car echoed in my ears as a golden hue shadowed the road: the street lights. Will talked about how I fell asleep on Jun, describing how adorable it was. Similarly, Alison dozed off with her face squashed against the window. My eyes flickered slowly as Will turned on the radio. Soft music played in the background while he and I conversed. My mother had asked me to come home with some snacks, so Will drove towards the nearest convenience store. Turning, the car entered the parking lot as Will reversed into a parking spot. As the car came to a halt, the vehicle rocked. Soon, I stepped out, followed by Will, who left Alison napping in her seat.

Inside, the convenience store's sterile aroma flooded into our noses. A brightly-lit room with shelves, all offering a variety of products greeted our weary eyes. The cashier bowed before noticing our sunken expressions: it had been a long night. Hilariously, in the background, cheery music rang through the building. I grabbed a plastic basket and began to throw bags of chips in. At the refrigeration aisle, Will contemplated which beverage to buy. He glanced over at me before signalling for me to come over. My basket was already filled with four bags of chips, two boxes of Poky, a bunch of instant ramen packages, a packeted piece of melon bread, and some powdered tea. Will gawked at my half-filled basket before asking for my assistance. There was an iced milk tea, iced mocha coffee, boba tea, and a milkshake. Will looked at me with beady eyes whilst I murmured to myself.

"The iced milk tea looks good," I growled before clearing my throat.

Will took two: one for me, and one for himself. He saw me eying the chocolate sundaes and grabbed a three of those before cheekily simpering. Before walking to the cashier, we also stopped by and took a bag of Kit Kats. I placed our basket of snacks on the desk as the cashier scanned each item. It ended up pricing about twenty bucks. Luckily, my wallet had a twenty note, so I handed it to the counter person, who thanked us.

Outside, the moon glowed brightly. Will and I were spooning ice cream into our mouths as he unlocked the car—Alison was still snoring inside. As the car clicked, I opened my door before entering and slamming it shut. Alison jolted awake, squealing. Will began snorting as Alison grumpily scanned the vehicle. I gave her the third sundae as she changed her expression to delight. Will turned the key on the car as the engine roared. For a couple of minutes, we relaxed laughing and chatting about the karaoke night: we definitely had to do that again. Inside the pouch behind Will's chair, a bulge emerged. I reached in to find a granola bar; it was the sort he fancied. Sliding it out, I hung it over Will's head, asking if he wanted one. He made a playfully scornful expression as he snatched it and laid the bar on the dashboard shelf. Changing the gear, Will drove off whilst Alison and I snickered.

The ensuing day was hopeful.

Hot streaks of liquid slid down my back as the dirty bathroom ceiling fogged from water vapour. It was supposed to rain outside again. As I switched off the faucet, I pulled the shower curtain and stepped out. Droplets slipped below my legs as a pool of water enveloped the floor. Combing back my soaked hair and drawing a towel off the shelf, I shivered.

Something was off; it was unusually bright this morning. A creeping suspicion loomed over me. It wasn't long before I raced to my room and examined the clock to see it was already eleven o'clock in the morning. Sweating, I scrolled through my notifications as I sat on my bed.

ALISON

I WOKE UP LATE!!!!!

LMAOOOOOOOO did you wake up late too Evan????

Wills sleeping i think XD

ME

Oof

do u wanna just hang out or sth?

The answer was yes.

After about an hour of getting ready, I strolled out the apartment building and into the parking lot, before I saw Will's car. The exhaust coughed up smoke like an old man. Alison and Will waved at me as I reached to open the car door. Jun was sitting in the back, looking out the window. He saw me and fist-bumped me before Will abruptly accelerated the car. The vehicle twisted and turned as everyone in the car leaned and pulled against the momentum.

"Careful with the driving!" Jun exclaimed concerningly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Will flatly replied.

The car sped down the street. It was a nice day outside; maybe we would go to the arcade again, or we would have some lunch at a nice restaurant. In any case, the golden sun glazed the landscape, highlighting the tall buildings and lovely cherry blossom trees. Alison suggested that we go on a picnic at a park. Jun and I agreed as Will changed lanes and headed towards the grocery store.

"Let's get some stuff first," he declared, "who's got money?"

Surprisingly, everyone in the car got their groceries from the same place: the mall. Alison would definitely be distracted by all the other stores. Will parked the car close to the building; its tall stature intimidating me. Jun saw my signature sigh and slung his arm over my nape.

"Hey man, relax. It's just a mall," he chuckled.

He was right. It was just a mall. Only, it was the mall that my mother worked at: she'd find out I wasn't at school.

Big sliding doors greeted my eyes as I took a gulp. Inside, the scent of iced coffee drifted into my nose. There was a coffee shop to the right and a grocery store to the left. We had entered through the back entrance of the mall to cut down on our walking distance. The mall was huge; there were several floors including a top floor. Inside the building, there was a movie theatre, an arcade, a food court, a mini market place, a grocery store, many different clothing stores, and much more. At the top floor, there were actual restaurants—most of which too expensive for us—that had stunning views of the nearby beach. It was a mall that at least a couple thousand people would be inside at all times. My mother wouldn't see me...I hoped.

Will and Jun walked ahead into the grocery store, looking for food to pack along. With only a couple dozen bucks, we had to budget. Luckily, Will had a picnic blanket in the trunk of his car, so we didn't worry about that. Across the packed entrance, Alison was already lining up behind the coffee shop to get her daily dose of caffeine. With my hand in my pocket, I and the rest of the group looked through the aisles. Jun pulled up a basket and Will began placing things into the basket: pre-packaged bento boxes, gyoza packs, mochi, and beverages. Soon, the basket was filled with a bunch of things. As we waited by the check-out aisle, Alison was walking into the store holding a large cup of coffee.

"Seriously?" Will muttered.

"We leave you alone for like five minutes," Jun trailed off.

I suggested that we get going. The group nodded before we headed back into the car. Will started the engine and sped off as normal. Outside, the glare from the large building windows blinded me. The sky was a warm blue with splotches of white clouds. Jun told Will to head towards the river downtown. Ahead, there was an opening from the crowded buildings as we drove over a bridge. Out the car window, there was the stream, reflecting the beautiful, sunny sky. Not too far, there was a port that led to the ocean, but we drove the opposite way. Soon, buildings began to become smaller until there were almost no buildings, only a grassland. We were kilometres away from the city, but the river flowed just the same. The plain grass greeted us, as we emptied out of the vehicle. A gust of wind blew through all of us, as we opened the trunk of the car. Jun picked up the picnic gear while Will and I handled the groceries. Alison stood sipping her coffee.

The loud, blaring honks and horns of the city were replaced by the quiet, blissful chirping of birds and rustling of trees; the water in the river was almost soundless. As we stood at the top of a slope that led down the river, we looked at the sky. It was much better than being in school. Jun jumped and slid down the slope until he reached the bottom. There was a flat space before the land dipped into the river. Will and I slowly crouched down as Alison reluctantly crawled with her coffee in one hand.

At the bottom, Jun had already set up the entire picnic area. Inside my grocery bag, I pulled out the glass beverages: soda, iced tea, and juice. Will laid out the bento boxes and gyoza packs for everyone. I stole a mochi from Will's grocery bag.

"What?" I questioned.

"Nothing," Will laughed.

Inside my bento box were a pork cutlet, some rice, a bunch of vegetables, and a little fish. I snapped my disposable chopsticks out and dug in. Jun gulped half of his iced tea as I stared wide-eyed at him. Alison, still drinking her coffee, denied a bento box. She wasn't hungry I guessed. Will was peacefully eating whilst looking at the river. It was calming. The natural silence enveloping our surroundings. It wasn't long before we chatted, talking about what everyone at school would've thought.

Time passed quickly. The sun had already begun to set, and the group was still by the river. People walked from up the slope, passing by as the sun blanketed the sky in orange. Checking my watch, I clapped my hands before telling everyone it was time to leave. We cleaned up and threw our rubbish into a nearby bin before relaxing on the soft grass. I laid next to Jun and Will laid next to Alison.

"I love you," Alison spoke.

"Y-yeah," Will responded.

I remembered how Will said he didn't truly like Alison back. While looking at Will, I shuddered. Jun motioned over my head and patted it in pity. Maybe Jun thought I still liked him. That day made me realize that, no, Jun wasn't for me. I was content with that, although, I had a creeping suspicion that the person that was for me was always right in front of me.

Will dropped me off at the newspaper company near the sushi shop. I hadn't met with Haji a second time; it would be a perfect time.

I checked in at the reception desk, asking for 'Mr Haji.' The receptionist smiled and told me that he was still working in his office. A woman came out from behind me to escort me to his office. The building was quiet and cosy. Around, there were several people walking down the hallways as I looked at each office door. I reached Mr Haji's office before the woman knocked on the door.

"What is it?" Mr Haji shouted.

"It's a boy. He wants to meet with you," the woman responded.

The door opened as Mr Haji stood looking down at me. He grinned before telling the woman to go. Scanning the room, I could see that Mr Haji was a messy person. Papers were scattered around, the lamp on his work desk was unhinged, and his drawers were opened and closed.

"Sorry about the mess," he explained, "I don't keep things as organized as I'd like them to be."

I sat on a couch before he gave out a sigh.

"So, whatcha doin' here, kid?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you for advice," I stated.

"Oh? What sort of advice?"

I didn't want to jump into the root of the issue. So, I eased in a bit.

"I've recently had a falling out with a friend. Things are a bit weird between us," I explained.

"Sure, sure. That's pretty normal. Best action would be to take some time off from each other."

"Oh, okay," I whispered in surprise.

There was a moment of silence.

"How have you been Mr Haji?" I asked.

"I've been well. Just been working on this new scoop: the subway murders."

"Wait, there were murders?"

"Yep, three found dead and zero suspects. Their bodies were found with lacerations on their faces."

"Woah," I expressed in shock.

"It's not public yet, and most news companies won't greenlight the story because it'll 'scare the readers' from using the subway."

"I have another question, well, more like an issue," I interrupted.

"I have this weird feeling inside of me, but I don't like it. I wish I could make it go away or something." I continued.

"Huh, I see. You feeling sick?" Mr Haji said.

"No, it's more of an emotional thing."

"Well," Mr Haji paused, "If it has to do with a passion of yours, I say chase it."

He continued.

"Sometimes, it may feel weird, or even worse to feel the way you're feeling. For example, if you wanted to be a sports star but your parents want you to be a lawyer, be a sports star. It doesn't matter what everyone thinks of you. If you truly love something, you need to chase it. It's not going to come to you. You need to work for it."

Somehow, Mr Haji had read right through me. He didn't know it, but he had given me advice that would open up a realization. The person I had been telling myself that was a nuisance but was actually someone I adored: it was Will. I stood up from the couch and hugged Mr Haji before telling him I had to leave. Rushing out of the room, almost tripping, I hurried, with people peeked out from their desks to see the commotion. I exited the glass doors of the building before running out into the streets. Tomorrow would be a new day. I would tell Will everything. First, I had to tell my mother the truth.

Mr Haji looked out from his window and mumbled to himself, "That's some kid right there."