Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The corner of my lip twitched as I watched the way he held his instrument. He clearly knew what he was doing and was used to playing it.

"How about this? I'll find someone with a phone and have them record you. Sound good?"

The boy nodded politely. 

Now go get ready. You're up next. Show them what you've got, okay?"

Once the two of them disappeared backstage, I went back to my seat.

"Let's give a round of applause to our talented young boy from Grade 1-A, Sevi!"

I raised my phone automatically and hit record.

The kid stood perfectly straight at center stage. His eyes swept across the audience twice before he leaned toward the microphone.

"My Mommy isn't here," he said quietly. "Please video me, okay? So she can watch it. I love you, Mommy.”

Almost everyone in the hall pulled out their phones. I was impressed. It wasn’t just me who was moved by that innocent voice.

"That kid is one of our best students here at King Royale," the principal whispered beside me.

"How old is he?"

There was pride in her smile when she turned to me.

"Five. He should still be in kindergarten, but we moved him up to first grade. After exams this month, we're planning to advance him to third grade. We just hope his mother agrees. She wants Sevi to enjoy being a kid as long as possible.” 

I turned my full attention back to the boy. His eyes were closed while he played.

The weird thing was, I could see my younger self in him. I used to be that kid. The genius kid who loved violin. An overachiever all through grade school. I had turned my back on all of that when I rebelled. 

The audience clapped when Sevi gave a polite bow and walked off stage. The rest of the performances continued, but I kept replaying his video on my phone.

I gave a short speech about Rocc Corporation's continued support for the school. Afterward, the principal invited me to eat with the students and parents.

"Teacher, I can't eat that. I can't breathe when there's peanut butter."

I couldn't stop watching the kid. Something about him kept pulling my attention like a magnet. Especially his green eyes like mine. 

"Okay. How about chicken and cake instead?"

Sevi took the plate his teacher handed him without complaint. "Thank you, Teacher."

He joined the other kids at a table. 

"You're so good at violin, Sevi," the girl sitting next to him gushed. 

Sevi turned to her and said, all gentle and sincere, "Thank you. You're a really good dancer too."

I watched the little girl's cheeks turn red. Her eyes were practically sparkling while Sevi sat there completely clueless that half the room had a crush on him.

I stood up when I saw him excuse himself for the bathroom. He looked surprised to find me standing by the sink next to him. This kid was adorable

“You’re the guest from earlier,” he said.

I didn’t answer instead, I watched him climb the small step stool so he could reach the sink.

"You need help?" I asked when I noticed he couldn't reach the soap. 

“I can’t reach the soap.” 

I pushed it closer to him. He washed his hands right away, You could tell he’d been raised well and taught to be independent. He didn’t protest when I lifted him down from the stool then he looked up at me. 

“What’s your name, Sir?” 

“You shouldn’t talk to strangers. Didn’t your mom tell you that?” I angled my head to stare at him more. 

“You’re not a stranger, Sir. My teacher and the principal know you. You took a video earlier, right?” 

"Yes."

"Can you send the video to my Mommy's messenger? Please?"

"You don't have a phone?"

He shook his head. "I'm still my Mommy's baby. I'm not allowed to have my own phone yet."

Sevi reached up and grabbed my hand as we walked. A strange feeling settled in my chest. There was something about the boy’s presence I couldn’t quite figure out.

"Mommy said she'd come," he told me, looking straight ahead. "But I already finished playing violin and she's still not here. Maybe she had too much work and couldn't leave."

"How do you feel about that?" I stopped walking when we passed a bench outside. I didn't want to go back inside yet. I wanted to keep talking to him.

"Sad. But I understand my Mommy. She works a lot so we can have food and a house and so I can go to school."

I ruffled his hair and smirked. "Heard you're a genius kid."

"Only a little bit, Sir—"

"I'm Sebastian. You can call me Sebastian,” I said. 

He nodded and grinned. "I got it from my Mommy. She's very pretty and she's the best Mommy ever.” 

I laughed. His energy was contagious. "You have friends here?"

"A few. Some kids say I'm a freak." He paused. "Saying freak is bad, right?"

His lip pushed out. Actually, it looked more like irritation than sadness. Like the bullying annoyed him more than it hurt him.

"They don't want to be my friend."

"What if you went to a school for smart kids like you?"

He shook his head immediately. "No, Sir Seb. My Mommy would cry. I don't like her crying. And she'd have to work even harder. I don't want her tired."

I was genuinely impressed. I laughed again and messed up his hair one more time.

"She sounds amazing. I'd like to meet your mom."

He stared at me for a few seconds before his face scrunched up. His eyes sharpened, small lips pressed into a thin line. "“I don’t want you to be my mommy’s boyfriend!”

Sevi bolted before I could say a word.

[NESHARA POV]

“Sorry, Sevi Baby. Mommy didn’t make it on time,” I pressed my face against his, pouting, trying to soften him up. 

I didn’t leave MedBrain until four in the afternoon and because the universe apparently hated me today, I got stuck in traffic. By the time I got to the Academy, Sevi's was frowning already. This was the first time I'd ever missed one of his school events. Agnes always used to let me take the day off when it was something for Sevi.

"I promise I'll get a copy of your video from every single parent in your class. Okay?"

“Neshara,”  Sevi's homeroom teacher walked in with a smile.

"Hi, Mrs.. Cooper.” 

"He's been like that for a while."

"It’s my fault. I didn't make it in time."

"Actually his mood was fine during his performance. It changed during lunch. He went quiet and  started snapping at his classmates. Kids these days, their moods flip like a switch."

I thanked her and apologized for how Sevi had been acting. We walked toward the gate hand in hand. His lips were still out, eyebrows almost touching.

I knew my son. This exact face meant something was bothering him. 

"What do you want so you'll accept Mommy's apology, hmm?" I crouched a little, trying to catch his eye while we waited for a cab at the bus shelter.

His face got even grumpier and crossed his arm. 

"I don't want Mommy to have a boyfriend."