Chapter Three: He's In Love With a Stinky Dog [continuation]

His mom opened the door. "Keith, let's eat."

It was already eight. The dogs outside are also barking and asking for their dinner.

His sister Kylie and her husband, Aaron also came to their house with the twins, Rio and Theo. They had dinner and it was so lively.

Rio, six years old, young and talkative talked to Keith as soon as he sat. "Uncle, auntie said you're in love."

"What?"

Everyone smiled at him. Even his mom creepily smiled at him.

"No!!! She's imagining it. She watched so many drama and she thinks this world is a romcom drama." He looked at his mother and added, "Ma you need to ban her and take her account back. Such a waste of Cable subscription!!!" He looked at Kiara and said, "Kiara, you need to go back to reality! Goddammit!"

"Keith!!! Language!" Kylie covered her son's ears as if she can cover two sets of pair of ears.

"Kiara, you need to stop watching drama! Goddammit!"

No one believed him. The dinner was a torment. Even his nephew teased him to death. He can't even play because he has to play with his nephews who are so good at making him feel embarrassed. They kept talking asking about what kind of girl their uncle could be in love with as if he wasn't talking with six-year-olds. While he was feeding the dogs, he also has to keep up with his nephews. He could successfully divert the conversation about dogs but somehow the two would always revert back to the topic.

"Tell your mommy to come here on Saturday. Help me bathe them! Okay?!" He said watching the two caress the biggest dog named Alien.

"Alien is so stinky." Rio said and then hugged Alien even though he stinks.

Theo hugged the dog too, "Yeah, all uncle's dogs are stinky. Do you think, the girl he's in love with is also stinky?"

Rio shook his head and answered, "Maybe the girl he's in love with is a stinky dog!"

Alien barked. The two laugh. Theo smiled at Keith and said, "Alien said, we're right! Goddammit!" Rio also nodded and shouted, "Uncle! Goddammit!"

Keith was powdered with all the teasing but hearing his nephew learn a thing or two, just makes him feel like he did his sweet revenge to his sister.

When they get back inside. They showered and the two boys slept in Keith's bed after talking a lot and playing with Kookie. Having the two kept Keith not think about his worries. He opened his draft and wrote for a while. Then he slept on the top of the bunk bed. Beside his books and his sister's books.

The next morning. Kylie cooked them breakfast. She even prepared lunch box for their mother and father, her husband's, for Keith, and for the twins. They were extra loud as usual because there were kids who were also blessed with the family's talent.

Keith also drove to school while his parents are talking in the backseat about who might be Keith's crush. They talked about the girls in the student council, the girls who joined the beauty pageants last year, until they went to girls who got pregnant last year.

"Keith, it's okay to like a girl. But if you impregnate them, you'll have to start packing your things and leave. We already have Rio and Theo, and soon your sister will give us triplets. We don't need you to start building your baby factory and compete with her." His mother lectured him.

"Ma! Kylie's pregnant?"

The two in back laughed filled with joy. His dad answered, "Yes. That's why, we don't want you to have a kid. We know a lot of girls like you. We know! But you can't impregnate one!!!"

"It's not like I have a plan to make a baby!"

He also went to the teachers' office to help his mother set up her computer. When he's about to leave his father pulled him and gathered the attention of all his colleague.

"Everyone! My son here! He's finally a 'man'!!!"

What the fuck! He's my father… He's my father… He's my father…

"Hahahaha. Was he not a man before?" They laughed…

Calm down… Calm down… Shit! He's my father…Calm down…

"He was our baby boy!" His father squeezed him and laughed as if Keith was a clown to them.

"Okay! We get it! Is he now a man because he shouted at his classmates yesterday?"

"Keith, Do you have a girlfriend now??!!! Use protection! Okay!?"

"Woah! Perhaps did you go to hospital and decided to have circumcision?"

They're my teachers… Fucking Shit… They're my fucking teachers… They're my fucking father's fucking colleague…

"No! Keith is in Love!" His father clarified. All of them looked at Keith and blushed. The embarrassment made Keith as red as hot chili. Then they all smiled at him thinking they're transmitting signal to Keith that they take delight in him being in love.

"Ahh. We forgot, our Keith is pure. He doesn't have a girlfriend yet, so he doesn't need protection, and he also didn't get circumcision." Mr. Li commented mocking the purity of the kid.

Keith got red all over his body and because he's about to blow up, he ran away while everyone were so happy with Keith's reaction.

When he arrived at their classroom, everyone looked at him. He saw Nick's smiling face as if they did not ignored each other yesterday. And he was reminded of how loud Kiara was last night. How loud their family was. And how loud his father was at the teachers' office. Making it more embarrassing for him now.

"Keeeiiiiittthhh~" Nick's tone was very annoying. "Who's the lucky girl?!!! You, dog!"

Keith went to his seat and ignored all the malicious eyes on him. He sat and fished out his phone and was pissed because he forgot to charge it last night.

Drake was crouching beside his desk again, looking at him like a puppy waiting for his treats. "Nick said last night that he heard your sister announce that you're in love… Is it true?"

This kind of Drake is really cute. It took him three seconds to appreciate how attractive Drake is…

And then he was reminded of the girls gossiping yesterday… Keith being fucked in the ass by Drake…

It made him not want to look at Drake. So, he crouched down on his desk and ignored everyone else. When the classes started, their homeroom teacher first walked in the classroom and the first thing he said was.

"Keith! Since you're in love, distribute these test papers to your classmates. This is for assessment."

The crowd teased him and laughed as if it was okay to joke because the teacher started it.

So, he just took the papers and gave the front row just enough to pass to the people in their column. With poker face, same as usual, he tried so hard not to make any unnecessary reaction even when he face the girls who were gossiping about him yesterday… Drake who was looking at him carefully knew that his mood yesterday was bad, but this time, it's worse. He wanted to get close to him but with this temper, it's gonna be impossible for the mean time.

"Ahh. Youth. I also want to be in love again. Back in my day… I still remember, I was also in high school when I had my first love." Mr. Li began his lecture about his life's history. And the students showed fake enthusiasm hoping they can delay answering the assessment test. "I was really a good student back then, a little popular and good-looking too like young Keith. When I met my first love, they're already dating. I thought, "it's okay. I'll wait. They will break up soon." And they did. I was so happy. Then they get back together. I became sad. Then they broke up, I was happy again. Then they get back together, I was sad again…the cycle didn't end until we graduated. And who knows where my first love is now. Such a tragic love story. And I was not even the main character of it. Where's the justice?"

The people faked their sentiments. "It's okay. Teacher Li. Someone will like you soon."

"You will also have a girlfriend Teacher. But she will break up with you too."

The teacher sighed and looked at Keith who was already answering at the back. "Tsk… Keith is already answering the test paper. It's really different when you're inspired." He looked at the other boys. "Answer now! The time is running. Soon, you'll notice there's not enough time for you to finish it. Just like how my high school days ended without me getting a chance to even at least express my feelings."

They laughed and answered. Only Keith don't find such flashbacks uninteresting and completely irrelevant, especially when he's being made fun of even if it's just a joke for them.

The class assignment this school year wasn't based on grades. Unlike Science Program where they are grouped based on their academic performance, Liberal Arts program students are randomly grouped. So even if the top 1 and top 2 are in class 2-C, most of the students in the class are not striving for their grades and their behavior are unrestrained. They have the most "chill" homeroom teacher, who basically don't bother even if his students are chatting or cheating. This atmosphere, even if this scenario is almost the same as his class in first year, this class is absolutely the most chaotic he's ever been in. Because even their teacher is joining their chats.

After Philosophy class, the next was English. Ms. Ma also teased Keith after the greetings. "Mr. Lim, please read the passage in your English Textbook on Page 6 because I think that this passage will have deeper meaning if the reader is in love."

Again, Keith flushed his annoyance deep inside. He opened the book on page six and saw a passage on an excerpt from the classic Romeo and Juliet written by Shakespeare. The passage was captioned to be from Juliet's narrative. He stood up and read it in monotonous way.

"A passage from the excerpt of Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2 in the Capulet's orchard… Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face-"

"Hold on!" he was stopped by Teacher Ma. "Read it according to your feelings Mr. Lim. Now read it again from the top."

Why the fuck do these people impose I'm fucking in love? Am I an open book? Am I that easy to read? How do fuck do you know my "feelings". I'm feeling annoyed! That's it! He can complain all he wanted in his mind but just obediently read the passage properly. Not overdramatic, not robotic. Just normal, putting stress and emphasis to where it must be.

"A passage from the excerpt of Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2 in the Capulet's orchard…Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,… My true love's passion: therefore pardon me, And not impute this yielding to light love, Which the dark night hath so discovered."

They applaud. A girl in the front row even filmed him secretly. Then he sat down and looked down on his desk pretending to be looking at his book.

"Thank you Mr. Lim for conveying such a beautiful passage from a classic Romantic Tragedy Play! Your pronunciation, diction, and delivery are so excellent. I invite you to English Literature Club. How about it?" Ms. Ma sweetly invited him in public so that she can corner the student.

"Sorry teacher. I don't want to." He plainly said.

Ms. Ma already expected this response but when she got the rejection, she really can't quiet help herself feeling disappointed. She tried to smile, "Okay. Let me know when you want to join. You'll always be welcome to our club." Then the mood became so sad and boring from then..

…

The following classes also had the same pattern. Teachers will tease him and the teasing would die down because Keith knows how to make the atmosphere suffocating if they continue the love topic.