A week passed in an instant, and the hellish Monday came around again.
Standing in front of the gym, Henry sighed deeply enough to make the ground cave in. He hadn’t even started cleaning yet, nor had he run into Declan, but annoyance filled him to the top of his head.
Last Monday. Henry, who returned to the dormitory, regretted his actions. When he should have been carefully appeasing him, he’d needlessly picked a fight with him.
He spent even more anxious days worrying that he might spread rumors belatedly if his mood was spoiled. There were still no rumors about Henry at school, but he couldn’t feel relieved.
These past few days, Henry had even imagined refreshingly grabbing Declan by the collar and asking in his dreams. If this was fun. What did he want that made him drain a person’s blood like this?
Though he couldn’t put it into action because of his mother’s warning last week.
I won’t get angry today. I won’t act needlessly spiteful. I’ll ignore Declan Russell.
Henry opened the gym door only after quietly repeating it three times, as if brainwashing himself.
“You’re late today.”
However, making the repetition meaningless, he almost crumbled right upon entering. Because unlike last week, Declan, who had arrived early, spoke to him first.
As always with a bored face, in a clean appearance without shedding a drop of sweat, he was in the middle of wiping the floor. Henry watched him, muttered quietly, and turned his head.
“Good. You’re doing well, Henry Lowell. You’re ignoring him.”
Henry headed straight to the storage room, trying not to give Declan his gaze. Because if he didn’t look at Declan, the desire to pick a fight would disappear too. Henry closed his eyes tightly and prayed to God.
Merciful Father God. Please let today end without any trouble. Amen.
Better than the first time, but the inside of the storage room had become dirty again in just a few days.
Henry tried his best to empty his thoughts as he put all the items fallen on the floor back in their places. He repeatedly muttered to himself on purpose, holding back his gaze that kept trying to go toward Declan.
“Who was the basketball club captain? Sam, I think. I should tell him to manage it better when I see him next time.”
Henry, who finished organizing everything, looked around the storage room and nodded. It was obvious it would be a mess again next week, but for now the dust-free storage room was satisfying.
Now if he checked the equipment placed inside the gym, he could return to the dormitory.
Henry closed the storage room door and approached the basketball hoop on the side far from Declan first to check it. He planned to write down separately any parts that looked particularly rusty and dangerous and tell the teacher.
“I inspected it.”
As he was examining various parts of the goal, a low voice was heard. After pondering, Henry answered him without even turning around.
“…That’s assuming I can trust you.”
“Well, yeah. You can do as you please there, but don’t touch this hoop.”
An indifferent voice was heard. At the words that felt like meddling, Henry whipped his head around, but only Declan’s back as he calmly wiped the window was visible.
Henry’s dazed gaze followed Declan’s movements.
What’s the reason for specifically saying not to touch the side where he is? Declan’s words exponentially inflated in size inside Henry’s head.
Henry recalled the incident in the locker room and recalled Declan’s expression as he stopped him from fighting with Colton.
Thinking about it, since encountering him in the locker room, Declan Russell seemed to have disliked the fact that he had to make contact with him. Even when coming to stop the fight, he seemed to have walked slowly as if he disliked it.
And this time too. He was saying to keep physical distance.
Henry suddenly thought.
‘Maybe. He thinks I’m dirty for liking men and doesn’t want to touch me.’
Just from that assumption, he felt like he’d become a pest that everyone hated.
Did I come to like men because I wanted to like them? What can I do about the fact that I came to my senses and was already liking them? That’s why I knew it was an unsuitable orientation for myself and tried not to get caught, wasn’t it?
That day was a time when most students had returned home. It was Declan who deliberately stayed at school and entered the locker room where Henry was alone. If he’d seen, he could have just turned around and left. It was also him who wanted to confirm by asking.
‘Don’t touch.’
Those words echoed in his ears.
He hated himself for being so twisted by just one word.
He hated Declan, who looked into his depths arbitrarily and then pretended not to know anything.
His head grew hot. Needless stubbornness arose. Henry wanted to cross over to where he was, who regarded him as something to be avoided.
That I didn’t like David because I wanted to like him either. That I came to my senses and was already liking him.
That I also wanted to normally like a female classmate like you, and I didn’t want to be caught by the likes of you.
Henry felt the impulse to shout like that. Because he could see a formless line drawn between himself and him.
He wanted to cross the line he’d drawn arbitrarily and go to the hoop he’d told him not to touch. He wanted to do something he’d dislike.
In Henry’s eyes, he happened to see an old, faded white uniform draped over the hoop.
Henry invaded the center line marked for basketball in the middle of the gym. The closer he got, the faster Henry’s steps became. A beat late, Declan discovered Henry doing so.
Don’t touch?
Why?
Henry jumped with all his strength and grabbed the uniform on top of the hoop.
“Lowell! You…!”
He heard Declan’s voice that somehow sounded angry.
I guess he’s annoyed that the bastard who didn’t want to be close because he’s dirty is approaching? Henry was smiling satisfactorily at that thought when—
Clank—
With an unpleasant vibration, his body tilted. When Henry looked up with a flustered face, he could see the backboard with the rim tilting entirely.
“…Huh?”
Without even thinking to let go of the rim he was holding, Henry blankly looked up.
“Let go, Lowell!”
Only after hearing Declan’s voice did Henry startle and let go. But the backboard had already begun to fall.
Fuck. I’m screwed.
His body froze. Henry was looking up at the backboard plummeting at high speed without even thinking to avoid it.
“Lowell!”
Simultaneously with the sharp call, he forcefully pulled Henry’s body. It was a strength strong enough to momentarily take his breath away.
Henry’s body lost its center and was about to collapse backward.
Instinctively, he tried to step on the ground to avoid falling, but his legs got tangled with the person who pulled him.
Thud!
With a loud noise, Henry fell backward.
It didn’t hurt. Before he could even feel puzzled—
CRASH—! SHATTER!
The sound of glass falling with the rim and breaking rang out with a loud noise big enough to make his ears ring.
He reflexively curled up his body and squeezed his eyes shut before opening them.
At the position where he’d been standing just moments ago, he could see scattered glass shards and a crumpled steel support.
If that had fallen on my head…
Henry gasped at the terrible imagination. His mouth went bone dry.
As he was blankly staring at it, a low voice was heard.
“If you’re not hurt, how about moving aside?”
It was a sound heard from behind. Though his breathing was rough, it was a voice as calm as usual.
Only then did Henry startle and turn around. And he realized why it hadn’t hurt.
Declan had pulled and grabbed him when he almost died or got seriously hurt. On top of that, he’d even fallen together with him who was flailing in surprise.
Why would you?
That was the first thought that came to him.
As Henry just blankly stared at him, Declan furrowed his brow and asked with a serious face.
“Why, are you hurt?”
Only then did Henry try to get up hurriedly. If only Declan hadn’t stopped him.
“Get up without touching there. We don’t know how far the glass shards flew.”
Henry nodded reluctantly and carefully stood up as he said. To Declan who stood up following him, Henry said quietly.
“…Thanks. I didn’t get hurt thanks to you.”
He’d mustered up courage in his own way. With difficulty, he raised his head to meet eyes with Declan and spoke.
“You…”
“What, what?”
Instead of answering, Declan approached him.
If Henry took one step back, Declan took one step forward.
And finally, Henry’s back touched the wall.
Thump thump, his heart beat. At the excessively close distance, Henry gulped and swallowed. His face, which had heated up at the thought that his tension would surely be visible to Declan too, burned hot.
The man’s hand touched Henry’s face. At the hand that felt like ice, Henry’s body flinched.
