CHAPTER SIX

“Yo, that was dope! Nice one, Yen.”

Seriously, that was below average kind of performance, but it was the first time that I didn’t mess up. It’s making me feel giddy inside. Although I didn’t get to hear how we sound all together because I was so focused on my own shit. But I didn’t mess up! That’s a good thing.

I shook Bo’s hand happily, as he reciprocated the energy I showed. He grabs Lev on the circle, and the three of us jumped around like kids. Until Hiro decided to join, and now we look like a bunch of adults who never moved on from being a child.

After we felt like throwing up from jumping around in a circling motion, we stopped and laughs at each other. For some reason, my eyes trail to the man who helped me realize my own error to thank him, but he was just there. Minding his own business, cleaning his guitar in silence.

I guess he is back to his usual grumpy and aloof self now.

“Hey, you guys want to celebrate?” Hiro chimes after we’re done cleaning kinds of stuff inside the practice room, and are now on our way out.

“Hmm?” Lev asks in question.

“Bar?” Bo asks in a suggestive tone and I raised my brow in confusion.

“Drinks?” Lev says to second the motion, and all three of them smiled mischievously in unison.

Oh, no.

“Yen, you’re coming with us, right?” Hiro wraps his arm around my neck and I had no choice but to agree. 

Damn. Hiikan is so scary whenever he’s being pushy.

It wasn’t that bad of a deal for me because I won’t be spending a penny. Hiro presented to treat us all tonight, but the condition was that no one goes home unless he says so, and everyone should come. Knowing him, the probability of him drinking until morning is high, so. Heck. This is so stupid.

I was kind of hoping Seon would refuse, but when Hiro also wraps his arm around the poor guy's neck, all was lost. The two of us did not have a choice in the first place. It was either going with these alcoholic maniacs or death. I’m certainly not choosing death.

It was crowded. There is, once again, a fuckton of people. And damn, how I hate crowded places. 

We entered a seemingly family-friendly bar, just a few blocks away from our practice place. I almost threw up inside the car even prior to drinking because Boaz was so fucking excited, he beat the red light on one of the traffic signs.

We had to circle around the neighborhood, trying to lose the patrol car tailing us. And if I tell you, I am a tad disappointed with Lev, because I thought he was the calmest, mature, and sane among them. But when Boaz was going crazy with the wheel and Hiro was cheering for him, Lev was smirking beside me, looking so proud.

At some point, I started seeking help on Seon, but he seemed to be also praying for his life silently on my other side. So, I just sat stiffly in between two men and suck it all up. Not to mention, I had nowhere to find support or hold onto.

Note to self: I am never going to ride any car again if Boaz is the one driving. Ever.

“Beer?” Hiro asks us one by one and the three of us nodded.

“Soda.” Seon slurs and Hiro smiles at him scarily.

I silently trembled in my seat, and looks at Seon, terrified for his life. 

“That was not a suggestion, Seon Alatus Yuu.” He says, crossing his arms on his chest.

“I don’t drink.” The poor man answers.

“Well, you do now.”

Demon. Hiikan Roy is a demon.

If Alison’s mom wasn’t aware she had given birth to a walking megaphone, Hiro’s mom wasn’t also aware that it was a devil she had given birth to.

I guess both of them are a match made in heaven.

After Hiro came back to our table with two whole buckets of beer in his hand, Lev orders hot chicken wings before he distributes a glass of beer to us one by one. Then I purposely slide my chair just a little distant from them, but then Boaz noticed what was I trying to do.

He grabs the lower stretcher of my chair, and without breaking a sweat, he pulls me back beside him until our chairs bumped each other. I was ‘too far’, he says. I tried doing it again a few more times but it ended up being futile. He keeps on pulling me back to the table until Hiro notices what was going on and gave me his deadly smile.

I never moved from my position ever since.

“Two truths, one lie! Two truths, one lie!” They sang in unison, except Seon of course. 

He looked like he wanted the world to end tonight.

“Boaz!” Lev and Hiro says.

They are playing this game, ‘two truths one lie’ where the participant would say three things about himself, and the rest guesses which is the lie. Anyone who guesses wrong will have to drink, but if everyone guesses right, then the participant will have to drink everyone’s worth of drinks.

Both Seon and I never agreed to participate but we got dragged into joining.

“One, I was a troublemaker in high school. Two,” he pauses, fidgeting with his glass. “I don’t have anyone I like right now. Three, I have already had sex before.”

“Three,” Hiro answers without wasting a breath, and Lev followed in pursuit.

“Everyone knows you’re a troublemaker back then, Bo.” Lev laughs.

“Shame on you, guys. I already have experienced sleeping with someone, bastards.” Bo yells, giving the two of them a smack behind their heads.

“Two,” Seon huffs.

“Two.” I say, almost at the same time, and Boaz’s eyes widened a little.

He exhales a defeated breath and smiles. “You got me,” he mumbles.

“Not fair! They already knew that the number three and number one were true!” Hiro complained.

Man, how dense can they get? The man just straight up confessed he has someone he likes right now and no one paid attention. I actually expected him to be the one who doesn’t fall for someone easily but has a lot of admirers given his friendly nature. Whoever that person is must be beyond the standard.

I mean, disregarding his driving antics, Boaz looks good. No. Good is an understatement, the man looks great. He knows how to play the guitar, is tall, knows how to dress himself, and is easy to get along with. If I were that person, I would jump in pure bliss. 

“Two truths, one lie! Two truths, one lie!” They sang again.

“Hiikan!” 

Oh, it’s the demon’s turn.

“One, I’m almost drunk. Two, I want us, NO NAME, to win the next battle of the bands. Three, I can get anyone easily due to my charming personality.” He says, swaying on his feet.

Yeah, he’s almost reached his limit. Not just ‘almost drunk’.

“Three.” All of us answered in unison, and he frowned.

“C’mon, man. That was so obvious. You know you can’t even confess to Ayen’s best friend.” Lev laughs with Bo, and then I followed.

I feel bad for Hiro for spilling his secret, but he was the one who urged me to spill it when his tongue slipped one time during practice. He practically confessed that he liked, and still likes, Alison until now. What a dumbass.

“Bastards.” He muttered under his breath and chugged four glasses of beer.

“Two truths, one lie! Two truths, one lie! Lev!”

“It’s my turn already?” Lev laughs. “Okay. One, I diligently finish my homework weeks prior to the deadline. Two, I’m a dean’s lister. Three, I’m not interested in relationships at all.”

Bo, Hiro, and I stare at each other in silence. Nothing can be heard from our table but the bubbles popping from the glass full of beers and our breaths. How come Lev sounds so out of this world? If it wasn’t him talking, I would think everything he said was a lie, but it’s Lev.

It’s him, so now I’m contemplating which of those three is the lie.

“Bro, the rule says two truths one lie,” Hiro says, bargaining.

“Damn you, everything you said was true!” Bo yells.

Lev smirks, “Are you sure? Then all of you have to drink.” 

“Three?” I ask, unsure. Lev’s growing smirk made me feel even more unsure.

As I said that, the two of them copied what I said, even Seon. Which of it was a lie?!

“All of you, drink!” He laughs like a madman.

“What? Which one was the lie?” I ask.

He casually shrugs in his seat, “One. I’m a procrastinator.”

“And yet, still a dean’s lister? You’re crazy, man.”

My mouth just falls open. I can’t believe someone like him actually exists in real life. How the fuck do they do that? Stay on the dean’s list, and casually says they procrastinate. Damn. This man’s on a different level than I am. I’m barely even breathing properly, with only passable grades.

“Two truths, one lie! Two truths, one lie! Seon!” 

I stared at him, and he was in a daze. Pink blush painted his cheeks down to his neck, and he’s barely even moving now. Lev had to shake him lightly in order to bring him back to reality.

Is he okay, though?

“Two truths, one lie, man.”

Seon frowns, “No.” he says.

“Boomer. You have to drink each of our glasses if you refuse.” 

Without a second thought, he grabs each of our glasses and downed it without pausing. 

Holy shit.

Can he handle that much?

I’m not sure what went after that. The game didn’t even reach for my turn because Boaz threw up after watching Seon drink five glasses of beer without stopping, Lev assisted him to the comfort room, and both Seon and Hiro passed out on the table.

They were so confident earlier, and now I would find out they were a bunch of lightweights?

What did I get myself into?

It was already past midnight, and the owner of the bar had already asked us to leave more than once. There are no buses on the street anymore, I don’t have enough cash to call for a cab, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back home.

“Hiro,” I nudge him. “Hiro, wake up.”

He just half-opens his eyes and then goes back to plant his face down on the table. Jesus Christ. What am I going to do now? How am I supposed to handle all of this? Even me is already tipsy.

I inhaled a solid, sharp breath before making my way to where Seon is seated. I sat beside him and shakes his shoulder lightly.

“Hey.” I called. When he didn’t move an inch for approximately a minute, I shake him again.

“Seon.” 

“Hmm?” He hums softly, as he jerks his head up at me. His face right now can’t even be compared to the one he had earlier. He’s completely beet red. From his ears to his whole damn face, down to his neck, and I don’t know where else did his redness reach. All I know is that this man can’t hold his liquor at all.

I’m going to strangle Hiro for forcing this man to drink tomorrow. What if something happens to him? We’ll be jailed, probably.

“Where do you live?”

I was planning on sending him home first by calling a cab because Hiro is probably almost dead and won’t heed my call, but I don’t know where this guy lives.

“Hmm?” he hums again, and I sighed in frustration.

“I said, where do you live?”

“You know,” He sat up straight and leans back on his chair sluggishly, making me move a little far away from him. “Are you hitting on me?”

“What?” I ask in disbelief. What is he on about?

He looks down at his fingers and played with them before pouting. “You might be really pretty, but I’m not easy.” He says, as if sulking.

Huh? 

I couldn’t help but snort at what he said, and slowly, it turned into a laugh. 

“Why? What do you mean?” I say, just teasing him now.

He pursed his lips together and stared at me with puppy eyes and shit, I almost burst into laughter. 

“If you want to do it with me, then ask for my dad’s permission.” He says, eyes full of conviction.

I bit my lower lip and clutch my stomach to stifle my laugh. Oh my God. I didn't know he can be this cute. It never crossed my mind that Seon Alatus Yuu, who obviously dislikes me, would find me ‘really pretty’, and would confess that as long as I ask for his dad’s permission, he would sleep with me.

I think my brain just short-circuited from too much information.