CHAPTER ONE

“Date me for a month.”

“What?”

He leaned forward, his hair falling to his face as he moved. He looked at Liam, a smirk making its way to his face as he stared. He was obviously confused, probably even thinking it was a prank. “You heard me right. Date me for a month. That’s my condition.”

“Are you-? Oh- I didn’t know you were-“ Liam replied him, making his omission of the ‘word’ too obvious. He hesitated for a while then continued. “I’m not gay.”

“You don’t have to be gay.”

“Oh, yeah? Then how am I supposed to accept your ridiculous condition to date you when I’m not gay like you,” Liam continued, unsure of how he was feeling himself.

“Then be gay for me,” Steve said, as he leaned even closer. He smiled, making Liam realize how pretty his smile looked. It looked way better than the smirk he always had on his face like it was his default look. “Be gay just for me.”

“You’re insane.”

---

It should have been a regular Thursday morning but it wasn’t. The house was empty. Emptier than usual.

Liam Wyatt had gotten used to not having his parents around having his dad die on his 13^th birthday and having his mum in and out of the hospital since he clocked 15. Now, 17, he was more than used to empty houses except that it was emptier on that Thursday morning- they had just relieved their remaining maids of their duties.

He grew up in their huge house with maids roaming about every minute. Call him spoilt, he never really had to do anything herself. His parents loved him dearly- probably because he was the only child or the only child they could have ever had. He wanted a sibling so bad but his mum was just never able to have a child again.

Birthday wishes never came true. On his 15^th birthday, his mum had collapsed. All of a sudden. He had closed his eyes to make his birthday wish only for him to open it and get the opposite of his wish right in front of him. It was sudden and all a 15 year old could do was scream and cry uselessly.

A heart disease, the doctors said. His mum’s heart was sick. Her heart hurt. Few pills and injections would cure her, wouldn’t they?

Months passed and he was able to still live a normal life with his mum. She just had to use her drugs and eat healthy. He had almost even forgotten she was sick until a Monday morning. He had gone to her room to bid her goodbye for school and met her on the floor.

  This time, a 16 year old could barely do more than scream and cry uselessly. He screamed, cried and called the maids. Panicked, they rushed into the room and help carry him downstairs. They called 911 and is family’s driver but that didn’t calm Liam. None of the maids could drive and all they could do was ask him to calm down.

After a while, the family’s driver arrived and he was taken to the hospital.

“Liam,” the sound of his name coupled with the blaring of the horn brought him back to reality.

He sighed as he grabbed his sandwich from the kitchen counter. He promised his mum never to skip breakfast so he just had to have breakfast. He made the last maid teach him a few dishes before leaving so he could survive and take homemade meals to his mum once in a while in the hospital.

“Good morning,” Brian said, opening the door to the car’s backseat. “We’re running quite late.”

He got in, adjusting his red tie as he sat down. Brian Jung was his their driver and had been working for their family ever since he could remember.

“How are you, Liam?” he asked, glancing at him through the driver’s mirror. Liam looked up, his gaze meeting Brian’s. He could read his face well. He has always been around him since he was a child and has always been like a second father to him since his original dad had left him.

“The house seems bigger? Emptier?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, eyes fixed on the car’s window. “June left too.”

Ever since his dad died, the family’s business  went through a major downfall. His mum still managed to  run it successfully to an extent but ever since her illness got worse, the business did the same.

His mum never really told him, but he wasn’t dumb. Business wasn’t going well and they were spending millions on his hospital bills. Unnecessary expenses were cut which included the maids.

He had expected them to leave but didn’t expect to feel so…alone when they finally did.

Everyone was leaving, he could just do the same.

“You might have to leave too, you know,” he said, his eyes not leaving the window. He wanted to look at Brian in the eye when he finally said what had been on his mind for a while but she couldn’t. He feared what his eyes will say. The eyes never lied.

“No, I won’t be leaving.”

“And when my mum can no longer afford to pay you?” he asked. “You don’t have to play hero, feel free to leave once it’s time.”

“Liam,” he paused on a red light. “I’m not leaving, trust me.”

He wanted to believe him. He really wanted to but it wasn’t that easy. His dad had no plans on leaving him and his mum sure doesn’t either.

“To school?” He asked, starting the car’s engine as the traffic light flashed green.

“No, the hospital first.”

“But you’re gonna be late.”

“Just for 5 minutes. I won’t be long. I promise.”

---

Liam didn’t keep his promise but didn’t regret it either. He spent almost 30 minutes with his mum, talking about the most random things and trying to not cry whenever she took a break to breathe.  He couldn’t say she was getting better- she still had a dozen machines connected to him.

He wanted her to stop talking.  He just wanted her to rest but he couldn’t.  He missed her and it felt like talking to her was the only way he could almost assure himself she was still with him.

He got to school few minutes after the first period. Brian spoke to her homeroom teacher about his reason for coming late and she sympathetically let him go. Of course, not without words of encouragement and comfort that did nothing but make him feel worse.

“How’s your mum?” Jasmine Rivers, his best friend and only friend, actually, asked. Jasmine clutched onto his shoulder, brushing a strand of his long hair off his face. “You seem stressed. Not better, right?”

“No, she’s not,” he replied, holding Jasmine’s hand. “When he smiled, it hurt. It felt so difficult to do.”

“Oh, sweetie,” she stroked his hair in a way that always made him feel better. “She’ll be fine.”

“I’ve heard that a dozen times already,” Liam exhaled. “I just really hope so.”

“Have you completed your maths assignment?” Jasmine asked, pulling away from their quick hug. “It’s due today.”

“Oh, shoot,” Liam almost cried. “No, I’ve not.”

“I thought as much,” his best friend replied, smiling as she pulled out sheets of paper from her backpack. “Here.”

“Oh my God, Jasmine-“

“Yeah, yeah,” she smiled. “You should be really grateful. I had to study just because of you. The questions were quite difficult.”

Liam smiled at the sheets in his hand. Jasmine never really bothered to do assignments. She was smart but being unserious was her own way of rebelling against her parents. They wanted her to study law which she was hell bent on never studying.

“What would I do without you? I love you.”

“Nothing, actually,” Jasmine replied matter- of-factly. “You need me to exist.”

He nodded knowing how true it was. He loved his best friend a little too much. Being the only outsider that has been around him the longest, other than Brian, she knew and understood him well.

Jasmine knew everything his family was going through, financially too and would have loved to help but unfortunately hated her parents. They barely even spoke to each other and whenever they did, they were always at each other’s throats.

“We have English, let’s go.”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, slamming his locker shut after grabbing his English assignment which he had thankfully completed.

“Liam,” Jasmine paused, holding Liam by the shoulder. “You can’t give up. You know that, right?”

  He nodded. “I won’t.”

---

Liam watched the elevator's door open and close at intervals as people got in and out. He was going to the 10th floor. The floor that housed his mum.

It was a Friday and he was skipping school. Skipping school on Fridays was slowly becoming an habit that seemed to bother his mum. Having told her several times that his Fridays consisted of just 3 classes and club activities and that didn’t still make her less bothered, he just showed up unannounced every Friday. She should have gotten used to it though- he attended school on Fridays only once in a month. Jasmine had gotten used to it too so spent the weekends at his place to make up for the 24hours spent without him.

He quickened his steps as he got closer to her room, careful not to spill the soup he made him laying in the basket he was holding.

“Mum!” he called out excitedly as he opened the door to her room.

There was no response from her. He looked at the clock sitting on the table next to her bed. It was 8:34am. The nurse served her breakfast by 7:30am so it felt weird for her to go back to bed so fast.

He dropped the basket, walking over to her. She was just sleeping. He heaved a sigh of relief. The machines were still singing the familiar tune.

“Mum?”

That did the trick. Her eyes flew open on hearing his voice.

“Oh, Liam?” her voice was hoarse. She sat up, Liam helping her adjust her bed. “When did you get here? You’re skipping school, again.”

“Just now,” he smiled. “I missed you.”

She smiled in return and this time, it didn’t hurt. “Oh, Liam. You were here just yesterday.”

“But you weren’t home when I got up,” he pouted. “Just let me visit you as much as I want to.”

“Okay, okay,” she replied in defeat. “Do whatever you want to do.”

“Thank you,” he smiled in return.“How are you now, mum? Any progress?”

“I’m fine,” she replied. She noticed his expression and continued. “The doctor said I should be getting my transplant soon.”

“But?”

“Liam, it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be fi- I have to wait. It’s still not my turn.”

“Mhm,” he hummed, realizing he had voluntarily dampened the atmosphere.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah. I made you soup!” he exclaimed in a successful attempt to brighten the atmosphere.

“You made soup?” she asked in obvious disbelief. “Like you actually, made it?”

“Yes,” he almost laughed. “I asked June to teach me a few things before leaving.”

“Oh,” she grabbed his spoon. “Is this edible?”

“Muuuuuum, of course it is.”

“It’s not going to worsen my condition, is it?”

“Okay, now I’m offended,” he lied. He wasn’t offended at all. If anything, he was glad. Glad to see his mum's normal playful side. “You know what, give it back. It’s bad. I added too much salt into it.”

“That’s much better,” she replied, her grip tightening on the bowl. “You know I absolutely looveee salty food.”

“How’s it?” he asked him as she took a slurp. He had tasted it already and had to admit, it was edible but not the best soup he had tasted.

“Honestly, it’s way better than I expected,” she replied, taking another spoonful. “But I have to admit, I’m a way better cook than you. Once I’m out of here, I’ll marvel you with my cooking.”

“Well, I’m soooo anticipating.”

He watched her with glee as she emptied the contents of the bowl down her throat.

“Thanks for this. Eating just the hospital food was beginning to make me sick.”

“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll be making you lasagna,” he said, excitedly. “June really taught me a lot.”

“Mhm. So, Liam, how are you?” she asked looking at him straight in the eye. “With the house now really empty. Do you feel lonely?”

He hesitated for a while. “A little but it’s okay. That’s why you should allow me visit more often!”

“Okay, son."

“How’s the company? Mum, you really don’t have to hide things from me.”

She was silent.

“Mum?”

No reply.

“Is there something you’re hiding from me? Something you want to talk about?” he asked, sure there was something she wanted to talk about. Her health wasn’t getting worse, was it?

She pressed her lips together. “Liam, do you like your school?”

Uh-oh.

He was silent for a while. “Well, I like you more.”

“Sweetheart, i-”

“What is it?” he tried to smile. “The fees? Is that it? Do I have to transfer?”

“Liam, I’m so sorry,” her eyes were soft and pain evident in them.

  He recognized the look in those eyes. It was the same look they wore when his dad died. It was also they look they had when she told him about her heart condition.

More than anything, he hated that look.

“Mum! I’m really going to get angry now. So what if I have to change schools? I’ve been attending one school my whole life so of course I’m naturally supposed to get bored of it. I need a change.”

“Liam-”

“I’m not dropping out, mum. I’m just changing schools. There are so many better schools out there you know.”

“Are you really okay with it?” she asked, the look still on her eyes.

“Of course! I’m totally okay,” he lied. “So, which school am I transferring to? Have you thought about it already?”

“About that…”

“Oh my God, am I going abroad?”

“No, no. It’s…um, a public school.”

Oh.

“Oh.”

“Liam, i-”

“What’s the name?” he asked, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. “Is it far from home?”

“Crawstar High,” she replied, trying to read emotions from his face but he was doing a good job at hiding them. “Do you know it?”

“Nope. I’ve never heard about it,” he finally gave an honest reply. “But I bet it’s dope.”

“Liam, you know I always want the best for you,” she took his hands. “But the business just keeps on getting worse and my health and the hospital bills.  It’s just becoming harder and I’m so sorry.”

“Mum, you don’t have to explain,” he held her hand. “It’s okay. I understand.”

She caressed his cheeks. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

“Glad to know you know that?” he smirked then smiled. “So, when do I resume?”

“Soon. Really soon.”

“When?”

He feared what would come next.

“Monday,” she said, Liam's heart skipping a beat. “I had to be done as quickly as possible. The earlier the better. And you know you’ll be in your final year in a year’s time.”

“Oh, okay. Cool.”

He faked smile on more time, standing up to adjust the window blinds. He attended Dawson High. One of the most elite school in the country and now he had to transfer to a public school he knew absolutely nothing about.

Just great.

His phone beeped as he buried his hands into the rather wide pockets of his jeans. He pulled it out and swiped it open.

It was a text message.

♡JASMINE♡ : I asked you to call me immediately you got to the hospital. How’s our mum?

Oh, shoot.

---

“I’m transferring, Jas.”

“What?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t want-”

“What?” Jasmine turned, pulling off her headphones. “Sorry, I didn’t get you. What did you say?”

Liam sighed, returning to the kitchen stool he was sitting on. “How long have you had those on?”

  “Since I got into the kitchen,” she shrugged. “I thought you said you weren’t coming downstairs.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t,” Liam replied, unenthusiastically as he grabbed the bowl of freshly popped corn. “Are the drinks in the living room already.”

“Yup. Take two extra colas. I feel very cola-thirsty.”

Liam nodded, opening the fridge to take out three extra cans of cola. It was a Saturday and as usual, Jasmine was spending the weekend at his place. It had become a tradition ever since the house started becoming empty. His weekend thus mainly consisted of them eating an unhealthy amount of junk and watching the funniest movies Netflix had to offer to temporarily get his mind off his close to pathetic life.

After he left the hospital the previous day and replied Jasmine's text lying everything was fine (which was practically true), he went home and spent the rest of the day in bed thinking of how to tell Jasmine he was leaving. It was going to be hard but he just had to.

He sighed again. He had less than 48 hours to spend with Jasmine. Yes, he wasn’t going away forever. He was just changing schools but that was going to change everything. Brian already sent the transfer papers and everything was completed. All he had to do was put on a jean and a shirt and go to his new school.

He stepped into the living room to meet Jasmine sitting lazily on the floor already feasting on a full bowl of popcorn, the TV's remote in her hand as she browsed through Netflix.

Jasmine's presence made the living room come alive. The cream or white paint( Liam had never been able to figure out which color the walls were painted in) always seemed to look freshly painted. The sofas also finally looked like they were of use. Cushions scattered on it and clothes littered around it. The rug also always had crumbs of whatever Jasmine was eating and on rare occasions, free from spills of drinks.

Popcorn and soda still in his hands, he looked up to the shelf of antiques that house a few of their family pictures. His childhood pictures and few of him with his mum and dad. They were beautiful yet felt so not beautiful. They always made him feel happy and at the same time sad. The mixed feelings didn't stop him. He still stopped to stare whenever he walked past.

"Are you going to stand there forever?" Jasmine turned to ask, immediately knocking a lamp over. "Oops."

"Don't ruin everything in my living room, Jas," Liam shook his head as he walked in careful not to trip over the oversized slippers laying in the most inappropriate place for a slipper to lay. "The chandelier's prolly your next target."

"No, it's way too pretty," Jasmine grinned. "And no thanks. I'm not that tall."

"I'm pretty sure that lamp's taller than you," Liam said in a successful attempt to pick on Jasmine.

"Oh, hellooooo, excuse youuuuu?" Jasmine's hands flew to her hips. "I'm not that short."

Truthfully, she wasn't. But Liam was taller than her so that automatically made her short. Her height was perfect. With dark brown hair, dark eyes and the most gorgeous skin tone you could ever imagine, Jasmine was beautiful.

But Liam was not going to admit that.

At least, not in such situations.

"You know what," Jasmine sat. "I hate you."

"Mhm mhm," Liam finally dropped the bowl of popcorn. "So what are we watching?"

"I don't know," Jas huffed. "Shall we rewatch home alone?"

"Ouu, I'm in."

"Duh."

Home alone was going to be perfect. He'd drop the bomb and tell Jasmine he was transferring and then they'll watch home alone together and forget all about their friendship that was about to have a major crack.

His heart was racing.

"Jasmine," he started. "Um... I have something to tell you."

Jasmine dropped the remote slowly. "I knew something was up. You'll never agree to watch home alone for the one millionth time so easily. So, tell me. What's up?"

He pressed his lips together.

"OMG. Your mum's okay, right?"

"No, I mean, yes, she's fine," he replied, an obvious wave of relief rushing through Jasmine. "It's not that."

"Then what?"

He was silent for a while. "I'm transferring."

"Your mum to another hospital? Why? I thought this was the best so far. Why the sudden change? It's not the bills...is it?"

"No, no," Liam could have cried. "I am transferring. I'm changing schools. I'm transferring from our school."

"Oh- What?"

Liam bit his gum. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, you're transferring?" she looked flustered. "Oh my God, Liam, are you okay?!"

She moved close to him, cupping his face in her hands. "Are you okay?"

That did it. He pulled Jasmine into an unexpected hug, bursting into tears. "No, I'm not. I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you behind. I've gotten so used to Dawson I can't imagine starting over in another school but then me being like this is just being selfish and I hate myself for feeling this way. My mum's sick and we're going bankrupt and of course the expenses just keeps on piling up and Dawson charges a great deal of money so it's quite natural he can't afford it anymore but then my dad. I swear I just want her to be fine. I don't mind changing schools just to take care of her but I don't understand how I'm feeling. How will I cope, Jas? New environment. Will the teachers understand when I get to school late because I went to visit my mum or how will they take me skipping school every Friday? And the kids, God, no. What about you? Honestly what would I do without you? I-"

"Oh, Liam," Jasmine stroke his back. "It's okay. It really is. Everything's gonna be okay."

"You think?"

Jasmine pulled away, wiping away his tears with her thumb. "Yes, I know. It's just a new school and please, you'll be fine. Everyone will love and adore you. Your mum will be fine and Liam, you will be fine. We might not see each other everyday but I'll still be here during the weekends. We'll FaceTime, Skype- come on."

"Oh yeah?"

"Hell yeah!" Jasmine pulled his cheeks. "Gosh, look at you. I've told you numerous times you look horrible when you cry."

"You should be honored I cry in front of you," Liam scoffed. "It's hard to keep it in all the time."

"I know and I'm proud of you."

"It's all my parents fault."

"Why? How?" Jasmine wrinkled her eyebrows.

"Cause they made me grow up feeling like it's okay to cry when it hurts," Liam looked away.

"Because it is OKAY to cry when it hurts."

"Guys aren't really meant to cry so easily," he laughed but Jasmine knew better. "But it's okay. At least, I only cry in front of you. I'll stop that too very soon so just bear with me for the mean time."

Jasmine didn't know what she could say to confront him. She wanted to tell him to cry all he wanted as long as it still hurt. She wanted to tell him it was okay to be soft. She didn't want him to stop being real around her.

Instead, she smiled. "You'll be fine."

Liam smiled in return staring at his best friend. "Thanks."

"So, when are you transferring?"

Monday.

"Monday."

"Oh," Jasmine bit her lip. "That's so...soon."

"Yeah."

"I'll miss you but trust me I won't be far away."

"Yeah yeah," Liam could feel his heart softening. "Enough with the cringe. Now let's get to our movieeeeeee."

"Yess let's watch home alone for the one millionth timeeee."

That night, 'home alone' felt like the most boring movie they'd ever watched.