Fish upon the Sky Chapter 12

    Fish upon the Sky Chapter 12

***

   Face shaking, muscles trembling, the whole damn thing shaking. Even the voice.

   O Buddhist monk, last night I thought I would wake up from a beautiful dream in a Mueangnan bed but the truth is far from what I thought.

   What the hell! My lover opens the door and walks in and says I'm sleeping in his bed, with a big smile on his face.

   After the break, something must have happened. I don't know if I fell asleep or passed out drunk, why don't I know anything?

   “What's wrong? Just head bobbing.” Even the sound of his voice scares me.

   “Mind your own business, where did MueangNan go?”

   “Of course, Nan's in his own house, how come he's in my room?” The more I listened, the more I wanted to go over and grab him by the collar and punch him in the face. With that in mind, I immediately lifted the covers.

   I've been sick of him for a long time, let me punch him in the face.

   Dang!

   “Ahhhhhh!” Wrong distance prediction.

   “Are you serious?” Mork immediately rushed over to me and lifted me up with all his might. I shook off his hand, like a TV show heroine.

   “You can see I'm in pain, what a stupid question to ask!”

   “You're dumber than me.”

   “All Stupid.” Go fuck yoself, “How did I get here?”

   “You slept too much, couldn't wake you up, I didn't know where to send you, had to bring you back, let you sleep here.”

   “So, why not let me sleep at MueangNan’s?” That's what I'm asking, talk about not chasing but action is very inconsistent.

   “His dad's home, not a good idea to let you sleep there.”

   “And what's so great about sleeping in your room?”

   “I live alone, sure it's nice, one bed for one person sleeping halfway.”

   Hear him out. I’m silent, sleeping with him, one... People... Half... Chang... Bed.

   Make merit! One must do merit to remove bad luck.

   Because I don't want to fight with the person in front of me, I fight his actions with silence.

   “Speaking of which, do you want to know?” Seeing that I didn't make a fuss, he got smug and asked with a sly smile. If you cut his head off in photoshop and replaced it with MueangNan’s face, you'd probably be three million times happier now.

   “What the hell do you know?”

   “How did I bring you back last night?”

   “Can't see you wanting to know...” Mork shakes his head but both legs go to the computer table at the end of the bed and makes a few clicks on the computer. I then hear a silent voice coming out, it's... MueangNan’s voice. As soon as I heard it, I immediately turned around and there was...

   [Is Mork okay?]

   [It's okay but it's heavy.]

   “Come on, don't die yet, ha ha ha.”

   Yo, full HD clarity, no $d glasses, it's a great way to get a feel for the time.

   This isn't a pleasant video, it's a terrible video, don't even talk about the lighting. The only thing I see is Mork holding me behind his back, I'm asleep, drooling and shaking, it's horrible.

   I guess Mueangnan must have recorded the video, because the voice was right next to his ear. Although the other guy didn't show his face on camera, he must have taken Mork's phone.

   “What do you want from me? It's revenge on me, isn't it?” I said to Mork with displeasure. But he replied in a cold voice, as if he couldn't read the eyes.

   “Don't need anything, look at you now first, go take a shower.” Wide palm clicks off the video, back to the desktop but I don't move.

   “I'm not going, unless you delete the video, don't you know that? Doing so will make Mueangnan think less of me.”

   “Go take a shower first, or I won't delete it.”

   “Uh-huh.”

   “Take my clothes and change them, you'll stink in the same clothes you were wearing before.”

   “Don't, I hate your clothes.”

   “I'll send the video to Nan then, tell him to keep it in his collection, just watch it for fun when he's free, he doesn't have it yet.” Before he could say no he was bending over and holding the mouse. That's all it took; I got more adrenaline out of it than I did out of carrying the fridge.

   “Hey! Wait, say that again, I can talk to you about it.”

   “Then take my clothes and change, shower and take you back to your dorm room, don't you have class at 1pm today?” Another glimpse into someone's schedule, without even asking me how I'm doing.

   “Uh-huh., Where are the clothes? Wash them so I can get back soon, don't want to breathe the same air as you for too long.”

   Since that hour, everything has worked out perfectly. Mork's T-shirt is a little too big but it'll fit. The pants are better, they're shorts, like he bought them to wear to bed but they hurt me and I have to wear them out the door. Fuck! I'm Phii Pi, Duean's best-looking brother, who dresses in style. Although once he wore a striped shirt with a crocodile logo but not this time!

   None of this is Mr. Pattawee's style, okay!

   “How long are you going to stand there with your mouth shut? Come on.”

   Bastard! You know how to ruin the mood. Eventually we had to follow the big guy, towards the car. Not long after leaving Mork's dorm, the car stalled on the sidewalk, instead of going back to the other side of the dorm.

   “Ouch, what's the stop for?”

   “Eat first, I'm hungry.”

   “Then you'll drop me off first and you'll go to dinner.”

   “Can't stand it anymore, if I don't eat on time, my stomach hurts.”

   “That's your business, not my stomach.”

   “It's time for you to eat, too.”

   “I'm not hungry, don't want to eat with you.”

   “Then I also say send the video to Nan for good.”

   “Please, you've deleted it all, can you still threaten me?”

   “Oh, forgot, it's still in the phone.” And I said, while picking up my phone, with the most annoying smile in the world.

   Asshole! Can it get any more sinister than that? As soon as I made a move to grab the phone, Mork opened the door and got out of the car. So, I had to drag my body and soul and sit in the restaurant, with my face in the air.

   “Face like an ass.”

   “Better than you, always a dog face.”

   “Thanks, the dog face is so cute.”

   “Cheeky...”

   “What's it going to be?” What a diversion.

   “Soup and Rice Bar.”

   “This is the Chicken Oil Restaurant...”

   “Oooh, that's fine for chicken fat rice, if that's all there is, ask me what for!”

   “And rice with BBQ pork and pork feet.”

   “I want to eat chicken, write. If my brother hadn't gone to Kauai, I'd have called him to pick me up, not wasting time with you like this.”

   “Okay...”

   Instead of talking back this time, he picked up his phone and clicked on my video, over and over and laughed as he watched it, uh... You've watched it 20 times over.

   “Pi.”

   “What for?”

   “Someone sent you a picture...” Out of confusion, I pick up my phone and look.

   Mork-Pi FC Nong Prik herself Marked pictures, Satthaya Nithikornkul with Pattawee Panichapun 5 minutes ago

   Now Phii Mork and Phii Pi are live at the chicken oil rice restaurant, Ahhhhhh!

   Ahhhhhhhhhh! Prik's sister is giving me trouble again.

   I hurriedly looked around, looking for a target but didn't see one, only an aunt standing very close by buying soy milk.

   Annoying as hell, since birth, haven't met anyone who invades personal privacy, except for Mork's honorary fans.

   “Laughing Fart!”

   “No... You look lovely in the photo.” He said with a smile. I'll beat this asshole to death later.

   “Shut up you, get your fans to delete it.”

   “Why delete it? It's cute.”

   “If you weren't in the picture, it would be cuter.”

   “OK, I’ll have the schoolgirl delete it later.”

   “Tell the schoolgirl, no Mork-Pi, only Pi-Nan's boat.”

   “You're dreaming again, you don't see any loss with me.”

   “Yeah, look at my Facebook, it's a mess, hey! What's that! MueangNan liked it, no...”

   “Boring...”

   “It's you who's bored...” The noise was spewing out, chest pounding and the urge to go to private messages to remedy the situation. At the same time, the meal was ready, so no one said anything except to sit quietly and eat. But you know what? But you know what? As rivals, whatever you do is an eyesore.

   “Can you take your spoon out of the bowl of soup? The rice scraps are fucking floating all over the bowl.”

   The rice vendor was great too, instead of giving two soup bowls, he gave me one big soup bowl instead and I had to have the same chicken soup as him.

   “That's not fair, I just ate your rice crumbs too.”

   “Don't look for a fight...”

   “You don't pick a fight for a while...”

   “Uh-huh, shut up, OK? Eat early and leave early.”

   Each one eats his own but it doesn't last long, the guy across the street opens his mouth again.

   “Pi, the rice is sticking to your face again.”

   “Don't lie to me...” What kind of crazy person always sticks rice in their face? Are you crazy? You're a grown-up, not a three-year-old.

   “Really, or should I take it off for you?”

   When I heard that, I immediately leaned back and almost fell off the chair. I raised my hand and touched my face and then I realized that there was really rice stuck to my face. Once again, is it really possible to live your life without making a fool of yourself like everyone else?

   “It wasn't the rice that stuck to my face, it was the one that stuck to my hand first.” I must be one of the best when it comes to self-deception and chutzpah.

   “OK, Lovely.”

   “Cute what?”

   “Rice Grain...”

   “Lovely meal at your house?”

   “Then it's okay for you to be cute.”

   “I'm going to beat you up, am I your playmate?”

   “Yes...”

   Initially I ready to raise the hand but after hearing the answer, ready to raise the foot.

   From concentrating on eating, so I could get home quickly, to spending 10 minutes or so talking to him. Mork drove me to the apartment and we went our separate ways as usual. Only two classes this afternoon. So, it's the easiest day of the week, free time to do other things after 3pm.

   But I wasn't used to the looks from my classmates. Everyone looked as if they were going to ask something but, in the end, they didn't say anything. It wasn't until the end of class, that one of the seniors came at me and startled me and backed away.

   “Nong Pi.”

   “Ahh... Hmmm.” Do we know each other?

   From memory, I don't know anyone like this for the last 20 years. Even if I did, they were aliens

   “My name is Lae, this senior is Phii Tle, he's a senior in the School of Communication. Is Pi free later?”

   He just kept talking, not giving me a chance to interrupt, until he got back to the important issues.

   “Available...” Hate how I always get nervous when I talk to strangers.

   “Now I'm working on a campus magazine, this month there's a column interviewing the famous 'Top 10 Teen Idols' on campus, one of them is Phii Pi.”

   Buddha! I haven't had a fantasy since I was born. I'm one of the 'Top Ten Teen Idols' and I don't know when I accidentally became famous. My friends saw me as a piece of shit.

   “So, what do I have to do?”

   “Nothing special, let's find a place to sit and talk later.”

   “OK.”

   Once we find the place, the seniors will continue the conversation.

   “I've interviewed seven people, people who are famous for being good students, or for creating a collective good, or for being a pillar of social equality. Now there's Pi, Duean and...”

   “Is my brother on the list too?” There's nothing to ask, just good looks but behavior is another story. I think he's going to be wiping a cold sweat when we interview him. Trust me, after this conversation, he'll be off the “Top 10 Teen Idols” He'll be off the list.

   “Up...”

   “What about me? Why me?”

   “I know that Nong Pi is good in studies...” There are so many good learners but well, I don't want to get to the bottom of it. “But for now, Nong Pi wait, because the fans seem to want to ask you to do a double interview.”

   “A double? With who?”

   “Sorry, for keeping everyone waiting.”

   “Ohhhhhh, Mork Yeah.”

   Huh?

   Mork again, cremate me, will you? It's like no matter where I go, I can't escape for the rest of my life. It's a human or a ghost... that seems to float in and out of existence.

   “Didn't wait long, Nong Mork, sit first.”

   “Is it okay to sit far away?” I said through clenched teeth as soon as he sat down beside me.

   “Double Interview, how can you sit far away?”

   “Who said that, they were single interviews, just called in together.”

   “If you're shy, say so...”

   “Hot Chicken!”

   “Phii Pi and Phii Mork look like they're on good terms.” Phii Lae fucking can't really tell who's close to who, who's talking to who about haters?

   “Yes, the relationship is good.”

   “Okay, here we go, I'll take the video, because it's going to be uploaded to the school website homepage.”

   “Shoot... More video?”

   “Yes, Nong Pi you, OK?”

   “OK, it's all good.” It's come to this, if we leave the table, we'll probably be dragged into the house by the neck and destroyed.

   “That started it, 3... 2... 1.”

   Pressing the video button on the camera and camera phobia ensues. I try to put on a smile, as if I'm used to this kind of interview.

   “Introduce yourself...”

   Pattawee: “Hello everyone, I'm Pattawee Panichapun, nickname is Pi, sophomore dental student, please tell me more.”

   Satthaya: “Hello everyone, I am Satthaya Nithikornkul, currently a sophomore in medical school.”

   I had to grimace and make a face.

   “How do you feel about being chosen as one of the 'Top 10 Teen Idols on Campus', how does it feel?”

   Pattawee: “Rather surprised, haven't thought for the last twenty years that like everyone else, there would be a day like this.”

   Satthaya: excited, probably because of the constant support and encouragement from everyone, anyway, really appreciate the love as always.”

   “Is it a heavy study period? What do you like to do in your free time?”

   Pattawee: “It's not a heavy study load, it's fine. I spend most of my free time reading and spending time with the seniors, so it depends on what the seniors are doing. Oh, I actually have a cichlid club to run and to promote it, there's a science week fair early next month, you can go and see the fish, cute fish, great fish, not good at eating but good at laughing, all kinds of fish.

   Even if he's nervous, he talks a lot, without leaving room for interruptions.

   Satthaya: “I don’t a heavy study load either, most of the free time I go after people...”

   “After who?”

   Satthaya: “Nearly there...”

   Does Mork like to poke fun at the cameraman?

   This question is not even answered, we are still answering questions on various topics. From studies, to social, political, attitudinal, everyday life styles and the question of love which we don't know when to transition to.

   “Would like to know the type of people you both like...”

   Pattawee: “Like small, big eyes, pale skin, makes you want to protect when you look at her.”

   I'd like to add but I'm afraid to say it out loud, good personality, lots of friends, learning potions. If you want to point it out, he is my Fish upon the Sky, Mueangnan.

   Satthaya: I don't have a specific preference in terms of appearance, if I like it, I like it, mostly it's about personality, I like someone who can be himself, someone who is always there for me, because when I'm with my other half, I want to be myself too.

   “Is there anyone in particular you admire or idolize at school?”

   Pattawee: “Everyone has one, I call this person a Fish upon the Sky but let's not say who this person is.

   Satthaya: “I've had someone hidden in my heart since I was a kid, who wasn't a celebrity or someone who had an impact on other people's lives but this person pushed me to do a lot of exciting things in my life.”

   “Moving on to questions about CP...”

   Wait, a one-man interview but why did it get into a conversation about me and Mork, just for the sake of it. I really didn't want to answer but I couldn't find any good reason to avoid it.

   “Both have people they admire, so you know what? A lot of people are talking about Mork-Pi right now, what do you think about people saying we're a 'raging' CP?”

   Pattawee: “It should be more of a misunderstanding; we probably don't get around well.”

   Satthaya: “Yes, get around well but the truth is something else.”

   “Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Oooh, Phii Lae's voice was deafening, sitting there all twisted up into a potato curl (a snack shaped like a wave flavor fairy). Back, back!

   Mork was also deliberately joking, not cutting to the chase, teasing. I stop him with a wide-eyed stare, while quietly stamping my toe on each other's big thumbs.

   My heart is harder than you think.

   “How good is the Mork-Pi relationship?”

   Pattawee: “Friends...”

   Satthaya: “I don't know, look at him.”

   “One last question now, is there anything you want to say to a fan or someone? What if that person sees this video?”

   Pattawee: “Thanks for all the love, I don't know how to repay you all. Anyway, if you're free, let's go duck boating together.”

   Satthaya: “My life used to be very dull but after knowing someone, it made college life colorful, I went to study, participated in activities, did many things I had never done before, really wanted to thank this person.

   I don't know how far away the person I silently admire, will feel from me, or if he senses it,

   But for me...”

   While listening to an incomplete answer from the person beside me, he himself turns to me, instead of facing the camera as he did at the beginning. Our eyes met. I was too stupid, to understand the reason for his actions. The last words before the interview ended came to my ears.

   “That person...

   ...One day they will know.”

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