Chapter Three: He’s in Love with a Stinky Dog

The inactive siblings' group chat suddenly became a barrage, his sisters kept chatting and it's all because the news that Keith finally unleashed his potential reached to his eldest sister.

[Fake Fantastic Four Family AKA F4]

Kylie: HAHA! Our mama's boy finally showed his true colors!!! Wow!

Kylie: @Keith BTW, mama was so proud of you! Lol. >o<

Kylie: She said you really are like her!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHA

Kyrie: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kyrie: OMG! Quiet boy no more!

Kiara: Ooooh.

Kylie: Remember that essay he wrote when he's grade five about girls being naturally loud and he used us as example? Lol.

Kyrie: Oh yeah! He wrote so much misogynistic nonsense about us but didn't even include Ma. Tsk. Oh my god… I can't.

Kylie: He wrote, I will never be like them. HAHA, that's why he became like Ma!!!

Keith: I did not write any misogynistic essay!!!

Kiara sent a photo.

…

Keith: Why the hell do you have photo of that?

Keith: @Kiara INSTEAD OF COLLECTING MY DIRT, WHY DON'T YOU GO COLLECT SOMETHING IMPORTANT LIKE A JOB?

Kylie: Ooooh

Kylie: angrybabyboss.jpg

Kyrie: @Kiara run for your life! HAHAHAHA.

Kylie: @Kyrie She can't! Our baby boss's dogs are out! HAHAHAHAHAHA

Kiara: @Keith sorry. Lol.

Keith: I WON'T FEED YOU MR. DING'S LEFT OVERS!!!

…

[Keith left the group]

Kyrie: Shit!

Kyrie: Are you that poor to ask food from neighbors?

Kiara sent a photo. [Fridge]

Kiara: T_T He and mama thinks the same. Their scavenging skills can make them survive through zombie apocalypse. I swear!!!

Kylie: When was the last time someone cooked something fresh at home?

Kiara: Wednesday.

Kiara: Last week. Lol.

Kyrie: @Kiara, don't bite the hand that feeds you!!! Say sorry to Keith. lol.

Keith closed his phone filled with embarrassment. In his defense he was just a kid then. He doesn't hate girls, he just believed the stereotype that girls are loud because of the girls at home back then. Now he fully knew how genetics work.

When Keith raised his head, there was a sandwich and yogurt milk on his desk. Then Drake was crouching down beside his desk looking up at him and acting cute. "Sorry Boss~"

Visually, Drake doesn't look bad in Keith's eyes, he just became an annoying sight to him when he's flirting with girls but this coquettish clingy and cute him?... Yeah it's cute. The annoyance suddenly disappeared making it hard for him to keep his angry temper. He rolled his eyes but took the sandwich and ate.

Nick threw a thumbs up to Drake. Cooing success!

It was lunch time already and some of the pretty girls who were chatting with them before approached Drake and Nick again. Their sweet fruity cologne pervade his nose. It was so sweet even insects would want to bite them. But not Keith. This kind of scent makes him dizzy. Paired with the flirty atmosphere, he was annoyed again and walked out.

Nick wanted him to join because one of the girls there was gunning for him. He called out before Keith could walk away. "Keith!!! Come with us! We're going to the cafeteria!!!"

"I'm getting tiger balm at my mom's desk. I'll eat with them, so go and fuck yourself!" He answered without looking back and left.

Drake was disappointed, he thought his cooing was successful. "He's still angry?"

"He's so moody!" Nick smiled to the girls, "Sorry girls, he's too into his mother. You can't compete with Mrs. Lim."

"Hey, he's always on his phone, what does he usually do? Does he play games?" The girl with a bob cut asked.

"He doesn't play games actually." Nick replied.

Then that girl asked another question, "So, what is he into?"

"He reads novels online." Nick replied without hesitation.

The girls giggle to each other and then that girl explained, "Jade here also likes reading novels, do you perhaps know what sort of novels he is reading? You know, so that they can probably get along through it…"

"Oooh… You want to chase him?" Nick asked the girl in the middle who was into Keith. She blushed and nodded.

It was irritating for Drake. Though it's not like he needed every girls to like him. To be approached and used so that they can get close to Keith was definitely hurting his ego. So he commented, "He doesn't even let us see what he's scrolling at on his phone, how can we know what sort of novel is he into… Just give up, it's not like just because you can talk the same thing with him, he'd actually like you too."

The girl who was flirting with him snapped because the one who was looked down upon was her best friend. She raised eyebrow at him, "Why do you have to be so rude all of a sudden? We're just asking what novel your friend is into."

Nick butted in because Drake was ruining his plans to find a girlfriend. "Heyyy… He's just being real so that your friend won't get hurt. But I'm going to tell you what he reads, He likes fantasy novels, uh… I don't know what webnovel he's reading right now, I mean I really don't get how someone can spend most of their time reading at all. Uhm… What Drake said is true… Keith would rather stay at home and talk about the stuffs in the novel online. So, you know… it's really better to give up that plan."

The girl looked so disappointed and embarrassed. Then she pulled her friends away. "Ahh. Sorry. We're just gonna eat by ourselves in the cafeteria." That being said, they left Nick feeling like another chance slipped again even if he has two baits to draw girls near him. He looked at Drake who was also walking to go to cafeteria. He chased him and along the way, Jude and Rocky also went with them.

They found an empty table and sat there.

Nick threw his tantrums and complained, "Drake, Keith is already moody as hell. Why do you have to be rude to them too? They're so cute. I know that Phoebe was your type, why did you talk to her like that?"

"So what? What I said was true."

Jude ate while he was talking, "Nick your neighbor is really cocky sometimes. Just because his parents teach here, he's acting like he's all that. I mean, he can shoo us but he was just so rude this morning."

Nick nodded and agreed with him, "Yeah. He's really cocky not just sometimes."

Drake looked at him with disgust, "Hey, he just lost his temper. It's not he's like that always."

The three looked at him, Rocky drank his juice and said, "Usually you're the one badmouthing him. Why are you standing up for him all of a sudden?"

Nick answered, "He wants to kiss his ass. Hahahaha"

When they went back to class, Keith ignored them and continued what he was watching discreetly while Nick also got annoyed and dared to keep up ignoring them too. Drake on the other hand was there stealing glances at Keith thinking how to coo him again.

The day ended. Nick didn't go with Keith and Drake left and went home by himself. Keith fetched many tupperwares and went home carrying a big tote bag. The leftover they gave were so good, he refilled and replaced the leftovers in the fridge immediately. While doing it, Kiara was checking out the dishes.

"Hey… Are you mad?", Kiara asked.

"Huh? No."

"We were just joking in the group chat. Nothing serious."

"Mr. Ding told me there's an opening in his company. They're looking for an editor. You should give them a call."

"Really?"

"Oh. Also, that schoolmate of yours in Middle School talked a lot about you. You should also give him a call. I'll give you his contacts. You know, so that you can have a friend."

"Ooooh. You're quiet and kind today. Something's wrong with you. Right?" Kiara raised her guards. She's sensing something's wrong with Keith and this kind of atmosphere was rare. She doesn't know how to deal with it.

"Not really." He answered and closed the fridge and started to wash the dishes left by his sister. Then cooked rice.

Usually, Keith would rush to his room and make some arguments first before giving in to do the house chores but he just volunteered like that. He took the initiative himself and did not talk back with curse words. Kiara looked at him with disturbed expression. She can't even focus on the new historical drama she's watching.

Then after the chores in the kitchen, Keith went to his room and checked on the little puppy. He was fed and he was lying on the cushion, still looking so weak. Then, he touched his books to answer his homework and also studied. Kiara who was standing by the door watching this feat was very distressed. She filmed it and sent it to the family group chat where their parents were included.

She sat on the bed and lied down and asked him. "Keith! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I said nothing. Can you just go back there and watch your drama?"

"No, watching you like this is more fascinating, that wench there has the crown prince and general fighting over her. It's so cliché. At the end she'll choose the crown prince and then they will stop the scheming ministers while the general will sacrifice his life for that ungrateful wench. But you here? Oh my god. It's like you're possessed. I have to watch carefully. Who knows, what if your soul switched to someone else? Or what if, you're like this because you're in love?" Blabbing her mouth like this lead to some absurd conclusion. She blushed and screamed, "OH MY GOD!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT! OUR MAMA'S BOY IS IN LOOOOVVVVEEEE!!!!"

Keith looked at her with even more distressed expression, "You watch too many dramas. Can you just get out? I'm studying here."

Kiara grinned at him. "Okay. Okay. I'm leaving. Take your time~"

She rushed to the living room and started a video call with her sisters to make fun of such news.

Meanwhile Keith continued reading. He had to keep his mind thinking. He was feeling disturbed about the gay jokes in the morning. It was the first time gay jokes were directed to him. It makes him scared he's probably going to hear jokes like that again. He realized at a young age that he can't like girls romantically.

He was aware that he finds few boys attractive. In kindergarten, there was an effeminate boy in their class, that boy was the center of depreciating jokes by other boys. "Sissy"… "…like a girl."… "softie"… and so on. That kid left and was transferred by his mother after a big scene at school. The parents were basically involved in "kid's fight". It left so much impression on him. During elementary, there were also kids who got bullied because they're not like other boys and girls. That's why, he made up his mind since he was young that even though he can't like girls, it's better to not like boys too because boys are the worst. And as long as he don't like any boy, he's not gay in anyone's sight. He kept that in his mind.

He was finally able to let go of the incident in the morning but in the afternoon, he heard those girls talking about him. Apparently, there were few girls suspecting that he's gay. They were shipping him with Nick, and some were shipping him with Drake.

Jade was crying and the two were comforting her.

"It's okay. There are other guys better than Keith. I mean he's so rude and cocky. He doesn't talk to girls. He's basically going to live with his mother forever." Phoebe combed her hair with her hands to comfort her.

Mae also added, "Yeah. You know, I heard something from girls in my class before. Ugh! They're writing rotten fan fictions where Keith likes to bed with Nick. Oh my god, they were fighting with other girls because there were also nuts who wrote Keith being fucked in the ass by Drake. When I read their stories, I was like… For real? I mean, Drake and Nick obviously look straight. But Keith? Who knows?"

"But he doesn't look gay to me though." Jade wiped her tears and started to stand up for her crush.

"Yeah but he doesn't interact with girls. He's just surrounded with men. Why is that? He's not girly but you know… Why doesn't he like girls?" She insisted and even told them that there were kids who went to same middle school as Keith and there was a rumor then that Keith rejected girls because he's into men.

It was lunch break at that time and they were chatting in the infirmary. Which was so close in the teacher's office. He was just going to pass by there but hearing that he was the topic he froze and heard all of it.

Now that he has read enough. His mind thought of that again. He thought he was doing fine at hiding it. But apparently, some people are just so quick to notice it.