Chapter 3 : A friend that never left him alone

In their small basement apartment, Ryan leaned against the wall, staring out the window. It was raining outside nonstop for two days. They had only one bedroom, where he sat, seeing the droplets coming down both outside and inside from the ceiling.  

It was usual for him to stay hidden when his father lost it, as his mother told him he stayed put, locked from the inside. No one can hear their mother screaming and begging, but he had to withstand those screams, to live another day. He can imagine how his father was beating her mother, but a fifteen year scrawny boy can’t beat him, even if he tries. To save him, her mother sacrificed herself every day. And like a coward, he just heard her screaming and crying. 

He was still in the first year of high school, dropped out months ago. His family couldn’t afford to send him there. His father wasn’t like this to begin with. But after losing his job, he somehow became crazy, drinking all day, spending the last money they had on gambling.  

Looking out the window, he suddenly heard a loud thud sound accompanying a sharp yell of her mother. 

He didn’t know exactly what happened behind that closed door, but his heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard her. 

Not hesitating, he got up, trudging towards the door, his heart thumping, placing his ear to the door to hear what’s going on the other side. 

There was a complete silence, like no one was there at all. And this sudden silence felt more horrifying than horror movies. 

Sweat dripped down his cheek when he heard clank sound of some metals ringing. So there’s someone. Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine. ‘What about mom… Why can’t I hear her?’ he pressed his ear tightly, gripping the doorknob, when the doorknob twisted and the door opened. 

That disastrous view pierced his heart. His mother laid on the ground, her stomach bleeding continuously. Blood all over the things scattered on the ground, and a knife left there blended in her blood. 

He saw something he shouldn’t have seen, but to his shock, his father sat in the kitchen, smoking something, not caring about his wife.  

Ryan ran to her, her pulse was dying, lots blood spilled already, there’s no time to waste. He yelled at his father, “Dad! She is dying,” tears rolled down, he cried desperately, “Let’s take her to the hospital,” trying to carry her himself, but he was too scrawny to do that. He called out to his father again, “Dad!”  

But that person was not even budging, even after begging. Desperate to save her, Ryan couldn’t think of anything. Rage took over his sanity. He took the bloodied knife, running to aim at his father. The closer he went, more rage surged in his head.  

His father didn’t even budge at his behavior, but smirked. The moment that knife was an inch distance, he swarmed Ryan like a fly. His weak body couldn’t resist his father thick hand and a hefty blow. He flew to the side, banging his back on a cabinet. 

That blow still had his head spinning. He could barely stand up at the moment, when he saw his mother trying to say something to him, her hands trembling to hold him.  

Ryan trudged to her as his back resisted him to move, but he dragged himself to go to her. 

She was in her last breath, her hands trembling to reach out his son’s cheek. She muttered, “I’m sorry, son, I couldn’t give you a better life. Now I can’t even save you. Run, run away from him. I can’t…” she teared up, as he said, “Mom! No, don’t leave me, I can’t live…” he buried his face in her chest sobbing, “… Without you.” 

He lifted his head when he saw she’s already gone.  

His whole life fell apart. She was the only one whom he loved dearly, but now she’s not with him anymore. 

Not thinking twice, he just ran away bare feet in the rain.  

In the middle of the road, his leg gave up, his knee slapped down on the ground. He sobbed. He sobbed until he slept on that hard ground. 

There’s no way he could go back to that monster. 

A fifteen-year-old boy with torn out dirty clothes barely covering his skin, squatted down at the corner of the street beside a trash can, trembling. He wandered and begged there for almost a week. People sometimes gave him something to eat while passing by out of pity, but no one ever asked about his circumstances, why he was there in this condition. Also warned their children to stay away from an unclean, homeless child like him.  

His fair complexion complimenting his cute triangular face with a mesmerizing hazel eyes, he looked just like a young master of some rich family. Although a small stature, he still was a pretty teenage boy, but all that dirt made him look like a pathetic ugly homeless beggar.  

Ryan peaked behind those trash cans when a luxurious black car stopped in front of a big flower shop near the corner of the street.  

A tall man, around in his mid-30s, wearing a luxurious suit, went in with a dozen of bodyguard surrounding him.  

It seemed he came to collect a bouquet, but what followed him was all the people marched holding a bouquet each to deliver to his car. 

 Although he was old to be called a young man, his complexion was so bright that he seemed to shine like a diamond. His spellbound beauty left the flowers in that shop in shame.  

While leaving the shop, that guy noticed him peaking at him hideously. Ryan stooped down to hide, sitting there in that cold, trembling and crouching in fear. 

“Boy, are you okay. Why are you alone here like that, where’s your parents?” that guy crouched down to ask him. 

“…” Ryan curled his lips and tried to avoid him, bending around. 

“Don’t be afraid,” that man lifted his chin and smiled, “I’ll help you find your parents..” 

“N-no no… I don’t… I-I don’t want…” Ryan panicked, his voice shuddered. 

“Calm down, calm down, fine, I’m not taking you to your parents, but can you tell me what happened to you.” 

Ryan said nothing to him. He only trembled whenever his parents were mentioned.  

“Will you come with me? I’ll take you to my house. Will you live with me then?” his eyes sparkled. 

Ryan couldn’t resist, but he didn’t talk, just nodded. 

That person took him to his large mansion. Getting off the car with him, he walked down a red aisle to the enormous hall of the mansion. 

 A big chandelier hanging on the ceiling at the entrance made him in awe. Both male and female maids greeted in chorus, “Welcome Mr. Dayholt.”  

A young female maid took Ryan with her to a big bedroom in the southeast corner of the second floor. There laid a clean set of suit on the queen sized bed, several layers of mattress and blankets laid on the bed to make it more fluffy. They were so soft and fragrant that he wanted to lie down for long but the maid he accompanied to came there asking, “Sir, master is waiting for your presence at dinning hall.” 

“Coming,” he went to the dining hall. The hall was as well as big, a long table with full of scrumptious meals and desserts. Mr. Dayholt sat at the far end of the table. A servant pulled a chair right beside him for Ryan to sit. It seemed like, that man didn’t have any other family member. 

 Ryan didn’t eat well for days, without thinking much as he started eating his meals.  

He felt a strange shiver down his spine, as he noticed that man was staring at him continuously while cutting and eating his steak. He noticed a slight smirk, too. When he looked up, he saw a cheerful smile on his face, “Eat up.” 

Every day, he brought gifts for Ryan, sometimes books, sometimes expensive snacks or new suits or watches. But Mr. Dayholt never let him step a foot outside the mansion. He could get anything as long as he didn’t leave the place for even a breather.  

He officially adopted Ryan and took great care of him. He even hired a private tutor to teach him everything that a school taught, as well as how should a young master behave in the household or at any party. Although it was quite a hard thing to remember and keep up with everything, he never hated it. He never hated this life of him until that one day. 

Ryan’s phone rang. “Come home asap, I need to talk,” he saw this text from Darius, standing at the edge of the river bridge. 

 He was deep in thought, not realizing it was late, almost 11:00 PM. He hurried back to home. 

At home, Ryan came to see his friend’s face had reddened, his teary eyes making him look scary. He called out, “Darius? What happened?” 

Darius trudged towards him with a bowl of soup in his hand. “Drink this,” the soup was as red as blood, well it can’t be blood though. 

As soon as he sipped from the bowl, he coughed, wiping his lips. He reckoned, “It’s too spicy.” 

“Exactly! This is exactly what I wanted to tell you.” 

“Omg, I’m sorry, really,” now he remembered his mistake, he got a call from a spam when he made the soup, and maybe by mistake he doubled the spices, he took down the bowl to hand over an ice-cream he bought down the alley, “Here take this, I’m really sorry, it’s totally my fault.” 

Darius never realized it would be this spicy at the glance of the soup, regretting his whole life decision at that moment. Previously, when he just returned home, the room was so clean, apparently. The blankets were folded and placed neatly. Not a single dirty clothes found on the floor. But his shirts weren’t hanging for drying, he didn’t see his books either which were scattered before. 

 Without judging, either, he thought Ryan might have kept them elsewhere. But as soon as opened his cupboard to find a shirt to change on, suddenly all the things stuffed there fell on him, especially the books he couldn’t find before, they fell on his toes. He screamed out of pain and then the dinner. 

When Ryan returned, his eyes were puffy. Although he was smiling, it was clear what emotions he was in before coming home. 

He saw his friend’s red glare darting at him like a hunter, any moment he could be killed, But suddenly Darius teared up and cried, “It was so spicy, why did you… why did you do that… sniff… I… I can’t…” he sobbed continuously. Ryan hugged him to calm him down, then apologized, “Sorry, I forgot you couldn’t bear chili, I’ll make light food from now on, don’t cry now, shush.” 

“What about the cupboard? You stuffed everything there, without organizing. Everything fell when I opened it,” he sobbed, clinging onto him. 

“I didn’t know where to put those books. I will keep them in place next time. Now, now, eat the ice cream or it’ll melt.” He settled him on the bed to sit. 

Although Darius acted like a child, he was quite mature. In critical situation he never gave up on friendship, he never hesitated to help someone regardless their relation. 

It was Sunday the next morning. Darius had some free time, so he accompanied Ryan to the café for his interview. It went very well. Luke only asked about his past work experience, though he didn’t have any. Luke accepted him. 

“He just took you in even though you didn’t have any experience being a barista or waiter? I don’t understand why? He should at least take a test, no?” Darius asked him as they were about to leave the café. 

“I don’t know, maybe he will take test tomorrow…” Ryan stated when someone interrupted him, behind their back, saying, “He’s good looking.” 

“Eh?” both of them startled to see Luke behind them something so ridiculous.  

“Yeah, you heard right, girls come here the most and they like cute and good-looking waiters like him, so I hired him.” 

“I see,” Darius stood in front of him, backing up Ryan to guard him, “Thanks for accepting my friend, oh you have customers at the counter, you’re quite busy I see.” 

As soon as Luke turned to tend the customer, Ryan and Darius left. 

“So where should we go next Ryan…”  

“Hmmm, where? Not home?” Ryan asked astonishingly. 

“Let’s go… to the amusement park.… lets ride everything. I’m sure you hadn’t gone there for a long while,” Darius dragged him by his arm to the bus, going straight to the amusement park. 

‘It’s really a long while. I was maybe a child last time I visited an amusement park,’ he thought, riding the bus carefully and agreed, “Ummm.. let’s go.” 

They rode on various rides, growing so tired, they sat on a bench under a tree, sweating all over, laughing and huffing, Ryan said, “I didn’t have this much fun in a long while, I think we should eat something, I’m hungry.” 

“Let’s go to there, there’s the snack store,” Darius pointed at a cotton candy shop. It’s their favorite snack. They had it whenever they visited in a park in their childhood. 

While eating the cotton candy, they sat on that bench from earlier under the tree shade. Ryan thought about the days when they were little, going to the school together. 

But it was destiny Ryan had to stop studying, his situation was not like before. 

He only had this friend of his who was helping him until this time. He can probably tell him everything happened to him… 

Or not…