Bar

Three days after the suspension started, Kevin just spent most of his time playing leisure activities. As expected from his parents, they didn't get mad at him. They even asked if Dome is doing fine after hearing what happened.

Kevin couldn't sleep tightly at night as he continued to wonder what's happening to Dome. He wanted to contact him but he thought he wouldn't get a response anyway.

Dome, on the other hand, spent his time sleeping all day and bar hopping all night. His parents were surprisingly nice to him for the previous days, but he still knew that they'd be aggressive again in the next ones.

"How's the suspension going?" Brent along with JJ entered their cousin's room. Kevin threw his pillows as soon as he saw them.

"I'm bored. Why are you here? Don't you have class?" His two cousins shook their heads.

"Let's drink tonight. My treat. I know a good place," JJ suggested.

"If that's a bar, you know I hate bars, JJ."

"Come on, Kev. Why don't you try different things sometimes, huh? You're gonna miss out the fun," Brent added as he head locked Kevin.

"Fine. But this is gonna be the first and last time I'll go to a bar," JJ and Brent high-fived with each other because they finally convinced him to tag along.

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"Mom! Brent, JJ, and I are going out. I'll message you before I go home but don't wait for me anymore. Make sure to lock the doors." Kevin bid his goodbye before riding his black Aston Martin.

Kevin drove to the place JJ texted him. [I've been to that area before but I've never seen the bar? Or maybe I'm just not observant.]

He parked his car and searched for his cousins. He then saw the two waiting for him outside the entrance.

"Yo, Kev! Over here!" JJ waved his hand as Kevin approached him. He showed his ID to the bouncer and he immediately let the three boys in.

"Are you both regulars here?" Kevin leaned towards his cousins to make sure that they could hear him despite the loud music.

"Me? Nope. JJ is the regular one," Brent exposed his cousin who's now waiting at the counter for his drink.

"What do you want, Kev? Brent will order his usual drink, for sure,"

"Bourbon,"

"Sheesh, you really have a different taste. One bourbon, please," JJ called for the bartender.

"What do you usually do here, JJ? Hook up with girls?" Kevin teased his cousin. Brent laughed with him, while JJ clicked his tongue.

"I don't hook up with them. They hook up with me, that's different,"

Kevin sipped his bourbon and roamed his eyes around the place. It's not his usual comfort place; he never liked loud edm music, or blinding led lights, or neon walls, or people dancing on the dancefloor. [No matter how many times I come back to a place like this, I'd still choose being alone in a serene place than be surrounded with loud noise and crowds.]

He stopped looking around when someone from a distance caught his gaze. Kevin fixed his glasses to confirm if he really saw the correct person. [Dome? He's drinking again?]

"Who are you looking at? Oh, you know him?" JJ asked.

"U-uh, you know him?" Kevin returned the question.

"I don't know his name but I know he's a regular here too. I've seen him many times and he's always been like that, alone and unbothered." [So, he really doesn't like to socialize? I even expected him as a heartbreaker or a flirt.]

"Dome.. his name is Dome," Kevin blurted out while sipping his drink.

"He's your friend?"

"No, he's the problematic guy from my class. And he's the reason why I got suspended," JJ and Brent burst out laughing. Kevin looked at them with a confused face.

"I understand why he got suspended, but that's kind of unfair. Why would you get sanctioned just because you're the class president? And duh, it's not your responsibility if your classmates fucked up on their own. Like, what kind of nonsense is that?"

"Yeah, school admins are stupid. But why did he go to school drunk?"

"I don't know, really. He's a mysterious guy but I know he isn't on good terms with his family. They are kind of violent, he showed me his wound last time. I guess they hurt him physically," Kevin sighed as he swirled the rim of his glass with his finger.

"Oh, maybe that's the reason why he's always here. You might wanna check up on him, dude. I bet he's not doing fine." JJ tapped Kevin's shoulder.

When Kevin was about to approach Dome, he suddenly stood up and caused a scene. [What the fuck? Why did he punch the guy all of a sudden?] In a span of a few seconds, the two guys were throwing punches at each other and no one seemed to care about them.

"I'll call the bouncer. Go interfere, Kev. Your classmate would get beaten up badly if you don't," JJ left to alert the bouncer.

"Let him go," The guy stopped his fist mid-air after he heard Kevin's voice.

"Who the fuck are you?" He released Dome and stood up to face Kevin. Dome curled up and coughed.

"I'm no one but I'm here to interfere," The bouncers arrived and escorted the guy out of the bar. They lifted Dome and let him sit down while preparing the first aid. Then, a woman approached him to apologize.

"You don't need to apologize, at least I saved you from getting drugged. Next time, be mindful of your surroundings and check your drink before sipping it," Dome nodded. [Oh, so the guy was supposed to drug the woman? That's why Dome punched him?]

"Tsk, why are you here?" Dome looked at Kevin lazily. He wasn't wounded that bad, he didn't have a black eye or cuts, but he had a little bruise on his cheek.

"I-I'm with my cousins," Kevin stuttered as he explained himself.

"I didn't expect you to go to a place like this,"

"I usually don't, but they wanted me to tag along. Uh, JJ said you're a regular here. You really drink often?" Dome furrowed his brows and placed his hand on his ear, giving Kevin a signal that he couldn't hear what he's saying.

Kevin sighed and leaned forward. "You drink often?" Dome gave him a short nod.

"How are you..? I mean, did your parents hurt you again?" Kevin avoided eye contact to make it less awkward and triggering for Dome.

"No, I'm good.. I'm good,"

"I'm sorry for bringing you into my mess every time you're near me," Dome added when they've been silent for a while. Kevin nodded and told him he understood his reasons.

"So.. you saved the woman earlier," Kevin opened up the topic about the incident. Dome shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so. I've been into different bars already and I've seen people, mostly guys, putting drugs on a girl's drink. That's dangerous, you know. Every second that passes by, we never know how many girls have been a victim of sexual harassment,"

[Wow. Is this really the Dome that I know? Am I talking to another version of him? Or does he have a nice heart beneath those bad guy behavior and impressions?]

"You seem to be a great guy. Maybe I just judged you too fast," Kevin chuckled.

"Whatever, it's always the nerds who think of me like that,"

"Wow, do you really use 'nerd' as an insult?"

"No, I'm just telling the truth. You know you're not the first smarty-pants who got annoyed because of me. In fact, there were a lot of them from my previous years. They only thought of me as a pest who keeps on bothering others," Kevin felt guilty after remembering what he said to him before.

"Well, the attitude you're showing speaks for yourself. Why don't you show your good side instead?"

"What for? To please people? Nope. I'd rather be seen as a psychopath than prove myself to others. If they aren't quick to judge they will know that I still have a good side and that I have reasons why they perceive me as a problematic guy,"

[Dome and I, we've never engaged into a serious conversation just like what we had today. I never thought that I'd find myself talking to this bastard without the urge to fight. He's a nice person, I can feel it.]

"Thanks for the pep talk, I'm going home now. Go back to your cousins, they must be waiting for you," Dome stood up and tapped Kevin's shoulder.

"Wait, Dome…" Dome turned around and waited for Kevin's next sentence.

"If you need a safe place to go, just message me. I can spare you a place. Don't risk your life again like that, alright?" Kevin rubbed his nape.

[You're not bad either, Kevin. I guess you can be trusted from now on.] "Okay,"