"Hmm!"

 

I'm the best at climbing. Be it trees or fences, I've climbed them all.

 

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE BOY NAMED KIENG.

 

The security guard is nowhere to be seen. I guess he's catching the cat. If he's here, I won't be able to get to class and will be sent to the principal's office instead. My sister is the one to blame. Ning woke up late today. I don't know what happened, but her eyes were all swollen. She also wouldn't take me to school, so I had to go by myself. I don't want to skip school and stay home because I have an art class today. It's my favourite subject.

 

It was nine when I reached school. I stand in front of the shut gate that doesn't allow anyone in except in an emergency, and you need to contact the security guard for that. Therefore, the only way for students to sneak in or out of the school is over the stained grey cement wall. I push an old wooden box there and step on it. I throw my backpack inside first and make sure there are no teachers or snitches that would run off to tell the teachers climbed over the wall to gain brownie points. I listen carefully for a while. When I'm confident no one is on the other side, I start climbing over the cement wall with tiny gaps to put my feet in.

 

From afar, you'll see a thirteen-year-old boy's butt wiggling under his blue shorts as he tries to get to the other side of the wall. Once I'm on top, I look down to check the height on the inside. Holy moly, that's freaking high, much higher than house fences. How do I get down? The green grass with the massive pink tree at the back of the school is the best view from the classroom. I've studied in that room since primary school, never switching. Since the primary schoolers were moved to another building this year, the middle schoolers didn't have to change classrooms. I'm in the same classroom and sit at the same table by the window.

 

Well, I wouldn't get to enjoy the stunning view of the pink tree at the back of the school if I were moved to another classroom. When I look out the window, I will see the evening sky contrasting with the flowers' colours, a breathtaking sight. When the wind blows, it looks like cherry blossoms dancing and singing. The colour fits the building flawlessly. It's one of the sights I wish to engrave in my mind forever.

I awkwardly shift my body, putting one leg down and then the other. Due to the high wall, I fell onto the green grass. My butt is sore.

 

"Ouchhh," I groan, rubbing my butt. I'm about to grab my backpack and run to my classroom when I'm startled by someone's gorgeous brown eyes.

"Whoa"

 

I retreat in alarm, staring at the boy with fair skin and striking eyes. When I realise he's not a stranger, I have a sigh in relief.

 

"Ugh, you scared me."

 

A boy my age, reading a book under the tree, glances at me. Even though he's surprised to see someone falling down, he gives no reaction. The branches of the grown tree shielded the ground view, blocking my vision from any person under the

bunches of flowers. In front of me is a boy in the same classroom who moved here recently. He's thin and has clear eyes like crystal balls. The faint blue aura oozing from his body is proof I'm not mistaken. Only one person in this school owns this blue aura.

 

This boy is 'Khobket,' an isolated, unsociable human with fierce eyes that seem irritated all the time, always occupied with a thick book. At first, I thought he was a snobby young master who refused to mingle with mischievous kids like me. But, in fact, he's not a horrible person at all. He just doesn't know how to socialise.

 

"You're late?" The clear, low voice sounds pleasant to my ears.

 

"Yeah. Why are you here? Not attending the class?"

 

It's nine. A math class. Why is he down here?

 

"Mr Pakit took a day off. It's a free period. No one is in the classroom. They're all playing soccer."

 

Nice. I don't have to explain to Mr Pakit why I'm late. This is great. No need to rush up to attend the morning class. I sit beside the weird boy, rubbing my butt. Getting a scratch from the high fall, I blow my injured knee. It's not a big scratch despite the seeping blood.

 

I take a star-pattern tumbler Ning bought me out of my backpack and pour the water on the scratch. Ning taught me to rinse wounds with clean water first. I look around when done. What do I use to pat it dry? I untuck my shirt and awkwardly try to clean my scratch with the hem of it before stopping when something pokes my wrist. jerk my arm back immediately, loathing someone else's touch, and turn to the beautiful eyes locked on me. Ket holds out a white handkerchief with his small hand.

 

"You can use this."

 

"No way. I can use my shirt."

 

"I don't use it, anyway. You can return it to me later after washing it. Your shirt will be dirty."

 

What's with him?

 

"Your handkerchief will be dirty."

 

"Please take it."

 

I accept the white handkerchief and smile at the boy beside me. He's quiet but so kind.

 

"Thank you."

 

I pat my scratch with the handkerchief before rolling it and tying it around my knee to keep it from the dust. Since Ket turns silent, I crane my neck to see his book.

 

"What are you reading?"

 

Ket raises the book to show the cover. It's a book about the solar system, the subject I hate the most. Noticing me pulling a face, Ket speaks.

 

"You don't like it?"

 

"No."

 

"What do you like?"

 

"Drawing," I say, taking a sketchbook from my backpack and showing him my work.

The art teacher always compliments me on my drawing. And I absolutely love drawing. Be it animals, sceneries, objects, or people. Ket tips his head and checks out my sketches in wonder.

 

"You drew these?"

 

"Yes. Aren't they the best?"

"They are." His fierce eyes sparkle, enchanting me. It seems I'm staring too long because he looks up at me. His eyes are insanely pretty up close.

 

"Can you draw in front of me later?"

 

"Sure!"

 

That's our first time learning each other's preferences. I usually skate across the floor in front of the classroom with my classmates in our socks. You should try it once since it's so entertaining. No rides in the amusement park can beat it. The polished floor is slippery after the janitor has waxed it. Not feeling like doing it today, I drag my chair to sit next to the boy drawing something in his notebook. Ket's table is in front of mine, so I get to see his round head and small neck every day during classes.

 

"Why is your name Kett?"

 

There's nothing in the thirteen-year-old boy's question besides curiosity. Ket looks up at me.

 

"My mom said it's so that things are within my reach."

 

"I don't get it."

 

Ket pokes me with the tip of his pencil to gesture to me to check out his drawing.

 

"I love stars a lot. But since they're out of my reach, I must form a boundary to collect the stars inside."

 

Ket draws a star in the notebook and a square around it, catching my attention.

 

"You can keep the stars with that?"

 

"Yes." The boy nods.

 

"Eh? So cool."

 

"Why is your name Kingdao?" Ket points at the badge displaying my short name on my chest. My full name, 'Kanin,' is embroidered on one side with a badge of my short name on the other. It's a school policy since the teachers can't remember all the short names. My brother is Kangfah. My sister is Kaning. I'm Kingdao. I don't know. I've never asked my mom. I doubt she'd answer, anyway."

She wouldn't tell me if I asked. My mom has never tucked me in or made me breakfast. She comes home and disappears into her room, treating me like air in the house.

 

"Why?"

 

"Have you ever heard them say, 'Your mom doesn't love you'?" I say in amusement. 

 

“My classmates often taunt me with those words, and it's true. I don't know why my mother gave birth to me when she didn't want me. But since I'm here, I have to live on. There are loads of things I want to see in this world. I want to go to the sea. I want to watch multiple sunsets. I want to keep drawing and painting.” Ket goes silent, keeping his eyes down as if he feels bad for asking.

 

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

 

“I'll ask my mom what Kiengdao means at home."

 

I pout. Ket's name has a good meaning, but I have no clue what mine means. I catch the class president doing his Thai homework with a thick dictionary beside it. I stand up and march toward the class president, whom I've been pretty close to since the fourth grade.

 

"Kamon, can I borrow this?" I point at the gigantic dictionary.

 

"You read it? I usually saw you reading comics."

 

"Come on. Let me borrow it. I'll return it to you."

 

I lift the huge dictionary back to Ket's table and flip the pages to the 'k' section. Mmm, what does 'Kieng' mean? It doesn't take long.

 

"Kieng, an adverb, meaning 'beside, close to, nearby.'"

 

I flick my eyes up at Ket as he contemplates it.

 

"Beside the stars?"

 

"I don't understand." I don't even know why my short name has two syllables when my full name does too. I return the dictionary to Kamon. Once I'm back, notice something added to the piece of paper in front of Ket. A stick man is drawn next to the star in the square. I laugh softly.

 

"Is this your human? It's a stick man."

 

"It's you."

 

My smile fades at his words. I stare at the stick man next to the star.

 

"Beside the star. Kiengdao."

 

"Khobket and Kiengdao?"

 

A smile flickers on the corner of Ket's mouth. The first smile I've ever seen. The small boy's smile has pink flowers, which contrast with the light of the evening setting sun in the background.

 

"Ket-Kiengdao."

 

"Narimon is coming!" A classmate shouts before our homeroom teacher steps into the classroom. I rush back to my seat and gaze at the view outside the window. Ket-Kiengdao? I write that word in my sketchbook with a blue pen. What a pretty name. I switch my gaze to the boy with a blue aura. It's so marvellous that I can't take my eyes off it. He appears cold. But this boy is such a warm person.

 

"Ugh, I hate the rain."

 

I dash to the ground floor of the building to shield myself from the rain and watch my classmates running around on the soccer field without caring if they'll get soaked. Well, if I go home wet, my mother will hit me.

 

The downpour grows heavier. The dark clouds and white curtains of raindrops take over the sky. I have to wait until it stops. The sports club room is completely silent on Friday. I store the soccer balls in the steel storage bin, then my legs carry my skinny body to the classroom. I'm about to open the door when I hear two tenth graders chatting on the floor outside their classrooms.

 

"Have you heard the son of the owner of XX Hotel is in this classroom?"

 

"The quiet kid?"

 

"Yeah. I heard he has a problem with Jo's father."

 

"Really? That'll be rough for him."

 

"Poor kid. He's so small."

 

"Come on. Your pity is useless. Jo is the rector's nephew."

 

Their voices fade away. I glower at them, disliking things like this. This is a private school attended by most students from well-off families. Thus, the fathers sometimes disdain or despise each other. When the fathers are on bad terms, their children hate each other. How ridiculous.

 

I push the door open to what's supposed to be an empty room since the classes are over, but a student is taking a nap at his table. He radiates the blue aura more than usual today. It's more vivid in the dark.

 

It's 5 pm, and it's raining. Ket is taking a nap with the light off. I close the door gently to not disturb him and tiptoe to my table to put my stuff into my backpack before dragging my chair to sit next to the happily sleeping boy. I rest my head on the table, facing the boy with his skin so pale that it might evaporate with a slight touch. I

reach out to touch the blue aura from his body. It's insubstantial since it's my imagination.

 

When I was younger, I asked Ning if she could see people's auras. She said no and that no one could. Ning told me it wasn't strange but more like a talent. I can imagine the colours of people's auras, but not everyone possesses them. They only appear around people I mingle with. Once in a while, they exude from strangers like Ket. That's why I'm comfortable being with him.

 

“Um." Ket groans, his eyes fluttering open to me by his side. I look at his gorgeous brown eyes. I'm unsure if it's the humidity or something else, but I don't feel like moving.

 

"Your eyes are pretty," I mumble. Ket's eyes slightly widen as if he's surprised to hear that. He sits up, scratches his cheek, and gazes at the falling rain outside the window.

 

"I don't like the rain," Ket grumbles.

 

"Me neither. It's humid, wet, and cold."

"Are you cold?" Ket notices my wet hair. Well, I just ran through the rain to take cover in here. Ket fumbles in his backpack and wraps me in his huge jacket. I blink in surprise with my head still on the table and flick my gaze to him.

 

"What?"

 

"You said you were cold. You can use this."

 

"I haven't even returned your handkerchief."

 

Ket smiles a little. "It's okay. I lent it to you. You can give it back whenever you wish."

I bury my face in the jacket, content with the scent of fabric softener. No one has ever done this to me. When I was cold, my family would leave me shaking alone until I got a fever. Even if I shouted, they wouldn't bat an eye. However, Ket offered me his jacket upon hearing my mumble, even though my soaked body would make it wet.

 

Whoever his parents are, I bet they must be incredibly kind to their son. That's why he's so kind-hearted.

 

"Ket."

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Thank you." I smile at him. Ket goes still for a moment before smiling back.

 

"You're welcome."

 

"Cough, cough."

 

It's over. I have a fever from being in the rain. I thought I would be fine since there were no symptoms this morning. When I arrived at school, I attended the

morning assembly in the sunlight and studied in a fanned room. When it was time to go home, my body felt heavy. My head hurts.

 

"Kieng, aren't you leaving?" A classmate asks me. I guess it's Best. I groan in response, having no strength to speak.

 

"I'm off, then. See you tomorrow."

 

I fall asleep for a while and wake up in the empty classroom. Everything is quiet. Only the window is left open, revealing the pink flowers swaying in the wind. sit up and look at the table in front of me, where a boy would wait to go downstairs together. Did Ket go home...?

 

I quickly pack up my things due to the headache and close the large window, or the teacher will scold me. I drag my heavy body out of the classroom. The sky is stunningly colourful, but my vision is too blurry to see anything.

 

"Cough, cough."

 

My strong legs, carrying me anywhere instantly, weaken. Before I step out the door, my body sways and hits the broom closet, sending the brooms falling onto the floor. I suddenly pant and have to breathe deeply in and out. At that moment, I hear my breathing echoing in my ears like a whistling kettle.

 

I'm not a healthy boy. When I'm sick, my condition is worse than anyone. I even have a hard time breathing. Ning would usually check on me before I went out and told me to skip school right away if I showed any symptoms. But I only had a sore throat this morning, which is normal for a naughty boy like me. No one could detect my fever from that. I think I'll die if no one finds me. Fortunately, Ket returns to the classroom. For a split second, I notice fierce eyes getting flustered as if he's looking for someone. They turn dim in disappointment when he doesn't find that person. I call his name in a whisper.

 

"Ket."

 

When Ket spots me leaning against the broom cabinet, his expression becomes shocked. He strides toward me, frowning in perplexity. He touches my forehead with his small hand without asking for permission. I slightly turn my head away from him.

 

"You're sick."

 

I instantly fall onto the floor. Ket cries out in shock.

 

"Kieng!"

 

The thirteen-year-old boy glances around in confusion, not knowing what to do. I look at his worried face that I've never seen before. He usually wore an emotionless expression, with an occasional smile. He doesn't express his emotions like others. Is he worried about me?

 

"Cough, cough." My panting intensifies, my breathing loud.

Given Ket's size, he can't carry me to the nurse's office. He's about to step out of the classroom many times, but doesn't want to leave me alone. He's flustered for a moment before suddenly kneeling in front of me. He places his hand on my head, patting it to comfort me. His gentle touch takes my breath away for a second. My eyes widen. His warm, tiny hand.

 

"Wait a minute. I'll get the teacher."

 

Ket darts out, leaving me watching his back. That was the first time I allowed someone else to touch me without shaking it off.

 

The wind blowing into the classroom makes me feel a little cold, but my body somehow warms up. Is this the happiness of being taken care of by someone? I've never experienced it before. Soon, Ket is back with our PE teacher. I'm carried somewhere, probably the nurse's office. The nurse gives me an injection, as this is not my first time coming here due to hyperventilation. My breathing becomes steady a few moments later, but my head still aches so awfully that I don't want to open my eyes.

 

"Kanin, your sister will pick you up." The nurse informs me and turns to Ket. He stands beside the bed

 

"Your mother is waiting outside."

 

The nurse opens the door and talks to Ket's mother about something. Ket then walks to his mother. They argue for a moment before Ket returns inside with a woman with a gentle expression. Their facial features are similar.

 

"Could you give me his sister's number? I'll give him a lift. It's getting late. You should go home, too," Ket's mother asks the nurse.

 

I don't remember anything much. My brain commands me to sleep after taking aspirin. I feel someone carrying me from the bed to the car. That person lays me down in the leather seat that smells new. Someone's warm hand strokes my head.

 

"Mom."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Can we take Kleng to our house first?"

 

"Really? Shouldn't we take him to his home? His parents will be worried."

 

"I don't want that," the boy mumbles in my ear. Frowning, I slowly open my eyes. The first thing I see is his beautiful brown eyes and...his faint blue aura. Ket?

 

"I think Kieng is lonely."

 

His mother looks at him in the rearview mirror. Ket is rarely interested in someone else. He's never had a friend since he got into this school, and sometimes came home with wounds.

 

“I'll call Kieng's family, then."

 

I close my eyes again. The hand stroking my head is so warm that I reach for it. I'm happy. The car door soon opens. I'm getting carried away with someone again. I only know this man smells like Ket, but it can't be Ket, since he can't possibly lift me. I hear a conversation in the distance before my back touches something soft and warm. I snuggle against the big pillow and open my eyes slowly.

 

"Did you wake up?"

 

Ket is reading beside me. I adjust my vision and observe the indigo-square room with a single bed against the wall. A dark wooden desk sits beside the door, fitting the colour of the walls. On the opposite side of the bed is a large window overlooking a plumeria tree. The bedroom feels cosy, totally different from mine.

 

"Is this your house?"

 

"Yeah. It was getting late, so I asked my mom to take you here. Your fever probably went down."

 

Ket is more talkative than usual today. I've never heard him talk to anyone in long sentences before. Ket touches my forehead with his hand and moves it to my cheek. His tiny palm is so warm that I lean my face to it. Ket seems relatively surprised, yet he doesn't withdraw his hand. I snuggle up against his hand like a kid, getting closer, rubbing against it like a kid seeking warmth. It feels good that Ket allows me to do it.

 

"So warm."

 

"Oh, do you want to see something beautiful?"

 

Ket pulls his hand back. Under the dim orange light from the lamp on the nightstand, I notice his ears slightly reddening. Ket switches off the lamp, inches closer to me, and whispers in a cheerful voice.

 

"Look up."

 

I gaze up at the ceiling of the completely dark room, my eyes widening in surprise.

The ceiling is dotted with luminous stars in the scary darkness. Ket's bedroom is like the sky full of stars. Beautiful...So beautiful.