Gantung Chapter 35

Gibbs returned to his room that night… and saw Ray sitting on his bed while smoking. This is a new development. He actually came to my room?

Gibbs sat at the end of the bed. "Been here long?"

Ray didn't immediately answer. Instead, he extinguished the unfinished cigarette. Gibbs saw that Ray's hands were shaking as he extinguished the cigarette on the Pringles lid. Gibbs once read that people with anxiety disorder would show a symptom of shaking. But wasn't what Ray had supposed to be depression? Ah, whatever!

"Just now," answered Ray, brief.

Wow, good. He can answer questions now. Though Ray was still staring ahead without looking at Gibbs, Gibbs was still satisfied with the development.

"You okay?" asked Gibbs.

Ray smiled. The artist smile that Gibbs hadn't seen in a while. Even though the smile seemed hesitant, Gibbs accepted it as something positive. "I'm okay," answered Ray.

It became quiet for a moment. Quiet, but not awkward. Things were never awkward between Gibbs and Ray. Ray lit another cigarette.

"Thanks for saving me that day," said Ray.

"No problem. Sofil who beat you, was he okay?"

Ray went quiet. "He's in the ICU."

"Serious?!"

Ray smiled. "Nah. Just playing."

Gibbs smacked Ray's shoulder - almost, but it didn't hit. Though relief started encompa.s.s his body - relieved because he had gotten back the old Ray.

"Where's KJ?" asked Ray.

"You know him. At Teratai block."

"How come he's in so diligent to go there at this time?"

"Dunno. Maybe he's keeping a girlfriend."

Ray puffed out smoke. His hands were still shaking slightly. "Of course, you've broken the Musketeer Code. The others breaking it too is no problem, right?"

Gibbs was silent. "Do you too feel that it's my fault?"

"What's your fault?"

"Because I started going out with Fara that everything happened."

Ray inhaled the cigarette smoke deeper this time. Let more nicotine encroach on his lungs - maybe with it would come any ideas on answering Gibbs' question.

"If you don't go out with Fara, would you do so with Deepa? No, right?"

"There's no way I would!"

"End of story," replied Ray, brief. Cigarette smoke started filling the room. Gibbs usually didn't like the smell of cigarette smoke but maybe because he's used to it, he didn't even smell it.

"n.o.body should be blamed when someone commits suicide," Ray started being philosophical. Ah, how Gibbs missed Ray's philosophy.

"I just feel irked at the fact she ruined our senior year. That's it," sighed Gibbs.

This time, Ray started at Gibbs. Gibbs realised that before Ray turned to face him, he seemed slightly nervous.

"Really? That's it?"

"Yup. Like you said, maybe the b.i.t.c.h wanted to make us psychotic with her death. And we shouldn't let her win, right?"

Ray nodded. "Right. We shouldn't let her win. We should get the best senior year that we wanted all this while."

Gibbs laughed a little bit. "Too bad that I don't smoke. If not, I can say: I'll smoke to that."

Ray smiled. Smoke was exhaled slowly. His lips were still trembling.

"Ray came to hang out here?" asked KJ. His tone was disbelieving.

Gibbs nodded.

"What did he dream to want to hang out?"

"Dunno. Maybe he's recovering from his depression. That's good," said Gibbs, followed by a whistle.

This guy sure is happy, thought KJ. Rather than jealousy, curiosity crept in KJ's heart.

"What did you guys talk about?"

"Nothing much. Just about his staging for senior year."

"Oh. He's still gonna do it?"

Gibbs was quiet. He then turned to KJ. "Seems like you don't agree with it."

"No. I'm okay with it. It just feels a bit weird."

"What's so weird?"

"He recovered too quickly. His depression wasn't a minor one. Is that logical?"

Gibbs sighed. He's started monkeying now.'

"You yourself said that he can snap out of the depression by himself. Now that he's done so, what are you unsatisfied of?"

"Again, you misunderstood. It's not I'm dissatisfied. I'm just saying the situation is weird, that's it. If it's true that he's fully recovered, good for him. But are you sure this isn't a part of Fara's plan?"

"We're still on that?"

"Yeah! Why not? Just because Ray is fine now, you want to put my theory aside?" asked KJ. Yeah, what's important is that you've gotten back your Ray, right? You two should just marry! Thought KJ.

"Can we just act normal? What's happened, happened. You're the one who kept telling me to move on. Now, why are you the one opening an old book?[1] "

"I too want to act normal. I too want to have the best senior year. But right now we've become playing pieces in Fara's game of checkers. What's good about that?"

"You're looking at it like that?"

"Yes, like that. You being suspicious for no reason is because of that too, right? Because I broke the Musketeer Code?"

It was KJ's turn to laugh. It's unknown what game this one - each person taking turns to laugh even though there's nothing funny. "Please, gimme some credit! If it's something measly like that, I can't be bothered to care. Who you go out with, that's your problem, Gibbs. But even so, don't be blinded to the point of not seeing anything suspicious."

"What's suspicious?"

KJ sighed. "Sit down and think properly about the theory I mentioned. If you really feel that it makes no sense, fine. But if you there's a time that it makes you say 'There's logic in it' - please don't just ignore it," requested KJ.

Gibbs was silent.

"It's for our sake, Gibbs. So that we won't be played. Wouldn't it be embarra.s.sing if the most influential gang in the school becomes a laughingstock during senior year?"

With that sentence alone, KJ was sure that he had influenced Gibbs' mind.

You won't win, Fara. You won't win.

[1] Mentioning the past.