Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Romance

                                                Chapter 8  
         John stopped writing and placed the pen down on the table. He then laid back in his chair and with his fingers interlocked, stretched his arms above his head. 
         Just below his office was a big field and he could hear students’ laughter and chatting faintly from the open window in his office. He loved the sound of youth and joy. Their laughter had a soothing and calming effect.           
          John badly wanted to close his eyes and let their happiness carry away his stress, instead he got up and closed the window to shut out the noise. He did so to prevent himself from getting side tracked. He then looked at the time on his watch and decided it was time for another one of his strolls around school grounds.
         The man exited the room upon turning off the lights.          As he walked around the school, students and teachers that see him would greet him and he would habitually wave back with a friendly smile.
        John rarely walk in the direction of the library, this time however, he made an exception as he noticed a student sitting on the ground in one of the hallways leading up to it. The boy was hurled up in a ball, hunched over and staring down. 
        It was as though he was solidified, the boy remained frozen in his position even as John walked up and stopped beside him, towering over him.          John was sure that the boy had noticed him but willingly chose to ignore him.          
        “Leave me alone.” Eric dully asked of John without looking up. 
         “For the first time in all these years, this is the first time I have ever seen you this way.” John uttered in a distasteful tone.
         Eric flinched at John’s comment. But he kept staring at the ground nevertheless, refusing to see what face John was wearing. 
        Upon receiving no respond from Eric, John asked, “How long have you been on the floor?” 
         Once again, his question was cast aside and completely ignored. Eric remained silent.
        John shook his head in disbelief. Just a while ago, he was being yelled at by Eric and now, look at him, sitting on the ground looking all pathetic, staring down and refusing to even look up. And for that reason alone, John grew angry.          
        “GET UP! ERIC!” John shouted, demanding Eric to rise.
        He suddenly went into full principal mode. 	          Eric immediately looked up, startled by John’s sudden change in demeaner. 
         The boy clicked his tongue in frustration before slowly pulling himself off the ground. He unsteadily got onto his feet. The moment he tried to straighten his back, he felt a sharp pain from his stomach, forcing Eric to hunch over in pain. He frowned in agony. Beads of sweat tickled down his forehead. 
         “What’s the matter?” John asked as hurried to Eric’s side. Concerned, he held out a hand to support Eric, but Eric coldly flung his hand away.
         “I’m fine.” Eric said as he bit his tongue and started walking.
         It was obvious he wasn’t fine. He couldn’t even walk straight without flinching in pain every 5 steps. And even though Eric himself doesn’t want to admit it, he was in a lot of pain. But his stubborn pride wouldn’t allow it to show in front of John. 
          John followed silently behind the staggering Eric. Suddenly, Eric stopped and turned to face John.          “Why are you still following me?” Eric growled while glaring at him. He immediately flinched in pain after raising his voice at John. 
         John had a concerned look plastered on his face. “You should get it check out at the infirmary.” He suggested. 
         With a look of disgust, Eric shouted as he swung his hand at the empty air to gesture John to go away. “I don’t need your concern!” 
         Holding in the pain, he then picked up speed and ran off, leaving John in an empty hallway. 
                    XXXXXXXXXX 
         John stared at Eric struggling to run. He wanted to chase after him and drag him to the infirmary, and even if he were to, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge, considering the condition Eric was in. But he decided against it .           Knowing how stubborn Eric is, he would certainly come to hate him more if he were to it fact do it. So, he made the tough decision of retiring to his office, no longer in the mood for his tour. 
          Feeling rather tired, he went over to the window, opening it in hopes to hear the laughter of students but he heard nothing. When he looked outside, the students were already gone. The fields were deserted. 
        Just then, the office phone rang. John hurriedly shut the windows and picked up the phone.           “John speaking.”          
         “What took so long? I called about 5 times.” The person on the other line complained. It caught John by surprise. He was not expecting a call from Oliver.
        He sat down in his chair and picked up some papers from the table. He looked through the documents as he talked on the phone.            “I was making rounds around the school.” John explained his absence. 
        The man on the other line laughed. “Working hard as usual, huh? Not that I expected any less from my hardworking little brother.”           John laughed along, relaxing his tone. He was relief the missed calls were from Oliver, his older brother by 5 years. If they were from anyone else, he would have been doomed for not picking up. 
         “How is everything going with the business negotiations on your end?” John asked. 
        “I went to the building the other day and it was a real mess there…...” Oliver has only just begun, and John could already hear the enthusiasm in his voice. 
        “I can’t believe they were illegally distributing the drugs!” Oliver exclaimed in disbelief.           He hastily continued, “I wanted to just send them to the police, but then……” Oliver paused momentarily to keep John on edge and guessing.
        “……After learning a little about them, I found out that they were brilliant hackers! So, I was convinced to keep them instead. They may have been dealing in drugs but none of them were addicts.”
        “What do you plan to do with them?” John asked as he put the documents down on the table, a little concern. 
         “I’ll give them jobs.” Oliver replied as though it was a matter of fact. 
         "You should really stop picking up people like them.” John advised. He was worried for Oliver. He is informed that his brother has been doing this for quite a while, but it didn’t stop him from worrying for his safety.
         “……It’s people like them that I can trust.” Oliver solemnly said.          And John couldn't agree more, he understood what Oliver meant. The two of them used to be nobodies. Orphaned at a young age, John was living in an orphanage and Oliver was a beggar on the streets before they were adopted into the Letmere family and became brothers. 
        Under their father’s influence, they had little to no freedom. Even the jobs they have currently are assigned by their father.           Sun Amary High belongs to their father as well, holding the post 9f not only the founder but the most powerful chairmen. Regarding the school and its facilities, his words are law. 
        At the start of last year, under strict orders, John was assigned to become the principal of the school.           When the subject was first brought up, John agreed with no objections. Oliver on the other hand, wanted to become a doctor.           John remember clearly many years ago, Oliver and their father got into a very heated argument. Their father wanted Oliver to take over one of the businesses he owned. Determined and head strong, Oliver protested with all his might. 
         That was the first time John has ever seen Oliver that angry. The hatred in the air was so prominent, it was suffocating. After the fight, Oliver took off in a rage and disappeared.           Almost immediately after the incident, despite John's refusal, he was sent to study abroad.
        Oliver disappeared for an entire year. No one knew where he went. And despite John’s efforts to find his brother halfway across the country, every single search he conducted was in vain.          A year later, Oliver suddenly returned and under strict orders by their father, everyone was to not speak and say a word about Oliver’s disappearance.           To John, that order was absurd. How could he feign ignorance and pretend that nothing happened? His brother went missing for an entire year! He was angry and confused. He booked the fastest flight and flew back the second he received news that Oliver has returned, knowing full well that if his father knew, God knows what strings the man would pull to send him to another planet just to prevent him from seeing his brother. 

All Rights Reserved © 2018 by Anne Teng
End of Ch 8~Hi guys! How is your day? I hope it's off to a great start! Keep working hard and one day you'll get there! I really love the design of this chapter's cover image! What about you? I plan to do more designs like this!
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