Authors note: Nothing different from the first one but a bit boring I think. Still, enjoy!!
Summary : Preview Chapter 1
Rating : PG-13
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Chapter 2
More Than Friends: Normal As Possible
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Sitting in class, Mei Zhou yawned cautiously as he listened to his teacher drone on and on. Casually glancing down at his wristwatch, Mei Zhou noted that class would be over in just five minutes. He sighed and sunk lower into his chair. Five minutes to him seemed forever. Suppressing another sighed, Mei Zhou tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying but then found out that he had no clue as to what was being said.
Giving up, Mei Zhou picked up a pencil and began to doodle for the rest of the period. Then suddenly, he felt a gentle tap behind him. Frowning slightly, he slightly turned around in his seat to look at the boy behind him. To his surprise, the boy handed him a folded piece of paper.
Mouthing his confusion, the boy whispered quietly, "Lei."
Eyes widened in recognition, Mei Zhou took the paper from the boy and turned around before the teacher even noticed the exchange. Glancing side to side, Mei Zhou opened the folded paper to find Lei's writing within.
'I saw you
yesterday at the supermarket by the pharmacy picking up something. Who was it for? Is your mother alright?
~Lei'
'He...saw me?!' Mei Zhou slowly took a deep breathe as he shut his eyes. 'I thought...I hid from him...how?'
He reopened his eyes and glanced over the paper once more. 'But...he doesn't know it was for me...so...'
Biting his lip gently, Mei Zhou quickly scribbled down a quick reply and handed it back to the boy behind him to hand it back to Lei.
Lei, sitting behind in the row to the left of Mei Zhou, saw his friend wrote a reply and handed it back to him. Quickly, snatching the paper from his desk that was passed by the girl to his right, he opened the paper to read the reply.
'Yes. I was
at the pharmacy yesterday. I needed to pick some medicine for Mother, but she's okay. Thank you for your concern.
~Mei Zhou'
By the time Lei had quickly read the reply, the bell had rung, signaling the end of class and the beginning of lunch. Pushing his chair back, he grabbed his books and bag and walked up to Mei Zhou who was doing the same thing but in a more regular pace.
"Mei Zhou," called Lei as he walked up to his friend. Mei Zhou turned around and smiled.
"Hey," he greeted and he turned back around to pick up his bag and books as he stood up getting ready to leave for lunch. Facing Lei, Mei Zhou smiled, "So you saw me?"
Lei smiled as well and nodded. "I hope your mother gets well soon."
Mei Zhou nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too. But it's nothing big. She'll be all right. I have faith in her."
Lei laughed as he patted his friend on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here."
Mei Zhou laughed in agreement. "Of course! I'm starved!"
Walking side by side, the two friends exit the classroom chatting random topics, just like before.
'But this isn't normal,' thought Mei Zhou as he chatted with Lei. 'He doesn't know...No one knows...'
He laughed at a something Lei had just said.
'But...it doesn't matter,' continued Mei Zhou in his thought. 'As long as I have friends like Lei...nothing matters...Nothing at all...'
"Hey, there's A-Shi and Xi-Men," interrupted Lei in Mei Zhou's thought. Mei Zhou looked up and saw his other two friends waiting for them by the lunch table. Xi-Men took noticed of Mei Zhou and Lei and waved them over. Mei Zhou smiled wide in return and waved back.
Turning towards Lei, Mei Zhou pulled on the other boy's arm. "Come on," he said. Lei complied and let Mei Zhou pull him along.
Not really looking for anything, Lei happened to glance down at Mei Zhou's arm that was pulling him along when he suddenly noticed something that he wouldn't usually notice if Mei Zhou were wearing long sleeves.
'A bruise...'
Lei glanced up to Mei Zhou; he hadn't noticed the other boy's discovery.
Finally reaching the table, Mei Zhou dropped down in a chair and greeted his other friends.
"Hey, you guys," he greeted. Looking around quickly, he turned towards A-Shi and asked casually, "Where's Shan Cai?"
"Shan Cai is with Qin-He," replied A-Shi, a bit annoyed at the fact. He sharply turned his head to face Mei Zhou. "Why?"
Immediately, Mei Zhou held up his hands in defense. "Nothing! I just asked; that's all."
A-Shi just grunted, and Mei Zhou dropped his hands.
"I'm going to get some food," said Xi-Men suddenly as he slid his chair from underneath him. Turning to Mei Zhou, he asked, "You coming?"
"Yeah, sure," grinned Mei Zhou as he too stood from his chair. Turning to both Lei and A-Shi, he whispered a quick bye before following Xi-Men.
Alone with A-Shi, Lei turned to his friend and asked the question that he had been burning to ask since he had sat down.
"Oi, A-Shi," started Lei. A-Shi turned his head to face him. "Yesterday...you were with Mei Zhou practically all day, right?" assumed Lei.
The day before, Lei was busy with his father's business and Xi-Men had another date with a girl by the name of Julian, and Shan Cai had to help out her parents for the day, leaving Mei Zhou and A-Shi by themselves.
A-Shi raised an eyebrow at the question and sat up from his slumped position. "Yes, I was. Why do you ask?"
Averting his eyes slightly to the cafeteria line,
he saw Mei Zhou and Xi-Men having a casual
conversation unaware what was happening at the lunch table.
Shifting his chair closer to A-Shi, Lei lowered his voice and asked, "Did
you guys get into a fight with someone?"
A-Shi frowned. "No, of course not! Who do you think we are?!"
This time Lei frowned. "You didn't?"
"No!" exclaimed A-Shi.
Lei slumped back into the back of his seat, leaning his chin to his hand that was propped up on the armchair.
After a few seconds, A-Shi questioned, "Why?"
Without looking at him, Lei just quickly shook his head and dismissed the question. "Nothing. I guess I just worry too much." Then he turned and smiled at A-Shi. "Don't worry about it."
For a few moments, A-Shi was reluctant to believe Lei but decided against saying anything and just shrugged. By that time, Mei Zhou and Xi-Men had come back with their lunches. Settling himself besides Lei, Mei Zhou handed Lei a sandwich from his tray.
Blinking in surprise, Lei turned curious eyes to his friend besides him. Mei Zhou smiled softly and explained, "I saw you from the lunch line and with that face on, I know you will not eat. So I decided to buy you your lunch."
Lei turned slightly red, and reached for the sandwich. "Thanks."
Mei Zhou only smiled more. "No problem."
Lei smiled back and opened the wrappings around the sandwich. Then he averted his attention away from Mei Zhou to Xi-Men who began a conversation with him.
Turning away from his two friends, Mei Zhou returned back to his own tray and opened the wrapping around his sandwich, slowly taking bites from it as he went into deep thought, his friends' voices around him droning into one sound.
'No problem...right?'
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TBC
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END NOTES: That last comment in this chapter is referring to his sickness. He is questioning himself, wondering if he will get better.
