Cade fixed his eyes on the ceiling of his room, his hands resting on his chest as he lay in bed, and his brain calculating the weight of his chosen responsibility. Every tick of the clock made him edgy of Elsie's current state—the number of stabs in her body, and her raspy voice trying to get free from a secluded room. One wrong move and he'd be dead. Why did his father give him this mission when his life and Elsie's were at stake?
He wants to get rid of me in the smoothest way possible with a clean conscience. Dad acts as if he cares, but in reality, I'm a burden to him. A piece of baggage he wants to throw away.
Stan and Theo's room was just beside him, but he didn't have the guts to call them. His pride was tremendous to swallow. Cade was pitching the tennis ball to the wall as he kept on thinking of ways to get some backup. Involving the police wouldn't be advisable. Deadly mafias were not frightened of them, instead, they led the brawl.
He needed his friends. Cade had many of them at Westgate High. But it's ironic how no one seemed useful to him at that pivotal moment. The ball hit his forehead when he was too immersed in his thoughts. That strike brought a considerable notion to his head.
If there was a single person he could count on, it was Theo. He may be tough on the outside, but Cade knew he was still concerned about him. It was evident in how he showed up last time and saved him, regarding it as an obligation to Mr. Wilfred Robertson. Theo's fighting skills were also the best solution to his conundrum. He had to poke him a little and bring forth the fondness he had for him.
After ten minutes of arguments and snide remarks with his ego, Cade stood at his friend's door, took a deep breath, and knocked. Cade expressed tenderness when Theo opened the door. Theo was taken aback, but composed himself and displayed a poker face.
"Hey, Theo. I know we are not on good terms. But hear me out—"
Cade shut his eyes when Theo slammed the door in his face.
I can't give up. Not yet.
At ten in the morning, Cade brought his textbook to the study room. A few students were busy on their laptops, while others were drinking some green tea while discussing a project. In the middle of the room, he found Theo with two of his classmates on the long couch.
"Are you done with the assignment, Theo?" Lincoln asked as he walked towards Theo. He scratched his head and replied, "Not yet."
Lincoln sat beside him.
"I'm stuck in number ten," Theo said. Lincoln looked at his notes. "The problem about class average mark?"
"An exam's class average score is seventy. The typical student who had a score below sixty is fifty. The average student who received a score of at least sixty is seventy-five. How many students scored lower than sixty if there were twenty total students in this class?" Theo elaborated.
Cade immediately inserted his face between them and said, "Let n be the proportion of students with a score below sixty and N the proportion with a score of sixty or higher. The grades Yi and Xi are those that are sixty or higher." Cade wrote the solution in Lincoln's notebook.
"Wow. I still don't get it, but thanks," Lincoln said.
Theo closed his textbook and said, "I smell pollution in here. I better be going."
Despite Theo's avoidance, Cade kept an eye on him in the dormitory.
In the afternoon, the boys were playing softball in the swimming pool. Theo was enjoying playing a video game near the pool when everyone called his name.
"Theo! Watch out!"
Theo lifted his gaze and saw the ball flying towards him. His mouth parted as it went closer to him, ready to flatten his nose. If there was one thing Theo was so sensitive about, it was his face.
Out of nowhere, Cade pushed him and got hit by the ball instead. Theo fell to the ground while Cade was massaging his cheeks.
"Sorry about that, Curt," Dexter said casually.
"It's alright."
"Next time, don't catch a bullet that isn't for you," Dexter added.
Theo wiped away the dirt on his elbows with a frown. Cade lay his hand to help him stand up, But Theo just looked at it and stood up on his own. Cade clenched his fist. As much as he wanted to punch Dexter, he couldn't. He needed to think thrice before doing something based on his emotion.
Cade was using the treadmill in the Dorm's gym when he heard the boys talking.
"Did you know? Mr. Thomas called Theo an ambitious idiot during class."
"He actually yelled at him."
"I don't know why Mr. Thomas hated him so much. He always finds ways to humiliate him."
"The answer is obvious. Theo's behavior is giving him a hard time. He is our class adviser, taking the blame for his bad habits."
"But Mr. Thomas was too harsh."
"He has always been harsh. But with Theo, his temper goes up."
"Maybe because Theo really is stupid. All he knew was how to kick assess. And there's nothing special about that."
"Why did he even qualify in Mchalmmond High? I heard he came from a public school in London."
Cade wiped his sweat with a towel and said, "Theo isn't stupid. Mr. Thomas is insecure." The boys looked at him.
"Why do you say so?"
"He is using his authority to make Theo feel lower than him. Because in school, he can do whatever he pleases to the students. But outside of school? Mr. Thomas is nothing. If I were him, I would've treated Theo better," Cade explained.
"You talk as if Theo can do something terrible to him."
"Well, he can't. But his parents definitely can. Mr. Thomas knew that. He is taking advantage of Theo's silence. You should watch your mouth too. I might spill things to his parents."
"A-are you close?"
"No, we aren't," Theo said who came from behind Cade.
The boys slowly walked out.
When Theo heard the door shut, he looked intensely at Cade. "Will you stop following me around? I can't tolerate it anymore. You are like a bug."
"Look. You know I am not the type who apologizes for a little mistake. But I am sincerely sorry for the bad things I made you feel, and the unpleasant situations I had put you into."
Theo was amused. "Wow. Should I feel honored that The Great Cade Robertson apologized to me?" Theo clapped his hands in slow motion, a forced and lifeless gesture.
"That's not what I mean."
"Why? Do you miss ordering an obedient dog? Did you suddenly feel that you lost your wings and you can't fly high enough? You want your superiority back, don't you? The entitlement." Theo said those words in a sharp and provoking tone.
A rush of uneasiness came swirling in Cade's head as he looked up. "I'm sorry."
"You know what makes me agitated? You called what you did a little mistake. It wasn't a mistake, Cade. It was a choice. A horrible choice. Choosing to be with Luke and discarding us prove that you can do everything to gain power."
Cade's brows furrowed when he heard Luke's name, welcoming a migraine. Ah, Luke. That perverted psycho.
"What you did was more than betrayal, Cade."
"Theo, as much as I wanted to empathize with you, I am in a tight position right now. I need your help. This is very important not just to me, but to all of us."
"So that is what these are all about. I'm ashamed of having a slight belief that you actually changed. That you came to apologize." Theo chuckled. "Jokes on me. You came to ask for help. That is so you, Cade. Doing something good in return for something beneficial to you," he added mockingly.
"Theo, please—"
"Leave me alone, Cade. Before I become restive of your insufferable behavior. You wouldn't want to see me like that, do you?"
"I'll let you off this time. But I won't give up."
"Do whatever you want, Robertson."
When they were at school, Cade could only gaze at his friends from afar, looking for the perfect time to get Theo's attention once more. Theo was persistent about ignoring him or shoving him through his piercing brown eyes. Cade was losing motivation not until one afternoon when he found Theo outside the stock room with Mr. Thomas.
"Is this all you can do? Thirty points out of one hundred?" Mr. Thomas said and slapped the test paper on Theo's face. "Are you that dumb? Why can't you understand my lectures? Are you making me look like an incompetent teacher?"
Theo was bowing his head, unable to look him in the eyes, and clenching his jaws.
"Hey! Do you think I can't handle you? Don't try me, Burton." Mr. Thomas tapped Theo's cheeks three times with his heavy hand.
"Mr. Thomas!" Cade intervened. They shifted their sight to him.
"You're being called to the SSC office, sir," Cade said.
"Right now?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright." Mr. Thomas flashed a threatening look at Theo for the last time. "I'll see you tomorrow, Burton."
There was silence when Mr. Thomas left. Theo turned his back to Cade.
"Why are you letting that old hag hurt you?" Cade asked.
"It's none of your business," Theo said in an indifferent tone.
"The toughest person I know becomes a coward in front of his teacher? Sounds like a little trivia."
Theo turned his head to Cade. "My father tolerates my attitude. Mom treats me like a baby. It isn't so bad to get scolded. I feel like someone cares for me. I wanted to be corrected."
"It's more than scolding, Theo. It is harassment."
"Now what? You want me to thank you for 'saving' me?"
Cade looked downhearted. "When you saved me, I was hoping that you had an ounce of care for me for the sake of our friendship. We aren't just friends. We are family."
"And you didn't think of that before you ditch us."
"Please, Theo..."
"I can't make a move without Stan's knowledge, Cade. You should talk him out instead of me," Theo said with his last hint of respect towards him.